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An essay by Editor Anne Sowards on Jim Butcher's, Small Favor

I've been working with Jim Butcher since 2003, and I have to say that he is a skilled writer, has a fantastic sense of humor (where do you think Harry Dresden gets all his jokes, anyway?), and genuinely cares about people. That's why it's been so exciting to be a small part of his success.

The Sci-Fi channel TV show based on the books, 'The Dresden Files', premiered last year when Jim was writing Small Favor. Suddenly, the sales for his books skyrocketed and the demands on his time soared. He needed to juggle writing and promoting the books with promoting the TV show, and Jim, being a nice guy who loves to connect with his fans, never wants to disappoint anyone. So the next few months were challenging, to say the least!

But hey, how can you resist when the Sci-Fi channel asks you to go to New York Comic-Con? I got to sit between Jim and Paul Blackthorne, the star of the TV show, during the screening of an upcoming episode at that convention, and even that small brush with fame was pretty heady. Contrast that with Jim being one of the Sci-fi channel's guests at a dinner that essentially included Harry Dresden (aka Paul Blackthorne), Number Six (aka Tricia Helfer) and Gaius Baltar (aka James Callis)!

But Jim cares so much about his readers and his writing that he didn't let all this attention distract him from creating the best book he could. When the manuscript for Small Favor came in, I read it in a day and enjoyed every bit of it. People sometimes ask me how much I do when I edit Jim's books and honestly, not very much. Jim has always been a clean writer, and his manuscripts are polished and professional. Small Favor is no exception—and more's the point, what happens will knock readers' socks off! We've been waiting since Summer Knight for Mab to call in another of the favors Harry owes her, and that (as well as—spoiler alert—the return of the Denarians and mob boss Johnny Marcone) awaits in the pages of Small Favor. (Don't hate me because I already got to read it . . .)