Here's how it was, after he left me...fifty days to ONE SALT SEA.

[seanan_mcguire]

For me, every book has a theme song, one that doesn't always have anything to do with the actual book. It's just the piece of music that gets stuck in my head whenever I start thinking about it. And for One Salt Sea, the song is "Ten Years," by Talis Kimberley.

Here's how it was, after he left me,
Queen of this island, and mother of his child.
I knew the risks—war's always chancy—
Still, I was happy to wait, for a while...

In fifty days—less, if historical stocking oopsies bear out one more time—you'll be able to walk into your local bookstore and pick up a copy of One Salt Sea, the fifth of the October Daye adventures. In fifty days, you'll be able to find out what happens next. In fifty days, you're done waiting, for at least a little while.

I admit it: I'm terrified. Late Eclipses was incredibly well-received, and that makes the stakes even higher for book five. What's more, One Salt Sea is the book that, for a very long time, I couldn't write, because I was so sure that the series would never find a home that I ran out of steam about a quarter of the way into book five, over and over and over again. In a way, I never did write that particular book. The one you'll be able to buy is very different, even though the skeleton is the same. The Brightest Fell, my original book five, may never see the light of day...or if it does, it will show up as something new and strange. And that's okay.

Fifty days. I can barely believe it. We've come so far, so fast, and it's all so strange.

Thank you for coming with me.

Because ten years is a very long time
When there's no guarantee he'll come home,
And the war was so far away,
And I was still Queen...Queen, and alone...

(All lyrics quoted today are by Talis Kimberley, who is awesome.)
(All twitchiness is mine.)

Comments

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*\o/*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

<3

[filceolaire.livejournal.com]

more Toby. Yay.

and Talis is awesome but I've not heard this one. What is it from?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It's not been recorded, to my knowledge.

[pola-bear.livejournal.com]

This cannot be true. It is one of my favourite of her songs, ever. I'm sure you've heard it!

Also, wow, 5th Toby book. That is just... awesome.

[mariadkins.livejournal.com]

you're on my preorder list. as always.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Pre-ordered, of course. Amazon UK are currently telling me 6 September delivery, based on your 50 days to the official release I expect. We'll see when they actually deliver it (anything from a month before to a month after on past performance)...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

[pacalissanctum.livejournal.com]

I just got introduced to October Daye with 'Rosemary and Rue' a few weeks ago and now have the other 3 on my wishlist. :) Guess I'll be adding one more!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Oh, fabulous!

[alicetheowl.livejournal.com]

Hello, person who also reads postsecret. What excellent reading taste you have. ^ v ^

[pacalissanctum.livejournal.com]

Well, hello there!!

[alicetheowl.livejournal.com]

I meet some of the coolest people in Seanan's LJ comments.

[pacalissanctum.livejournal.com]

Awww. I took a peek at your userinfo and added you. Hope you don't mind.

[alicetheowl.livejournal.com]

Not at all. Clearly, we share some interests in common.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Fifty days! Less than two months! I CAN'T WAIT!

Seriously, Seanan, you are the one and only author whose releases I actually get gleefully excited about. Well, you, and CE Murphy with her Urban Shaman series. But that says something. Because the only other authors that cause that sort of giddiness in me are the legendary Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

That makes me really happy. :) Thank you.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

I wanted to let you know that I've pre-ordered the book. I am seriously itching. Also, I pre-ordered Cat Valente's new book. Thank you, Barnes & Noble, for your free shipping for members policy, heh!

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

It's hard to believe isn't it? I'm so excited, and yes, nervous too.

*holds your hand*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

*twitches*

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

I will again by at Powells to show that your name moves books off of store shelves.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

*buy*

Wish I could edit posts. :/ also that I was getting enough sleep that coherent thought was regular thing.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

I remember you writing, way back, that The Brightest Fell was going to be a major crisis point in the overall story arc -- and that you never got past a certain point in its plot -- but I *also* remember you writing at the same time that the *seventh* Toby book would be THE END.

I don't think the Toby series is going to end at seven... hell, if your readers are lucky, seven isn't even the halfway point... but aside from ANYTHING else, that means that Book Five was going to get a major rewrite. Which it obviously did.

Yes, you're twitching. I think we're all used to that by now. I'm sure One Salt Sea will be Made Of Awesome just like the four Toby books preceding it. I'm also sure that Toby is going to get more and more unhappy with you with each new book, but that's nothing new either!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no. The major "now everything changes" crisis point is book eight, The Winter Long. That's going to be...interesting.

[archangelbeth]

So you're saying that you have taken the original version of this... and sea-changed it?

But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.

O;>

(I'm looking forward to it.)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yes, because I have never made a Shakespeare joke. :P

[archangelbeth]

WHAT, NEVER? *beth gasps and falls over in a dead faint*
(I hope you got some sleep. Or can get some, if not.)

[yellowblackhaze.livejournal.com]

You've successfully managed to up the game every time Toby appears and I have every confidence that One Salt Sea will both surprise and delight me. Maybe when I review it I can even find another lizard to compare you with.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay lizards!

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

...I am awed, and proud. I blow you kisses, and I tuck you under a quilt of wild swan feathers and softest nettle-linen.

'Ten Years' is my take on Penelope, who was, the poet has it, patient beyond all reason. No, I haven't recorded it... yet... but it was a stalwart of my live set a bunch of years ago and a song of which I remain very fond.

No promises... but if I do record it, believe me, you will be the first to know. (Well, after my sound engineer, but ykwim... oh, hush...)

One day perhaps I'll gather all my classical songs in one place. Persephone. Circe. Er... and Mrs Pythagoras, who popped up recently, on the bus, wearing her second-best hat.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Why was she wearing her second best hat?
Golly! I bet there's a story in that...

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

I didn't enquire, but from what I have gleaned
I'd guess it got catted, and had to be cleaned...

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

What an annoyance! To have a good cat
Disgracing itself on your very best hat!

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Indeed - and on market day too, don't you know!
(Well, she's quite an *old* cat after all, as cats go...)

And Mrs Pythagoras still caught her bus -
Did her errands without any bother or fuss

But wonders, while drinking a nice cup of tea
- As do you - what's the story about? Wait and see!

:-)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I spend a lot of time singing "Ten Years" in the kitchen. It helps with the making of spaghetti, for some reason.

One Salt Sea makes me think of you for a lot of reasons, really. Love to you always. You sang me to work this morning.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to One Salt Sea, and I'm sure it will be fine.

Your books are always fun, and it's not like your career is pinned on a single series, or anything.

*hugs*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Thank you.

[bookblather.livejournal.com]

FIFTY DAYS YAY!

I love that you publish two to three books a year. I know it stresses you out a lot, but please know that the avalanche of Seanan-writing is very much appreciated.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Very welcome.

[morvab.livejournal.com]

Don't respond to this post - you have more than enough to do already. Just wanted to say that like everyone else I am much looking forward to it, even though it will likely be later for me as in Canada for some reason it takes longer to get the damn books. However, I will continue to go in and ask for them in an audible, (but not obnoxiously loud) voice because I like to support my local independent bookstore and I like to increase awareness of good authors. I know all this excitement and all our comments puts more pressure on you to live up to our expectations, so please try to ignore them as much as possible. We don't want you to collapse under the weight of your own success!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I'm more likely to collapse under the weight of my enormous, affectionate cats, really. Heavy babies.

[cassi haggard (from livejournal.com)]

Thank you for always being so awesome and friendly. I'm so glad to find your books, your blogs & your twitter.

And to learn their are cats that like showers.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

My cats are seriously weird.

And you are seriously welcome. :)