Mysteries to Secrets
I always enjoy finishing a book. There is no ritual I perform when this happens - maybe because even when a book is finished it isn't finished. There are still potential delays. Proofs to be reviewed, mishaps at the printer, and various other events that can "open" the project again. Even with all of those potential calamities, there is a sense of completion when looking at the final galley. Or even more so when the book is shipped off to the printer.
It so happens that Secrets of Morocco (formerly Mysteries of Morocco) is at the printer. In a previous post I mentioned the difference between the two "editions" of the book. Nothing much has changed since then. The book is still set in Morocco (this is a relief otherwise the title would make no sense), and it has plenty of information about the history of the nation from its early days as a Roman outpost through the 1930s. There is one thing that I didn't elaborate on previously, and that is the inclusion of some Pulp Cthulhu content. This material can be used by Call of Cthulhu players, or by Pulp Cthulhu players. At the very least, the Pulp Cthulhu content should offer a sneak peek into the upcoming Pulp Cthulhu book.
All that is left to do now is wait...
6 comments:
Even the name Morocco whispers of mysteries, secrets, exotics. I had a dream not long ago that took place in a future Morocco, which looked much like the current one except for the giant winged dragonflies that we rode.
No ritual? You mean you don't open a bottle of Dom Perignon and treat yourself to a single cigarette like Paul Sheldon in MISERY?
My compliments on the new cover design. It is a noticeable improvement over the previous mock-up.
-Jeff
Charles - That sounds like a possible story. I've spent so much time researching Morocco (again) that I can't help but picture the dream as a story.
Jeff - Nope, no ritual. I don't smoke, and champaign goes straight to my head. Sometimes I go out to dinner if the project has been particularly rough.
Really, the book is never really done until it is in bookstores, and then you're finding the things you'd like to change. :) In MISERY, Paul Sheldon had the great luck of typing the last sentence of the manuscript and "boom!" it was finished. I guess he had no editing, no editors, no galleys, no proofs, no layout, no revisions. That is the writer to be.
And thanks for the good words about the cover. The mock-up had the old Call of Cthulhu logo, so it filled up the top part of the art. This one is thin, so the space is free. However, as I did art direction with Malcolm on the cover, and I had this endless list of minor details to include, I regret that now the bottom of the altar is not clearly visible, and all of the work he put into the glyphs tends to vanish.
Nonetheless, I think it is a grand cover - the work of Charlie Krank at Chaosium.
William, maybe Chaosium can sell the cover art as a poster? That way fans can better appreciate the details. I would think there might be some customers for that. When I was a teenager I had a framed Iron Maiden poster on my wall!
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/
Iron-Maiden-Trooper-Posters_i1251103_.htm
-Jeff
Everyone needs a ritual. Dammit. Me? I like to sit in a corner and pretend to be rational for as long as possible. My personal best is ten minutes.
Jeff - Good idea! But I think the artist is already selling signed prints.
Stewart - Maybe my ritual is no-ritual. Does that count? I like the time out option as well.
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