Welcome to the Official Unicorn Chronicles Website
this is the space to watch for updates on Bruce's progress
on Book 4 of the Chronicles:
THE LAST HUNT
Monday, June 08, 2009
Back in the Saddle! (So to speak . . .)
Spring was tough this year. I had a serious travel schedule, but managed to keep working on HUNT, if only a little bit, through most of it. That "little bit" is actually important, since it means you don't "fall out of" the book, and it's much easier to swing back into action when you do have time again.
Alas, just when I did have time coming up we had a family medical emergency. It was pretty scary, but things are - happily - much better now.
The good news is that my wonderful editor went to bat for me to get me some extra time. And, I am happy to report, this weekend I was finally able to really bear down on the story again. It was great to be back in Luster!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Here are some lovely reviews for the audio version of DARK WHISPERS:
"The author as narrator is not always a good arrangement. Given Coville's wide-ranging experience in the world of audiobook production, it works flawlessly in this case. His reading is effortless and natural. His voice is perfectly suited as the story's narrator. The cadence and rhythm shift subtly as the mood and tone of the scenes warrant. The full cast includes an astonishing variety of voices from that of a young Indian boy, to unicorns and delvers and other unusual creatures, to Cara and Ian whose journeys are at the heart of this adventure. Each voice seems well matched to the character."
— VOYA December, 2008
"Music (Indian folk music when the setting is Delhi, and classical violin accompaniment in Luster, for example) heightens and complements the suspense and helps transition listeners. Subtle touches include one character's voice fading into another's. Author Coville, who serves as the main narrator, maintains a steady and consistent reading, and Becca Wemesfelder perfectly captures the tones and inflections of adolescent Cara. This fast-paced audio works well for both new and old series fans."
— Booklist 11/15/08
"Coville and a full cast of narrators do a splendid job, giving each character just the right voice, and sound effects and music add to the atmosphere of the tale. Listeners will eagerly await the fourth book in the series."
— School Library Journal June, 2009
"Cara Diana Hunter is on a quest for a critical story, and her father is on a journey in search of his wife. Transitions between the two tales are signaled by musical interludes that are helpful in keeping the listener grounded. The cast is strong, with a wide range of voices."
— Audiofile
You'll find a couple of sample clips on the website, if you want to hear want to hear a bit of what it sounds like. Dark Whispers Audiobook
Happy Listening!
Bruce
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS is now available on audio!!
Ever since I started Full Cast Audio 8 years ago, and we released SONG OF THE WANDERER, people have been complaining because we didn't also offer INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS. But there was a reason for that - I had already recorded it for Listening Library, and they still held the rights. The problem was, they never released it on CD.
Last year I got the rights back, and we rushed the book into production. It's ready at last, and sounds really, really good (even if I do say so myself...).
IN THE CENTER OF LUSTER STANDS AN ENORMOUS TREE CALLED
THE AXIS MUNDI, THE HEART OF THE WORLD.
But
now that tree is wounded, pierced by magic. Through that wound marches an army
of Hunters, led by the sinister and vengeful Beloved. And they are all
determined to destroy each and every unicorn.
As the
unicorns gather to defend their lives, the human girl, Cara, is sent on a
mission to meet a ferocious and mysterious dragon. Faced with perilous danger,
Cara must make a desperate decision that will change her life forever.
With a deft hand
and keen imagination, master storyteller Bruce Coville brings this riveting
epic fantasy series to a rousing conclusion as the secrets of Luster are
finally and satisfyingly revealed.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Work continues. Scholastic is preparing the cover - which is sensational - so they're clearly excited about bringing this out next spring.
I'm pushing through a ninth (!!) draft of the first 3/4 of the book. Once that is cleaned up I hope to blaze through the final section.
Monday, February 23, 2009
I just spent a week on a "writing retreat", plugging away at LAST HUNT. Progress, progress, progress. (Not as much as I want, but progress nonetheless!)
Bruce
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I just saw the initial cover sketch for LAST HUNT, and all I can say is "Wowza!"
I showed it to Tammy Pierce, and she called me a bad name. This is actually a very good sign, since it indicates great jealousy.
Onward and upward!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I spent last week in hiding, trying to get away from the world so I could totally focus on THE LAST HUNT. I wasn't entirely successful in escaping from the world, but I did get nearly thirty pages written, so overall I'm pretty happy with the week. I'll be doing this again in February - though, of course, I'll still be working while I'm here at home, too.
The new pages included a centaur chapter, a Beloved chapter, and some interesting (at least I think they're interesting) new developments regarding Belle.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
SNEAK PREVIEWS AT LAST!
As of this morning you can now read the Prologue and First Chapter of THE LAST HUNT here on the website.
These may change some before the book is published, of course, but this is how they stand right now.
Hope you like 'em!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
In case you've been wondering - yep, I'm hard at work on Book IV. Happily (unlike Book III) I know where I'm heading with this one. I can't wait to write the ending, actually. It's getting there where most of the work lies right now.
This morning I wrote a section about the delvers, who are becoming more and more important to the story.
My goal is to have a full first draft by the end of January, 2009. And Scholastic's plan is to publish the book in spring of 2010. (Yep, they really do take that long after I hand a manuscript in. That's partly to allow plenty of time for revisions, but also so that the sales and marketing departments can do theri jobs.)
Monday, September 08, 2008
In addition to reading DARK WHISPERS, you can also listen to the unabridged audio version of the book. It's from Full Cast Audio (of course) with me reading the text and a terrific group of actors playing all the parts.
If you click on the link above you can listen to a couple of samples from the recording. The first sample is 6 minutes long, and features Grimwold reading "The Legend of the Hunt"
We also have Song of the Wanderer available as a Full Cast recording. Audiofile Magazine gave this one an "Earphones Award" and wrote: "This superb production will enthrall young readers and their parents alike."
You may be wondering why we don't also offer Into the Land of the Unicorns as an audio book. (People have been asking about it since I started the company.) The answer is simple: I actually did record Book One, back when I was working with our friends at Listening Library. But that meant that they owned the rights to that one. And because they never put it on CD, it became, essentially, unavailable. But I have good news!! A while ago I got the rights back and we re-recorded it this summer. We're rushing it through, and it should be available in early winter.
Happy Listening!
Bruce
Friday, September 05, 2008
Here's a link to a fantastic fan video , created by Cassie Giauque, that looks like a film preview for INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS.
I've watched it three or four times - it's really cool!
Friday, July 11, 2008
It's available!
Though the official pub date for DARK WHISPERS is August 1, it appears that Amazon.com is now shipping the book. And a friend of mine found it on the shelves at his local Barnes & Noble last night.
You know what to do!
Bruce
Sunday, June 22, 2008
In DARK WHISPERS we get to know a little more about the world of the delvers. Here's another little sneak preview for you . . .
Chapter 4 Gnurflax
The musicians of Delvharken were trying their hardest. The drummers had worked themselves into a frenzy pounding on the carefully hollowed stones arranged in half-circles around them. The delver playing the skerzil bones had composed a new tune specifically for the king. The strange twang of the lizard gut harps tied the music together.
None of it distracted King Gnurflax; after a time he waved his hand to dismiss them. Ignoring the worried looks of his queen and Namza, his court wizard, Gnurflax left the great cavern and headed toward his private caves. But he did not enter those caves. Instead, he walked past them, to another cave, a cave forbidden to all but himself.
It was dark there, but delvers can deal with darkness.
It was silent, but silence in the underground world of Delvharken is not unusual.
He waited for something to break the silence, waited until it seemed every nerve in his body was strung as tightly as the lizard gut harps. Finally he whispered, "Where are you, friend?"
Today I received my first advance copy of DARK WHISPERS, all 464 sepia toned, gorgeously jacketed pages of it.
Not long now, gang. Not long now!
B.
Friday, June 06, 2008
DARK WHISPERS: the Audiobook!
Last night I listened to the final CD of our recording of DARK WHISPERS "and even though I say it as shouldn't" (as the saying goes), I think it's pretty dang fabulous!
We're sending it off to repro next week, and it will be available the same time as the print version. I'm not sure if we'll have it up on Amazon right away or not - there's a big internal change going on at Full Cast Audio that might slow some things down. But you'll definitely be able to get it from the FCA website. (www.fullcastaudio.com - it will be posted in a couple of weeks.) We're also sending it off to Audible.com and Playaway next week, so it will show up in those formats, too.
And there's supposed to be an actual bound copy in the mail to me right now. I can't wait to hold it in my hot little hands!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Covers Up on MySpace
I just posted the covers for all three of the books over on my MySpace page. The covers for Books 1 and 2 are the new paintings, but without the type or design work done. Even so, you can get a sense of how wonderful they are. The cover for book 3 is fully designed, but does not feature the final painting, as the artist did a revision of the way Cara looks.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
WANT TO SEE THE COVER?
If you want to get an early look at the cover of DARK WHISPERS, here's the link to Amazon where you can find it:
http://tinyurl.com/yojd7v
(Hmmm. I tried to make that clickable, but couldn't manage. You'll have to cut and paste. Sorry)
I say "early look" because the painting was actually revised after this version. The basic set-up is the same, but they changed the look of Cara. (I didn't think that was necessary, but, well . . . publishers.)
I'm really happy with the look overall, and delighted to announce that Scholastic has commissioned the same artist to do new covers for the first two books. In this regard I think I'm pretty lucky - this will be the third cover for INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and I have liked every single one of them!
BC
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season to all you unicorn fans out there!
Bruce
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
DARK WHISPERS: The Audiobook . . .
Full Cast Audio (which I happen to run . . .) will be making an unabridged recording of DARK WHISPERS. We've just cast Cara and Lightfoot, and we're going to start rehearsals later this month. This is going to be a huge project. What's going to make it more complicated - but also more fun - is that I'll be able to continue to make edits while we're in the studio.
Just so you'll know, in the twelve years that I've been recording books - and working with some of the best authors in the business - we have never had an author in the studio who didn't find things in his or her published work that he or she wanted to change. But because we are completely true to the book, this can't happen (except in the case of flat out errors.) However since DARK WHISPERS will not be totally finalized, I will be able to make changes even while we're recording!
My pal Tamora Pierce did this when we recorded her new novel MELTING STONES - in that case because she wrote the book specifically for us to take to audio first. She was directing, and happily making changes all the way through. I can't think of anything better for an author than hearing a full cast of talented actors reading your book while you still have a chance to fix things. You just hear - and catch! - things in a different way when it's being read to you.
Can you tell I'm excited about doing this?
BC
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
I have seen the cover for DARK WHISPERS, and it is a thing of beauty!
If I can figure out how to post it here (or get my webmaster in gear) I will. I really think that you guys are going to like it.
Pub date is solid for July. Length - about 450 pages!
Bruce
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
To whet your appetites . . . below is the official catalog copy for DARK WHISPERS (another sign that it really IS going to happen!) ===================================
The Unicorn Chronicles #3:
Dark Whispers
By Bruce Coville
Keynote:At last—the long awaited third volume of the
Unicorn Chronicles!
This
is a riveting tale of two quests. In the first, Cara Diana Hunter searches for
an ancient story that may unravel the secret of a long enmity between the
unicorns and the monstrous delvers.In
the second, Cara’s father journeys to free her mother from the Rainbow
Prison.As Cara travels through the
strange and terrifying underground world of the delvers and to the court of the
centaur king -- her father travels from mysterious India to the depths of the
Rainbow Prison itself. Who can be trusted? Who is the enemy? Readers will be at
the edge of their seats with this multi-stranded story filled with wonder and
suspense.
BRUCE COVILLE received over a dozen Children’s Choice
Awards, and has written more than 90 books, including My Teacher Is An
Alien, Into the Land of the Unicorns,
Song of the Wanderer, and The Monster’s Ring.He lives in Syracuse, New York.
Excerpt From Dark
Whispers:
The Dimblethum was passing beneath a quilpum tree when a low
voice whispered, “I know what you want.”
The Dimblethum
stopped, looked up. There was no one in sight. Even so, the voice spoke again.
“I know what you want.”
“Go away!” growled
the Dimblethum. He shook his head and started forward.
“I can go a world
away and I would still be close by,” whispered the voice. “And no matter where
I go, I’ll always know what you want. The question is, do you know what you
would give to have it?”
“Go away!” roared
the Dimblethum.
“As you
wisssssh,” sighed the voice.
The Dimblethum
heard a rustling sound, then nothing. He waited in the silence for a long
moment, then leaned against the tree, covered his face with his paws, and began
to weep.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Here's a brief bit from DARK WHISPERS:
Nedzik the delver
trotted unhappily at the rear of the cove he had been assigned to travel with.
The creature was a little over three feet tall, with a bulging head over which
scraggled a few strands of hair. His eyes, made for seeing in the dark, were
enormous. In contrast, his nose was a thin, upthrust thing that displayed two
large, gaping nostrils. His arms and legs were lean, but corded with muscle. He
wore a green tunic, and a grey, hooded cloak.
In these things,
he looked like every other delver in the cove. Where he differed was in his
feelings. While they were all confident in their task, Nedzik was swamped with
confusion — something delvers rarely experienced. The fact that the cove was
moving so rapidly toward its destination only made things worse, since he could
not decide what he should do when they reached it. Even worse, his time for
thinking was running out.
Of one thing he
was certain: The attack they were planning was wrong. No, more than simply
wrong. If they obtained what they were after it would allow King Gnurflax to
help the Hunters enter Luster, and that was a thought that filled him with
terror.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Too long, too long since I've posted here!
There's a lot of news, so I'll spread it out over a few postings.
First, I had a meeting with the in-house editor while we were both in Washington DC for the ALA (American Library Association) conference. She LOVES the manuscript! (Sigh of relief.)
So, that's the big news.
I'm going at the revisions hammer and tongs right now, and really enjoying myself. I love this stage of the work, when the story is worked out and shaped and now I can concentrate on honing it and making it better. (I used to feel exactly the opposite - loved writing the first draft, hated doing revisions. I think a lot of writers go through that transition.)
I may post some more previews as time goes on . . .
BC
Sunday, December 10, 2006
I'm going to be meeting with my editor tomorrow. I hope to have some information then on actual publication plans for DARK WHISPERS.
Actually, first I have to find out what she thinks of it. I'm not sure she's even had a chance to read it yet. I'm trying not to fuss, but I am wildly eager to get her response.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
A Very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
-- Bruce
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
June went very well, until the last week when I had to go to New Orleans for the ALA (American Library Association) conference. It was a great conference, but it stopped me dead in my tracks as far as writing goes.
Whenever this happens it slows me down in two ways -- first, the days that I can't write, and second (and more frustrating) the days when I am trying to find my way back into Luster. There's a certain rhythm, and immersion, that occurs when I can work steadily on the book. Every time I have to break away for a while it takes me some time to get back into that mode. Still, I am moving again -- just not as fast as I would like.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Progress, progress, progress! I'm up to page 392, and I think I've got a good chance of crossing the 400 mark by the middle of the month.
Of course, the important question is, "400 out of HOW MANY?" I mean, there's a big difference between getting to page 400 in a book that's going to be 410 pages long, and getting to page 400 if the manuscript is going to top out at 750!
The answer, naturally and alas, is: "I don't know." At a guess, I think I'll be able to wrap it up at about 500 pages, but that's just a guess. The thing is, having been stalled so long, getting to page 400 has a kind of milepost sense that I think will help keep me going. It feels like major progress to me.
The progress isn't just in the page count, either. I have an increasingly clear sense of how this is all going to draw together. It's not going to be easy -- the tapestry I'm weaving has become increasingly complicated, and pulling the threads together to tie them off is going to stretch me to the limit. But I do begin to see how it can happen.
BC
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Yay! I got two pages this morning, important new material in the second section of the book.
BC
Monday, May 08, 2006
Though I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post here, I have actually been making progress on the book. In fact, last weekend I finished the fourth draft of Part 1, which is called "The Anchor."
(At the moment, the book is divided into three sections: "Anchor" "Amulet" and "Axis Mundi")
Working on these revisions is absolutely necessary, of course. It also helps me move more deeply into Luster, so I can move forward in the story as the spring travel season winds to a close.
BC
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Back at work at last! Only a page today, but I've begun the process (yet again!) of re-entering the world.
As I type these words, Perdita, the wicked office cat (as adorable as the Squijum and even more mischievious) is lying beside the keyboard, occasionally licking my knuckles.
Why the long lapse since I last posted -- or wrote? Basically the spring travel schedule has been extremely intense. And it's not over yet. I do a book signing today, then fly to Chicago for IRA on Monday. I fly home on Wednesday then leave early Thursday to drive to Pennsylvania to appear at the state library conference, where I'll be through Saturday.
All important things, but not, alas, conducive to lots and lots of writing.
-- Bruce
Monday, February 27, 2006
Got another 3 pages this morning.
It's a relief to be back at work on this. I've had a particularly heavy travel schedule this month. That, combined with our work on recording WILL OF THE EMPRESS, has made it hard to get much writing done.
Today's work was not entirely new: it's an important scene I had deleted, and finally figured out how to work back in (which made me happy, because I didn't want to lose it!) The scene is in the first third of the book, in a section I've been trying to revise for some time. I've almost got it now, there's just one thing I still need to add. I think I'll postpone that, though, and try to push on toward the end.
I'm actually working on the fourth draft of the story. That may seem odd, since the book is unfinished, but often -- especially in a long book -- I'll get partway into a story, then back up and start again. The good part about that is that when I finally get a completely finished draft, the first part is pretty well polished. (Of course, even then there's still a lot of work. I did 8 or 9 drafts of WANDERER to get it right.)
Anyway, this is one more stumbling block out of the way. Now it's back to the final section of the book.
Onward!
-- Bruce
Monday, February 06, 2006
Got another 2 pages this morning. I'm not quite sure where I'm going to put them; I have several strands of the story going, and I just need to catch up with some of the characters.
I must admit to some pleasure in getting anything done right now. We're in rehearsal to record Tamora Pierce's WILL OF THE EMPRESS, and I usually don't manage to write during rehearsal and recording periods, since there is so much else going on. Knowing that I'm going to have to report in here makes a nice spur.
Next challenge is travel, since I head off on Wednesday for a four day trip to the Educational Paperback Association. If I can keep working on this while I'm on the road, it will be a very good sign indeed.
B.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Got a page done yesterday, but the page count for the day was actually negative, since I also cut three pages of a chapter that I had started that just wasn't working.
This morning I got a page on one of the Dimblethum chapters (there is a whole strand of this story that deals with the Dimblethum) and then got back to work on an early section of the book that I am expanding and redoing. Once that's in place, it will be easier to move forward. And this afternoon, I'm going to spend some time working on the map of Luster that I should have done two books ago.
(When I told Tammy Pierce that I didn't have a map, she was unable to speak for several moments, which doesn't happen often, let me tell you! It was a silence of pity, I think . . . )
B.
Friday, February 03, 2006
This morning I finally managed to finish rewriting a chapter that has been standing in my way. I've got Cara heading off in a new direction, that will lead her to some of the final meetings that will bring this book to its conclusion. Progress!
B.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
So, here it is February, and I've managed to get some work done on HUNT for both days of the month so far.
Yesterday I spent the day with my wonderful writer's group, who have been listening to the book in bits and pieces over the years, and giving me good advice as I go along.
Anyway, added two pages yesterday, and another page today. When I get some of the "repair work" I'm doing on an earlier section finished I'll come up with a current page count, and then start posting updates so you can see how the book is progressing.
- Bruce
Monday, January 30, 2006
Greetings, Gang!
My wonderful webmaster has provided me with something I've been wanting for a long time -- a way to post here on a regular basis and keep you updated on the long, long, long, long, long overdue third book of the Unicorn Chronicles.
Okay, the bad news is, it's still not finished. (SORRY!)
The good news is, the work is moving ahead. I now have about 360 pages, which means it is considerably longer than SONG OF THE WANDERER already. The bad news is, I still have a long way to go! The good news is, that means it's going to be a nice, long book, for those of you who like that sort of thing. There are some new characters I think you'll really enjoy, and some strange discoveries that I'm only beginning to understand myself.
Now that I have this tool for communicating, keep watching this space for regular updates. I'll tell you how much I've written, when I've written it. (For example, I got two new pages this morning.)
