I have been chasing an interesting story around the net. Hillel Italie reports for the AP that “Brief Books are in Style.”

In the decade since James Atlas revived the form with his “Penguin Lives” series, at least 10 publishers have started their own lines of short, nonfiction books, on subjects ranging from scientists to presidents to mythology. Although the advances are low — and sales often to match — short books have attracted such best sellers and prize winners as novelists Jane Smiley and Larry McMurtry, essayists Christopher Hitchens and Bill Bryson, and historians Robert Dallek and Sean Wilentz (Boston.com).

The majority of the article is various authors bemoaning the restrictions of the brief format. I, on the other hand, have a very different point of view.

As a reader, I simple don’t have the time to sit down for 20-30 hours and enjoy a brilliantly elaborate tale of intrigue and daring do. If it weren’t for Audible, Podiobooks, and Narrator (software for the Mac that turns text into an audiobook/play), I would not have much time to read at all.

I hear it all the time from friends and family as well. Gas prices are going up, few and few movies are coming out that we want to go see, and our obligations are multiplying, nibbling away at what little free time we had in the first place. This is a problem.

As a writer, I am happy and scared by this trend to smaller books. I love serials, and pulp era fiction, and this push to smaller books lets me write more like my heroes. It is also a strong pressure on me.

I have been working on a fix up of my book Liquid Sky so that it will be more serial friendly. It will be released as four books, one for each part, and a collected volume, and Shine Like Thunder is a short book too.

I like the format. It is possible to do more with less. My only real fear is that if our free time keeps eroding, then we will have no recreation time at all.

For now, I have to say three cheers for the short form book! Maybe, just maybe, we will see a new golden age of fiction.

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For a while now I have been looking for a good way express the Steampunk aesthetic, but the words have failed me, which is a hard thing for me to admit. I am rarely at a loss for words, but this current wave of retro- and paleo-futurism has inspired me.

As I continue working on Fate’s Harrow and Phara-un, I have been trying to incorporate as much as can into the tales. I am happy to say that I have found a project that will allow me to explore the limits of steampunk and beyond.

As the images keep rolling in, my imagination becomes more inflamed by these bazaar cross pollination. I am hunting for the limits of cross genre fiction, and as yet, I don’t think I have found them.

Hopefully, you will enjoy the fruits of these experiments in baroque imagery. I cannot wait to share with you the new tales.

(for more on these images see Steam Fashion 1, 2, & 3)

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Brian’s Review of Fate’s Harrow – Part 2: Black Moon Rising

Wow! This is a great story! 5 stars (must own)

The story picks up from where we left off with Adir Radd in the hospital tortured by his visions of the future. I was caught up in Adir’s haunting vision. It is written so viscerally I could almost hear the screams and smell the stink coming off of the battle field. This heart felt tale took me through the events and choices that led Dov Lavan to become the famed villain I knew him to be from reading Liquid Sky: Legends of the Jade Moon. The choices and motivations of Dov were very compelling. Reading his tale turned him into a compassionate and sad character. I could empathize with his frustrations and found myself thinking that if I were caught up in the same situation I would probably make the same choices. The conclusion was extremely rewarding even though I knew how the story would end I still found myself shocked, surprised and brought to tears with a beautiful, rewarding ending. To be cliché for a minute I literally laughed, cringed and cried while reading this.

Dark Moon Rising is the second installment of C. E. Dorsett’s Fates Harrow series which covers three historical characters in the Barren’s End setting. Their tale was first told in the book Liquid Sky: Legends of the Jade Moon but from the Jade Moon’s perspective.

In this episode Dov Lavan fears loosing his friends and culture, longing to save the ones he cares about he takes on a new master who promises to help him lead his people into a safer future. Dov rises to power, forming a new group, encouraging others to join him and stand for freedom. But, his childhood friends Tien Shaa and Adir Radd are concerned with the fire in Dov’s rhetoric, so they set out to try and stop the coming war.

C. E. Dorsett’s other works

Liquid Sky: Legends of the Jade Moon	Deus ex Machina	Fate’s Harrow Part 1: Night Terror
Project: Shadow Informant Pod Cast	Project: Shadow Web Site	Project: Shadow HQ Project: Shadow Group

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I have started writing the next exciting chapter of Fate’s Harrow, and I must say, it has not been easy. This chapter is darker than the others. With everything going on in my life right now, dark is not exactly the best thing for me to be writing, but I am doing my best to turn it into an outlet for the worry and doubt that has filled me since my cousins wife got sick.

The anguish in the story is coming from a real place in me. I just hope I can hit the action beats as hard as I need to.

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Wow, the convention was amazing. Following that with the last Potter book, o, man, my head is so full of ideas that I feel like I could burst. I want to discuss the new Potter book either on Pownce or in the Forums, so when you have read it and want to talk, see you there.

I have begun work on a new series/website, that I will reveal later, muhaha, my secret for now. It is eating up a lot of my time, but rest assured, Fate’s Harrow is on schedule.

My head is just swimming with stories. I hope to see you on the network!

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That’s it.  I am done for the day.  I am recovering from a harrowing email that a contract I faxed out Nov 13th had not been received… and that it had to be in right away…  Everything would have been fine, but my fax software wouldn’t work, so I had to run out and get the fax out.

Ugh, I am frazzled.  I did figure out how to move forward, but I will save that for another day.  I need to get on Star Wars Galaxies and kick some imperial butt to cool off.

The future looks bright.  Thanks for the encouragement.

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