Monday, July 9, 2007


Received news recently via bionic cyborg agent David Hale Smith that Touchstone/Fireside has green-lighted the next novel in my two book contract. It's a charming love-story featuring werewolves and a dead alchemist based on an actual historic figure. Or is it a warm-hearted coming of age story? I always forget. The title Ghosts of the Golden Lane has been crapped into the toilet by all involved, and the new working title is Bad Alchemy. Time will tell.

The process of getting this green light involved writing a synopsis. I HATE summarizing. Hate hate hate it. For one thing, I'm not good at it. I even cringe reading my own synopsis. Perhaps one of the reasons I hate to write them is that while I can summarize a basic plot, I find it very hard to summarize things like style, voice, dialogue, etc. Publishers have every right to know what is coming next, but I will continue to despise the synopsis process. Maybe if I were better at it, things would be more peachy-keen.

Much of the novel is set in Prague. Look up Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II to get a hint of things and whatnot.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So you have to make another Prague trip, right? Research and all that, expenses-paid?
Congrats on the green-light.
Jim

Anonymous said...

Some new Gischler is coming?

But, uh, alchemy? You'll still have all the lunatic plotting you're noted for, right?

Right...?

Congratulations!

Neil said...

Will there be any Czech garnet store girls in it?

How about people taking commie cold medicine?

Any visits to the Museum of Communism planned?

Victor Gischler said...

Jim,

You're not the first person to suggest that another research trip is in order. Expenses paid? Yes, by me unfrotunately, so we'll have to see if some money falls out of the sky.

But, oh, that Pilsner Urquell is calling to me.

Mike,

Plenty of lunacy of one kind or another. Don't worry.

Neil,

They only thing planned would be legit, real research. (Shhhhhhh ... I'm trying to get my wife to let me go!)

VG

Megan said...

Sounds yummy.

John DuMond said...

Great news. Congrats, Victor.

A Czech alchemist? Is that a guy that can turn pondwater into Pilsner Urquell or Budvar?

Anonymous said...

Sounds cool. Can't wait.

Patrick Shawn Bagley said...

Didn't Bon Jovi score a hit in 1989 with "Bad Alchemy"? You remember: "Your love is like bad alchemy...bad alchemy is what I need...whoa whoa whoa..."

No?

Fuck.

Prof Fury said...

Hey, congrats! Though I think Ghosts of the Golden Lane is a pretty great title. Though I think the new title affords you a wonderful opportunity to invent the term "Alchemechanic." You know, for a sort of low-level alchemist who isn't interested in all the philosophical mumbo-jumbo that goes along with alchemy.

Jim Winter said...

The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire.

Discuss.