In the past ten years I can name, on one hand, the authors/books I've been waiting to be published domestically (that did not have to be translated).  Somehow they're all Australian.

1) Isobelle Carmody 
Back in 2000 I found Carmody's first three"Obernewtyn" novels that had been published in America from Tor Books (Obernewtyn, The Farseekers and Ashling).  At the time I thought that was all there was to the series, since brick and mortar booksellers had no idea what I was talking about.  Somewhere in 2002 I discovered a fourth book, called The Seeking Place had been published, but to my dismay it was very, very expensive online.  It would be another two years before I realized it wasn't a domestic release, that it was being imported and the publisher told me that soon the sequels would be released in America.

Sometime in 2007 I learned of the re-release of the previous 3 books and the release dates for books 4-6 (The Keeping Place, Wavesong and The Stone Key) and sometime in 2009 I found out the release dates for the finale two books, 7-8 (The Sending and The Red Queen).  Far as I know the series (which is only 6 books long in Australia, the American Publisher having decided to break up two of the books into shorter novels) is complete there for at least a year.

The final two books were moved from mid-2010 releases (April I think) to November 2011 release dates in America.

2) Glenda Larke
I read Glenda's previous trilogy, "The Isles of Glory" (The Aware, Gilfeather and The Tainted) about three years ago and enjoyed the books immensely (well technically I need to re-read The Tainted.  Long story).  Eagerly I went searching for more books, but turned up none (for some reason her second trilogy, "The Mirage Makers" did not turn up).  However I did turn up a snippet of a post about her new trilogy, "Stormlord".  I filed the information away for later, routinely making searches online about it.  At some point I stumbled on her blog (Tropic Temper) and began to shamelessly stalk that.

In August of 2009 she posted about reading the first book, The Last Stormlord, for free online () and impatiently I waited for its release in America come March 2010 (from one of my favorite pubs Orbit).  Book 2, Stormlord Rising, is out in Aussieland already, but isn't due out until August in America.  It was not released on line for me to devour sadly.

3) John Marsden
This is actually a weirder instance.  I only recently found out about this books (early 2009), by accident while searching for something about another author (who's name I now forget).  The series I like, "Tomorrow, When the War Came" is available in America fully as is its sequel companion series "The Ellie Chronicles".  Actually I think most of, if not all, his books are available except the one I really, really want:  Marsden on Marsden: The stories behind John Marsden's bestselling books.  I don't remember how I learned of it, but it became my obsession for weeks.  


You have to understand, Marsden on Marsden is my idea of *fun* reading, I love it when authors analyze and discuss their works at signings and events.  And since I would never make it to Aussieland this was the next best thing.  I needed to have it.  Point in fact I imported the book (cost $22) since I knew it would never be published in America.

4) Kylie Chan 
Kylie is especially hard for me.  I found out about her from a blog friend's post (Tez Says) in late 2008 and wanted to have her like bad (the author's books that is).  Despite weeks of fruitless searching I couldn't find anywhere to buy the books at a not going to kill my budget, so I dejectedly decided to stalk the author's blog, Tez's blog (not that I wasn't already...) and put out a google alert for any mention at all.  I'm kind of patient, so I was hoping for good news.  November 6th 2009 produced good news!

An imprint of HarperCollins, Angry Robot, would be publishing the books for the US/UK markets!  First in the UK, then in the US, but that's okay.  I would get to read them without losing a kidney!!  Excitedly I waited, and waited and waited.  I made a special countdown calendar for the US release and a mini one for the UK release.  I received the arc for the first book (after months of campaigning, politely), White Tiger, read it in under half a day and .  I had all 3 books on order from Amazon, with back-up orders on Book Depository.  There was no way my plan could fail!

Except at some point my pre-orders were canceled (Amazon has a nasty habit of canceling my pre-orders without telling me.) and I was left without a clue.  Until an e-mail from Angry Robot a few days ago detailed their leave-taking from HarperCollins to move to Osprey House (read press release here).  Oh but they weren't taking Kylie with them.  But there was slight hope!   back that Voyager UK was getting the rights.  And then sadly my lovely friend Tez ruined all my hopes with a tweet to the blog link from Kylie about the fact there was no current plans for US release.  Well they will hopefully be published by Voyager UK, though if they are like their cousins in the AUS branch, I shan't be disappointed.

On the bright side this means if they are published in the UK I can then order them from Book Depository.  Which I'm forever grateful for towards.  On the darker side, Kylie's fourth book about Emma and Co. was recently released in Aussieland--with book 5 well on its way to publication and book 6 being there as well.  I really want these books.  Yes, its partly obsession at this point, but I want to know what happens to Emma. I want to know what happens with Mr. Chen.  And Bai Hui.  And everything else.  I am usually such a patient person, but I was so excited...

Do you have any books like that?  Foreign books you have waited and waited to be published in America, or if you're not from America, books from America you wish were published locally for your benefit?  Books that you wish were translated?