After some serious badgering from well-meaning but violently-inclined folks surrounding, I have joined ‘Twitter’.

It promises to get a decent workout when I return to Oz in July/August for the Kindling caperings.  I particularly look forward to sharing with my followers the goings-on at the Byron Bay Writers Festival (August 6-8).  The card features Bret Easton Ellis, author of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Less Than Zero’; Fatima Bhutto, niece to assassinated Pakistani President, Benazir Bhutto; and a host of other luminaries.

Barring any restraining orders I may incur, a comprehensive Twit’s-eye view is guaranteed.

I am proud to announce that Kindling has attracted its first international buyer: Taiwan.

The foreign rights offer was forwarded by noted publishing house, Global Group Holdings, Ltd and involves translation of the story into complex character Chinese.  When published, the book will retail for somewhere around $6.00 US.

Big high-fives go to Airlie Lawson at Hachette for her leg-work on this ground-breaking deal.

BTW…anyone like to guess which country will snap up Kindling next?

The official release in Australia and New Zealand for Kindling has now been set:

JULY 1

To folks in my current country of residence, this date is more familiar as Canada Day.  And, until Nate and Kieran and the cast of co-stars secure a publishing deal in the Great White North, Canada Day it will remain (for now…).

For anyone interested in being the absolute first to get their mitts on the book, most of the major Oz bookstores already have Kindling in their stocklists and several are taking pre-release orders.  A number of retailers are also providing 12 copy packs of the title (with bonus 13th copy for free!) for purchase by libraries, book clubs and my relatives.

Here is a link to one of the online pre-release ordering pages…