It seems no time has passed since Wizard World Austin, but it has been two weeks. I almost suspect someone has been pilfering minutes when my back is turned. Truth is, the available hours are so sliced up and distributed between all the active projects that every day seems to whip past. Updates on all these activities is forthcoming. For now, only two have reached a state deserving mention. First, volume 1 of The Scroll, the new magazine from Zarathustra Publishing, is hot off the press. Featured in its pages is part one of Rose Moon, my paranormal romance. This short novel, which will appear over the first four issues of The Scroll, is a story of Bigger MacGregor, a character familiar as a boy in Sleeper Awakes, the third book of The Hidden Lands of Nod, and as an old man in “Death on the Toilet,” my short story available for free download on Smashwords.com. To purchase copies of The Scroll, visit the Zarathustra Publishing site.

The notion of purchase is an expansive one, and I would like to point out that the left column of THIS site provides links to purchase paperback editions of all my currently available books—including newly minted and long awaited, The Way It Grows: An Introduction to Dvarsh, which I co-authored with the esteemed editor of the Blue Moose Press editions of my novels, Amanda Kimmerly. In fact, I herewith issue a seasonal appeal. Please buy copies of my books! They make wonderful gifts for every voyager of the imagination—and there is no better way to support art and literature than by purchasing it! These paperbacks may be available cheaper from your favorite retail bookseller, and they are certainly available cheaper as e-publications from Smashwords.com. If those are your chosen sources, go for them with blessings! Please note, however, that paperbacks ordered through this website are shipped with author signatures on the title pages. That’s not a deal one finds every day.

Mary C. Saunders and Robert Stikmanz stroll the creek trail in Boulder, CO, 10/21/011

Amanda J. Kimmerly and I survived a night on the road at the Nursanickel Inn in Dalhart, Texas to reach Boulder, Colorado in the late afternoon on October 20. We made the trek a day early in order to keep appointments for acupuncture with my dear friend of many years, Mary C. Saunders. After a couple hours work in a coffee shop, we arrived at Boulder Community Acupuncture for post-long haul treatments at Mary’s expert hands. After our treatments and dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant, Amanda and I followed Mary home for an overnight visit with Mary, her husband Whit and son Martin. Friday morning, 10/21, Amanda, Mary and I walked along a stretch of the creek trail winding through downtown Boulder, before sitting down to breakfast at one of Boulder’s treasures, the Dushanbe teahouse. Ms. Kimmerly and I bade farewell to Mary and Whit a little before noon, aiming the mighty Scion for Denver and MileHiCon.

As I write, the second day of MileHiCon 43 has come to a close. Compared to recent years, attendance at the event seems down. Nevertheless, enthusiasm remains high, and many delightful people are in attendance. One interesting consequence of launching the new book Amanda and I have co-authored, The Way It Grows: an Introduction to Dvarsh, at this event is that people want to hear Dvarsh spoken. First they ask for a book. We gave them a book, but now they want an audible demonstration. In keeping with that request, here is a recording of my reading of “G’teoksh” (my translation of Amanda’s poem, “Rush”): g’teoksh

Tomorrow brings the final day of the con, and then it is back into the Scion for the long drive home. Tomorrow night will find us again in Dalhart. Twelve hours in the car Monday will put us back in Austin, road weary but ready to insert into our ordinary lives.

Order Today!

The promised day has arrived. The Way It Grows: An Introduction to Dvarsh, a primer of the Dvarsh language co-authored by Robert Stikmanz and Amanda Kimmerly, is officially published. One may order it through any bookseller, or right here in this very post! The special “free shipping” pre-publication offer has ended, but I’m holding the price offered on this website at $12.00 for the book. The shipping, however, is no longer free. Such a small price to pay for such a unique semiotic fantasy! Here’s  a button for immediate purchase using PayPal:

Amanda Kimmerly and I shall have copies on hand for sale and signing this weekend at MileHiCon 43 at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center in Denver. This fantastic event is the largest science fiction/fantasy convention in the Rocky Mountain region. From a Stikmantic perspective, it is made even richer this year by the physical fact of The Way It Grows: An Introduction to Dvarsh.

In addition, MileHiCon 43 provides an opportunity for Amanda and me to again co-present our workshop, “Inventing a Language.” Look for us during the Friday afternoon programming. It would be wonderful to see you there!

The Way It Grows: An Introduction to Dvarsh, by Robert Stikmanz and Amanda Kimmerly,is at press. We examined and approved the proof this afternoon. There are a hundred things about it that could be different. It is absolutely beautiful. Its ninety-two pages are thick with charts and tables, lore and history from hidden lands. There is even a poem and a page of adages for translation practice.

Pre-Order Now!

Here is the official annotation entered into the distributor’s system:

The Way It Grows: an Introduction to Dvarsh, by Robert Stikmanz & Amanda Kimmerly, is a concise guidebook to Dvarsh, the constructed language and writing system created by Stikmanz as part of the world of his contemporary fantasy cycle, The Hidden Lands of Nod. Comparable to the Elvish tongues of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, to Star Trek’s Klingon, or Na’vi in James Cameron’s Avatar, Dvarsh is a fully realized language that reflects and embodies the richly textured fictional society from which it springs. Including discussions of grammar, word formation, the writing system, a glossary of several hundred words, and elements of Dvarsh culture and history, The Way It Grows is a playful and imaginative textbook with which to begin exploring this ultimately unique contribution to fantasy linguistics.

For a VERY LIMITED TIME you can pre-order your copy for $12.00, with free shipping–but you must act quickly! This offer ends October 15th!