Sorry for the delay - I was entertaining guests until this morning, and just got around to getting ready for this post.
I uploaded a jpeg pic from SRD's reading onto the Member Gallery board.
And here's a link to a
VIDEO that you should find interesting:
www.eccker.org/SRD_WFC2003.avi
RIGHT-click on the link above, and select "save target as" or "save to disk" - or whatever is closest to that wording - to download the file to your hard drive. It probably won't display correctly in your browser if you just left-click on it.
(I tried to post this file on the member pics board, but it was too large and/or the wrong file type - so I uploaded it to my own web space.)
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The chapter that Steve read was from the Runes prologue, chapter 5. This is the same one he read from at the previous con, so there wasn't really any new info. Linden rushes home from the hospital after Megan tells her that she mentioned to Roger earlier that Linden had a son. Linden gets home to find all the lights on, and her son (and his babysitter) gone. Roger now has Joan, Linden's son (Jeremiah), and two hostages - Amy Clint (a nurse from the hospital) and Sandy Eastwall (Jeremiah's babysitter). Linden pulls herself together - leaves behind the person she had settled into during the intervening years, and again becomes Linden Avery the Chosen. She changes into jeans and a flannel shirt, hiking boots, and heads off in her car toward Haven Farm (after leaving a message for the sheriff that she believes Roger to be there).
Steve only read for half an hour, so he ran out of time just as Linden got to the front door of Haven Farm. Roger's car was there, doors shut but trunk open (he must have had something or someone in there). A storm is gathering the whole time - a rather unnatural one. She takes a heavy flashlight and her medical bag and enters the house...
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Some more info. I asked Steve about the cover art for the SF Book Club reprints of the second chronicles (where Covenant is holding up what I guess is "The One Plate" - stolen from the china collection of Berek's queen). He rolled his eyes - clearly he had no clue either. He said that generally artists are provided a synopsis of the book, along with a circled portion of what they should draw a picture of. (and things are rarely coordinated with the author)
He went on to explain that he was never very happy with the cover art of the first six books. Good stories follow...
Lester DelRey changed the story of The Wounded Land to match the cover art that Darrel Sweet drew. Particularly, Covenant was NOT wearing a robe in the original text. So to make the text match the picture, they had the Haruchai throw a robe over Covenant's shoulders before that "scene", and later he shrugged it off.
After The One Tree hit the best sellers list, Steve had some clout. He said that when he saw the original art for White Gold Wielder (which is not what we see on the book), he laughed ... then he nearly cried. The scene depicted was in the Hall of Gifts, but the characters in it were a bit ... ummm.... off. I believe he said that the art showed "Queen Elizabeth, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, a rhinocerous, and two hawkmen." He put his foot down, and was able to get it changed to something that might actually look like it is from the book.
Laugh out loud fun.
No publisher yet. His big goal for the con was to get that process started. But until he has a publisher, he won't be able to guess at a release date. So the one we currently have is as good as any other may be.
Another interesting incident... About halfway through his reading, just as he was thick into words about the Despiser and the unnatural storm that was tossing Linden's car around, his cell phone rang - and had a melodic tone like something from a carosel. It was a bit amusing, but I think if he had a hammer, he'd no longer have a phone.
Be true...
John
lol .. i wish i had the money to go and see Train next month 
but i cant even do that 
