The title of this post comes straight from Monty Python. You know the scene, as the dead wagons collect plague victims, and one of the 'dead' keeps protesting, only to be thumped on the head and carted off.
That's been an excellent summary of the last few weeks. Watching the Markhat titles vanish, one by one, from Amazon was gut-wrenching.
But that's part of the business. Publishers do close shop, now and then. It's not the end of the world, though it certainly feels that way as your books poof into oblivion with a single refresh of the page.
I am engaged in a number of efforts to bring the series back as soon as I can. Whether they will return with a new publisher, or as self-published titles, remains to be seen. I am working as fast as I can.
In the meantime, if you're a fan and you missed a book in the series, just email me. I'll send you a free one, in whatever format works best for you. It might take a day or two, but I'll get it out. It will have a plain text cover, but at least you'll be able to complete the series. My email address is franktuttle at franktuttle dot com (put in the right symbols, you know the drill).
And of course you can still buy WAY OUT WEST by clicking below.
WAY OUT WEST on Amazon as ebook.
WAY OUT WEST as print book.
The Mug and Meralda books weren't affected, either.
ALL THE PATHS OF SHADOW ebook
ALL THE PATHS OF SHADOW print
ALL THE TURNS OF LIGHT ebook
ALL THE TURNS OF LIGHT print
I'll keep everyone posted here with any relevant news.
Thanks to everyone who emailed or messaged with expressions of support. Those meant a lot.
In other news, it's nearly time for my annual pilgrimage to MidSouthCon, where WAY OUT WEST is up for a Darrell Award. If you're there too, look me up! I'm on a bunch of panels and I'll be out and about the rest of the time. This year, I won't be cosplaying -- I just didn't have the heart or the time to come up with a new costume, and the weight of the steampunk proton pack I've been taking is just too much. I came home from last year's Con a full three inches shorter than I was when I left, and my spine made funny crunching noises for weeks after wearing it.
You can check out the schedules and events for the MidSouthCon on their webpage, which is here.
So stop by and buy me a drink, I mean, see me and chat.
See you at the Con!