Debut Authorpalooza (2012)

I have two tenets I will not violate on this blog. First, every review is my honest opinion and I don't pull punches. Two, I'll never run an interview, giveaway, or guest post from an author that I can't personally endorse. It was with some trepidation then when I heard from Courtney Schafer, author of 2011 debut novel The Whitefire Crossing, that a group of recent debut authors wanted to do an event celebrating the completion of their second novel and they wanted me to host it. Given my self enforced rules, my first question was obviously, who?

Before I get to that, I should mention that I read a lot of debut authors (around 30 last year). I even went so far as to recognize Night Shade Books for their tremendous commitment to developing new voices in the field with my 2011 Juice Box Award for Best Editor. See, I love discovering new things. While it's phenomenal to get my hands on the new George R.R. Martin book or a the latest Joe Abercrombie, there's a special feeling that comes reading a new author. There's an allure in finding unexpected brilliance -- to be the first person to the party. I read for that feeling. It turns out each of the authors wanting to come to my blog gave me that feeling. When I saw the list, I accepted and immediately began trying to come with a ridiculous name for the event.

So what is Debut Authorpalooza?

For the next two weeks, starting on Monday July 16, I'm turning my blog over to ten of my favorite recent debut authors from 2011 (and one for 2012, we won't hold it against her). Every weekday for two weeks there will be a guest post in the morning, with the author discussing his or her experiences writing that dreaded second book. Every afternoon there will be an excerpt (most of them for the first time anywhere) from the forthcoming (or in two cases, recently released) novel in question.

Oh, did I mention that everyday we'll be giving away a bunch of signed books? At the end of the two weeks I'll be rolling all the individual entries from the two weeks (maximum of ten entries possible) into a grand prize giveaway that's going to knock someone's socks off (we're still adding up all the things that'll be in it). And just because this is such a great group, it looks like all the giveaways will be open worldwide. I'll be posting the rules for the giveaways as they come.

Without further ado, here are the authors I'm turning my blog over to:

Week 1:

7/16: Mark Lawrence - Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns (Forthcoming)
7/17: Kameron Hurley - God's War, Infidel, Rapture (Forthcoming)
7/18: Elspeth Cooper - Songs of the Earth, Trinity Rising (Forthcoming)
7/19: Courtney Schafer - The Whitefire Crossing, The Tainted City (Forthcoming)
7/20: Stina Leicht - Of Blood and Honey, And Blue Skies From Pain

Week 2:

7/23: Teresa Frohock - Miserere: An Autumn Tale, The Garden (Forthcoming)
7/24: Mazarkis Williams - The Emperor's Knife, Knifesworn (Forthcoming)
7/25: Bradley Beaulieu - The Winds of Khalakovo, The Straits of Galahesh
7/26: Anne Lyle - The Alchemist of Souls, Merchant of Dreams (Forthcoming)
7/27: Doug Hulick - Among Thieves, Sworn in Steel (Forthcoming)

I hope this is as fun for my readers as it was for me to put together. All ten authors will also be participating in a Reddit AMA on July 19 that I'll be helping with. If you have any questions for these brilliant writers be sure to show up for it. I'll be posting more about it next week.

Next up: Mark Lawrence!