This is designed to be a quick reference page for those of you who like your information fast. (Note I didn't promise interesting, just fast!). Here you'll find all sorts of odd details about projects I'm currently working on and other things that take my fancy. As this page is new there isn't a lot here yet. But have no fear I'll be filling in the blanks...and if there's no news for a couple of months then I'll do as Grift taught me: make some up!

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• August 22nd, 1999
• Just a little mid-month update. I'm off to Anaheim for most of this week, where I'll be attending NASFIC (SF convention). There are lots of great writers attending (including David Brin, Harlan Ellison and Melanie Rawn), and it's open to the public so if you're in the LA/Orange County area stop by and check it out.
• I'm sorry if I'm a little slow replying to email at the moment. I've had a few busy weeks, plus I burned my right hand, and my poor wee fingers have been in bandages for the last couple of days. Normally, I try and reply to all messages, and hate getting behind on my email. And though the appearance of a scroll bar on my in-basket does not bode well, have no fear I will reply to your message. (-:
• I had a great time at ComicCon earlier this month. I signed and gave out copies of Cavern one day, and wandered about doing my own thing the next. I love ComicCon, as it's a great place to flick through comics, see artists at work, and watch all the folk who dress in character (especially those who brave tight leather outfits in the Summer heat!).

  August 1st, 1999

• Hi everyone, I hope you're not suffering too badly in all this heat we've been having (even my Mom in England was sweltering last week). It's a pretty short update this month, as I'm up to my wrinkly forehead in writing the sequel to Cavern, A Fortress of Grey Ice (which will be published next year). People have been emailing me, begging for details of the new book. Now you know I'm as mean as Tavalisk when it comes to giving out info, but I have seen the preliminary sketch for the cover art, which will be painted by the wonderful Greg Call, and it features Ash and the Sull warrior Ark Veinsplitter preparing for battle in the black of night. 'Nuff said. (-:
• I'm giving away five signed paperbacks of Barbed Coil this month. All you have to do is email me saying, "I want one of those paperbacks!" and your name will go in the hat. The winners will be drawn on August 31st.

  Though I haven't had much time for reading fiction recently, I did manage to lay my hands on Lucius Shepard's latest collection of short stories, Beast of the Heartland. For those not familiar with Mr. Shepard, it's a wonderful introduction to his work. As well as containing his Hugo-award winning, "Barnacle Bill the Spacer", it also contains the wonderful crime-gone-awry tale, "Sports in America", and my favorite, "Beast of the Heartland" which is the tale of an aging boxer's last fight.

• What else? Oh, my brother Paul's CD (he who programmed the Bodger & Grift screensaver) is now available at mp3.com--you can download most of the tracks for free!
• Also, I'll be down at ComicCon in San Diego this month (August 11th), manning the Warner Aspect stand: stop by and say Hi! if you're in the area. I love ComicCon and never miss it, and this is the first year I'm attending in an official capacity rather than fan and comic-art lover. I still treasure the memory of seeing Elvira and Clive Barker in the same day! (-:
• Later this month I'll be in Anaheim for NASFIC, the annual SF convention. I'm not sure if I'll be on any panels yet (speaking in public makes me pretty nervous), but I'll pass along the details as I learn them. Well, I think that's everything for this month. I'd like to thank everyone for visiting this site, and keeping it alive. I'm very grateful for your time and support. Cheers & Many Thanks, JV.

   

  July 3rd, 1999

• The German edition of The Barbed Coil, "Die Ewige Krone" (The Forever Crown), was won by Olaf K of uni-muenster.de

  July 1st, 1999

• Hi, everyone. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere I hope you're enjoying Summer. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere I hope the weather isn't too drafty. Speaking of the Southern Hemisphere (note the smooth segue), I've pulled three names from the notorious and now rather ratty-looking hat, and the winners of the hardback editions of Cavern are:
  • Stephen Walker of xtra.co.nz

    Stephanie Gelder of thaumaturge.org

    Erin Lenseth of hotmail.com

  I'm sorry if you're weren't one of those picked. )-: I feel really bad when I have hundreds of entries for a competition but only a few prizes to give away.

• That's why I'm running another one. This is my "Quick German Giveaway" and it's limited to folk who live in Germany or German-speaking countries (Austria, Switzerland). Don't feel too bad if this doesn't include you, as I'm giving away a German translation of The Barbed Coil. So unless you read German it would be pretty difficult to appreciate. If you have an email address with .de or any of the above-mentioned countries in it, just email me with the German title for The Barbed Coil. The first person to do so correctly will receive a signed hardback of the Barbed Coil.
• Now, onto the Epic Fantasy Quiz. Yes, as promised (I know it's late, don't grumble now!), I've uploaded the quiz I compiled for the booksigning at Mysterious Galaxy last month. There are twenty multiple-choice questions in all, and some of them are pretty hard, so here's your chance to test yourself. Are you simply a humble apprentice when it comes to knowledge of epic fantasy, or are you worthy of the title, "Grand Master of All You Survey." Find out by taking the quiz.
• This website is now in its fifth year of existence, and I think that makes it one of the longest-running author websites on the net. I first set it up on a hideously long URL on April 15th, 1995, two months before The Baker's Boy was published. I still have a few of those early webpages lurking about on the server, and it's really funny to look at them. When I programed my first webpage, Netscape was barely under way (it was Mosaic in those days), Microsoft hadn't even dabbled their toe in the water, and all text and graphics had to be justified to the left. It made for some pretty ugly pages--most of them mine! I remember being thrilled at the advent of text centering, colored backgrounds and flashing text, and would constantly scour the net looking for new lines of code. I was a little bit loony about tech stuff back then. I like to think I've mellowed now; I haven't seen a line of code in at least six months.
• Last month Stuart McDermid interviewed me for the large gaming site mgon.com. If you'd like to take a look at the interview, you'll find it here.
• I think that's all for now. I'm hard at work at the moment, writing the sequel to Cavern, A Fortress of Grey Ice, so I'm holed up like a squirrel in a jar. I'd like to thank all those who've written to me, letting me know how much they enjoyed Cavern. I'm really grateful for your support. Cheers & Many Thanks, JV. 

  June 1st,1999

• Just a wee little update for now, as I'm pretty busy with the sequel to Cavern. This month I have three signed copies of Cavern to give away (one bookclub edition, one galley, and one UK edition). To enter the drawing all you have to do is send me a message saying, "I want one of those books!" and your entry will be tossed in the hat! The drawing will take place on June 30th. Much luck!
• I'm pleased to say that lots of people have been downloading Bodger & Grift: the Screensaver. I've had messages from folk as far away as Sydney, Australia, and Portland, Maine, saying how much fun they thought it was. Of course, even though I didn't program the screensaver myself, I take all the praise (don't tell my brother Paul, though!). (-;
• I think that's all for now. Watch out later in the month for the "Epic Fantasy Quiz" where you can test your knowledge of Tolkien, TH White, Zelazny and other great fantasy writers. Also, for those Nog watchers out there, I'm putting together another page on Nog: Superkitty, Mistress of Tall Trees and Catcher of Lizards! Thanks for stopping by. Cheers, JV

  June 1st (sort of!)

• Here it is at last! Bodger & Grift: the Screensaver. This masterpiece of programming is really nifty, and features Bodger & Grift chatting, joking, floating in space, playing the harpsichord, and bouncing around the screen like tennis balls! There's music, animations, Medieval pick-up lines...all sorts of good stuff. My brother Paul designed it, complete with all the graphics, animations and music (yep, he even performs the music). I just helped with the pick-up lines, rhymes and other silliness. As Paul used an existing, well-tested screensaver engine (ASSB), this is a pretty solid piece of software and should give you no technical problems. Unfortunately, it is currently only available for Windows 95 and 98 users (sorry Mac heads like myself!), but we hope to convert it to other formats soon. You can learn more about the screensaver and see some screenshots from it, by checking out the Preview Page. For technical details, minimum system requirements, and install instructions please click here.

Archived Newsheets

March-May 99 Newsheet

January-February 99 Newsheet

November-December 98 Newsheet

August-October 98 Newsheet

May-July 98 Newsheet