David Farland’s Web Journal

Beginning November 1, Dave will be sending out weekly updates.  Next week, he will update you on current projects (including books that he’s writing outside the fantasy genre), and will begin taking questions.  If you have a burning question that you would like answered, contact Dave by sending him a note.

Over the years, David has written a number of books for young adults both in the Star Wars universe and in the Mummy universe.  In 2005, he released his first young adult book in the US called “Of Mice and Magic.”  (See the web site at www.benravenspell.com.) 

“Of Mice and Magic” tells the story of ten-year-old Benjamin Ravenspell who desperately wants a pet.  But when his mother lets him buy a mouse, he soon discovers that it has vast magical powers, and he finds himself a pawn embroiled in a desperate battle to save the world.) 

In the sequel, “The Wizard of Ooze,” Ben and the magical mouse Amber discover that an evil sorcerous worm in Wyoming has undertaken a plan to set off a super volcano that will destroy the world, and now Ben and Amber must enlist the aid of the world’s smartest mouse in order to save the day.

The Runelords has recently been published in Italian and Chinese.  Currently, editions are available in English, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Chzeck, Romanian, and Yugoslavian.

Last week, Blackstone Audio picked up the rights to release “The Runelords” and “Brotherhood of the Wolf” on tape.  The books will be available some time next spring.

Wasatch Films has picked up film rights to the Runelords on August 1st.  As many of you know, a movie went into pre-production about three years earlier, but got stalled. It was a shame, since we had lined up millions of dollars in pre-sales and had investors lined up with most of our production funds.  In the next few weeks, we hope to begin sorting through boxes of documents as we consider how to put the film back on track, but in this case, David Farland will not be working as a producer personally.  He’s having too much fun writing.

A special edition of The Runelords is now on sale for $3.99 in the U.S.  This makes a nice inexpensive way to introduce the series to friends.  But hurry–supplies are very limited.

For those living in the United States and Canada, “Sons of the Oak” will be released on November 14th.  This book starts a new chapter in the Runelords saga. The first four books tell the story of Gaborn and Iome as they struggle to defeat the reavers in their own world, and their nemesis, Raj Ahten.  But in “Sons of the Oak,” we begin a new saga–in essence, a new series.  Gaborn’s first-born son, Fallion, takes the center stage in this series.  As a child who has been born and reborn thousands of times, he has fought an eternal war to reunite “a million, million shadow worlds” into one perfect world.  In “Sons of the Oak,” his ancient enemies seek to destroy him–and instead ignite a fire in him to fulfill his eternal quest. 
 
This book is the first in what I suspect will be a four-part series.  The second book in the series has been completed and is going throug the editorial process.  I will notify you when Tor gives me a publication date.

I will be teaching a writing seminar at BYU on June 11 through the
15th.  This will be at BYU’s “Writing and Illustrating for Young
Readers Conference.”  The writers can learn more about it by going to
ce.byu.edu/cw/writing/

For those of you who are interested in reading short fiction, check out Orson Scott Card’s online magazine, “Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show”– http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com.  David has stories in issues number 1 and 2.

Runelords #6, which I am tentatively entitling “Spellbinder” was turned in to Tor Books in July.  I’ve been through the first edit and am awaiting instructions for the final edit.  I suspect that it will be on the shelves this fall.  “Spellbinder” tells how Fallion Orden, who is hoping to bind the broken “shadow worlds” of the universe into one perfect world, uses his vast powers to bind his own world with another–with disastrous results.

Ravenspell #2, “The Wizard of Ooze,” has been scheduled for publication in March.  Howard Lyon, who won a prestigiuos award for the cover on the first book, is currently working on illustrations.  “The Wizard of Ooze” continues the adventures of Ben Ravenspell, a young boy who has been turned into a mouse by his magical pet mouse, Amber.  Together, the two discover that an evil worm with vast powers is enslaving mice in a plot to destroy the world, and only Ben and Amber can save it.

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