The Green Man flies
|August 21, 2009|
The Green Man–rewrite finished, although never to my complete satisfaction–has zipped its electronic way across the country and landed in my editor’s computer. 427 pages, some of which are not at all bad. Look for it, and its author, in your local bookshop in June 2010. Not under that name: I hope to have its definitive title next week.
My own children didn’t have their names for nearly a month each, while we decided which of our chosen alternatives seemed to fit their infant personalities better. Drove the local registrar nuts, I thought they’d assign us one, or come and repossess the kid.
Posted in The Green Man
June 2010. Deep sigh. Okay. I’ll just have to wait. Deeper sigh with a quiet whimper at the end.
Our kids were 9 months and 7 months before we announced their names — until then they were known as The Little Guy and The Wee Lassie. Of course they were delivered by the big silver stork from South Korea … so they had other names to begin with (and later incorporated into their names). It drove our families crazy that we wouldn’t tell them what the names were going to be (we had alternatives too and had to go by more than pictures to be sure!!). Now I know how they felt with the whole “The Green Man Isn’t Going To Be The Title” thing.
Congratulations! Now we must compose ourselves with patience to wait.
That is fabulous news! Oh, I hate to wait! I suppose I can re-read (for the 4th time?) all the other Russell’s. Looking forward to finding out the cosen title.
This calls for the popping of corks and a toast of champers. Congratulations on finishing the “yet unnamed book formerly known as The Green Man.” Now that would be a title that a publisher would have fits over. LOL
I’ll lift my glass tonight, at the final dinner of our cruise, and toast you and the publishing date of June 2010. Huzzah!
LoB just published in UK. Received my copy day before yesterday; finished it last night.
I think it’s your best so far, but impatient for the “Green Man”.
(If it’s not to late for title suggestions – and in view of certain themes in LoB – how about “Baldur Dash”?)
I think we should just bail on naming it and give it an un-pronounce-able symbol. Like Prince, or “the artist formerly known as Prince.”
😛 Or not. Whatever.
427 pages, 7 points of view, and 10 months (plus a few days) until we get our hands on it!
Yea! What a great thing to CELEBRATE! I hope you feel great as the proverbial well fed cat – all spotted with cream! And “happy trails to you” as you weed out all the “tumbleweeds” from the lengthy and hopefully not too sorry lot we all sent you regarding “The Former G-Man” – (plagiarized outright from Vicki – thanks ‘bama) – grin.
P.S. I will be happy to supply all the “spirits” (beer, whatever) needed as “guidance” for the occasion… 🙂
Whatever you name it, it will be fun. Science Fiction is my usual addiction, your mysteries, I happily make an exception for.
Congratulations! And less than a year for us to wait — not bad 🙂 I’m looking forward to learning the new title, but will have a hard time thinking of this one as anything other than “Green Man” (one of my favorite bits of mythological imagery). I have long enjoyed the joining of that image to Russell and Holmes — it was a nice incongruity. I’m sure the new title, though, will be awesome. As will the book …
Oh gosh, can I wait that long? I’ve already read the Language of Bees 6 times! Enjoyed it thoroughly, even with the dreaded ‘to be continued’ at the end…
I figure by the time I listen to all the books on audio again, which I plan to start as soon as I finish with the BBC radio Sherlock Holmes plays (second time through for those) it will almost be time to get the new book! Congratulations, Laurie, on having ticked off another milestone, and have a good time in England.
I have long loved this series, and have started the whole thing again, so I could go through the same wonder of their discovery of each other (Holmes and Mary, as well as my discovery of them!) in the first, Beekeeper’s Apprentice. I believe that one and O Jerusalem are still my favorites. I wish I could see more of what Mary gained from her experience as an Arab boy in her subsequent adventures…. that fell by the wayside in some ways? I am looking forward to more of Mycroft, whom you have truly fleshed out into a great man!
My husband, Brian, has long been known as the Green Man, so I personally like that title (provided your Greenman is one of the “good guys”)!
Have a super time in England and may your researches go well.
The Green Man does have an air of mystery about it. Not a bad name. I own about 50 Sherlock Holmes books (those not written by Doyle) But the Russell and Holmes series are by far the very best. Don’t let the problems about the title get in the way of publishing as fast as possible!!!
I happen to think The Green Man is a good title. Nobody thought the title the Shadow wasn’t going to sell comics or people weren’t going to listen in…..It smacks of mystery’s from the 20’s and 30’s. I may be swayed because one of my favorite books I own is The Big Book of Mystery Stories, which has a mint green cover with a black Fu Manchy silhouette from 1927…if you say the Green Man to me my mind goes immediately to my green book of mysteries and I think, how can you go wrong there?