FAQ Part 2

02/25/06

This is part 2 of the Mercedes Lackey FAQ, covering topics specific to
Mercedes Lackey. Part 1 covers topics specific to alt.books.m-lackey,
including the Acceptable Use Policy, most particularly with regard to
SPAM, trolls and cross-posting. Both are posted monthly to
alt.books.m-lackey.

Contents of Part 2:

1. Order To Read?

2. What Has She Written?

3. What novels will she publish soon?

4. How Can I Reach Her Or Other Fans?

5. She's Got Songs, Are They Recorded?

6. Does She Really Believe This?

7. Why No MU*s Or FanFic?

8. No More Di! But Why???

9. What happened to the original Queen's Own?

10. Birthday

11. Why no Cons?

12. Anything Else?

1. In what order do I read her books?

Most people suggest reading the books chronologically, except for the
Velgarth novels, which are suggested to be read in published order.
The FAQ book list has them in chronological order by series, which
just happens to be the published order for all except the Velgarth
and the Diana Tregarde novels.

2. What Has She Written?

Note that many of her novels, particularly the Velgarth novels,
were co-authored with her husband, Larry Dixon, who also drew the
interior art for much of her Velgarth work. The books so
co-authored are marked with LD.

I have attempted to include the original and earliest
publishing dates.

The Velgarth novels--publishing order:

Heralds of Valdemar
Arrows of the Queen - 1987
Arrow's Flight - 1987
Arrow's Fall - 1988
Vows & Honor
Oathbound - 1988
Oathbreakers - 1989
Oathblood - 1998
The Last Herald Mage
Magic's Pawn - 1989
Magic's Promise - 1990
Magic's Price - 1990
By the Sword - 1992
The Mage Winds
Winds of Fate - Oct 1991
Winds of Change - 1992
Winds of Fury - 1993
The Mage Storms
Storm Warning - 1994
Storm Rising - 1995
Storm Breaking - 1996
The Mage Wars
The Black Gryphon (LD) - 1994
The White Gryphon (LD) - 1995
The Silver Gryphon (LD) - 1996
Note: Mage Storms and Mage Wars were written and published
simultaneously.
The Owl Books
Owlflight (LD) - 1997
Owlsight (LD) - 1998
Owlknight (LD) - Oct 1999
Brightly Burning - May 2000
Take a Thief - Oct 2001
The Valdemar Companion (with other authors) - Dec 2001
Exile's Honor - Oct 2002
Exile's Valor - Nov 2003

The Tregarde novels--publishing order:
Burning Water - 1989
Children of the Night - 1990
Jinx High - 1991

The Tregarde novels--chronological order:
Children of the Night
Burning Water
Jinx High

The Bardic Voices novels--publishing order:
Bardic Voices: The Lark and the Wren - 1992
The Robin and the Kestrel - 1993
A Cast of Corbies (with Josepha Sherman) - 1994
The Eagle and the Nightingale - 1995
Four & Twenty Blackbirds - Dec 1997

The Free Bards - 3-in-1 of The Lark and the Wren and
The Robin and the Kestrel and
The Eagle and the Nightingale - 1997

The Bard novels--publishing order:
Knight of Ghost and Shadows (with Ellen Guon) - 1990
Summoned To Tourney (with Ellen Guon) - 1992
Beyond World's End (with Rosemary Edghill) - Jan 2001
Spirits White as Lightning (with R. Edghill) - Nov 2001
Mad Maudlin (With R. Edghill) - Aug 2003

Bedlam Boyz - by Ellen Guon alone (1993), prequel to both of above

Bedlam's Bard - 2-in-1 of Knight of Ghost and Shadows
and Summoned To Tourney - 1998

The Elvenbane novels--publishing order:
Elvenbane (with Andre Norton) - 1991
Elvenblood (with Andre Norton) - 1995
Elvenborn (with A. Norton) - August 2002

The Serrated Edge novels--publishing order:
Born to Run - 1992 (LD)
Wheels of Fire - 1992 (with Mark Shepherd)
When the Bough Breaks - 1993 (with Holly Lisle)
Chrome Circle - 1994 (LD)

This Scepter'd Isle - Jan 2004 (with Roberta Gellis)
Ill Met By Moonlight - March 2005 (with Roberta Gellis)

The Chrome Borne - 2-in-1 of Born to Run and Chrome Circle - 1999
The Otherworld - 2-in-1 of Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks
- Feb 2000

Elvendude - 1994 (by Mark Shepherd alone)
Spiritride - 1997 (by Mark Shepherd alone)
Lazerwarz - 1999 (by Mark Shepherd alone)

The Bard's Tale novels--publishing order:
Castle of Deception (with Josepha Sherman) - 1992
Fortress of Frost and Fire (with Ru Emerson) - 1993
Prison of Souls (with Mark Shepherd) - 1993

The Chaos Gate - 1994 (by Josepha Sherman alone)

The Obsidian Trilogy

The Outstretched Shadow (with James Mallory) - Nov 2003
To Light a Candle (with James Mallory) - Oct 2004

The Heirs of Alexandria

The Shadow of the Lion (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer)
- Feb 2002
This Rough Magic (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer)
- Dec 2003

Dragons of Alta

Joust - March 2003
Alta - March 2004
Sanctuary - May 2005

The Elemental Masters
The Serpent's Shadow - March 2001
The Gates of Sleep - April 2002
Phoenyx and Ashes - Oct 2004
Wizard of London - Sept 2005

Other books, not part of any series - publishing order:
(read them in any order you like)
Sacred Ground - 1994
The Fire Rose - 1995
Firebird - Dec 1996
Fiddler Fair (short story collection) - 1998
Werehunter (short story collection) - May 1999
The Black Swan - 1999
The River's Gift - 1999
Charmed Destinies (with C. Asaro and Rachel Lee) - Nov 2003
The Fairy Godmother - Dec 2003

Other books, co-authored - publishing order:
Reap the Whirlwind (with C.J. Cherryh, 3rd in a series) - 1989
-also included in The Sword of Knowledge, March 1995
Wing Commander (with Ellen Guon) - 1992
The Ship Who Searched (with Anne McCaffrey) - 1992
If I Pay Thee Not In Gold (with Piers Anthony) - 1993
Rediscovery (with Marion Zimmer Bradley) - 1994
Tiger Burning Bright (with M.Z. Bradley and Andre Norton)
- 1995
Wizard of Karres (with Freer & Flint) - Aug 2004
- sequel to Schmitz's "The Witches of Karres"

Brain Ships - Nov 2003
re-issue of "The Ship Who Searched" (with Anne McCaffrey) and
"Partnership" (McCaffrey and M. Ball)

Short story collections, M Lackey editor - publishing order:
Lammas Night (edited with Josepha Sherman) - Feb 1996
Sword of Ice (Velgarth stories) - Jan 1997
Flights of Fantasy (edited with M Greenberg) - Dec 1999
Sun in Glory (Velgarth stories) - Dec 2003
Bedlam's Edge (Bard/SERRAted Edge stories,
edited with Rosemary Edghill) - Aug 2005

3. What novels will she publish soon?

More or Less Recent News on Upcoming Lackey Novels
and Works in Progress

Book Publication Date
(estimated)
-----
Winter Moon Nov 2005
(3 stories, ML wrote one)
Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar Dec 2005
(ML, editor)
Music to my Sorrow Dec 2005
-with Rosemary Edghill
One Good Knight Jan 2006
Dark Waters unknown
-with Eric Flint
Mapping the World of Harry Potter unknown
The White Apparition unknown
-Arthurian
Tempest Fugit unknown
-work on hold, SERRated Edge
The Fall of Darkness unknown
-with James Mallory
Aeyrie (last Dragon Jousters) unknown
Queen of Air and Darkness unknown
Elvenbred unknown
Stoned Souls unknown
-With Josepha Sherman, SERRAted Edge
(not scheduled for publication ??)

Note: Most of this information has been mined from ML's
personal WWW site or Amazon.com. If what I wrote here
contradicts what Misty writes there, believe HER!

4. Can I reach Mercedes Lackey anywhere? How about other fans?

* Email--She has an address, but, as per her request, that
address will not be published on the net. If you have it, please
don't post it. It's only polite.

* Postal--Send mail to her at any of the following addresses. Please
mark CLEARLY that it is for her C/O one of the addresses.

DAW Books
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014

TOR Books
49 West 24 Street
New York, NY 10010

High Flight
P.O. Box 8309
Tulsa, OK 74101-8309

Firebird Music
P.O.Box 14785
Portland, OR 97214
http://firebirdarts.com/

Firebird has an 'Ask Misty' section of their WWW site,
where selected questions and M. Lackey's answers are posted
to their site. See http://firebirdarts.com/mlackey/1mlask.htm

She has requested that no fan stories be mailed to her, please.

Other fans can be reached via the following methods:

* Internet Services:*

alt.books.m-lackey--UseNet newsgroup

mercedes-lac...@herald.co.uk-- Listserv list
Subscribe by visiting:
http://lists.herald.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mercedes-lackey/

Numerous mailing lists and the like abound on-line. For example,
http://www.egroups.com/group/mercedeslackey
http://www.egroups.com/group/Mistydiscussion
http://www.egroups.com/group/Lady_of_Heralds
And many others

World Wide Web Pages:

http://www.mercedeslackey.com/
http://firebirdarts.com/

* Postal Service:*

Queen's Own monthly e-newsletter--For information, send mail to:
Queen's Own
The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club
P.O. Box 749
Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA
or consult http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm

5. Does she have any of the music out so I can listen to it?

Yes. Firebird Arts and Music carries a full range of Mercedes Lackey
songs, Larry Dixon and Jody Lee artwork, and a whole lot of other
things. To get their most recent catalog, send mail to:

Firebird Music
P.O. Box 30268
Portland, OR 97294-3268

1-800-752-0494 (USA only)
(503) 255-5751 (Oregon and International)
(503) 255-5703 (FAX)

Email: fireb...@firebirdarts.com
WWW: http://firebirdarts.com/

6. Does she really believe in all that stuff she writes about?

Maybe. She might be a member of an alternative religion; she
hasn't said for sure. However, she sums it up best in the
Author's Note at the back of Sacred Ground (1994 edition):

"I am not a guru, shaman, Grand High Pooh-Bah, Guardian, Mistress of
the Martian Arts, or any incarnation of the same. I have no lock on
Immortal Wisdom, and in my experience, anyone who claims to, has his
eye on your money (granted, I do too, but only insofar as entertaining
you enough to buy my next book). To confuse me with what I write is
as fallacious as confusing a truck driver with his Peterbilt."

7. Why won't she let us have a MUSH or write FanFic?

Russell Galen is Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's agent. He has made
the following statements in a general post to alt.books.m-lackey,
dated in October 1994.

"Any use of works by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon in fan fiction
or a role playing game is strictly prohibited. The reasons are as
follows:

A. It is copyright infringement. Any unauthorized use of intellectual
property, whether or not for profit, is copyright infringement.

B. The authors are against it. Knowing that strangers are making use
of one's world, one's characters, one's creations, is usually a very
unpleasant feeling, one of violation and intrusion.

C. There's been a great deal of discussion here as to whether a MUSH
or MUD would help or hurt the salability of commercial game rights.
The fact is, we don't know. It might have no effect, or a ruinous
effect. There is ample evidence for both from other media, and I don't
know the answer. Given that uncertainty, we have to err on the side
of caution and protection.

D. All of us on this side have discussed this and are resolved to
take no chances with these valuable copyrights, and will vigorously
pursue all legal means at our disposal. Also, any action we might
take would not be limited to individuals but to the universities
and other organizations that permit their equipment and lines to be
used for this illegal purpose.

E. Yes, we're greedy and narrow-minded in defense of our clients'
ability to make a living. This is Mercedes Lackey's job. Anything
that threatens her ability to make a living is no less an evil than
any other situation in which an innocent party is forced, by the
actions of strangers, to fight for her livelihood."

So, please, folks *Just Say No* to Lackey-MUDS. If you want to write
Fanfic, please send mail to the Queen's Own or HighFlight addresses
above, and request a release form. Don't go doing something that
you're going to wind up regretting, later.

8. No More Di! But Why???

It has been decided by Mercedes Lackey and her publishers that
there will be no more books in the Diana Tregarde series. (Rumors
of a novel featuring a much younger Andre abound.) There
are two reasons why this is the case:

A. The series is slow selling. Plain and simply, it is not as
profitable for Mercedes Lackey and her publishers as her other
series. They have decided to concentrate on those other series.

B. A minority of readers seem to believe that these fantasy novels
are based on "real supernatural activities". These have conceived
some rather odd conspiracy theories as to why the series was
discontinued. Granted that most of these people are decent and
harmless people. Some of them, however, are dangerous individuals.

There are two letters from Misty on the Firebird web site that
discuss these people. The first is known as "The Last Straw",
it was written in January 1997 in response to her being stalked and
sent death threats and can be found at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/mlackey/laststraw.html

The second is called "The Camel's Back" and was posted to the
Firebird site on 22 November 1997, and is in response to the
security fiasco that surrounded her attendance at Dragon*Con97:

http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/mlackey/camelsback.html

[Note: Both essays copied from the Firebird Arts WWW site to
this WWW site because the URLs pointing to them were highly
unstable. See the "Why no Cons?" section of this FAQ for
more recent information about Mercedes Lackey's opinions
regarding attending conventions.]

9. What happened to the original Queen's Own?

The original Queen's Own Newsletter folded in May 2000 due to lack
of funds. At that time, a new, on-line only, and free newsletter
started up to fill in the gap.

The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club is now located at:

http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm

The address is:

Queen's Own
The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club
P.O. Box 749
Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA

Memberships are free because the newsletter is only
available online.

10. Birthday

Misty was born on June 24.

11. Why no Cons?

Why won't Misty attend Cons? As explained by
her to the Baen's Bar chat group, (kindly posted
to ABML by Claviux from the Crater on August 30, 2001):

"I often get asked if---or when---I'm going to go
to X, Y or ZCon. After all, the stalkers are gone, so
we should be flinging ourselves back into the
convention circuit, right?

Well, no.

The plain truth is, after being off the circuit,
we don't really want to go back to it.

We lose a lot of work-time going to cons. One
day going, one day returning, and the three days
of the convention.

Conventions are enormously tiring, and the higher
up on the desired-GoH food-chain you are, the more
exhausting they are. Typically we end up getting
only two or even one meal in a day, because there
just is no time to eat what with all the panels,
autograph sessions, and random encounters with fans.
It is exactly like being in a live play that goes
on from the moment we pass our hotel door in the
morning until the time we go back in late that night.

Travel is just as tiring. Planes these days are
always crowded, often late, connections generally
a mad dash across a vast expanse of terminal. And
I don't do coach well anymore; bad backs will do
that to you.

Hotel rooms aren't home. They're small, cramped,
often smell of mildew or tobacco smoke ("quiet" or
non-party floors are usually the less-desirable
smoking floors since there are fewer of them). Even
when they're on quiet floors, there are people
chatting in halls or playing the TV too loud or
otherwise enjoying themselves in the next room. Or
there's a crying baby. Or small children in the
room above (or people acting like small children).
And when have you EVER attended a con when the fire
alarm didn't go off at least once during the middle
of the night?

And last---and one of the biggest factors---every
convention I attended I've gotten ConPlague. Every
convention is basically a mixing-pot for varietals
of cold and flu viruses that I haven't been exposed
to. And I'm getting a lot less exposure to viruses
these days since I work at home, so my own immunity
is low. In fact, last year I spent a grand total of
four hours in the Baen suite and came down with the
worst case of ConPlague I've had in years---I literally
passed out for three days at poor Roberta Gellis's house.

I know that conventions are important to a lot of you,
and you have an enormous amount of fun at them.
But they just aren't fun for me anymore, and there
are a lot of other things I can do for fans that
don't "cost" me in so much time, energy, and general
well-being.
-----------------------------------------------------

Here I do have to mention the shining exception in
the last couple of years---the New Zealand Natcon
last April in Auckland.

It was small, loads of fun, we weren't overworked,
in fact we had *so* much fun we would go back any
time. No one had ConPLague. They brought us in,
treated us like gods (the kind of gods you party with),
let us run around the country for a couple of weeks
before and after the con, and just generally made
us so welcome that we came back rested and ready to
rock rather than exhausted. If Oz cons are anything
like Kiwi cons, and somebody thinks we're worth
inviting, we'll be there with bells on."

FAQ-Keeper's note: Misty has attended a few (very few!)
Cons in recent years.

12. Anything Else That You Can Think Of?

Let me know.