The Innocent Bone - Der Menschenmacher
My fifth book has been released in Germany - The Innocent Bone (as I know it) or "Der Menschenmacher."
I wanted to take the time to say a few things about the book, and to answer some common questions I've been getting.
First, the questions:
A. YES - the next book will be a Smoky Barrett book. Promise! :)
B. NO - there is not an English translation, yet. The German publication is the first in the world, and it may be some months before the English translation occurs.
I'm returning to Germany at the end of March, for a tour, with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation. I realize that Smoky is much beloved by those who read her. As a fan of a number of 'continuing characters' myself, I appreciate the reluctance some may feel to 'step outside the series.' I hope you'll give it a try.
This is a book I had to write, and it has involved both hours and anguish. I expect it to be highly controversial amongst my existing readers, and see some proof of this in the opening reviews on Amazon.de ('Five stars! One star! Two stars! Four stars!') I expect some to despise it, and others to love it, and would be surprised to find much middle-ground. I'm not saying this to be avant-garde, I simply feel that it's that kind of a book. Again, two emails received seem to support this. Both were very kind, but certainly different in their views of the book. One loved it best of my books so far; the other said politely "Please return to Smoky Barrett."
For those that will love it, I hope it takes you places both terrible and redemptive. For those that will hate it, but love the Smoky series, I can only accept your judgment humbly, and ask for your patience. This was a novel driven by forces unknown to me; not literally, but sometimes it felt that way. It took me on a terrible journey, and I present it to you, my German readers, as a journey worth taking.
Smoky will return in book six. I'm in the midst of it already, and I know fans of the series will not be disappointed. Time away from her has been good for both my creativity and my clarity, so far as Smoky Barrett is concerned.
Whether you like or hate Der Menschenmacher, my primary hope - as with all of my books - is that it will shake you up; that it will make you feel something visceral and true.
It's a dark voyage. Whether or not you like the journey, I believe you'll know you have traveled, and that perhaps you'll step off onto the dock just a little bit dazed; perhaps a little bit troubled. I certainly hope so, strange as that sounds.
Before returning to my lapse in posting... let me say to EVERYONE who has emailed me with such kind and encouraging words about my novels - thank you, truly. I am terrible with replies, but I do ensure that I read them all. And I am very, very much looking forward to my return to Germany this March.
Long drives, lovely crowds and dark beer... what else could I possibly ask for?
I wanted to take the time to say a few things about the book, and to answer some common questions I've been getting.
First, the questions:
A. YES - the next book will be a Smoky Barrett book. Promise! :)
B. NO - there is not an English translation, yet. The German publication is the first in the world, and it may be some months before the English translation occurs.
I'm returning to Germany at the end of March, for a tour, with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation. I realize that Smoky is much beloved by those who read her. As a fan of a number of 'continuing characters' myself, I appreciate the reluctance some may feel to 'step outside the series.' I hope you'll give it a try.
This is a book I had to write, and it has involved both hours and anguish. I expect it to be highly controversial amongst my existing readers, and see some proof of this in the opening reviews on Amazon.de ('Five stars! One star! Two stars! Four stars!') I expect some to despise it, and others to love it, and would be surprised to find much middle-ground. I'm not saying this to be avant-garde, I simply feel that it's that kind of a book. Again, two emails received seem to support this. Both were very kind, but certainly different in their views of the book. One loved it best of my books so far; the other said politely "Please return to Smoky Barrett."
For those that will love it, I hope it takes you places both terrible and redemptive. For those that will hate it, but love the Smoky series, I can only accept your judgment humbly, and ask for your patience. This was a novel driven by forces unknown to me; not literally, but sometimes it felt that way. It took me on a terrible journey, and I present it to you, my German readers, as a journey worth taking.
Smoky will return in book six. I'm in the midst of it already, and I know fans of the series will not be disappointed. Time away from her has been good for both my creativity and my clarity, so far as Smoky Barrett is concerned.
Whether you like or hate Der Menschenmacher, my primary hope - as with all of my books - is that it will shake you up; that it will make you feel something visceral and true.
It's a dark voyage. Whether or not you like the journey, I believe you'll know you have traveled, and that perhaps you'll step off onto the dock just a little bit dazed; perhaps a little bit troubled. I certainly hope so, strange as that sounds.
Before returning to my lapse in posting... let me say to EVERYONE who has emailed me with such kind and encouraging words about my novels - thank you, truly. I am terrible with replies, but I do ensure that I read them all. And I am very, very much looking forward to my return to Germany this March.
Long drives, lovely crowds and dark beer... what else could I possibly ask for?
posted by Cody McFadyen at
3:45 PM
19 Comments
