Chimney Swifts (as it’s currently known) will be out in Fall 2014.  Two and a half years from now.  I know–it’s a long time to wait!  But I’m happy with this date, and here’s why:  I have two other books that have to come out before that.  Winterling was out in January 2012.  Its sequel, The Summerkin, will be out in around May 2013.  And then the third book in that trilogy (it doesn’t have a title yet), is out in January 2014.  Chimney Swifts just can’t come out until all three books in the Winterling trilogy have been published.

Really, it’s awesome that my publisher is willing to put out two books by me in the same year, one in January 2014 and one in Fall 2014.  Usually it’s just one book per year.

I’m just glad I don’t have to wait until 2015!  (though I hate to tell you–if you’re in a country other than the US, it probably WILL be 2015…!)

Meanwhile, what do you think (based on previous blog about the cover for Chimney Swifts):

Amethyst for the cover?

Or slowsilver?

Or maybe bricks?

Or sooty black?

(The sootball picture is called “Lone Soot” by evilmuffins on Deviantart)

Chimney Swifts (as it’s currently known) will be out in Fall 2014.  Two and a half years from now.  I know–it’s a long time to wait!  But I’m happy with this date, and here’s why:  I have two other books that have to come out before that.  Winterling was out in January 2012.  Its sequel, The Summerkin, will be out in around May 2013.  And then the third book in that trilogy (it doesn’t have a title yet), is out in January 2014.  Chimney Swifts just can’t come out until all three books in the Winterling trilogy have been published.

Really, it’s awesome that my publisher is willing to put out two books by me in the same year, one in January 2014 and one in Fall 2014.  Usually it’s just one book per year. Just be glad you don’t have to wait until 2015!

So, what do you think: Amethyst for the Chimney Swifts cover?

Or slowsilver? Or maybe bricks?   Or sooty black? (The sootball picture is called “Lone Soot” by evilmuffins on Deviantart)

To readers of the Magic Thief books, if you want to quest with Conn, you can play a free Magic Thief adventure at Adventure Quest.  It’s a massively multiplayer online role playing game enjoyed by millions of players around the world.  It’s free to register!  You can go on a biscuit hunt, battle misery eels, and join Conn and AQ wizards on a quest to find out who’s stealing the magic in the combined Wellmet-Lore worlds.

Battle on!

Welcome to my website–and yes, my book The Magic Thief is what the latest AQ event is based on.

As a note for you AQ players around the world, it’s possible my book is available in your country  So far it’s been published in the following languages, so if it’s in your country and you want to read about Conn and Rowan’s magical adventures, you can probably find it at your library or bookstore.

English (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, India)
French
German
Spanish and Catalan
Greek
Finnish
Turkish
Polish
Czech and Slovak
Vietnamese
Indonesian
Italian
Dutch
Danish
Portuguese (but only in Brazil)
Romanian

Here’s a gallery–pictures of the book covers around the world.

Let me know if you have any questions about the book.  Battle on!

magic thief 4 by sarah prineas

and

is the fourth magic thief book going to come out?

and

the magic thief book four

and

is there a fourth magic thief???

And AT LAST I can answer that question with a big, giant, happy YES!!!  There is a fourth Magic Thief  book–it is written, and my wonderful publisher, HarperCollins Childrens, is going to publish it.  I’m not absolutely sure yet when it’ll be out–maybe not for a while–but it’s definitely coming.

Here’s what the fourth Magic Thief book is about:

It’s called Chimney Swifts (that’s my title for it; my publisher might change it), and it’s about what happens when a gang of chimney sweeps are going down chimneys in Wellmet to steal locus magicalicus stones.  Everybody suspects Conn, of course, because he is a thief, so he (and the little dragon Pip!) has to join the sweeps to figure out what’s really going on.  What he discovers is that his biggest enemy has returned to Wellmet and is up to no good…

So now I have a question for you, if you’re a Magic Thief reader.

The first book is blue:  The second book is red:And the third book is green:

What color do you think the cover of the fourth Magic Thief book should be?  Leave a comment if you think you know.

I have hereby given up trying to get my dog into these book pictures.  She’s a Rottie and she’s stubborn, and she just won’t do it.  So it’s paws up for William Alexander’s terrific MG debut Goblin Secrets, coming in March from Margaret McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster.  It recently got a starred review from Kirkus!

You can win a copy!  All you have to do to enter is pick a number between 1 and 225 and post it in the comments. I’ll respond with a line from that page in the book. When we’re all done (12:00 midnight on Thursday), I’ll do a random number generator thingy and that person will be the winner. Be sure to include your email when you leave your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Come back and read all the comments, and you’ll get some awesome sneak peeks!

AND there’s an extra prize!  Last week I got a big box of library edition copies of The Magic Thief.  These are from the third printing, so not collectible, but they’re sturdily-bound hardcovers that one random winner can keep or give to his/her favorite library.

Good luck!

Hello!  The contest has ended–thanks so much for stopping by to enter!  I’ll be running more contests soon, so do stop by again.  Cheers!

This is not a nice cat.   She doesn’t like me; she detests my dog.  She has shredded the couch and the comfy chair in the living room.  She turns up her whiskered nose at cat treats.  She hates everything.

Well, almost everything.

Because she looooooves this:

It’s Above World, a fabulous middle grade adventure by debut author Jenn Reese, and it’s coming out from Candlewick on February 14th.  YOU can join my evil cat in her love of this wonderful book, because I’m giving away an ARC, along with sneak peeks.

All you have to do to enter is pick a number between 1 and 356 and post it in the comments. I’ll respond with a line from that page in the book. When we’re all done (12:00 midnight on Thursday), I’ll do a random number generator thingy and that person will be the winner. Be sure to include your email when you leave your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Come back and read all the comments, and you’ll get some awesome sneak peeks!

[Oh, and if two (or more!) people pick the same page, that’s fine–if that page number is the winner, I’ll just do another random generator thingie for that page.]

Good luck!

As is traditional, I celebrate book-release day by posting the acknowledgements page.

No book is created only by its author.  Without a publisher the book would be a mess, and without friends and supporters the writer’s life would be a lonely one.

So without further ado, the acks for Winterling:

Beginning with the dedication:

To Jenn Reese.  For you, and for the girl you once were.

Acknowledgements.  Many thanks…

To my wonderful editor, Antonia Markiet, who shines light into the dark places.

And to the outstanding team at HarperCollins, starting with editor Alyson Day, copy editors Amy Vinchensi and Katherine Silsand, editorial director Phoebe Yeh, publisher Susan Katz, associate editor Jayne Carapezzi, art director Sasha Illingworth, production supervisor Ray Colon, Tony Hirt, publicist Marisa Russell, cover artist Jason Chan.

To my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, and her ruthless critiques, ow, ow, ow.  And to the Liza Dawson Agency, especially Havis Dawson.

For support and friendship, Ingrid Law.  I believe we have a lunch date coming up, my dearest…!

Jennifer Adam, who kindly answered all my questions about horses, and about not-horses.  Lisa Will, astronomer consultant extraordinaire.  Jon Michael Hansen for the archery info.  Deb Coates, the dog whisperer.

To bookseller Beth Yost from Cover to Cover Children’s Books in Columbus, Ohio, who said, upon reading The Magic Thief, “Um, I actually like that story you wrote about the changeling girl…”  Beth, you inspired me to turn that story into this novel.

To Karen Meisner, Jed Hartman, and Susan Marie Groppi, who actually bought that changeling girl story and published it at www.strangehorizons.com.

This book’s intrepid first readers, Rae Carson, Greg van Eekhout, and Jenn Reese.  Also to Dragons of the Corn: Deb Coates, Lisa Bradley, and Dorothy Winsor, and to the memory of Alex Tint.  And to Iowa City’s Nano Rebels, in whose company much of this book was written: Wendy Heinrich, Lori Dawson, Amy Luttinger, Britt Deerberg, Bev Ehresman, Susan Benton, Eleanor Ditzel, Dori Hillestad Butler.  And to Jessie Stickgold-Sarah,  Haddayr Copley-Woods, Robin LaFevers, Kristin Cashore, Charlie Finlay, bookseller Shawna Elder, and to the biggest threat to children’s publishing to come along in quite a while, Paolo Bacigalupi.

To all my dear families, especially my vegetarian children, my husband, and my mom and dad.

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Wow.  Typing those names up again makes me realize how lucky I am.  Writer-friends, you are the BEST.  Thank you.

Click here for the Winterling book trailer

The event is like a side-story within the larger AQ world.  Regular AQ players can go into the Magic Thief story and interact with the MT characters and world.  There will be biscuits and misery eels and (hopefully) a hunt for a locus magicalicus!!   It should be online in early January.

As a bonus, I got an upgraded character of my own to play.  She is a mage with bright green skin and sticking up braids (though you can’t see them because they’re covered by the Dragonhero Helmet).

As you can see, I have a pet dragon.  She follows me everywhere.