Online Interview and Tennis Shoes Update

September 7th. Have I told everyone that yet???? Well, that's the scheduled release date. I never hold my breath on these things because there are often unforeseen circumstances that delay the release a few days or a few weeks, but as of now, that's the release. For those who have pre-ordered an autographed book, I will likely get the books and audio books on the 7th and start shipping right away. So I would expect them around the 9-11th. Again, that's if there's no unforeseen delays.

Those who wish to receive the book as part of the first wave of orders need to place their preorder right away by going to: Link
Or hey, just call me at 801-495-0555 and we'll place the order directly at the merchant site and bypass the online bureaucracy altogether!

HERE'S THE NEW INFORMATION:

--The audio book includes 15 CDs. 19.5 hours! See, I TOLD everyone it was a long book, and doing the audio unabridged was a major project! My publisher proclaimed that this is the longest fiction novel on audio that they have ever released. I'm just happy that, despite being 3 CDs longer than Kingdoms and Conquerors, they were able to keep the price the same. Four narrators. Tons of characters. Tons of voices. For more info on the narrators, etc., read the update I posted last week.

--The book is 512 pages. That includes all the scholarly chapter notes (which are not included in the audio version) as well as a detailed "Cast of Characters" at the beginning which I hope is helpful to anyone who has ever found it challenging to keep track of all the major and minor fictional and historical figures in the storyline.

Lastly, Seagull Book has released a short online interview about Book 11: Sorcerers and Seers online. Go to:Link My thanks to Tim Costello for posting this information also on Facebook.

The publisher, Covenant Communications, is working on a schedule for autograph parties starting in September. As soon as I get any definitive information on that, I'll pass it along to you. Again I express my deep gratitute to all readers and fans. Only three weeks left! You've waited almost five years. I hope, indeed, that the wait was worth it!

Sorcerers and Seer Cover Revealed--Update

I'll let fans and followers see it first. Here's the new cover for Tennis Shoes Volume 11: Sorcerers and Seers. I'm not sure it's my favorite cover, but it is my favorite book, so that makes up for it. :)

The book heads to press next week. They say its release is still set in stone for September. Hard to believe they can turn things around that fast now. I still have at least two full days left before I complete the unabridged audio recording. Then Covenant's audio editor has their work cut out for them to meet the deadline.

Fans can still pre-order Volume 11 by going to: Link

The book and audio tape are both discounted. Some fans have asked if the ordering site is secure. Yes, I've paid the "protection" money (sounds like the mob!) to my Merchant Account, but I've left it to my webmaster to post the "Secure Certificate" info, and he has not done so. An error message also shows at the top of the page, but please ignore it. The so-called "error" has nothing to do with the ordering part of the site. Pretty rinky-dink, I know. The best option for some may be to just call me directly. Then we skip the website and go directly to the Merchant Account--no middle man. Many have called to order this way. I've had a few people express reservations about calling the author directly. I guess I understand that. Some would like me to remain like the magician in the back room, too mysterious to actually speak to folks. But, hey, I LIKE talking to fans, and this is how I make a living, so if you don't want to order online, please feel free to call me at 801-495-0555. Leave your number if I'm unavailable and I'll call ASAP.

For the audio recording we settled on four separate narrators. Me, Carlyn Blake, Dave Walker, and Summer Naomi Smart. Summer and Dave were the hardest to nail down. Dave has narrated many Covenant audio tapes, and has traditionally done the part of Marcos for my stuff, but for the last year he has been bogged down in a start-up business. Both he and Summer did this as a personal favor to me, so I am deeply grateful. My sister, Carlyn, as usual is wonderful to work with. She flew down from Boise and reprised her role of Meagan, doing a spectacular job.

So who played Joshua??? Well, I looked into possibly hiring another narrator, but in the end, I decided to read Joshua's part myself. Joshua has some intense stuff in this book, and I wanted it done right. If I'd looked hard enough, I'm sure I could have found the perfect narrator for that part, but who has time? This product will be ON THE SHELVES in a month! It seems like this has all happened very fast, but I got to hand it to my publisher. They pulled out all the stops.

The page count on this book ended up over 500 pages! NOW we're in Harry Potter-length territory. I'm certain fans won't care. They're just getting more adventure for their money. It's very cool, because my initial impression was that they were going to expand the margins and decrease the fontsize so that they could keep the book the same basic length as the previous book, or as we call it in the publishing biz, keep the same "pagination." The best part is, even with this book almost 100 pages longer than any other Tennis Shoes book, they only raised the price a buck. And the audio book, at least for now, is the exact same price as the unabridged audio for "Kingdoms and Conquerors". To accomplish this, there may be some modest, undiscernable time compression and 13 CDs instead of 12. Sure, it means I don't get a "raise" in royalty, but at this point, after making fans wait for so many years, I'm more pleased that the publisher has been price conscious and tried to keep down costs.

As I have said, I personally feel this is the strongest book I've written to date. It tackles so many subjects that no fiction author--LDS or non-LDS--has ever tackled. Great fun. As long as it remains a challenge, it also remains fun, and that's the most important thing for me as an artist.

Pre-Orders For "Sorcerers and Seers"--Audio Recording Underway

I promised that as soon as I knew the prices for the book and audio book for Tennis Shoes Vol. 11: Sorcerers and Seers that I would make the announcement. So...here it is!

Sorcerers and Seers Book--17.99
Sorcerers and Seers Audio--39.99

I've given them both a discount if you order directly from me. I will also autograph and personalize the books. Orders can be placed by going to Link


I never really liked my own website's ordering system, but it works just fine. You'll see some kind of "error message" at the top that makes you think the site isn't functioning. IGNORE THAT. The ordering works perfectly and we'll try to fix that visual glitch. But if you're worried at all, you can order with a credit card by calling me directly at 1-801-495-0555. Ask for Chris. Yup, you'll have to place the order directly with me.

When you order online there is a box at the end of the ordering process where you can specifically ask who you wish to have the book or audio book autographed to. USE THIS BOX. Also make mention if it's a Christmas present or a birthday gift or whatever.

AUDIO RECORDING UNDERWAY

Yesterday was the first official day that we began the audio recording for Seers and Sorcerers. Fans will be pleased to know that I was miraculously able to cast Summer Naomi Smart as the voice of Steffanie. While I was at it, I also convinced her to portray the part of Jenny. Next week Summer is off to Chicago for a play. She has become a very sucessful stage actress in the Chicago theatre world so I felt incredibly fortunate to have found her visiting Salt Lake City at the right time. For those who aren't aware, Summer played Kerra in the movie "Passage to Zarahemla" and also portrayed Steffanie in the audio recording for "Kingdoms and Conquerors."

The rest of the book will be recorded over the next couple weeks. The plan is still to release the novel and audio in September. It's been a whirlwind summer so far. I can also happily report that I have begun the sequel to the novel Passage to Zarahemla. The title right now is Escape From Zarahemla, but that could change. I hope to finish this book before the end of the year and turn it over to the publisher.

Much work. Never ends. But that's perfectly okay with me. :)

Chris Heimerdinger