News and Views

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent Now in Paperback

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:26:40 -0700

Good news! The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is now available in a paperback edition. It’s a larger-sized trade paperback, which means it’s easy to read and hold but costs much less than the hardcover version (a thing which would please Ivy’s sense of economy).
So if you need a copy for yourself—or are looking for an affordable gift option for the holidays—now is the perfect time to pick one up. You can find the paperback edition in most bookstores, or it is available from any of the online retailers below:
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Borders
• IndieBound
• Powell’s Books
• RandomHouse.com
• Tattered Cover

That Silence You’ve Been Hearing...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:40:20 -0700

Hello, everyone! That deafening silence you’ve been hearing for the last year (and a bit) is the sound of an author (that would be yours truly) writing. My apologies for the long delay since this site has been updated. It was my intention to add a post here and there whenever I had some free time.
Well, you can see how that worked out. The good news is that, while I haven’t been writing posts for this site, I have been steadily (if slowly) writing the sequel to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. I can now happily report that the first draft of the manuscript for The House On Durrow Street is in the hands of my editor at Bantam.
That said, there does remain a great deal of work to do. I tend to do a large amount of revising and adding in my second drafts, and then there are all the normal editorial steps to go through—copy edits, galleys, and the like. The end result is that the book will be published sometime in the fall of 2010.
Yes, I know that’s quite a while yet to wait to learn what befalls Ivy next. My apologies for that. In the meantime, the trade paperback edition of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent will appear in bookstores on November 24th. Your patience is greatly appreciated, as are all of your kind emails. While I don’t always have time to reply, I do read every letter I get, and I enjoy hearing from readers very much.
More news soon—I promise!

Listen to Galen Beckett’s Bantam Dell Podcast

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:20:13 -0600

Need some food for your iPod or other media player? And do you enjoy hearing authors discuss their books and the writing process?
I thought so! Then you should check out Bantam Dell’s author podcast program. They have a huge series of podcasts from many authors, including yours truly. In my podcast, I talk about my inspirations for The Magicians and Mrs. Quent and some of the background of the world I devised for the novel. So if you’d like to learn a bit more about the book as well as the process I went through to write it, give the podcast a click.
Listen to Galen Beckett’s Bantam Dell podcast

TMAMQ at Omnivoracious

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 10:32:52 -0600

Here’s some more Amazon-related news today. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is currently featured over on Omnivoracious.
Omnivoracious is a blog run by the book editors at Amazon.com. Blogger Jeff VanderMeer posted a very nice entry about the book. He writes, “the enchanting The Magicians and Mrs. Quent evokes memories of other pseudo-Victorian-Edwardian fantasies, but the writing and execution are vastly superior to most of the others I’ve read.” He goes on to say, “Galen Beckett reconfigures what could be stereotypical into an exciting and clever romp.”
In all, it’s a very nice review. A huge number of books flood into Amazon every day, I’m rather amazed mine got picked out of the torrent. But I’m very glad it did!
Read the post at Omnivoracious

Kindle Edition Now Available

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 10:22:22 -0600

For those of you who think paper is so last millennium, you’ll be happy to know that you can now read The Magicians and Mrs. Quent on your shiny new Kindle. You can purchase the book through Amazon.com and download it directly to your Kindle reader.
While Ivy is very partial to the feel and heft of books, she is all for newfangled advancements. So enjoy the soft glow of your Kindle as you read The Magicians and Mrs. Quent!
Buy The Magicians and Mrs. Quent Kindle Edition

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent in the U.K.

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 09:08:57 -0600

Here’s some news for people in the U.K. who have heard about and are interested in The Magicians Mrs. Quent. (And I believe there are at least a few of you.)
At this time, unfortunately, there are no plans for publishing the book in the U.K. However, the good news is that you won’t have to fly over to this side of the ocean to pick up a copy. Instead, Amazon.co.uk has shipped a batch of books over to your side of the pond. So you can now easily order a copy and have it quickly delivered to your door. Now that’s what I call a revolution!
Order The Magicians and Mrs. Quent from Amazon.co.uk

Review at SFRevu

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:52:57 -0600

If you aren’t already aware of SFRevu.com yet, consider yourself notified. It’s a web site that reviews a huge number of science fiction and fantasy titles, and it’s a wonderful resource if you’re looking for something to read that suits your taste. If you go there today you’ll see a review of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent.
“Galen Beckett has given us a rich world in The Magicians and Mrs. Quent,” writes reviewer Gayle Surrette. “I was so entranced with this strange world....” The reviewer also notes “It's a story of character, courage, and honor more than rip-roaring adventure....But if you're willing to give it a chance to entrance you, you'll find the story is one that will leave you, after the last page, with a feeling that justice, if not prevailing, at least took a whack at the evil of the world.”
To me, that’s really what the book is about—the sense of there being just these small lights of goodness and hope shining in the midst of a vast darkness. I’m glad that came through. It’s a very insightful review that I think captures the spirit of the book perfectly.
Click here to read the review

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is Published!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:45:09 -0600

Well, it’s here. This is the day I’ve been awaiting for quite some time. And perhaps a few of you have as well! Today marks the publication of my first novel, The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. The book should be making an appearance in your local bookstore, and it’s also available from online bookstores.
I have to admit, it was exciting to walk into a bookstore and see several copies there on the shelf. I originally came up with the idea for the novel over four years ago. Ideas are the easy part, of course. It took quite a lot of reading, thinking, and several false starts before I had enough material to send to my agent. Then there was more work to do before she considered it far enough along to send to my editor. Some months later Bantam happily offered me a contract, but it still took over a year more for me to finish the first draft. And then it was many more months of editing and polishing before it was finally done.
(By the way, let me give a shout out here to Delia Sherman, who went far and above what a reviewer normally does, and who generously gave me fabulous, detailed comments on the language and terminology used in the book. Her expertise helped a great deal in maintaining the Regency-style flavor of the book, and I am in her debt!)
In sum, it’s been a labor, and there were some moments along the way where my will wavered. But now that I can hold the finished book in my hands, I’m delighted. And I hope you will be as well!
• Order Your Copy Today
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Borders
IndieBound
Powell’s Books
RandomHouse.com
Tattered Cover