Discourse is an interview podcast, which is available at Breakpoint. It’s a fairly new feature, and it was a privilege to be one of Stephen’s first guests.

And there’s good news: I can extend the deadline another couple of weeks, because I just found out that the publisher’s sending me MORE bookmarks!

The pictures are even more fun than I anticipated. I’ll post a few of them below….

So, what do these pictures show us about people who are reading The Auralia Thread?

They’re all a little bit crazy in the head. And that there’s still a good market for bookmarks.

Oh… and I think of them all as friends.

Ezra read Auralia’s Colors when he was very young. Now that he’s older, he’s can handle this darker sequel.

Tansy wrote to tell me that her favorite parts are the scenes involving dogs.

The Kimball kids and their various beasts celebrate a book about beastmen.

Either he has gi-normous hands, or he’s holding the book up close to the camera.

(Okay, so Todd Truffin does not exactly HAVE the book in hand yet, but he’s so upset about his delayed order that I decided to post his photo out of pity.)

A book so substantial, you can set it upright and do a headstand on it!

Hey, nice shirt! The symbol of consumerism at its best!

Jason Panella is determined to find a typo. DETERMINED.

The Baggs family show some school spirit, some Auralia spirit, and some family spirit. (And hey, bonus points for including a copy of Through a Screen Darkly!)

Melissa in Kansas City is too busy reading to pose. And that’s fine with me.

There’s still time for you to send in a photo and get a bookmark in return! Just email me a picture of you reading your copy, and be sure to include your mailing address! (Also, tell me whether you’re giving me permission to include the photo on this blog…)

I’ve heard several reports today (Monday) that Cyndere’s Midnight showed up in Borders bookstores today. A day early!

It’s already here! So, for those who can’t wait… don’t!

And Tuesday, it’s everywhere.

HERE’S A DEAL:

If you pick up a copy THIS WEEK, send me a photo (jpg) of yourself with the book by Saturday at noon, I will send you an Auralia Thread bookmark for free!

Email the pics to joverstreet [at] gmail [dot] com.

Is this one of those sequels where things get much darker?

I’m afraid so. But then, this book focuses on characters who were only glimpsed as villainous predators in the previous volume. In order to understand them better, we’ll have to spend some time with them. Proceed with caution. I don’t want anybody having nightmares.

Do we learn more about the history of the beastmen?

Quite a bit more, actually. We also learn that there are savage, heartless beastmen working with the teams who design campaign attack ads for both Obama and McCain.

What exactly *is* “Cyndere’s midnight”?

I suspect there will be different answers to that question.

Is Dukas the cat back?

Yep.

In Auralia’s Colors, there were references to some of your favorite singers and songs. Does that continue?

Yep.

When Cyndere’s Midnight begins, how much time has passed in since Auralia’s Colors ended?

Auralia’s Colors ended as winter moved in and buried the Expanse in snow. Then, there was a last glimpse of Cal-raven as spring began to unfold.

Cyndere’s Midnight opens with a scene set a few years earlier. Then, Chapter One takes place during the autumn *near* the end of Auralia’s Colors, and goes on to cover things that happen during that harsh winter. When we catch up with Cal-raven and his people, we find that winter is about to come back, interrupt spring’s beginnings, and pound the land one more time. Global warming in the Expanse, perhaps?

Over the next week, I’ll be revealing some of the shocking secrets of Cyndere’s Midnight.

So read on, but beware! Some may consider these to be very minor spoilers!

And yes, every single one of these questions has been raised in some email or letter or review. I didn’t make up a single one.

TODAY’S REVELATIONS

Do we get to see more of the ale boy?

Yes, the ale boy returns. Ah, but the real question on everybody’s mind is this: Is he still serving alcoholic beverages?

Um… okay… is he still serving alcoholic beverages?

You’ll just have to wait and see. I will say this: It’s a bit difficult to serve drinks when you’ve been locked into an small iron stove and left for dead in the middle of a wasteland fraught with predators.

Do we learn what happens to Cal-raven and the people of House Abascar?

Yes, eventually. We don’t spend a lot of time with them until late in the book. But the third book is called Cal-raven’s Ladder, so don’t worry. Cal-raven’s story is far from over.

Who is the woman on the cover?

If my evil plan works, there will be some confusion about this, at least during the first several chapters of the book. After all, Cyndere’s not the only beauty in this version of Beauty and the Beast.

The woman on the cover… what’s she’s kneeling beside?

Personally, I think that’s kind of obvoius, but I’ve heard some interesting theories. And it hasn’t stopped me from affectionately referring to the book as Cyndere’s Hot Tub.

There’s been a woman on two book covers in a row. Is this chick lit?

Hardly. Unless your “chick lit” includes stories about murderous beastmen, extravagant battle scenes, and descents into monster-filled labyrinths.

Is Auralia in this book?

She’s the very first character you encounter. Well, she’s the very first human character you encounter.

Are Krawg and Warney in this book?

What, do you want me to spoil all the surprises?

[Submitted by a 10-year-old in a handwritten letter.] Will Cal-raven and Auralia get married?

Umm… maybe you should read Auralia’s Colors again and decide if that question really makes much sense. Ah, but this is fantasy, isn’t it? Good for you for having a big imagination! We’ll see.

We didn’t see much of the wizard, Scharr ben Fray, in the first book. Do we see more of him here?

My mage is a shifty and devious fellow. He may be far more present than you’ve realized. He just likes disguises. Unlike a lot of other famous wizards, he doesn’t know everything. He doesn’t have all the answers. He does, however, have a lot of questions.

If Auralia’s Colors ever becomes a movie, you won’t let Michael Bay direct it, will you?

You have my solemn promise. Now… if John Sayles, or Scott Derrickson, or Guillermo Del Toro, or Ridley Scott, or Danny Boyle were ever interested…

I kept expecting a big battle scene in Auralia’s Colors. Is there a battle scene in Cyndere’s Midnight?

With all of the devastation at the conclusion of Auralia’s Colors, you found yourself wanting a war as well? Are you okay?

Those disappointed by the lack of battle scenes in Auralia’s Colors will finally hear the clash of swords in this one. Personally, I don’t think you have to have a good fight scene to tell a good fantasy story. I think there are far too many duels, dragons, wizards, and wars in fantasy literature. There are so many other ideas things to explore.

But okay… there is a scene concerning Cal-raven that gave me a chance to write a long, elaborate fight scene. I felt like a ten-year-old again, staging an epic battle between man and monsters. (I have boxes full of those stories that I typed out when I was a kid. It helped me cope with being intimidated by the bully at school.) That kind of scene didn’t make sense in Auralia’s Colors. In this one, it takes place at a very crucial moment, and the outcome of the fight is a major turning point in “The Auralia Thread.”

Does it end with another cliffhanger?

Sorta. But wait until you see the end of the third book.

You said it took you ten years to write Auralia’s Colors. Was it hard to write a sequel in less than a year?

Yes. But hey… am I going to complain? I was so consistently surprised by the characters in Cyndere’s Midnight that I had a hard time saying “The End.”

And I’m still thunderstruck and overjoyed that I get to share these stories with you. I keep waiting to wake up and find out it was all a dream. Thank you for the emails and letters and Facebook notes, etc. This part of the writing life is an unexpected development, a tremendous blessing, and an inspiration to try and make each story better than the previous one. I hope to offer this series as a “thank-you” to the storytellers that inspired me, and it won’t be any thanks at all if I don’t make them worth reading. So I’m grateful for all of the encouragement.

Lots of reviewers misspelled the name Auralia as “Aurelia” in their reviews. And then they misspelled your name too. Why didn’t you put a simpler name in the title of Cyndere’s Midnight?

Well, it was pretty stupid of me to publish two books in a row that have titles with names that are hard to pronounce. (It’s SIN-der, not sin-DARE. And please… don’t say chin-DARE-ay.) But hey… those Bel Amicans like to end there names with silent “e”s.

I’ve contemplated introducing a character who misspells and mispronounces everything, and then sending him to a nasty demise. But hey, I’m a reviewer as well as a storyteller, and I’ve made my share of mistakes in my reviews. So that wouldn’t be very fair of me….

Like the little lawn gnome in Amelie, Auralia’s Colors is traveling the world. Just check out these photos…

Here’s the book in the hands of a Filipino rice farmer at, of all places, the International Rice Research Institute!

And here it is just outside of Hong Kong!

Makes me wonder where Cyndere’s Midnight will go when the book arrives in just a few weeks…

The reviewer closes the review by quoting one of my favorite moments in the book, and one that I haven’t heard anyone comment on before.

Actually, you’re invited to come to all of them, if you want. I won’t try to stop you.

Oh, and if you come to the first one… you’ll get a free Cyndere’s Midnight/Auralia’s Colors bookmark!

Cyndere’s Midnight
RELEASE PARTY!
reading / booksigning
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park (Seattle), WA
7 p.m.
September 25, 2008.

Cyndere’s Midnight
reading / booksigning
Village Books, Bellingham, WA
November 20, 2008.

On Thursday night, September 25, you’re invited to join me for a Cyndere’s Midnight release party at Third Place Books.

(By the way, in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “SIN-der.”)

And, thanks to artists Kristopher K. Orr and Kelly L. Howard, for their work on Cyndere’s cover.

Here’s what she looks like…

A few brave readers have taken a sneak peek at it. And they’ve shared some kind words…

Robert Thompson, FantasyBookCritic.blogspot.com

Delving deeper into the vividly imagined world of The Expanse, with characters both diverse and sympathetic, and a story filled with heartbreak, hope, and wonder, Cyndere’s Midnight is a worthy follow-up to Jeffrey’s fantasy debut and another enchanting entry in The Auralia Thread…

Donita K. Paul, author of DragonLight and DragonSpell

Astonishing, arresting, rich and profound. Jeffrey Overstreet’s beauty of prose reveals the vileness of human nature and then, just as deftly, awakens hope.

John Wilson, Editor, Books & Culture

With Cyndere’s Midnight, Jeffrey Overstreet fulfills the promise of Auralia’s Colors: he has created a fully realized imaginative world, at once utterly distinctive and hauntingly familiar. I can’t wait for the next volume.

Sigmund Brouwer, author of Broken Angel

It’s entering a beautiful dream you don’t want to leave, with exhilarating tension that takes you beyond story and into deep truths.

Dick Staub, broadcaster (The Kindlings Muse) and author (The Culturally Savvy Christian, Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters.)

When the Inklings (C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) met at the “Bird and Baby” Pub each week they would read excerpts from their work, then critique and improve it. With Cyndere’s Midnight, the inventive and imaginative Jeffrey Overstreet delivers another well-crafted, artful work of fantasy, rewarding the thoughtful reader and reminding us that the spirit of the Inklings is alive and well and at least one living writer could have held his own at their table!