- Hello!
- Angels of Caliban
- Kickstarter - Armoured Syndicate
- Blog Post Round-Up
- Book Signings and Events
- June Q&A
- Bi-Monthly Competition
Hello!
At the time of writing (put forward due to a short break at the end of the month) I am in the ‘between projects’ mode of being a writer. Everything is lining up for the promotion of Angels of Caliban release (which will be old news by the time you read this, I’m sure you have bought it already, right?) and I have odd jobs to do, such as writing bits for this newsletter.
It is the eye of the passing storm, because on Monday it all kicks off again. I have had the thumbs-up from the editors on my plans for my next Phoenix Lords novelJain Zar – Storm of Silence so that will be started next week (it’s Friday, by the way). On top of that, July is a busy month for upcoming releases: a new Age of Sigmar book that includes a short story from me; a hardback release of an old title; a paperback release of a Horus Heresy anthology with one of my stories; myCatechism of Hate novella appearing in a paperback edition of a collection... and the arrival of book 8 in The Beast Arises: The Beast Must Die.
That’s what being a career writer is all about. Titles on the shelf, back catalogue still on sale. Only for a few that rare one-book-a-year success, and even for those bestseller authors a hefty proportion of their time is taken up with promotion. As what would be considered a mid-list author in publishing circles, I have the twin task of having to continually generate new work whilst pushing as hard as possible to maximise sales of existing.
And I am in the really fortunate position that a) Black Library would have me spend 24 hours a day working on projects for them if I allowed them to and, b) Black Library continually release and re-release material in many different formats.
So although I’ll be away from the house for a two week holiday soon, I’ll not be away from the work. As well as the aforementioned novel and marketing, I have to slip in a new Horus Heresy audio story (just a short one, 3,000 words) and an original SF story on the theme of colonising space.
Best get on with it then, hadn’t I?
Angels of Caliban
If you keep up-to-date on my blog, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you should already know that there is a wealth of resources for Angels of Caliban on my website. But in case you've missed anything, here's a comprehensive list of what's available, with links:
- The story so far (warning - contains spoilers!)
- What is Angels of Caliban actually about?
- Toons of Caliban - the music playlist I used while writing Angels of Caliban
- Read an extract
- Links to interviews I've given, that discuss Angels of Caliban
- An interview with Horus Heresy artist Neil Roberts
Still to come are my Author's Notes (looking at the six main themes of my brief for the book), a round-up of Dark Angels related blog posts, and a writing advice blog about how to write a self-contained narrative in a series.
"With the Dark Angels spread across a hundred systems, primarch Lion El’Jonson stands as Lord Protector of Ultramar – though his true motives are known to few indeed, and old rivalries on the home world threaten to tear the Legion in half. But when word comes of the Night Lords’ attack on Sotha, the Lion’s brutal actions bring Imperium Secundus once again to the brink of civil war. Not even the most fearsome warriors of the Dreadwing, nor any arcane secret of the Order, can guarantee victory if he sets himself against his loyal brothers. "
Available to order in hardback, eBook and MP3.
Kickstarter
Armoured Syndicate from Megaton Games is a post-apocalypse skirmish game with some lovely designs. The rules have been created by my friend Mark Latham. You may remember him as White Dwarf editor, or his recent novel The Lazarus Gate. He worked with Warhammer Historical – Legends of the Old West and Trafalgar - and recently on Marvel Universe Miniature Game, The Walking Dead, and a couple of titles for the growing Osprey range of games...
Blog Post Round-Up
Now then, what have I blogged about this month that isn't Angels of Caliban related...
Well why not fill the time you'd usually spend here, listening to an interview with HeelanHammer, where we discuss the pleasures of miniatures gaming in 2016, working for Games Workshop ‘back in the day’, the coming of the Age of Sigmar and, of course, my Warbeastnovel (including a chat about the Queen of the Peaks and how I see the relationship with the World that Was).
Upcoming Events
- 23rd July (10.30-12.30) Book Signing, GW Burton on Trent
- 23rd July (2.30-4.30) Book Signing, GW Leicester
Competition Alert!
Advance notice for my lovely newsletter subscribers. I had such a laugh with your entries for The Emperor Expects... competition, that I'll be running another one in July to celebrate the launch of The Beast Must Die, book eight in The Beast Arises series.
Keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for all the details, but get your thinking caps on for what The Beast Must...
Newsletter Q&A
John asked via the newsletter: I had a question, when writing a Warhammer story, how much stuff do you have to know on your own and how much support does Black Library provide? For example, if you wanted to describe some sort of complicated system or item that may or may not exist in the fiction do you have to know that yourself or can you ask BL "does this sort of thing exist already and if so, what is the correct terminology?"
Regarding your question, it really depends on the story. With Warbeast, for example, I knew nothing! Age of Sigmar was so new I had to learn everything from scratch. With my latest novel sent to the editors, Azrael, I didn't need any extra material at all as I have been writing about Dark Angels for some time and already had a PDF of the latest Codex. That tends to be the main research requirement – the latest iteration of the rules and background. Army lists get troops types added, new wargear appears and characterful abilities can change; events appear in the timeline and some characters, or battles and other areas of history, might get expanded upon in different ways.If you've got a basic grounding in the universe and the particular factions involved (you know the difference between the Administratum and the Imperial Guard...) the editors can provide more detailed materials in the form of stories, novels and GW or Forge World books to round out your knowledge in a particular area.
If you want to ask a question, just reply to the newsletter and I'll get back to you as soon as my schedule allows. I'll pick the best question to go in the next newsletter, and combine them all into a blog post for the website. Click the button below for the full Q&A round-up for June.
Bi-Monthly Competition
One of the perks of subscribing to my mailing list is that you get entered into the bi-monthly draw to win a personalised, signed copy of one of my books. The next draw will take place in July, and the winner will receive a hardback copy of my first Horus Heresy novel, Deliverance Lost.
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