Okay, I've put this off long enough. Time to get real. For those
of you who are into the new DS9 novels, I have both Good News
and—yes, you guessed it—Bad News.

First, THE BAD NEWS.

I'm sorry to have to report that UNITY is being delayed again.
The truth is, quite simply, that it isn't finished yet, and it
won't be ready to publish in April as the author and I had hoped
back when I announced the first postponement. Instead, it will
publish in November, 2003, and will close out our DS9 tenth
anniversary celebration rather than opening it as originally planned.

There are several reasons for these delays, which I was reluctant to
discuss earlier because they involve some personal issues, but the
author and I have agreed that those of you looking forward to UNITY
deserve to know the truth.

First, the project was started late. Author S.D. Perry (or Danelle,
as she likes to be called) was ready to dive into UNITY right after
she finished Rising Son almost a year ago. Unfortunately, she was
delayed by my inability to devote adequate attention to the project
while I worked on Mission: Gamma, which by itself was a long and
complex series to edit.

But even though we got off to a late start, UNITY could have actually
made its original January, '03 pub date, if not for two wonderful
but complicating coincidences.

The first was that my wife became pregnant.

The second was that Danelle became pregnant.

What are the odds, right?

So…There we were, each with children on the way and both
experiencing a work slowdown because of our changing circumstances.
That's when we decided to move the book to April '03, giving,
we thought, the extra time Danelle would need to wrap things up
before her baby was due.

But you know kids—sometimes they catch you by surprise.

Danelle's baby was born a month earlier than expected, and before
she could finish work on the novel. I'm happy to report that
baby and mother were both fine despite the premature delivery, but it
shattered any hope we had of getting UNITY out in April, especially
when my wife gave birth not long after.

That brings us to where we are now. Danelle is adjusting to
motherhood, and has eased back into writing. My attention is no
longer as divided as it had been. In short, UNITY is at last slowly
being completed, and you can now look forward to reading it in
November.

That strikes me as a good place to segue into…


THE GOOD NEWS

I'm happy to be able to announce the tentative list of
contributors to this year's previously announced Deep Space Nine
anniversary anthology, PROPHECY AND CHANGE:

Christopher L. Bennett (SCE: Aftermath)
Elizabeth Braswell (first published Star Trek story)
Keith R.A. Decandido (DS9: Demons of Air and Darkness)
Heather Jarman (DS9: This Gray Spirit)
Jeffrey Lang (DS9: Abyss)
Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels (DS9: Cathedral)
Una McCormack (first published Star Trek story)
Terri Osborne (first published Star Trek story)
Andrew J. Robinson (DS9: A Stitch in Time)
Kevin G. Summers (DS9: "Isolation Ward 4," from Strange New Worlds IV)

Remember, this contributor list is still tentative and subject to
change. As already announced, the stories in this collection will
span the entire of length of DS9's seven television seasons, and
beyond. PROPHECY AND CHANGE will be published in September.


MORE GOOD NEWS

I'm also pleased to announce that the post-finale Deep Space Nine
novels will continue beyond UNITY. As part of the continuing effort
to diversify this line of fiction, 2004 will see the publication of
WORLDS OF DEEP SPACE NINE, a staggered miniseries of three double
novels focusing on the different planets and peoples showcased in the
DS9 saga. Each standalone story will immerse readers in a different
alien culture while at the same time tying directly into the
continuing storyline
of the post-finale DS9 novels.

Utilizing a different author for each story, the books will each
contain two novellas (similar to THE BADLANDS and THE BRAVE AND THE
BOLD), focusing on two worlds in each volume. The civilizations
visited in these stories will include Bajor, Cardassia, The Dominion,
Ferenginar, Trill, and Andor, with emphasis on established characters
connected to those cultures.

Although an exact schedule for WORLDS OF DEEP SPACE NINE is still to
be determined, the current plan is to publish one volume
approximately every three or four months beginning in 2004.
Contributing authors to be announced.

And maybe I'll even manage to publish them on time. :o :D

Marco