In typically Stikmantic fashion, I’ve been trying overly hard to make all the details sit nicely in rows before formally announcing publication by Blue Moose Press of the 3rd edition of Prelude to a Change of Mind, the first book of The Hidden Lands of Nod. The product illustration for the Kindle version on Amazon is still unsatisfactory, and Smashwords has yet to rule on the rightness of the file uploaded to that site. To heck with it. The book is out. It is relaunched. It’s a beautiful book, a beautiful story, newly revised and competitively priced. You will need at least a dozen. How do you get them? Heading the left column of this site is a book for directly ordering the book from me, which carries the added value of my signature in every single copy so purchased. The trade paper edition may also be ordered through your favorite bookseller, whether a brick and mortar store or online retailer. Here is the Amazon product page. For those of you who have transitioned in whole or part to ebook readership, you can order a Kindle version with all the spiffy Stikmantic formatting from Amazon by going here, or you can get the bare bones text in any of several e-reader formats by visiting Smashwords.

I plan to announce a virtual release event within the next couple of days. Check for information here and elsewhere that I dally on the the internet.

Things were looking ominous for rebirth of The Hidden Lands of Nod. By the middle of last week I was thoroughly stressed about completing preparation of an ebook version of the new edition of Prelude to a Change of Mind in a timely manner while remaining on track to relaunch the print version of its sequel, Entranscing, before the end of this month. Just when it looked like the only way both goals could be met was by surrendering sleep for the duration of July, I remembered Joshua Tallent and his business, eBook Architects. Joshua prepared the Kindle releases of the previous editions of these two novels, and I met him face to face last summer at ArmadilloCon. Besides being very good at what he does, Mr. Tallent is both local to Austin and a very nice man. That combination always wins points with me when I’m shopping for services. A quick exchange of e-mails, followed by a bit of packaging and uploading files, lifted the burden of ebook preparation from my shoulders completely. While eBook Architects accepted the task of converting Prelude to a Change of Mind for all currently available ebook formats, I found myself making such good progress on revising Entranscing that I took a couple nights off to consume popcorn and cinema.

The two films I chose could be a study in contrasts. First was Micmacs, a French comedy about a man who sets out to settle scores with two munitions companies, one the maker of a landmine that killed his father and the other the manufacturer of a bullet left lodged in the man’s head by a bizarre shooting accident. The protagonist, Bazil, and his gang of social misfit collaborators channel the spirit of Rube Goldberg as they outfox merchants of death with a celebration of life. Heartwarming and funny, Micmacs (d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) is imperfect, but immensely satisfying. I recommend it as a night out for every champion of the underdog.

My other film choice for the weekend was Winter’s Bone, (d. Debra Granik). A powerfully rendered tale of suspense, this film is superb but virtually devoid of feel good qualities. The story follows a teen-aged girl, Ree, as she tries to either find her father or prove him dead before bail bondsmen seize the family home. Set among tight-lipped clans and amphetamine kitchens of rural Missouri, the story unfolds relentlessly as desperation forces Ree time and again to walk into danger with open eyes. If I left Micmacs relishing afterglow of a visual feast, I departed Winter’s Bone brooding on images and a story I could not get out of my head. To the serious cineaste, I endorse this film without reservation; to everyone else, I offer the caution that, however fine director Granik’s achievement, Winter’s Bone is a story about confronting demons, not escaping them.

After back to back movie nights, I have turned again to revising Entranscing. The new edition is on track, as are tasks for relaunch of all my existing titles. I’m pounding along so happily, in fact, that I begin to fantasize a longer break from Stikmantic output. A friend’s offhanded suggestion has caught in my imagination, and left me wondering what Buenos Aires might be like in late December. “America” is a concept played out across two entire continents. I can’t help but think it would be enriching to make an immersive journey to the southern vision. For all the practical reasons for ignoring the impulse, a powerful fraction of inner dialog says, “Go.”