Yes, I do have a plan to get my new work out there, hell or high water. And Step One is nearly complete.
For the past few months, I’ve been revisiting Hunter of the Light, making sure that Blackthorn’s Éirinn seamlessly matches the Éirinn of Shadow’s Road and fixing the book’s gazillion-and-a-half typos.
So, I’m making changes?!?
Well, yes — but they’re tweaks, not re-writes. A snowdrop is now a dog violet, a coney turned into a hare… that sort of thing. Even when the odd sentence cries out for revision, I turn a deaf ear. I’ve already written Hunter, thank you. I’ve no desire to write it again.
That said, I have made one actual change (added just a few words to fully realize a crucial moment — you’re welcome, Dave), and I am considering two more. This is where YOU come in.
The two changes I’m considering are listed below. Check them out, then tell me what you think. Good change, worth doing, absolutely? Or no way, forget it, not worth the time and effort?
You can post your reply here, or you can go to my website (link is in the menu bar to your left, then from the website, go to “contact” and shoot me your reply from there).
OK. Here goes:
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– When they bought my book, the only change HarperPrism asked for was a new title; marketing didn’t want any Irish words on the cover. I like Hunter of the Light, but it was my second choice. So…
Should I relaunch it as Hunter of the Light ? Or should I take this opportunity to restore my original title, The Hunter of Éirinn ?
– The Dancer, the Deceiver, the Conjuror, the Flyer, Stone-Eye… all of Éirinn’s Wizards have colloquial titles, save for Feargna Óg. I’ve never liked the Necromancer’s highly Latinized epithet; I simply couldn’t come up anything better at the time. So…
Should Feargna Óg remain “The Necromancer”? Or can I exploit this opportunity to re-name him “The Ghost”?
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That’s it. The Poll is done. Go raibh míle maith agat — thanks so very much for participating. :)
best regards — risa
You sold a HUNTER?!? Brilliant!
And thanks for your correct email, Ava. The one that bounced was a frangipani-type thing…
slán, — r
http://booksbyrotten.blogspot.com/2008/09/hunter-of-light.html
I wrote about your book on my blog, not too skilfully I fear, but atleast I managed to sell a book !
I read the book and loved it as Hunter of the Light. So I feel you should keep it.
The Necromancer will do. I loved everything in the book and wouldnt want anything changed.
1) The Hunter of Éirinn
2) The Necromancer
I fully support the least amount of change to the original text.
I also prefer Hunter of Eirinn, to Hunter of the Light. As to the Necromancer V. Ghost I am not happy with either. Necromancy appears in European literature in the 14 century and there is some indication that it is in fact an inkhorn term based on a misreading and or misspelling of another word.
Most English dictionaries cite the Greek Necros(death) but the word first appears in English as Nigromancy from the latin for Black Works and indeed the Italians called it a Negromante while the French say Necromanien.
Some define it specifically as one who invokes the dead but most citations use it as a blanket term for Sorcery. It is out of place and more importantly out of time. I don’t like ghost because all the other offices describe some action (Dancer, Conjuror but hey that’s just me.
1) I have always believed the original title should be kept. HarperPrism chickened out in the direction of conformity and blandness. Whenever I refer to the book, I call it The Hunter of Éirinn, not Hunter of the Light. Now, if we were talking about that weird byline…
2) Necromancer a highly Latinized epithet? Don’t follow you. Sure, the root may be from Latin, but so is the root of Deceiver and Conjuror. Now, if in place of Oak-Seer you had used something like Oak-Haruspex, I would have said, hey, get out of town, your fantasy realm’s not based on ancient Etruria. Necromancer is a term that has crossed cultures and versions of it appear in many languages. Keep it. If it still seems out of place, you already covered it. The guy was from Alba, not Éirinn.