"As from His Lair, the Wild Beast"

Another Servant tale will see publication later this year in Rage of the Behemoth from RBE, the folks that brought us last year's Return of the Sword. Some pretty great folks are part of the lineup, including one of my favoriet persons to share a panel with, Mary Rosenblum, and Lois Tilton's out of retirement story, to which I will get to write the introduction as well.

Cool idea, with several stories each set in a different environment, like Scalding Sands or Ageless Mountains. There will be special editions with each of the differnt environments own cover, as well.

Magic and Mechanica

It is finally here!

Enter a world of piston-driven fantasy, where magic smashes headlong into the down-to-earth reality of technology and machines. From the all out war of dragon-riding sorcerers against an army of self-replicating, clockwork robots in Christopher M. Cevasco's "Gambit," to the discovery of an alien submersible by pirates in Christopher Heath's Azieran tale "Savior in a Flask," further still to Nicholas Ian Hawkins' collision of a wizardly scholar and the newly-invented printing press that will ruin his career in "Knowledge and Dust," you will certainly be amazed at the breathtaking imaginations of fifteen authors. Dragons, steam-powered tanks, Aztec warriors, angry gods, assassins both large and small...Magic & Mechanica is unlike any collection of fantasy you've ever seen.

This anthology includes my story "Night of Shadows, Night of Knives" which probalby has the longest path to publication of any of my stories, ever. I first conceived of the beginning nearly 20 years ago. The first drafts are long lost, but about 4 years ago I discovered a version that had been adapted for Wizards of the Coast in the late 90's. They had an editorial change, and then lost it, eventually returning it to me rejected after nearly two years.

I re-wrote it for this anthology, they liked it, and here it is, finally, in print.

It is a very streamlined story, set in a vaguely middle-eastern city. A crit partner called the style "Castle Noir" which I like, and fits it as well as any other description.

Lots of good stuff in this anthology, from some pretty good writers.

Servant review by Rich Horton

Kind words from Rich Horton!

Michael Ehart's The Servant of the Manthycore is a short novel that appeared in 2007 from a small outfit called Double-Edged Publishing. I confess I started reading with minimal hopes. But I was quite pleasantly surprised. The title character and heroine is a Bronze Age woman who with her lover was tricked into an encounter with the Manthycore, a monster that requires a human servant to kill other people for him to eat. The Manthycore has imprisoned the lover in a sort of stasis, as a hostage, while the woman, later named Ninshi, travels around, almost invincible, killing people. By the time of the main action she was for generations been trying to find a way to escape this service. In this book she rescues a young slave girl, kills some bad people, and finds a hint at a secret that may allow her to compel the Manthycore to release her, only to again be betrayed. Besides some fine action and some nicely plotted episodes, and sturdy writing, I enjoyed the hints seeded through the book of some familiar characters. The main weakness is that the novel, assembled from several short stories, is a bit loosely structured. To be marketable to a major publisher it would probably have to be twice its length (and I think it could bear that expansion) and the plot would have to be tightened considerably. But as it stands it's enjoyable work.

Okay now!

link here: The Elephant Forgets - http://ecbatan.livejournal.com/

Tomb of the Amazon Queen

A new "Servant" story. Dark Worlds is a "pulp descended" magazine, so I gave this one my pulpiest title ever. In this story, Ninshi and Miri travel with a band of women warriors to recover an ancient treasure. I'll let you know when it comes out!

Brag Time!

My story, "Without Napier" has been nominated for the Pushcart Award. Needless to say, I am pretty stoked. I don't think of myself as a literary writer, and when something like this happens, I am always caught by surprise.

"Without Napier" appeared in EveryDay Fiction earlier this year. As you may recall, it was a French Noir homage about the sidekick to a Great Detective, and how his life changes when the detective dies.

If you would like to give it a gander, you can find it here. It is quite short, but it got great reviews and was a reader favorite.

Wish me luck!

Filter House

Nisi Shawl, who is in my live crit group, STEW, has had her first collection of shorts selected by Publishers Weekely as a Best of the Year. Nisi's stuff is dense, rich and full of skewed visions. I don't know anyone who writes better than she does, and the recognition is entirely appropriate.
For those who fancy themselves as writers, this is a great companion to her book "Writing the Other" a fantastic how-to manual. One tells you how, and the other illustrates just how amazing our genres can be.

Filter House
Nisi Shawl (Aqueduct)
Shawl's exquisitely rendered debut collection weaves threads of folklore, religion, family and the search for a cohesive self through a panorama of race, magic and the body.

Come hang out with me at OryCon!

Here's the lowdown for my time at OryCon this weekend --looks like I'm gonaa have a lot of fun! Join me if you happen to be in the Rose City!


Friday
4:00PM-5:00PM Sunstone "Group 3 Dark Fantasy" - Michael Ehart and Devon Monk lead a critique group Michael Ehart, Devon Monk
5:00PM-5:30PM Salem "Readings with Michael Ehart" - Reading of the works of Michael Ehart by Michael Ehart Michael Ehart
6:00PM-7:00PM Mt. Hood Mythic imagery in speculative fiction Nisi Shawl, M.K. Hobson, Michael Ehart, Felicity Shoulders, Sara Mueller

Saturday
12:00PM-1:00PM Mt. Hood "The structure of writing" - Structurally speaking, what makes a good story? Editors and writers (especially new writers) sometimes have different viewpoints. Experienced editors and writers offer their views. Mary Rosenblum, Jean M. Auel, Michael Ehart, Ginjer Buchanan, Blythe Ayne, Ph.D.
3:30PM-4:00PM Autograph Table "Signing with Michael Ehart" - Autograph session with Michael Ehart Michael Ehart
6:00PM-7:00PM Salem Non-European mythology – an untapped resource Nisi Shawl, Michael Ehart, Jayel Gibson, Felicity Shoulders, Dianna Rodgers

Sunday
12:00AM-01:00AM Salem Midnight Horror Readings Joan McCarty, Dianna Rodgers, Michael Ehart, Edward Morris
10:00AM-11:00AM Mt. Hood That’s gotta hurt: how to wound, torture and maim characters Bart Kemper, Britta Dennison, Michael Ehart, Anne Sattler
11:00AM-12:00PM Medford Cyber crimes of today, and the future John Hedtke, Catherine Rambo, Michael Ehart, Randal Schwartz
12:00PM-1:00PM Salmon "The Marketing of Historical Fiction" - Does it only sell as romance and mainstream? How might historical fiction be made appealing to a broader audience? Michael Ehart, M.K. Hobson, Jean M. Auel, Joan McCarty

Congratulations to David R. Montgomery!

David R. Montgomery has been awarded the MacArthur "Genius" Grant, moving him into a very limited club, the club of MacArthur recipients I have met, which has a membership of two. (The other was the late Octavia Butler).
Shaharazahd and I met Montgomery at a Conservation District conference. His presentation was based on his book Dirt, and was so compelling we bought a copy. Hi thesis is simple: the history of nearly any civilization is told in its soil. This was especially interesting to me in that I write fantasy set near the Bronze Age Collapse, an event still little understood by historians. It was the world'sm fisrt known dark age, and the economic, political and social collapse was unparalled since. Entire civilizations vanished overnight, and cities that had been occupied for hundreds of years were abandoned and never resettled.

Montgomery's book gave me a lot to think about, and some of his ideas may end up incorporated in future "Servant" stories.

At any rate, congratulations, David! Your book is pretty cool, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

"The Death of Number 23" to Arkham Tales.

My WWI submarine boogie story has sold to Arkham Tales, a new magazine of weird fiction. I am thrilled to be a part of this project!
Their first issue will be in November; no word yet on when my story will appear.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arrrgh!

"As From His Lair, the Wild Beast"

The latest Servant story is done and off to crit. My live crit group is starting up again after summer hiatus, just in time.
The new story has Ninshi and Miri fleeing the soldiers of the Temple of Ishtar, and a quite large beastie as part of the plot. 6500 words, a little shorter than I have been writing lately, but it was still good to be finished.
Next up, a promised novella that has them traveling to Illium to sort through the wreckage of the recently destroyed city, with some unusual allies along the way.

Back in the saddle

Finally got most of the real world issues pushed out of the way for a bit, and getting some words in a row. A few hundred yesterday, on a new Servant story for an anthology. More today, I think and back to full throttle by the weekend. I'll keep you posted!

Has it been a month?

Wow! I don't think it has ever been this long between posts! I have been very busy, still writing, but sidetracked by putting in a hot tub, studying for a cert test, and just life in general.
I'll do better, promise. In a couple of weeks I should be caught up enough to at least pretend to post here :)

Signing at Powells

When? 7 PM, Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
Commemorate Independence Day with a salute to all heroes!
Celebrate the holiday with a family event!
Come en masse in a rousing show of support!
What? Return of the Sword Multi-Author Event: Read, Talk, & Sign
Listen to exciting renditions of great heroic adventure!
Learn what it takes to become part of such an elite corps of authors!
Line-up to get the signatures of winning writers!
Where? Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, OR
Just west of Portland, Oregon
Who? In ToC order:
Jeff Draper "The Battle of Raven Kill"
Michael Ehart "To Destroy All Flesh"
Nathan Meyer "The Hand that Holds the Crown"
Allen B. Lloyd "An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator"
and I have it on good authority that the spirit of Harold Lamb "Red Hands" will also be there
Bring the kids! Take the spouse!

Get your copies of RotS signed by 4 of the authors!

What, no book!?

Order your books NOW to ensure their timely arrival!

"Il s'agit sans doute d'une des plus belles créations de la sword and sorcery moderne."

High praise from over the water from Fantasy.fr:

Cette fois ci je vais vous parler de Michael Ehart. Cet auteur préside au destinée d'une série de sword and sorcery qui comprend une petite dizaine de nouvelles. Cette série "la servante de la Manthychore" a pour cadre la Mésopotamie antique à l'époque des royaumes sumeriens et akkadiens. Son héroïne a été maudite par la Mathychore et condamnée à l'immortalité elle doit nourrir le monstre semi divin en lui procurant des corps et des âmes (généralement corrompues, les âmes, je veux dire). Le plus cher désir de Ninshi l'héroïne est d'être délivrée de sa malédiction et de retrouver son bien aimé qui est lui aussi affligé de la même charge. Au cours de ses pérégrinations, Ninshi fait la connaissance d'une jeune esclave Miri qu'elle va affranchir et adopter. Six des nouvelles de cette série ont été réunie en reccueil dont quatre précédemment publiées par le webzine Sword Review. Mais Ehart continue a conter les aventures de son héroïne notamment dans les colonnes de Flashing Swords ainsi que dans divers magazine small press. Bien que n'ayant lu que quelques unes de ces histoires, je souhaite que très prochainement un éditeur français s'y intéresse. Il s'agit sans doute d'une des plus belles créations de la sword and sorcery moderne. Michael Moorcock ne s'y est d'ailleurs pas trompé. Ehart est un de ses chouchous du moment.

My best babel fish assisted lousy translation:

"I will speak to you about Michael Ehart. This author governs the destiny of a series of sword and sorcery which includes ten short stories. This series “The Maidservant of the Manthychore” has as a framework ancient Mésopotamia at the time of the kingdoms of the Sumeriens and Akkadians. Its heroine was cursed by the Manthychore and condemned to immortality, she must feed the semi-divine monster by getting bodies and hearts to him (generally corrupted, the hearts, I want to say).
The dearest desire of Ninshi, the heroine, is to be freed of its curse and to find her lover who is also cursed. During her travels, Ninshi meets a young slave girl, Miri, whom she will frees and adopts.
Six tales of this series were joined together in order including four previously published by the webzine Sword Review. But Ehart continues to tell the adventures of its heroine, in particular in Flashing Swords and in various similar magazines. Although having read only some of these stories, I wish that very soon a French editor might be interested in it. It is undoubtedly one of most beautiful creations of the modern sword and sorcery. Michael Moorcock was not mistaken there. Ehart is one of the pets of the moment."

Love for "Jermaish the King" at the Fix

Very kind words indeed from Chris Butler in his review of issue #10 of Flashing Swords:

There is a school of thought that says that the best story in any collection should be placed as the next to last. I’m not sure I agree with this as it seems to me to be leaving it far too late, but certainly “The First Trial of Jermaish the King” by Michael Ehart is a real treat and one of the best here.

Ninshi and her adoptive daughter, Miri, are requested to travel to the aid of King Jermaish. Ninshi has a fearsome reputation, the truth to it being “much grimmer than even the songs.” She has lived forty lifetimes and has “been taken in bondage by a dreadful monster, which every few moons compelled her to lure men into the desert and kill them for it to feed upon.” Nevertheless, it seems that there is some history between Ninshi and Jermaish, and so she will help him in his time of need.

On arrival at the city of Ikizepe, Ninshi and Miri learn that a terrible killing force is loose in the city. Any woman who has not given birth to a child is at risk of being viciously killed. Ninshi formulates a plan to discover the killer or killers. The trail has twists and turns, a terrific fight with a genuinely scary creature (no stock werewolves or zombies here), and a convincing motivation for the killings. This is excellent work by Ehart, with memorable characters and sure-footed plotting. It is a murder mystery, of course. But also a terrific fantasy adventure.

The entire issue is good reading, and with Flashing Swords it is important to remember that the print version is only available for a limited time, so scoot over and get yours!

"Without Napier" illustrated for interview

My story "Without Napier" was so well recieved that EDF interviewed me. The interview is here:

Many of our readers singled out Michael Ehart’s Without Napier as one of the best stories that we’ve published so far, and sent it soaring up EDF’s “Top Stories” list. Not surprisingly, the story placed as April’s most-read story. Michael graciously agreed to be interviewed, and we’ve included it below.

They also commissioned an outstanding illustration from Lindsay Joy. I have to say, it perfectly captures the feel of Yardi's grief and puzzlement at his change in position with the death of Napier. Once again, I am blessed by an artist who captures exactly the right moment and mood of a story.

Like a duck

Sometimes when it seems like nothing is happening on the suface, my little web feet are paddling like mad. Tons of things going on and coming up, including one of my personal career goals, a signing at Powell's Books in Beaverton on July 1st at 7PM with fellow RotS writers Allen Lloyd, Jeff Draper and Nathan Meyer.
Here's the map:

Also, sometime in the next few days an interview at Every Day Fiction. I'll link that when it is up, but my story "Without Napier" was the most viewed of the month, and your votes pushed it into the top 25 list there. If you haven't read it, give it a peek!
And even more good stuff to announce later in the month!

"The First Trial of Jermaish the King" up at Flashing Swords

Flashing Swords #10 is up. Some really good fiction this time, including another "Servant" story--- "The First Trial of Jermaish the King" --- Those who have read the book know all about Jermaish. It's funny, I get more mail about him than any onther character except Ninshi and Miri. I suspect there are a great many women who have known a man like Jermaish, and strangely most of the letters and emails have encouraged me to put him in another story and then kill him off.
Wel, then, Jermaish is back...

Great review of Return of the Sword at the Fix

Some very kind words from Janice Clark :

Ninshi does not enjoy killing, but she does what she must and is very good at it. One would expect, given the nature of her servitude, that she would by now have grown bitter and cynical. Yet she shows far more compassion than the priests, who will do nothing to aid another if there’s no profit in it for them. Ehart likes to weave biblical references into his stories—besides the references to Noah and the Ark, I see a hint of the parable of the Good Samaritan in this one. Nicely done.

Thanks for the kind words, Janice!