Life in a Northern Town

Rachel Hartman's debut novel Seraphina is out tomorrow, July 10th. I probably sound like a hopeless shill saying this about a book I haven't read and know nothing about except that it's got dragons in it, but I have every confidence that it's going to be awesome. I know Rachel from back in her (and my) small-press-comic days, and she writes fantasy that's very real and human and believable -- she has a great ear for dialogue, a wonderful sense of humor, and a way of writing about people that makes them feel like people, no matter the crazy situations they find themselves in. She writes the sort of fantasy in which people get mud on their shoes and worry about what's for supper -- fantasy that people live in -- and after seeing what she does with comics, I'm looking forward very much to seeing her writing talent spread out in a novel-sized tapestry.