Into the Stars

We're so excited to share with you the cover for Michael Blake's first new work of fiction in ten years, Into the Stars.

Into the Stars is a novel very close to our hearts. It follows young Ledyard Dixon, a soldier during the Great War, who gets trapped behind enemy lines. Stunned by the violence around him, his humanity is awakened when he stumbles across an abandoned cavalry horse. Both of them are battle-scarred and fearful, but together they discover peace and friendship despite the danger that surrounds. As Ledyard gradually finds his way back to the Allied side, he faces the choice between continuing as a soldier and seeking the safety of solitude. The novel is very much a character study of a man weary, not only of the war, but of the world itself. His horse becomes his only solace, an untainted partner in his search for beauty and peace despite the horrors of humanity. 

This historical novel paints a vivid portrait of the First World War, but in every respect is a novel for our time. We look forward to sharing it with you on July 19th. We are confident you'll love it as much as we do.

The Holy Road

When Michael Blake's first novel, Dances With Wolves, came to a close, there was a suggestion of things to come. The characters - the indomitable John Dunbar, Kicking Bird, Wind In His Hair, Stands With A Fist, and the rest - all seemed to have unfinished business of some kind or other. There was a longing, in those final lines, for that to truly be the end of their story, for all to stay just as it was in the conclusion. But history tells a different story.

As does The Holy Road. Here, Michael Blake continues the tragic narrative of the Comanche people. Unlike the first novel, this story follows multiple characters in the Native American tribe with equal commitment. In this way, the novel stands entirely on its own, recounting with haunting clarity the last days of a beautiful people, and the choices they make when faced with the soulless imprisonment of the reservation - or certain extinction.

We are excited to offer you the new edition of this Native American epic, scheduled for release in July of this year.

The Ones Who Write

We've been talking to our authors a lot lately. Perhaps not more than usual, as we usually talk to them a great deal, but lately we've been reminded of how important it is to share with you the sort of people they are. We'll be featuring a few of our author's biographies here over the course of the next few weeks, just one or two paragraph snippets to tell you a little about them.

The first is the ever-incredible Michael Blake. We have stayed with Michael on his Arizona ranch, met him for Italian food in Santa Monica after a Hollywood documentary interview, and chatted with him on the phone about everything from his novels to his zoo of peculiar animals. We were introduced to Michael in a circuitous way through Charlie Redner, every writer's favorite advocate and Southern California poet (take a look at his website and be sure to check out his regular literary journal, The Hummingbird Review).

Michael Blake began his writing career developing screenplays in Los Angeles. After discussing a new idea for a historical film with Kevin Costner, the budding actor encouraged Michael to write the story as a novel, concerned that as a script the story would never reach the screen. The novel, Dances With Wolves, immediately became a number one New York Times bestseller. Michael Blake went on to receive an Academy Award for his screenplay, and has been writing novels and film scripts ever since.

In 2001, the sequel to Dances With Wolves, a historical novel depicting the disappearance of the Native Americans from the free plains, was released under the title The Holy Road. Unfortunately, the novel debuted on September 11th, and was largely overlooked until ZOVA Books acquired the rights. The rerelease of The Holy Road, as well as a brand new WWI novel from Michael Blake, are scheduled for release this summer. Michael currently lives on a ranch outside Tucson, where he cares and advocates for wounded horses, especially the swiftly dwindling American Mustang. He's also still writing, which is certainly good news for all of us.