The Official Barbara Hambly Page

Yes, it's getting a bit crowded on the front page, what with all this old news (I love the contridiction, don't you?). But for those of you who like poking through the archives, here it is in all its faded glory.

Happy birthday, Barbara! We have a new Monthly Update on offer this time, as well as a new survey question. I promise that this new one is really easy - I didn't get any replies to the last one. This certainly makes it easy to compile, but not very informative! (August 28, 2005)

Congratulations to Barbara for winning the Romantic Times 2004 Career Achievement Award in the Historical Mystery category! Visit the Romantic Times site for more information about this organization and their awards. (June 21, 2005)
Happy Solstice! In the current update is the usual Monthly Update. There's also a new Survey Question. Those of you who signed up for the page-update-notification service should have recieved an e-mail letting you know that the page was (finally) updated. If you'd like to be added to this list, simply to me (Deb, the Sitemistress), and ask to be added. Recently, I stumbled on a new service of Google's, called Google print, which includes text from books. Searching through this will allow you to pull up short excerpts from Hambly books, including those of some of the harder-to-find short stories. (June 21, 2005)
Hello again and happy spring. This month's update brings not only the usual Monthly Update, but also a bonus: Quest for Glory, the tale behind the casting of the book Sisters of the Raven. This originally appeared in the Arisia con program book, and it's extremely amusing. I've classified this as an interview and listed it on the Interviews page, which, incidentally, also has a couple of other new additions if you want to take a look. Perhaps the most interesting is one from scifihorizons.com, featuring a recording of an interview with Barbara from the World Fantasy Convention from October, 2004 (thanks to Steve Witt for e-mailing me about this). Other updates this month are too small for formal heralding.
Something else new this month for interested parties: a page-update e-mail service. I'll give this a trial for a couple of months; if more than a few people are interested, it will be come a permanent feature. The idea is that whenever I (finally) post a new update, you'll get an e-mail letting you know that the Hambly page has entered a new iteration. Just to me (Deb, the Sitemistress) letting me know that you'd like to be on the list. Any addresses recieved will be used only for this purpose. (March 23, 2005)
Happy New Year! Yes, I know it's been a while since the page was updated (and trust me, I've been trying all week to actually get the update finished and posted). This update comes shortly before the release of the newest Hambly book, The Emancipator's Wife (out on Jan 25th - click on the picture above to visit the publisher's site for more information and a sample chapter). New on the site this month is the Monthly Update. This may not include answers to your question/comment, if you've written recently, as this Update was written prior to the most recent (December/January) batch of mail being sent to Barbara. You can read the Monthly Update for more details of what Barbara has been busy with. As for me, I should have the remaining mail answered and sent off to Barbara this weekend. My tardiness, as always, is nothing personal, just that things get a little hairy sometimes!
Also appearing this month is a new Survey question along with answers to the last survey, a quick update on Who Comes to the Page, and various other tweaks. To reasuure recent letter-writers (ie, from the last six weeks!), don't fret, Barbara will see your e-mail and hopefully we'll both be back on track for updates in 2005. We can hope, anyhow! (January 21, 2005)
See, I did say I'd be back soon with the newest update! I just finished Someone Else's Shadow last night, part of the most recent Hambly release, a romance (go figure) anthology called Night's Edge, consisting of three stories by three different authors. For more information, hop on over to the Books page.
There's a new Monthly Update gracing the site, as well as some new information (including cover art, etc) on the upcoming book The Emancipator's Wife. Various other small changes and updates have been added. To be honest, the answers to last month's survey were a bit dull, so I've picked MUCH easier new survey question in which no creativity whatsoever is required! I hope to hear from more people this time around.
I received an e-mail recently from the publishers of George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights (a recent anthology of this stories, with the introduction written by Barbara). You can follow this link to read the whole tale, but to summarize: a free bookplate, autograhped by Barbara Hambly, will be given to anyone who purchaces the book in the next month or so (note Nov. 11 2004: this has now finished, but you can still follow the link to look at the book itself).
Re the wizard puzzle, the cover to The Walls of Air by Donoto Giancola (he's done a lot of the cover art for recent Hambly publications) can be found as a glow-in-the-dark (ooooh) puzzle. Take a gander at the Walls of Air cover art and the resultant puzzle if you like. I spied this quality piece of merchandice at my local Wal-Mart (or Wally-World, as an uncle of mine calls it).
I echo Barbara's words to wrap things up here: please VOTE! (October 11, 2004)
The next update is (really) coming soon; I leave for a short holiday tomorrow and will do the update on my return. Has anyone else seen the glow-in-the-dark puzzle of the wizard from the (newer) cover of The Walls of Air? If not, I'll provide details next week. (Septebmer 28, 2004)
Summer's been a little slow here at Hambly Page Central...but finally (just in time for the back-to-school sales!) the new update has emerged. As usual, Barbara checks in with an informative Monthly Update with answers to letters from the past couple of months and updates on new and upcoming works. Details of all new/upcoming works can also be found on the Series Status Monitor.
The Appearances page has been updated. If you happen to know of a con that Barbara will be at - let me know. It's free publicity, and I don't always find out about her travel plans in time for them to be timely and relevant news! Also new this month is a new Survey Question, and some of the best answers from the last survey can be found there, as well. There's a new offering on the Interviews page, as well, concerning the Benjamin January series. Speaking of which, I was sent a great link to a page showing engravings of buildings in 1840s New Orleans (thanks Matt). Definitely worth a look! For those of you eager to read the next Benjamin January offering, Dead Water, it comes out today. (August 3, 2004)
Hello again! Normal service has been resumed with this month's Monthly Update from Barbara - containing news on upcoming projects and improvements to street lighting. There are also small improvements sprinkled throughout the site this month. Thanks for some hilarious Survey answers...keep up the good work. Answers will be posted in the June Update. (May 17, 2004)
Just in time for that post-tax-return light reading: the Hambly page finally undergoes another update! My apologies to all the patient (and not so!) people out there - I took some time off to finish my thesis, finish my PhD, and move back to the US. I'm pleased to report that all three have been accomplished, and things should be back to normal as far as the page is concerned. I've decided to adopt a new generic e-mail address specifically for page-related email - this should help me keep organized (well, more organized, anyhow) in the future.
There are changes and updates in abundance on the site. For more information on Night's Edge, see the Series Status Monitor or the books page. There's a new Survey question, a new picture on the Pictures page, and I've updated the Biography, as well. Thanks for all the letters recently, and I can confirm that if you've written since the last Update, Barbara has seen your letter - I will post the newest Update as soon as I recieve it, but wanted to update the page now. (April 14, 2004).
Hello, all. Happy new year (in somewhat muted tones - I realize that in February, one can only be so joyous, and the confetti has long been swept up)! New this Update is the latest word from Barbara in the Monthly Update, with answers to letters and pet psychics (of course!). I've also written the annual sounds-byte about who comes to the page. I have a new word for the Nifty Word List, but I'm still searching for the piece of paper with the definition...(February 4, 2004)
Deck the halls...
Happy holidays! New this month is the Monthly Update, as usual, with answers to several recent questions. I can also relate the joyous news that I've finally finished my thesis and turned it in, meaning that this holiday will indeed be very Merry! The Survey question will continue for at least another month - there is still a prize on offer for a creative answer. Do pop over and try your hand - you don't need to have read the books in question (I promise!). I've had some decent answers, but only one that made me laugh out loud. Could you come up with another? Some other tweaks are on offer, and hopefully more will appear over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy the holiday season! (December 22, 2003)
Hello all! New this month is the Monthly Update, with a lot of answers to letters from the past two months. If you've written in recently (or not so!), check and see if your question has been answered. Also new this month is a second Survey question, plus the answers to last month's. There will be a PRIZE this month for the best answer; details of this prize will have to be posted at a slightly later date (I'm going on holiday tomorrow and am finishing this off before packing!). It will be something relevant! Thanks much to all who have written, and I should be answering all the recent mail on this upcoming holiday. Thanks especially to a kind soul who wrote to say that part of the page was broken - evidentally that server change wasn't as hitch-free as I thought! (November 5, 2003)
New this update is the latest Monthly Update, with news about upcoming books and the news that the book on Mary Todd Lincoln has been turned into the editors. Also new this update are a few tweaks 'round and about, and a new Survey for those of us with attention spans the size of very small asprins. Many thanks to Steve who e-mailed me with a new sighting of my favorite word (look here if you're confused!). If you've sent letters in the last week, they did not go into the latest batch, so questions contained in said letters should be answered in the next Monthly Update. (October 2, 2003)
Happy birthday to Barbara! It seemed appropriate to delay the latest update by a further few hours for this.
My thanks and Barbara's for all the concerned letters, and I can assure you that neither of us is dead at time of press! As you'll see from the new Monthly Update, Barbara has been quite busy working on more books for us to enjoy - and I am mid-way through writing my thesis. So just envision both of us doing a lot of writing, and you've pretty much covered at least my recent activities.
However, I'm taking a break from draft three of Chapter 2 to bring you a few new page-tweaks. Hopefully, when the thesis is done, I will be able to give the books page the overhaul of its dreams. There's also a new book out containing stories by George Alec Effinger called Buyadeen Nights, to which Barbara has written the Introduction. More information can be found on the publisher's web site. A quick congratulations also to Matt on the birth of the new baby. (August 28, 2003)
Happy birthday to my brother!
And there's still a present for those of you not having birthdays. Barbara's latest Monthly Update includes the answers to a lot of (interesting!) recent questions. Sorry, it's a bit sparse on the "what's new" this time, but I've started writing my thesis. (June 30, 2003)
I expect to hear from several people regarding the yumminess of calas (see the most recent Monthly Update) in the coming months! The Update is jammed with answers to questions, as well as the above-mentioned recipie. A couple of new nifty words have popped up recently, and information on COSine, a convention in 2004 at which Barbara will be a Guest of Honor, can be found on the Barbara-spotting page. (May 18, 2003)
New this update is the Monthly Update, with answers to a lot of the recent mail, a short history of Callista from the Star Wars books, and a mini-tour guide of used bookstores in New Orleans. There are new bits all over the page - updates on the links page, a new interview to hop over to, and some general tweaks. Thanks for the recent mail; there have been some great letters recently. (April 14, 2003)
Hello and Happy March to all. This month's update includes the ever-popular Monthly Update, this one about steamboating (and a little about an accordian). If that's not enough to get you to click on the link, I don't know what is!
Some new book news this month. First, there's an excerpt of Days of the Dead now at the Bantam site; you can follow this link to take a look. Both this book and Wet Grave are to be available as e-books (the latter in April of this year). There's also a new Sherlock Holmes anthology out which features a short story of Barbara's; the anthology is called My Sherlock Holmes: Untold Stories of the Great Detective, and is edited by Michael Kurland. More details can be found at amazon.com, or at the editor's page at here. (March 18, 2003)
The happiest of New years to everyone! Thanks to all who have visited in the month of January, making it the highest visitor-number month to date! Small and large updates this month for you to enjoy: as always, the newest edition of the Monthly Update has been posted; it's a nice long one with answers to recent questions and news of books in progress.
Also for your viewing pleasure is an updated Who Comes to the Page page; I've always thought that this would be a seldon-viewed article, but a lot of people who write mention parts of this page, so someone must be reading it! There are also a few new links and a couple of tweaks on the books page and the Series Status Monitor I'm also pleased to say that there's an original artwork by Valerie J. Roebuck gracing the books page (Darwath trilogy section); it's a picture of ceramic of Ingold which she has agreed to let me include here. I am working on a new survey question (and format), hopefully to be added next month. (Jan. 31, 2003)
Besides the usual helping of Monthly Update, I can report that the cover and publication date for Days of the Dead, the next Benjamin January mystery, has been set. For a look at the cover, hop over to Bantam Dell, here. Publication is set for July of 2003, and it will be sold in e-book format as well as the traditional bound version. Thanks, Flo, for letting me know this was posted. (12/9/02)
The slow evolution of the page continues with today's new look and tiny helpings of Javascript (don't worry, I've built in workarounds if you don't happen to run Javascript). Let me know if you like the new navigation on the books page. More improvements are in the works, and I welcome any comments. (11/4/02)
New this update: the Monthly Update.(11/4/02)
New this update: the Monthly Update.(9/26/02)
New this update is the usual Monthly Update. Let me know which of the newest three books you're enjoying! (9/6/02)
New Monthly Update out today, with details on the upcoming Sisters of the Raven (more later), and answers to a lot of the recent questions. Hopping over to Sisters of the Raven on the Warner Site will show you a cover picture, synopsis, and brief exerpt from the newest Hambly book. Oddly enough, the cover art on this site differs from the one that Amazon has been showing for the past few months. A new short section called Barbara-Spotting (Appearences) has been added to the page, and I will endevour to keep it up-to-date with upcoming cons, book signings, etc. that Barbara will be attending. If YOU happen to know of any of these which are not on the site, please let me know. (7/29/02)
Slight rejiggering of the pages today, hopefully not too confusing. Several people have pointed out that a lot of the "news" here on the front page is not all that new, and it's now been moved to its own little old folks home. In its place is the Series Status Monitor, for easier access - just scroll down. Other than that, the Nifty Words List has moved to its own page, and the Honey section, which has been generating a lot of interest lately, has been moved, as well. Most importantly, the Survey has closed, and will be replaced soon with a new survey which will be updated and compiled more often! Thank you for everyone who did take the survey, the responses were enjoyable. (7/21/02)
Hello again! New this update is the Monthly Update, and the not-so-new news that Wet Grave is out. For an exerpt and the official word, jump over to Wet Grave on the RandomHouse site. For those who have e-mailed, I have not died, and will even get the mail answered soon! (7/14/02)
We're only two days away from Dragonstar, although I have heard rumors of at least one person finding this book in a bookstore prior to release. Lucky! New this update is a Monthly Update containing some more news about George Alec Effinger's death and Barbara's reaction to it. I'm still forwarding messages of sympathy if anyone would like to write in.(5/26/02)
Not the kind of news that I enjoy posting to you, and I'll use Barbara's own quote for it: "Just a brief note to add to the Update, to say that my ex-husband, science fiction writer George Alec Effinger, passed away quietly in his sleep last night in New Orleans. He was 55." There's a short Additional Update on the Update page, as well. Barbara has promised more details for this section in the next couple of days, and I will post them as soon as they come in. I will also immediately forward any e-mails of sympathy that come in. (4/29/02)
New for this month, the Monthly Update, as well as some updates on upcoming publications: Dragonstar on the Random House Site leads to a link containing the cover art and synopsis for Dragonstar, due out on May 28, 2002. Eventually, a sample chapter should be posted on this page. Wet Grave, the newest Benjamin January book, due out on June 25, 2002, has both cover art and a sample chapter, also on the Random House site. A copy of the cover art for Sisters of the Raven can be found here, compliments of Amazon. The novel about Mary Todd Lincoln now has a title, The Emancipator's Wife. (4/28/02)
The Monthly Update is out today. Lots of interesting news, including the final word on the Big Project I've been hearing about for months now. Answers to questions posed in the most recent bacth of mail are also contained therein. (3/14/02)
Finally, we have news on what Barbara's newest project will be: a historical biography of Mary Todd Lincoln. Barbara will also be appearing as Guest of Honor at CoastCon in Biloxi (this week), for those of you in the Louisiana area. (3/14/02)
New this month: new Monthly Update for February, containing answers to some of the more in-depth recent letters! Enjoy. (2/9/02)
Update on the publication dates for upcoming books. Dragonstar has been pushed back to June, 2002. This is the most recent info from Del Rey; Amazon still lists it as coming out in May. Amazon now has a picture of the cover art for Dragonstar, it looks much more sophisticated and understated than the earlier three. Warner Aspect will publish Sisters of the Raven in August - this one will be in paperback straight off, but it looks like a trade (read: slightly larger, nicer, and more expensive) paperback. Wet Grave is still set to come out in June. (2/8/01)
Okay, it's a little late in the year, but there's a new Who Comes to this Page? update now, chronicling the endless adventure of the page tracker. Also, amazon.com has started a nifty new trend of book-scanning on their page. Not only does this include scanned-in exerpts, but also as a bonus, the introduction to the Lovecraft anthology The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft : The Road to Madness, written by Hambly, is available. Links to Hambly books with "look inside" features are now listed on the links page.(2/9/02)
New Monthly Update, posted a bit late, but newsy anyhow. Happy new year! (1/13/02)
New this update, the Monthly Update, and of course the news that Magic Time is now on the streets. (12/6/01)
Happy Halloween! (10/31/01)
New for this update: housekeeping! There have been tweaks and updates all over the page - starting with the Biography page, thanks to alert readers for letting me know that it was getting a bit outdated. New nifty words have been added to the list, the books list has been cleaned up a little, and certain broken bits have been fixed (the pictures, for one, and thank you for letting me know about this). Some new letters were posted, and a new interview added to the list. Not least of all, the links list has been completely updated, changed, and checked. (10/31/01)
On the new books front, check out the Questions/Series Monitor page for updates on the next wave of books. This includes a summary of the upcoming Magic Time. You can see the cover art for said book here. (10/31/01)
New Monthly Update today. In case you wondered where the page went for a few days earlier this week, the host site needed renewing, which no one realized until the space was inacessible. Sorry if this caused any problems. (10/20/01)
On a more personal note, my profound sympathy and love to all those affected by the terrorist attacks in America. I wish there was something I could do to help, and maybe this note is my tiny try at feeling less awful. It's vry hard to be an expat at a time like this. My thoughts are with you. (9/17/01)
New Monthly Update posted today, containing answers to a lot of recent questions. Thanks to all who have written lately with more nifty words and interesting comments and links to add. My psi forces are seeing a larger update coming soon. (9/17/01)
Monthly Update today, in which we learn that Fading of the Light has morphed into its final form as Sisters of the Raven. (8/17/01)
My profound apologies to everyone still waiting for e-mail replies. I promise that the backlog will be cleared this weekend. There's been a minor crisis on my end, but I do appreciate and will reply to all the mail. (8/17/01).
New Monthy Update today, and trust me, I'm as clueless as the general masses about this exciting news-to-be mentioned therein! (7/2/01)
Die Upon a Kiss is now out! (6/21/01)
It's not the most timely of links, since the interview itself took place last year. But given that we're all thinking about Ben January these days anyhow, you might like to see this interview, from October of 2000 here. (6/21/01)
We have an exerpt! Check out the Random House page on Die Upon A Kiss, which includes an exerpt of the next book out. There are also some reviews on the page there, if you want to be reassured that this is going to be another good one. (5/31/01)
New Monthly Update today - excuse this update-and-run, as I go on holiday tomorrow morning! (5/9/01)
Some news on the next two releases (yes, it's a while yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing them, aren't you?). Magic Time's publication date has now been set for November 27, 2001, and Die Upon a Kiss has a street date of June 19, 2001. (4/19/01)
New Monthly Update out today. I must (go read the Update if this next bit confuses you!) apologize to all the people I've told that Gil pronounces her name as Jill. Sorry especially to Rob, who many years ago got laughed at after a very borning o-chem class sent him to my copy of Time of the Dark as a relief from a droning lecturer. (4/2/01)
Get your Monthly Update while it's hot. There have been many good letters lately, please keep them coming!(3/13/01)
Sorry about the huge lag between my getting the Monthly Update and posting it; there's been trouble on both my computers. Enjoy! (2/25/01)
Not much to say this update, but wanted everyone to know that the page is still live. I do have a new greeting on the Who Comes to this Page? section. Die Upon a Kiss, book five in the Benjamin January series, will be appearing in June. To see a thumbnail of the cover art (I love it), check out this link. As yet, there is no preview chapter, but when one appears, it should be on the same page.(2/7/01)
A very merry Christmas to everyone! (12/24/00)
To clear up the current confusion about when Magic Time will be published, the official word is that it's supposed to be September of 2001. It's definately not this month, and although I had previously said it would be out in Spring, 2001, that's probably not correct, either. The Series Status Monitor will be kept updated as I hear more about this book (and all the others). (12/24/00)
Another long wait between updates! Sorry, everyone, and no (to answer those who have written), nothing is wrong with either Barbara or myself. Just an incredibly busy time for both of us. On my end, it's been a bit of an uphill trek, getting both lab and home settled in England, and Barbara has been busy with her writing - as I'm sure we're all glad to hear. There have been some great e-mails lately - rest assured that they are getting through. (12/24/00)
As for actual things in this update, there's a new Monthy Update. Note the change of name - we've been going along on a monthly basis for some time now, so this should not come as a big surprise to regular visitors! The page will be going through some revisions over the next week. (12/24/00)
Hello, everyone, from Cambridge, England. Finally I have moved, had my heating fixed, and (hang on, this is the best part), had my Ethernet connection activiated. If you've sent an e-mail my way in the last couple of weeks, it will be answered tonight while I do the update. Meanwhile, there is a new Weekly Update to keep you informed. The paperback version of Knight of the Demon Queen has appeared on both sides of the Atlantic, as well. (11/5/00)
Public Service Announcement from your friendly Sitemistress. I am moving in four days time, and things are in Full Crisis Mode. I will very likely not be answering any mail until the 27th of October. Do not despair! Page-related activities will begin anew once I have arrived at my new home. (10/21/00).
A very small update; the definitions of the words on the Nifty Word List have been added to the page. They can be linked to from the Word List itself, or you can take the following link directly there. Nifty Word Definition List. (10/5/00).
New this update is a Weekly Update, an update on the Birthday Project, including pictures, and a couple of small changes to the books page and the nifty word list. Enjoy. (10/2/00)
I'm very pleased to announce that (again) there were over 1000 visitors to the page this past month. Thank you! (10/2/00)
Not even an update, just a clarification. Although I will be moving to England, nothing will change regarding the page (except my e-mail address). The html address will be the same, and I will still be running it. I've had several questions, so I wanted to set things straight. I just came back from a trip to find my housing there. If anyone cares, I will be a member of King's College/grad student at the Sanger Centre. (9/14/00)
A temporary update, but an enjoyable one nontheless, with a good, long Weekly Update. More to come soon. (9/4/00).
In light of Barbara's upcoming birthday, please see The Birthday Project for what you can do to make the day memorable. Hopefully memorable-good. This is a limited-time-only, top-secret sort of thing, so hurry! (8/12/00)
New Weekly Update this time around, answering many of the questions that have come in recently. The mail should also be answered today, so if you've written in, do not despair! I found out Monday that I have been admitted to the University of Cambridge and have been up to my ears in experiments. (8/10/00)
New Weekly Update today. Things have been a little hectic on my end lately, but the mail was answered today, and all letters were sent to Barbara. So, if you've written in recently, watch for the next update for answers. (7/24/00)
Sold Down the River comes out today (July 5, 2000) in hardcover! Log off the computer, gather up the kids, shoo the cat off the counter, and head for the bookstore! Amazon.com has a good collection of reviews of the book. To read an exerpt, go here, on the Ballentine site. (7/5/00)
And there's also a new Weekly Update on-line today. (7/5/00).
Finally! Something besides a Weekly Update for the page! Today's update introduces a new page, called the (throat clearing) Oft-asked Questions and Series Status Monitor Page. This is a response to all the people who want to know when the next book in whatever series will be published, or what to do with those twelve misspelled words you found in The Dark Hand of Magic. Before I have anyone writing me to say that there are actually thirteen of them, go read the oft-asked questions! (6-3-00)
New Not-Quite-Weekly Update up today. If you've written in lately, check this one out, as many questions were answered! July marks the come-out of Benjamin January book #4, Sold Down the River.(5-31-00)
New Weekly Update today. Thanks to all the people who have written in with all the nice comments on the page - I really appreciate it. (5-16-00)
Yes, I know it's been ages since the last update. For now, content yourself with a new Weekly Update, and a mention that Barbara will be in Washington D.C. for Malice Domestic, a murder mystery convention, from May 5-7.(5-2-00).
Yes, it's been a long time since updates. This does not seem to bother people much - the counter said over 1000 people visited in March! I was thrilled, as this was the first time we've gone into four digits. New this time is a Weekly Update. It's a good one, so forgive that I have nothing else to add! (4-3-00)
New, of course, for this time, is the Weekly Update. Again, the answers to some of the recent e-mail are contained therin. As well, there are a couple new Book Summaries, including one of a book mentioned in more detail below, some new links, some new letters, etc. There is, as well, a new Interview in that section, and I should note that I would not have found this was it not for someone's proud mother. Thanks, as always, to Mrs. Hambly. (2-28-00).
Right, so what was the book I was going to give you more details about (see above if you're confused)? This weekend, I bought a book with a highly interesting cover called Did You Say CHICKS? - okay, it was a highly interesting title, too - because I knew there was a short story in it by Ms. Hambly. It was very much worth the strange looks I got from the checkout staff at the bookstore, because the story featured Starhawk of Wyrnde, and was set some two years after the book The Dark Hand of Magic. (2-28-00)
New this update, and containing the answers to many of your e-mailed questions, is the Weekly Update. Sadly enough, the release of Knight of the Demon Queen has been put back from the 1st of February to the 8th, perhaps due to technical problems at Del Rey's distribution center. You could read the exerpt, except that I can't seem to get the link on here without causing problems in the code.(2-2-00)
A new update means, as usual, a new Weekly Update. The countdown to February and Knight of the Demon Queen has begun! (1-18-00)
Happy Birthday, Dad! (1-17-00)
Happy New Year! New this update is a drama-and-action (and pets talking!)-packed Weekly Update. Also, thanks to Barbara Hambly's Mom for telling me that the left-hand navigation menu is (sadly) not acceptable without a scroll bar. She seems like a very nice person, and it's certainly a good idea to tell me about errors. I've also added a year 2000 note to the Who Comes to this Page? page.(1-4-00)
Book update, from the Del Rey site. The upcoming books for 2000 are Sold Down the River, in July 2000, and the sequel to Dragonshadow, called Knight of the Demon Queen, which will appear in February, 2000. (12-23-99)
Happy (insert holiday of choice here) to everyone! I am enjoying two weeks away from the lab, including some welcome updating time. If you've been here before, you'll notice that the page set-up has changed. If you're having problems with anything, please let me know. (12-22-99)
New for this update is the Pictures page, with some pictures from the camera/scanner of Robin Schindler. Barbara had a fairly exciting Thanksgiving (including being taken off a plane by the paramedics), so we're all going to forgive the dearth of Weekly Updates. The results of the Survey, from January to November, have been posted. (12-22-99)
Barbara will be Guest of Honor at the Darkover conference in Baltimore over Thanksgiving. Also, she will be attending a Historcal Mysteries mini-con at the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 15, 2000. The conference page lists more details - this looks like a lot of fun. (11-18-99)
In the grand old tradition of that song I used to sing at summer camp, this update is quite a bit like the last one; there's a new Weekly Update. I have an entire new page architecture set up - although it's not on here yet - so I haven't exactly been sitting around eating chocolates. Although that does sound like a good idea (yum). If there are any people from Baltimore out there, Barbara will be there for the Darkover conference over Thanksgiving. (11-17-99)
This update brings basically a new Weekly Update and not much else. Stay tuned, though - I have a new page format in the works, as well as some pictures of Barbara to share. (11-8-99)
This update brings you a new Weekly Update, including answers to a bunch of letters which have come through this week (ten days?). I've also put up some new letters from the e-mail box. (10-25-99)
A new Weekly Update has been posted; it's a little late because of illness (on my part) and general computer problems (which always happen when two people want to work on something on two computers). (10-17-99)
Happy Birthday, Mom! (10-17-99)
This update marks the debut of what I'm terming The Weekly Update, a weekly (or maybe not exactly weekly) letter/answer/whatever from Barbara Hambly. This link will take you to the first of these; the link above will take you to the page itself. Enjoy! (10-5-99)
Welcome to the newly official Barbara Hambly page! Yes, the page has moved yet again, but for the last time (as far as I can see). The change took place on September 17. What does the change to "offcial" mean? Starting next week, Barbara will be writing weekly updates about her life and her writing; this forum will also include a question of the week. Other than that, the page will continue on its merry way much as before.(9-19-99)
The Books@Random spotlight this month lands on Barbara Hambly and her new Graveyard Dust. Jump there now! There is an excerpt, a statement from the author, and a sample chapter to enjoy. (7/28/99)
Graveyard Dust is now out! Book three hit the stores (on-line and off) yesterday. Although the design and format are the same as the previous two, I was disappointed that the dull-patina look on the cover has been replaced by the traditional shiny-coat cover. But it's the story which counts...(7-7-99)
Yes, the page has moved. You could make me a very happy person by telling your friends and neighbors (or at least the page which sent you here) about the move. (5-16-99)
Book three in the Benjamin January series, Graveyard Dust, is coming out in July. You can go to Amazon.com and see the cover art and a review for this book. (5-16-99)
News from Barbara: book two in the new Winterlands trilogy (Knight of the Demon Queen)has been turned in, and she is working on the fourth January book, Sent Down the River, and getting ready to write Dragonstar, the third book in the Winterlands trilogy. (5-16-99)
New this update: I've compiled the new batch of survey results, have fixed all the broken links on the links page, and there are new interviews to go see on the interviews page. There is a new letter on the letters page, there is an instance of chiaroscuro in Dragonshadow (yea!) (5-16-99)
Although this is not the most timely posting I've seen from Del Rey, they've finally added the Dragonshadow sample chapter to their web site. (3/2/99)
Dragonshadow is now in stores - I found my copy today - and also on the Web. I'm sure Barnes and Noble is thrilled that I won't be calling them every day now that it's here. (2/27/99)
Gwen Owens has started a Barbara Hambly mailing list for discussing Hambly books and related issues. This sounds like a great idea to me. Do you want to join up?? Just hop over to ONElist's Hambly-group sign up. It's very easy; I just did it in less than two minutes, and no personal info - other than your e-mail, of course - is required. (2/27/99)
New this update are results of the survey started in January - you can, of course, still take the survey if you like, and more data will be put up as they come in. There are two new words on the nifty words list, a wonderful new addition to the nit-pick list, and a rational for my honey list, as well as some other housekeeping. (2/27/99)
Happy New Year! I've prepared two new things for the site to ring in 1999. First, there's a survey that you can take, about (guess what?) Barbara Hambly's books and what you think. The second is some info from the counter/tracker I put on the page in May - tracker data. Only three or so more months until Dragonshadow debuts! (1/2/99)
Warner Aspect has put together a short blurb about Sisters of the Night, which recently was published in paperback (just in time for Christmas!). Check it out by clicking here. (11/24/98).
FINALLY! I'm done with the qualifier and can update the page. There are some new letters this update, a couple new links and I'm working on getting some new book-related stuff up. Thanks to everyone who wrote to say good luck with my qualifier! (11/22/98).
Dragonshadow, the sequel to Dragonsbane now has an entry, including a book-cover picture, at Amazon books. You can visit by clicking here. Barnes and Noble's listing is here . (11/22/98)
New this update: I've had a lot of great letters lately. There's one new word on the word list on the end of the page, and some general small improvements elsewhere in here. I'm about to start my qualifying exams, so the next update may well be several months off. (9/18/98)
Dragonshadow, the sequel to Dragonsbane has just hit the books-in-print catalogue. The publication date is set for March of 1999. (9/18/98)
Also on the list of upcoming publications is the mass-market paperback of Sisters of the Night, a collection of vampire tales that Hambly both edited and contributed to. Publication date is October of 1998. (9/18/98)
Fever Season is now in stores!(6-28-98)
It might be fairly obvious that the page has a slightly new look, all except for the book-review page, which I'm still working on. There are new links as well. (6/22/98)
Hambly really did write cartoons, for a show called Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. While this is not one of your well-known shows, there's a devoted following for it on the Web. Check out The Root to learn more about this nifty cartoon. The one episode (of three) Hambly wrote (that she can remember the name of) is called Doomflower. (6/22/98)
Read an excerpt from Barbara Hambly's soon-to-be-out Fever Season, book two in the Benjamin January mystery series. (6/20/98)
Fever Season is featured at Amazon.com (see the link below), on the Barnes and Noble site here, and at the Bantam Doubleday Dell site here. No sample chapter appears to be available, but the cover art is shown on all three sites, and there are book blurbs and reviews there as well. Publishing date is July, 1998. (6/12/98)
Fever Season is coming soon, with a publication date of August, 1998 (start bugging the bookstores in July). To get a peek at the cover art, jump to here on the Amazon.com page. (5/3/98)
New this update - more links (and updated links), the new write-in fun section "Honey", and the new Dedications Page. More should be coming in the next few days as I recoup from finals. (3/8/98)
Icefalcon's Quest is now in stores (both on and off Internet), so quick! Log off and get in the car! (2/6/98)
This month's issue of the Del Rey Internet Newsletter has a nifty little blurb about the White Raiders/Icefalcon (as written by Gil) as the "In-Depth" section. Jump on over to the White Raiders/Icefalcon blurb. I think that this may be the "Ice Falcon Profile" mentioned in the paperback edition of Mother of Winter. This of course is all part of the coming-out celebration for the new book Icefalcon's Quest (don't forget the Icefalcon's Quest Preview/Featured Author page at Del Rey) which should be out in stores around the middle of the month. (2/2/98)
Barbara Hambly will be attending CoastCon this year, a convention in Gulfport, Mississippi. Dates for this event are March 27-29, 1998.(2/2/98)
News from Barbara Hambly - the book Dragonshadow, which Del Rey has purchased, will be book one in a trilogy, with Knight of the Demon Queen as book two (book three has not yet been named). Also, she is working on Graveyard Dust, book three in the Benjamin January/New Orleans murder mystery series. Book two,Fever Season has a publication date of July, 1998. (12/24/97)
New stuff this update - new links on the links page, an update on the trivia questions, a review of Icefalcon's Quest. (12/21/97)
Del Rey has selected Barbara Hambly as their Featured Author this month (or months? or just a featured author?). At any rate, they have a nifty preview of Icefalcon's Quest. Jump to the Icefalcon's Quest Preview/Featured Author page. From this page, you can read a sample chapter or synopsis of the book, plus some info on Hambly herself. (12/20/97)
I've decided to put on the news list what got updated during the latest update, so here you are: more letters on the feedback letters page, a new trivia question, some new nit picks, and new exerpt, as well as general tweaking.(11/14/97)
Looks like Icefalcon's Quest will be out in February (read: you can get it in the bookstore sometime in January).(11/14/97)
For a limited time only, catch a sample chapter of Icefalcon's Quest at the Del Rey booth at the Sci-Fi channel's On-Line Convention. Jump there now!. Although this was supposed to last only until November 2, the last time I checked, it was still there.(10/30/97 and 11/14/97)
I've remodeled the page. :)
Barbara Hambly will be at Talk City Chat Network on Thursday, the 4th of September for an online chat. Go and ask questions! The time is 6:00 pm, Pacific Time. I think that's 8pm Houston time...anyhow, it's in the #SciFiLit room. How do you get to Talk City? It's at www.talkcity.com (I've also heard chat.talkcity.com, port 6667). See you there!
On July 22, at 8 PM (Eastern Time), Barbara Hambly will be chatting live about A Free Man of Color on the Barnes and Noble site (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/live). For those of you lucky enough NOT to be moving to Houston on that day, have fun! (7/18/97)
The other book that Del Rey purchased from Hambly is called Fading of the Light, and is not part of an existing series (7/18/97).
The re-release of the Darwath Trilogy is beginning to show up in stores, as is the paperback edition of Mother of Winter. The latter has a free-promo offer for something called the Icefalcon Profile (you can send away for it by filling out a little survey. I hope they put the darn thing on the Web so I don't have to go to all that trouble.). However, they called it the "Ice Falcon Profile," which reminded me a lot of the Millenium Falcon. Oh well.(6/30/97)
And also a nitpick. In the new edition of The Walls of Air, check out the inside-back-cover listing of previous Barbara Hambly books. Instead of touting the second book in the Windrose Chronicles as The Silicon Mage, it's The Silicone Mage. Now sit back and imagine a whole new plot for that book based on that title...(6/30/97)
NOW OUT IN STORES is Barbara Hambly's first historical murder mystery in thirteen years: A Free Man of Color. It's set in New Orleans in the 1830s, and the first in a series - Fever Season will be joining it in 1998. It's published by Bantam books, and I've seen it listed in the Amazon books catalogue.(6/2/97)
The Darwath Trilogy will continue to expand, with The Icefalcon's Quest (changed from The Icefalcon's Geas) following Mother of Winter. Publication date looks like early 1998 (Jan/Feb).(6/30/97 - pub. date)
Congratulations to Barbara Hambly for hitting the bestseller list with Planet of Twilight. Read the "Spotlight" article in this month's Bantam Science Fiction Forum, the Star Wars Division.
Del Rey announced, in the latest newsletter, that they have acquired two new Hambly books, including a sequel to Dragonsbane entitled Dragonshadow!
Check out a sample chapter from the new Planet of Twilight on the Bantam Spectra Homepage. This is even better because there's an audio version and the cover art available as well as the excerpt.
When Mother of Winter re-emerges in paperback (August, 1997), Del Rey will be re-releasing the original Darwath Trilogy as well - with new cover art, by the same artist (Donato Giancola) who brought us the Bald Lady. Check out the newest DRIN for more details.
Little bit of trivia here - I got this from the back of one of her short story collections - Hambly used to write scripts for cartoons.
Paraphrased from a vampire-lovers page: Hambly says she will write a third vampire novel, but not immediately. After "The Mother of Winter" in the fall, she plans a series of historical murder mysteries set in New Orleans of the 1830s.

Old News

Yes, it's getting a bit crowded on the front page, what with all this old news (I love the contridiction, don't you?). But for those of you who like poking through the archives, here it is in all its faded glory.