If you have a copy of The Alchemists’ Council or Flaw in the Stone, I’d love to add your #DimensionDog, #CouncilCat, or #PortalPic to the blog or gallery at NEWS FROM COUNCIL DIMENSION. Here are a few recent contributions:
Our latest #DimensionDog . . .
INDY (SUBMITTED BY JESSICA)
Our latest #CouncilCat . . .
BELLE (SUBMITTED BY TAMY)
Our latest #PortalPic . . .
JAMAICA (SUBMITTED BY ROD)
These recent pics all feature the ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of Flaw in the Stone, but the actual book is about to hit the bookstore shelves! So, if you have a photo to share, please use the blog CONTACT option, and I’ll send you an email address for submissions. As mentioned in a previous post, pics of Flaw near fire would be especially welcomed!
THANKS!
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Though I have remained in Nanaimo over the holidays working, among other things, on The Amber Garden (yes, Book Three is underway), the ARC of Book Two continues its 2017 travels through dimensional portals.
Here, for example, we find The Flaw in the Stoneat the headwaters of the Amazon–that’s headwaters not headquarters, of the river not the bookstore! Thank you, Tamy, for this glorious pic from Peru! (I have since been informed that a Rebel Branch stronghold is located within a few miles of this scenic locale.)
Shortly thereafter, two #PortalPics from Jamaica arrived in my inbox thanks to “Reader Rodney”!
Based on both the Peruvian and Jamaican photo evidence, I hypothesize that The Flaw is being drawn toward water. Though this attraction makes sense elementally, caution must prevail. In order to balance the alchemical elements in 2018, I therefore solicit pictures of The Flaw within reasonable proximity of fire. Otherwise, as Sadira well knows, dimensional chaos may ensue. (See Chapter Three of The Flaw for details.)
To compensate until the arrival of 2018 #PortalPics, we will assume that Fen (our latest #DimensionDog) is lounging beside a nearby elemental hot spot.
Have a Happy New Year, one and all! (“One and all”–get it? If not, read the books!)
From the HOME/BLOG page scroll upward to access MENU items (including BOOK REVIEWS) or downward to read the latest BLOG posts. Scroll to the bottom of the HOME/BLOG page to access the OLDER POSTS, ARCHIVES, and SEARCH.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you already understand the importance of bees to The Alchemists’ Council. Here are two recent seasonal photos, both of which feature bee embroidery. One is of my favourite holiday ornament; the other features my new footwear, which a friend immediately dubbed “alchemy shoes!”
Content Warning
As I posted last month, Advance Reading Copies of The Flaw in the Stone began to circulate during November’s World Fantasy Convention. Along with the bees, December therefore brought with it a few early reviews. My heartfelt gratitude extends not only to Frances (at materfamilias reads) but also to Brenda, Rebecca, and Jason (at Goodreads).
Needless to say, I greatly appreciate each of these reviews, but I’d like to draw attention to one in particular. Last month, Jason Henry contacted me via Goodreads to offer feedback on a review written by someone who hadn’t yet read The Alchemists’ Council (i.e. Book One in the series). He asked whether he could attain an ARC of The Flaw in the Stone(Book Two) in order to review it from the perspective of a reader who had enjoyed the first book. The resulting detailed and thoughtful review contains a passage that I adore — so much so that I plan to frame it for my office wall:
Yes, readers, Jason’s description is accurate: alchemical baby-making is indeed crucial to the plot of Book Two! As with most alchemical practices of The Alchemists’ Council series, this one is a revision / adaptation of a concept from real-world alchemy: the alchemical homunculus. Alchemists of the outside world may never have succeeded at creating miniature human beings in the laboratory. However, according to The Flaw in the Stone, certain Rebel Branch alchemists have discovered a manuscript containing a potentially world-changing recipe: “Formula for the Conception of the Alchemical Child.”
If you’d like to see what the rebels do with this knowledge, please place your pre-order of Book Two at ECW Press or at your favourite online bookstore. Publication is in March!
Council Cats and Dimension Dogs
December has also brought with it the first #CouncilCats and #DimensionDogs pics of Flaw! Thank you Tamy and Chelsea for these wonderful shots!
Here I must again thank and acknowledge materfamiliasreads, this time for the #DimensionDog featured at the beginning of her review:
If you would like to submit a #CouncilCats or #DimensionDogs pic, please contact me for details.
Happy holidays and happy reading everyone!
From the HOME/BLOG page scroll upward to access MENU items (including BOOK REVIEWS) or downward to read the latest BLOG posts. Scroll to the bottom of the HOME/BLOG page to access the OLDER POSTS, ARCHIVES, and SEARCH.
From the HOME/BLOG page scroll upward to access MENU items (including BOOK REVIEWS) or downward to read the latest BLOG posts. Scroll to the bottom of the HOME/BLOG page to access the OLDER POSTS, ARCHIVES, and SEARCH.
Though I have remained in Nanaimo over the holidays working, among other things, on The Amber Garden (yes, Book Three is underway), the ARC of Book Two continues its 2017 travels through dimensional portals.
News from Council Dimension 