In Which Bradel Is a Total Fanboy · 6:21pm Aug 13th, 2015
Whaaaaat? Four days straight of new content from Bradel?
Take heart, my loyal followers! I might even have a story for you tomorrow! (I hope. The damn thing refuses to sort itself out, though. Let's just say I've got a lot more respect for Cold in Gardez's "Lost Cities" now that I've tried to write something similar myself.)
That's not why I'm here, though. I'm here to... what? What am I doing? Hum. Okay, let's say I'm here to very belatedly celebrate the former success of a Fimfiction author? Sure, let's go with that.
So here's to you, AugieDog.
Y'see, Augie (whose real name is Michael H. Payne, which I won't be able to keep secret in a minute anyway) posted a blog about a month ago where he mentioned that he sold a book to Tor back in the late 1990s. It's currently in print from another publisher (Sofawolf Books), and they're releasing a sequel. That's all pretty cool.
But here are a couple things about me. First, I have a totally unreasonable love for Tor Books. I got to meet Tom Doherty, the founder of Tor, at Minicon earlier this year. It was an absolute treat. I even got to thank him in person for putting together such an awesome company (and he seemed genuinely touched by what I said to him, which was even better). I'm working on my academic stuff and all, but I've always dreamed that maybe one day, when I get better at this writing thing, I might be able to sell something to Tor.
AugieDog already sold something to Tor, back in the 1990s. Do you people have any freaking idea how awesome that is!?
Second, I collect stuff. Specifically, I collect coins/bills, stamps, and old/rare books. Books are far and away my favorite. I've got some of Subterranean Press's special edition volumes of Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". I think I've got an original printing of Vernor Vinge's "True Names". I've got a really nice second printing set of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". And I've got a whole slew of very old travel books about Japan, including a (remarkably readable) account of one traveler's journey around the country without a guide in the very first years after the Meiji revolution. I adore books. Basically, you remember that crappy comic of Twilight? That's me.
So it shouldn't be a big surprise that I tracked down a copy of Augie's novel, "The Blood Jaguar" online. And it turned out there was a copy in the Twin Cities, at a really awesome SFF book store called Uncle Hugo's. Well, I'm up in the Twin Cities visiting my grandparents for a couple weeks. And I got a chance to stop by Uncle Hugo's yesterday. And...
Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh!
Guys. Guys! Guys! I've got Augie's book. The copy that was published by Tor. Do you have any idea how awesome this is!? Aaaaaagghdwh7ah!
Okay, so, I could give you some observations about the interplay between publishing and fanfiction here, or about pony fanfiction writers moving on to the professional sphere, or whatever. Or I could go read some more of Augie's book.
Sorry, y'all. I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow before I publish anything more.
(Also, PS to AugieDog: I'm very aware you're not making any money off me buying this book. If you're agreeable, however, I'd like to buy your signature for this book at... oh, let's just say the cover price of the book. 
So here's hoping I can find you at a convention sometime!)
Everything about this is awesome!
We will fully expect a review of said book.
~Skeeter The Lurker
3317392 Seconded.
3317392
3317439
Full disclosure, horizon actually did a review already. But your request has been duly noted.
Heehee.
Oh yeah, it is awesome indeed.
i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y513/bradelbound/Blood%20Jaguar_zpstqjc27c4.jpg
And that's even more awesome!
The local Half-Price Books around here had a first edition, first year printing of "A Christmas Carol" a few months ago...
Also, that is unspeakably awesome, getting that book by one of our own.
Hee hee hee!
Thanks so much, Bradel! I hope you enjoy the story. There are things about it that make me cringe these days, but I'm still very fond of the story and the characters and a lot of the writing.
Tom Doherty is actually directly responsible for Blood Jaguar getting published. I had already submitted it through the regular process at Tor and gotten it rejected, but then I sold it to Algis Budrys for serialization in his on-line magazine Tomorrow Speculative Fiction in 1997. Budrys, it turned out, was going to be the Guest of Honor at LoneStarCon 2, the WorldCon that year, and he asked me if he could be my agent, pitching the book while he was at the convention.
Stunned, I said "Sure," and he called me during the convention weekend to say that Tom Doherty had agreed to give Blood Jaguar a home. It was lightning that never struck a second time: I wrote six more novels for Budrys to pitch in the 10 years before he died in 2008--including the original draft of Rat's Reputation, the sequel to BJag that's only just finally come out--but none of them every found a place...
Oh, and Tor did a paperback edition, too, with a gorgeous cover painting by Julie Bell, the original of which I've got hanging on my wall.
Mike
Well:
If I can get someone to cover my shifts at the library, I'll be attending Equestria LA over Labor Day weekend...
Mike Again
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Yeah... uh... I should maybe go to that. We'll see. The timing isn't going to be great for me, though.