The Kenobi concept art by Chris Scalf.

The age of Twitter and blogging is awesome, if only because it allows authors direct contact with their readers. This week, several Expanded Universe authors have given updates on their upcoming novels. To the jump!

James S.A. Corey:

Ty Franck, one half of the writing team behind Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War, recently discussed progress on the Han installment in the Rebels series. Franck says:

Ground has been broken on the Star Wars novel. An outline has been approved, and chapters are being typed. Things I’ve learned so far: It is important to know ahead of time how you will handle Chewie talking, the Star Wars universe has instantaneous communication and nearly instantaneous travel but space is STILL big enough to hide things, hyperspace is how you get away from badguys but jumping through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops kid, and Leia is the brains of the operation. If someone has a good idea, it’s Leia. Han is always always always wrong when he makes a plan or predicts the future, but man does he improvise gracefully. More robots. Always more robots.

I can’t say I disagree with that assessment! There’s been no official word on when the Han novel takes place or when it will be released, but I’m guessing some time in 2014. (via)

KENOBI: 

Yesterday, John Jackson Miller tweeted the following:

After seven years rattling in my brain, the last word of KENOBI is on paper. Rounds of revision to come, but the feeling now is beyond joy.

— John Jackson Miller (@jjmfaraway) January 16, 2013

Congratulations to Miller on finishing the first draft! I, for one, can’t wait to read it. Kenobi is scheduled for release in late 2013. (Random aside, I really hope they don’t change the name!)

Martha Wells:

This morning Martha Wells posted an update on the Leia novel in the Rebels series. Of note:

• Wells also finished her first draft yesterday, and will spend the next few days tweaking it before sending it to Del Rey on Friday.
• There’s no title yet. Wells gave the editor several suggestions and is “waiting for someone to come up with something else or decide one of those is wonderful and convince everyone else of it.”
• She doesn’t know when it will be out – perhaps at the end of the year. Stay tuned for more updates.
• She’s not sure how much she can reveal about the plot, so she’ll let the blurb writers do that for her.
• About 75-80 percent of the novel is from Leia’s point of view.
• It takes place two years after A New Hope.

Personally, I think that’s a fantastic time for a Leia novel and hope the other novels in the series stick to that time frame, since we already have Zahn’s novels set so close to A New Hope.