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Welcome!
Welcome to the archive of the official blog of Robert Stanek. Robert Stanek is the author of more than 100 books and is best known for his Ruin Mist novels. This archive page is for the period June 2005 to November 2003. You can browse the blog by following these links:
Present to Jan 2010 | Dec 2009 to Jun
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Current blog entires are here.
June, 2005 Dear Readers,
Thank you to all the fans who email and write!! Summer is fast approaching, and I finally have free time to update the blog. Wondering what I've been doing that's been keeping me with my nose to the grindstone for so many months? The best news I have to share is the publication of the new Ruin Mist books:
In the Service of Dragons, published in April 2005 In the Service of Dragons II, published in May 2005 In the Service of Dragons III, published in June 2005 In the Service of Dragons IV, published in October 2005
In the Service of Dragons #1 to #4 complete the current story arc, and I hope deliver a satisfying conclusion to all the previous books. The deluxe editions of The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches are out as well. They have the same ISBN/price as the previous edition and include expansive maps, a guide to the people of Ruin Mist, and more. The final Ruin Mist Chronicles has been published as well:
Fields of Honor, published in May 2005 Fields of Honor Deluxe Edition, published in June 2005 Mark of the Dragon, published November 2005 Mark of the Dragon Deluxe Edition, published January 2006
In addition to Deluxe Editions, my publisher has released (or is releasing) audio editions of the books. Of the many translations in the works, there are two initial books: the Spanish and Turkish language versions of The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. I love the cover of the Turkish edition and will try to post it here. Hope it comes out.
P.S.
Special thanks to everyone who has written to me about winning Best New Voice In Fantasy 2005 award. I am honored that my work is so highly regarded.
January, 2005 Dear Readers,
Thank you for all the kind messages over these pasts months. A VERY late Happy New Year to all.
I'm pleased to be able to share with you some major news. First of all, the new ruinmist.com site is completed. I hope you'll agree ruinmst.com is a truly excellent site for the books. There's even a hidden quiz.
More good news? If the current schedule holds In the Service of Dragons #1 will come out in March and In the Service of Dragons #2 will come out in May. In May, Fields Of Honor will also be published.
Best, and thank you as ever,
Robert Stanek November, 2004
Dear Readers,
Happy holidays, I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous new year—and I really mean it! Once again, I want to thank the many readers (the true fans) for helping to spread the word about my books, the many teachers who have taken the books under their wings and are using the books in the classroom, and all the people who are now hard at work on international and illustrated editions of my books.
The most exciting news I have to share with fans is the work on international and illustrated editions of my books. RP Books is working with many talented teams of international publishers, artists and translators to bring my books to new readers all over the world. These and other editions are or will soon be available in the U.S., Canada, UK, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Korea, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.
Other big news is about the covers for the new books. I've finally finished the covers for Fields of Honor and Mark of the Dragon, and I'm very excited to be able to provide you with a preview on this site. The covers are In the Service of Dragons #1 and #2 are also available, and in the next few weeks, I will be able to post the covers for In the Service of Dragons #3 and #4. These books complete the adult and young adult story arc for the Ruin Mist Chronicles. As I've finished the writing, these books are in editorial so the 2005 publication dates should hold steady.
Stay tuned for a new look for the RobertStanek.com web site and news on the next Ruin Mist series. I'll soon be able to reveal the name of the series and the titles of the three books in the series.
God bless and take care,
Robert Stanek
September, 2004
Many thanks to the fans who overwhelmed my publisher with email, letters and faxes' Over 1,500 emails, letters and faxes in the past month! The devil in me wants to say keep the emails, letters and faxes (FAXES???) coming until my publisher cries uncle. Because Wow! that's the most correspondence I've ever received. I feel truly appreciated as a writer. Sigh'
Okay, okay... Before things get out of hand, the angel in me wants to set the record straight. So here goes'
Several film production companies, including Dream Works and Valhalla Motion Pictures, have “expressed interest” in the Ruin Mist books and other books I've written. There is, however, no definitive deal or agreement, and I likely wouldn't have signed an agreement at this time either. Since the Ruin Mist books were first published, I have turned down two major publishers who wanted to purchase Worldwide Rights to the Ruin Mist books. The timing of those early deals wasn't right.
In contrast to Stephen King who has said “Grab the money and run” with regards to movie rights and the popular “Take the money and run” song by the Steve Miller Band I believe it is more important to make the right deals for the right reasons than to take the money and run. So I'm still looking for the right deals and when they come, I will let fans know as soon as possible right here on this web site.
Okay, so where is the world of Ruin Mist going next? In good old indie style, my publisher is still doing the solo chicken dance. The next Ruin Mist book for adults is Fields of Honor, due out in May 2005. The next Ruin Mist book for children is In the Service of Dragons (Keeper Martin's Tales #5), also due out in May 2005. Work is also starting on:
There are opportunities for writers, players, and readers who are interested in helping out as freelancers. Sales of the books in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom continue to be strong. Translation news hasn't changed much since last month, with translations in the works or in discussion for Chinese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Japanese, Finnish, Danish, Spanish, German, Greek, and Italian. The publisher has decided to do the audio edition of the Ruin Mist books in-house and is contacting several well-known voice actors/narrators including Jim Dale, the popular reader for the Harry Potter books. My choice would be my good friend John Goodman (nope not that one), but we'll see how it goes.
Robert Stanek
August, 2004
Thank you to everyone who has sent letters and emails over the past many months. I enjoy hearing from readers but it is getting harder and harder to respond. I will try to provide more news and information through robertstanek.com but also through the Robert Stanek Message Board. The biggest news is publication dates have been set for the next Ruin Mist books. Many readers already noticed this so I won't try to post a list of dates. These dates may change in the future any how.
Other big news has to do with the artwork I created for the Ruin Mist books. Several distributors have picked up the poster catalog line. This means the Ruin Mist art prints and posters will soon be more widely available.
In school and library news, The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches has landed on many schools lists as "recommended" summer reading. This success is due in large part to the many teachers and librarians who have championed the books. To celebrate, I have 10 copies of the Student's Classroom Guide to Ruin Mist which I will give away to the next 10 teachers or librarians who email me.
Again, translation and rights news continues to grow. Audio editions of two books should be available starting Fall 2005. The growing list of translations in progress or in discussion now includes: Chinese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Japanese, Finnish, Danish, Spanish, German, and Italian.
Thanks again for all your support!
Robert Stanek
June, 2004
2004 continues to be a terrific year for my books and I owe it all to fans and their support. I'm pleased to report my books have won a number of small press awards including:
Best Children's Book of the Year for 2003 - The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
Best Fantasy Book of the Year for 2003 - Kingdom Alliance
These and the other awards mean so much to me because they come from fans and from the small press community. Equally as rewarding is seeing the books used in classrooms. Over 250 schools in the U.S. have started using the books and I continue to thank all the educators who have taken the books under their wings.
Translation and rights news continues to grow. My book Magic Lands: Journey Beyond the Beyond is being considered for adaptation as a feature animation. I should have more details on this in the coming months. Translations of my books are in progress or in discussion for the following languages: Chinese, Korean, Russian, Bulgarian, Japanese, Finnish, Danish, Spanish and German.
The discussion at the message board continues to grow. The number of messages has doubled in the past few months going from 5,000 posts to well over 10,000 posts. I started a second interactive chat with fans in May. Please stop by the discussion board and join in the fun.
Thanks again for all your support! It is truly a pleasure to hear from excited readers and learn about how the books have touched their lives.
Robert Stanek
April, 2004
2004 is proving to be a great year for my books and I want to thank all the fans for their support. Over 250 schools in the U.S. have started using the books in the classroom. I want to thank all the educators who have taken the books under their wings and continue to support my work. I hear from excited readers every day about how the books have changed their lives and helped them rediscover a love of reading.
I want to thank all the international fans as well. Thanks to your support translations are in progress or in discussion for the following languages: Chinese, Korean, Russian, Bulgarian, Japanese, Finnish and Danish.
In other news, the discussion at the message board continues to grow. There are over 5,000 posts since October 2003. I plan to have another interactive chat beginning in May. Please stop by the discussion board and join in the fun.
Robert Stanek
February 2004
It's been a tough start to the new year. My wife has been in the hospital and had to have surgery. One week of hospital time and six weeks in recovery. I haven't had any free time to make updates on the site so I wanted to make a quick update while I had a moment. I want to thank everyone who participated in the interactive chat on the message boards. It was a pleasure to speak with fans. I hope to start another interactive chat in the spring.
Robert Stanek
December 2003
Happy Holidays! Thanks to all the dedicated readers who continue to read and support my books. Believe me, it's not easy to make it as a small press author, and the dedication of fans is truly appreciated. For those who've written to me about troubles they've had finding the books, I completely understand your frustration but you have to remember there are over 2.5 million books in print and most bookstores carry about 50,000 titles. Out of these 50,000 titles the majority are from major publishers.
The good news is that RP Books, the publisher, has inked several new distribution deals which should improve availability of the books in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Asian markets. I also want to thank the many teachers, librarians and other educators who have taken the books under their wings and help to support the books in schools and libraries.
If you'd like to write me send email to robertstanek@robertstanek.com. I hope to hear from you!
Robert Stanek
November 2003
RS.com went live in November 2003. This is my first BLOG post.
Currently, I'm working on the new editions of The Kingdoms and the Elves books. The books have a new design and I'm very excited about the cover art, which I designed. I hope to see more readers at the discussion forums. I do hope to make regular postings there and how to start an interactive Q&A thread soon. Thanks to all the readers who have written and asked about the books.
I will be working through the holidays on a deadline to complete the next book. If you'd like to write me send email to robertstanek@robertstanek.com. I hope to hear from you!
Robert Stanek
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