A new novel is begun! I’m now Lee Arthur Chane, and the first sentence I wrote today…

…of my new fantasy novel Magebane, to be published by DAW Books, is:

Within a bubble of ice half-buried in muck at the bottom of the lake, curled like a chick in its egg, the assassin waited for her prey.

Normally that’s all I’d post. But, hey, I’m feeling generous, and excited to be starting a new book, so what the heck. Here’s the whole opening teaser scene:

Within a bubble of ice half-buried in muck at the bottom of the lake, curled like a chick in its egg, the assassin waited for her prey. With one hand she clutched the magestone that kept frozen the walls of her shelter and teased from the blue-green water outside the air she needed to survive. In the other she held the weapon that had been prepared.

She had waited a day and a night. She would wait as long as she must.

Eventually, the Prince would come.

And then he would die.

And that’s about all I wrote today. Too many errands to run. But much more to come tomorrow and going forward. Check in daily!

Permanent link to this article: https://edwardwillett.com/2009/06/a-new-novel-is-begun-im-now-lee-arthur-chane-and-the-first-sentence-i-wrote-today/

3 comments

  1. Looks great Ed. I can’t wait to read this one.

    • on June 9, 2009 at 10:47 am
    • Reply

    The trouble is, not enough people HAVE bought and enjoyed the previous books. With a downward trend in sales, the computers that determine how many copies the big chains order will order fewer of the next book under my own name, resulting, naturally in even fewer sales. DAW is well aware of this, and so for this book we’re relaunching me as a “brand-new” author–as far as the computers are concerned. The chains will order more books by a new author than they will by an author whose sales aren’t trending up. So I get a new lease on life, career-wise.

    Lots of authors have found themselves in the same boat, alas…some have gone through multiple pseudonyms!

  2. So, out of curiosity, why are you using a pseudonym for the fantasy series? It seems like it might hurt sales, because people who bought and enjoyed previous books by you wouldn’t realize you’re the same author, unless they follow you specifically.

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