alt.books.m-lackey FAQ, Part 2 This is part 2 of the Mercedes Lackey FAQ, covering topics specific to Mercedes Lackey. Part 1 covers topics specific to alt.books.m-lackey, including the Acceptable Use Policy, most particularly with regard to SPAM, trolls and cross-posting. Both are posted monthly to alt.books.m-lackey. Contents of Part 2: 1. Order To Read? 2. What Has She Written? 3. What novels will she publish soon? 4. How Can I Reach Her Or Other Fans? 5. She's Got Songs, Are They Recorded? 6. Does She Really Believe This? 7. Why No MU*s Or FanFic? 8. No More Di! But Why??? 9. What happened to the original Queen's Own? 10. Birthday 11. Why no Cons? 12. Anything Else? 1. In what order do I read her books? Most people suggest reading the books chronologically, except for the Velgarth novels, which are suggested to be read in published order. The FAQ book list has them in chronological order by series, which just happens to be the published order for all except the Velgarth and the Diana Tregarde novels. 2. What Has She Written? Note that many of her novels, particularly the Velgarth novels, were co-authored with her husband, Larry Dixon, who also drew the interior art for much of her Velgarth work. The books so co-authored are marked with LD. I have attempted to include the original and earliest publishing dates. The Velgarth novels--publishing order: Heralds of Valdemar Arrows of the Queen - 1987 Arrow's Flight - 1987 Arrow's Fall - 1988 Vows & Honor Oathbound - 1988 Oathbreakers - 1989 Oathblood - 1998 The Last Herald Mage Magic's Pawn - 1989 Magic's Promise - 1990 Magic's Price - 1990 By the Sword - 1992 The Mage Winds Winds of Fate - Oct 1991 Winds of Change - 1992 Winds of Fury - 1993 The Mage Storms Storm Warning - 1994 Storm Rising - 1995 Storm Breaking - 1996 The Mage Wars The Black Gryphon (LD) - 1994 The White Gryphon (LD) - 1995 The Silver Gryphon (LD) - 1996 Note: Mage Storms and Mage Wars were written and published simultaneously. The Owl Books Owlflight (LD) - 1997 Owlsight (LD) - 1998 Owlknight (LD) - Oct 1999 Brightly Burning - May 2000 Take a Thief - Oct 2001 The Valdemar Companion (with other authors) - Dec 2001 Exile's Honor - Oct 2002 Exile's Valor - Nov 2003 The Tregarde novels--publishing order: Burning Water - 1989 Children of the Night - 1990 Jinx High - 1991 The Tregarde novels--chronological order: Children of the Night Burning Water Jinx High The Bardic Voices novels--publishing order: Bardic Voices: The Lark and the Wren - 1992 The Robin and the Kestrel - 1993 A Cast of Corbies (with Josepha Sherman) - 1994 The Eagle and the Nightingale - 1995 Four & Twenty Blackbirds - Dec 1997 The Free Bards - 3-in-1 of The Lark and the Wren and The Robin and the Kestrel and The Eagle and the Nightingale - 1997 The Bard novels--publishing order: Knight of Ghost and Shadows (with Ellen Guon) - 1990 Summoned To Tourney (with Ellen Guon) - 1992 Beyond World's End (with Rosemary Edghill) - Jan 2001 Spirits White as Lightning (with R. Edghill) - Nov 2001 Mad Maudlin (with R. Edghill) - Aug 2003 Music to my Sorrow (with R. Edghill) - Dec 2005 Bedlam Boyz - by Ellen Guon alone (1993), prequel to both of above Bedlam's Bard - 2-in-1 of Knight of Ghost and Shadows and Summoned To Tourney - 1998 The Elvenbane novels--publishing order: Elvenbane (with Andre Norton) - 1991 Elvenblood (with Andre Norton) - 1995 Elvenborn (with A. Norton) - August 2002 The Serrated Edge novels--publishing order: Born to Run - 1992 (LD) Wheels of Fire - 1992 (with Mark Shepherd) When the Bough Breaks - 1993 (with Holly Lisle) Chrome Circle - 1994 (LD) This Scepter'd Isle - Jan 2004 (with Roberta Gellis) Ill Met By Moonlight - March 2005 (with Roberta Gellis) By Slanderous Tongues - Jan 2007 (with Roberta Gellis) And Less Than Kind - April 2008 (with R. Gellis) The Chrome Borne - 2-in-1 of Born to Run and Chrome Circle - 1999 The Otherworld - 2-in-1 of Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks - Feb 2000 Elvendude - 1994 (by Mark Shepherd alone) Spiritride - 1997 (by Mark Shepherd alone) Lazerwarz - 1999 (by Mark Shepherd alone) The Bard's Tale novels--publishing order: Castle of Deception (with Josepha Sherman) - 1992 Fortress of Frost and Fire (with Ru Emerson) - 1993 Prison of Souls (with Mark Shepherd) - 1993 The Chaos Gate - 1994 (by Josepha Sherman alone) The Obsidian Trilogy The Outstretched Shadow (with James Mallory) - Nov 2003 To Light a Candle (with James Mallory) - Oct 2004 When Darkness Falls (with James Mallory) - July 2006 Enduring Flame The Phoenix Unchained (with James Mallory) - Oct 2007 The Phoenix Endangered (with James Mallory) - Sept 2008 The Heirs of Alexandria The Shadow of the Lion (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer) - Feb 2002 A Mankind Witch (Dave Freer alone) This Rough Magic (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer) - Dec 2003 Dragons of Alta Joust - March 2003 Alta - March 2004 Sanctuary - May 2005 Aerie - Oct 2006 The Elemental Masters The Serpent's Shadow - March 2001 The Gates of Sleep - April 2002 Phoenyx and Ashes - Oct 2004 Wizard of London - Sept 2005 Reserved for the Cat - Oct 2007 Five Hundred Kingdoms The Fairy Godmother - Dec 2003 One Good Knight - Feb 2006 Fortune's Fool - Feb 2007 The Snow Queen - May 2008 Other books, not part of any series - publishing order: (read them in any order you like) Sacred Ground - 1994 The Fire Rose - 1995 Firebird - Dec 1996 Fiddler Fair (short story collection) - 1998 Werehunter (short story collection) - May 1999 The Black Swan - 1999 The River's Gift - 1999 Charmed Destinies (with C. Asaro and Rachel Lee) - Nov 2003 The Dragon Quintet (with T. Lee, M. Swanwick, E. Moon, O. Card) - Aug 2006 Other books, co-authored - publishing order: Reap the Whirlwind (with C.J. Cherryh, 3rd in a series) - 1989 -also included in The Sword of Knowledge, March 1995 Wing Commander (with Ellen Guon) - 1992 The Ship Who Searched (with Anne McCaffrey) - 1992 If I Pay Thee Not In Gold (with Piers Anthony) - 1993 Rediscovery (with Marion Zimmer Bradley) - 1994 Tiger Burning Bright (with M.Z. Bradley and Andre Norton) - 1995 Wizard of Karres (with Freer & Flint) - Aug 2004 - sequel to Schmitz's "The Witches of Karres" Winter Moon (three stories, ML authored one) - Nov 2005 Brain Ships - Nov 2003 re-issue of "The Ship Who Searched" (with Anne McCaffrey) and "Partnership" (McCaffrey and M. Ball) Short story collections, M. Lackey editor - publishing order: Lammas Night (edited with Josepha Sherman) - Feb 1996 Sword of Ice (Velgarth stories) - Jan 1997 Flights of Fantasy (edited with M Greenberg) - Dec 1999 Sun in Glory (Velgarth stories) - Dec 2003 Bedlam's Edge (Bard/SERRAted Edge stories, edited with Rosemary Edghill) - Aug 2005 Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar (Velgarth stories) - Dec 2005 Essay collection, M. Lackey editor: Mapping the World of Harry Potter - Jan 2006 3. What novels will she publish soon? More or Less Recent News on Upcoming Lackey Novels and Works in Progress Book Publication Date (estimated) ----- Foundation: Book One of the Oct 2008 Collegium Chronicles Moving Targets and Other Stories of Dec 2008 Valdemar Welcome, New Students (Arcanum 101) unknown -with R. Edghill Gwenhwyfar, the White Phantom unknown -Arthurian Dark Waters unknown -with Eric Flint Tempest Fugit unknown (killed?) -work on hold, SERRated Edge Queen of Air and Darkness unknown (killed?) Elvenbred unknown (killed?) Stoned Souls (not scheduled for production) -With Hoyt Note: Most of this information has been mined from ML's personal WWW site or Amazon.com. If what I wrote here contradicts what Misty writes there, believe HER! 4. Can I reach Mercedes Lackey anywhere? How about other fans? * Email--She has an address, but, as per her request, that address will not be published on the Net. If you have it, please don't post it. It's only polite. * Postal--Send mail to her at any of the following addresses. Please mark CLEARLY that it is for her C/O one of the addresses. DAW Books 375 Hudson Street New York, NY 10014 TOR Books 49 West 24 Street New York, NY 10010 High Flight P.O. Box 8309 Tulsa, OK 74101-8309 Firebird Music P.O.Box 14785 Portland, OR 97214 http://firebirdarts.com/ Firebird has an 'Ask Misty' section of their WWW site, where selected questions and M. Lackey's answers are posted to their site. See http://firebirdarts.com/mlackey/1mlask.htm She has requested that no fan stories be mailed to her, please. Other fans can be reached via the following methods: * Internet Services:* alt.books.m-lackey--UseNet newsgroup mercedes-lackey@herald.co.uk-- Listserv list Subscribe by visiting: http://lists.herald.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mercedes-lackey/ Numerous mailing lists and the like abound on-line. For example, http://www.egroups.com/group/mercedeslackey http://www.egroups.com/group/Mistydiscussion http://www.egroups.com/group/Lady_of_Heralds And many others World Wide Web Pages: http://www.mercedeslackey.com/ http://firebirdarts.com/ * Postal Service:* Queen's Own monthly e-newsletter--For information, send mail to: Queen's Own The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club P.O. Box 749 Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA or consult http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm 5. Does she have any of the music out so I can listen to it? Yes. Firebird Arts and Music carries a full range of Mercedes Lackey songs, Larry Dixon and Jody Lee artwork, and a whole lot of other things. To get their most recent catalog, send mail to: Firebird Music P.O. Box 30268 Portland, OR 97294-3268 1-800-752-0494 (USA only) (503) 255-5751 (Oregon and International) (503) 255-5703 (FAX) Email: firebird@firebirdarts.com WWW: http://firebirdarts.com/ 6. Does she really believe in all that stuff she writes about? Maybe. She might be a member of an alternative religion; she hasn't said for sure. However, she sums it up best in the Author's Note at the back of Sacred Ground (1994 edition): "I am not a guru, shaman, Grand High Pooh-Bah, Guardian, Mistress of the Martian Arts, or any incarnation of the same. I have no lock on Immortal Wisdom, and in my experience, anyone who claims to, has his eye on your money (granted, I do too, but only insofar as entertaining you enough to buy my next book). To confuse me with what I write is as fallacious as confusing a truck driver with his Peterbilt." 7. Why won't she let us have a MUSH or write FanFic? Russell Galen is Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's agent. He has made the following statements in a general post to alt.books.m-lackey, dated in October 1994. "Any use of works by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon in fan fiction or a role playing game is strictly prohibited. The reasons are as follows: A. It is copyright infringement. Any unauthorized use of intellectual property, whether or not for profit, is copyright infringement. B. The authors are against it. Knowing that strangers are making use of one's world, one's characters, one's creations, is usually a very unpleasant feeling, one of violation and intrusion. C. There's been a great deal of discussion here as to whether a MUSH or MUD would help or hurt the salability of commercial game rights. The fact is, we don't know. It might have no effect, or a ruinous effect. There is ample evidence for both from other media, and I don't know the answer. Given that uncertainty, we have to err on the side of caution and protection. D. All of us on this side have discussed this and are resolved to take no chances with these valuable copyrights, and will vigorously pursue all legal means at our disposal. Also, any action we might take would not be limited to individuals but to the universities and other organizations that permit their equipment and lines to be used for this illegal purpose. E. Yes, we're greedy and narrow-minded in defense of our clients' ability to make a living. This is Mercedes Lackey's job. Anything that threatens her ability to make a living is no less an evil than any other situation in which an innocent party is forced, by the actions of strangers, to fight for her livelihood." So, please, folks *Just Say No* to Lackey-MUDS. If you want to write Fanfic, please send mail to the Queen's Own or HighFlight addresses above, and request a release form. Don't go doing something that you're going to wind up regretting, later. 8. No More Di! But Why??? It has been decided by Mercedes Lackey and her publishers that there will be no more books in the Diana Tregarde series. (Rumors of a novel featuring a much younger Andre abound.) There are two reasons why this is the case: A. The series is slow selling. Plain and simply, it is not as profitable for Mercedes Lackey and her publishers as her other series. They have decided to concentrate on those other series. B. A minority of readers seem to believe that these fantasy novels are based on "real supernatural activities". These have conceived some rather odd conspiracy theories as to why the series was discontinued. Granted that most of these people are decent and harmless people. Some of them, however, are dangerous individuals. There are two letters from Misty on the Firebird web site that discuss these people. The first is known as "The Last Straw", it was written in January 1997 in response to her being stalked and sent death threats and can be found at: http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/mlackey/laststraw.html The second is called "The Camel's Back" and was posted to the Firebird site on 22 November 1997, and is in response to the security fiasco that surrounded her attendance at Dragon*Con97: http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/mlackey/camelsback.html [Note: Both essays copied from the Firebird Arts WWW site to this WWW site because the URLs pointing to them were highly unstable. See the "Why no Cons?" section of this FAQ for more recent information about Mercedes Lackey's opinions regarding attending conventions.] 9. What happened to the original Queen's Own? The original Queen's Own Newsletter folded in May 2000 due to lack of funds. At that time, a new, on-line only, and free newsletter started up to fill in the gap. The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club is now located at: http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm The address is: Queen's Own The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club P.O. Box 749 Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA Memberships are free because the newsletter is only available online. 10. Birthday Misty was born on June 24. 11. Why no Cons? Why won't Misty attend Cons? As explained by her to the Baen's Bar chat group, (kindly posted to ABML by Claviux from the Crater on August 30, 2001): "I often get asked if---or when---I'm going to go to X, Y or ZCon. After all, the stalkers are gone, so we should be flinging ourselves back into the convention circuit, right? Well, no. The plain truth is, after being off the circuit, we don't really want to go back to it. We lose a lot of work-time going to cons. One day going, one day returning, and the three days of the convention. Conventions are enormously tiring, and the higher up on the desired-GoH food-chain you are, the more exhausting they are. Typically we end up getting only two or even one meal in a day, because there just is no time to eat what with all the panels, autograph sessions, and random encounters with fans. It is exactly like being in a live play that goes on from the moment we pass our hotel door in the morning until the time we go back in late that night. Travel is just as tiring. Planes these days are always crowded, often late, connections generally a mad dash across a vast expanse of terminal. And I don't do coach well anymore; bad backs will do that to you. Hotel rooms aren't home. They're small, cramped, often smell of mildew or tobacco smoke ("quiet" or non-party floors are usually the less-desirable smoking floors since there are fewer of them). Even when they're on quiet floors, there are people chatting in halls or playing the TV too loud or otherwise enjoying themselves in the next room. Or there's a crying baby. Or small children in the room above (or people acting like small children). And when have you EVER attended a con when the fire alarm didn't go off at least once during the middle of the night? And last---and one of the biggest factors---every convention I attended I've gotten ConPlague. Every convention is basically a mixing-pot for varietals of cold and flu viruses that I haven't been exposed to. And I'm getting a lot less exposure to viruses these days since I work at home, so my own immunity is low. In fact, last year I spent a grand total of four hours in the Baen suite and came down with the worst case of ConPlague I've had in years---I literally passed out for three days at poor Roberta Gellis's house. I know that conventions are important to a lot of you, and you have an enormous amount of fun at them. But they just aren't fun for me anymore, and there are a lot of other things I can do for fans that don't "cost" me in so much time, energy, and general well-being. ----------------------------------------------------- Here I do have to mention the shining exception in the last couple of years---the New Zealand Natcon last April in Auckland. It was small, loads of fun, we weren't overworked, in fact we had *so* much fun we would go back any time. No one had ConPLague. They brought us in, treated us like gods (the kind of gods you party with), let us run around the country for a couple of weeks before and after the con, and just generally made us so welcome that we came back rested and ready to rock rather than exhausted. If Oz cons are anything like Kiwi cons, and somebody thinks we're worth inviting, we'll be there with bells on." FAQ-Keeper's note: Misty has attended a few (very few!) Cons in recent years. 12. Anything Else That You Can Think Of? Let me know.