In this newsletter:
- Hello!
- Space Hulk: Deathwing Competition
- Coming Soon - Azrael
- Short Story News - Shark Infested Worlds
- Newsletter Q&A
- Submission Alert - Zombie's Need Brains
- Blog Post Round-Up
- Upcoming Events
- Kickstarter - Ether Wars
- Hard Drive Hot List (or, What I'm Currently Writing)
- Bi-Monthly Competition Winner
Hello!
Christmas. A time for merriment, joy and goodwill. And deadlines. Seems like only a year ago that I wrote, ‘Whew! What a month! Nothing like an impending Christmas break and then some time in the New Year working on a new project to make the deadlines stack up! On top of that, there's the usual seasonal socialising and preparations eating into time and brainspace...’
Rinse and repeat for 2016!
I’m just finishing the typeset edit for Jain Zar – Storm of Silence, and I have the final chapters of Lorgar: Bearer of the Word to deliver before the end of the month. I’ve got an as-yet-unannounced audio series to write for Black Library in December, as well as putting together a couple of pitches for the 40K series and books I’ll be working on next year. Oh, and delivering my Cryptid Clash novella ‘Conquest of the Nu-world’.
Throw in some Christmas shopping, the annual Freelancers Xmas Do that I’ve been organising for the last few years, and ongoing design work and hobby for my demo game at ROBIN in February and that is pretty much all my time filled.
But before all of that, I'm really looking forward to attending Sledge-Lit in Derbytomorrow. The Edge-Lit events are lovely intimate affairs, where you can really get up close and personal at the panels, writing workshops and book launches (you can read some of my previous Edge-Lit event reports here). Do come and say hello if you're attending.
Space Hulk: Deathwing Competition
You might have already seen my competition to win Steam keys for Space Hulk: Deathwing (released on PC on 9th December), but if not, keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow as I'll be sending out a separate newsletter devoted to the game, with additional details of how newsletter subscribers can win a key AND a signed paperback of my latest Horus Heresy novel Angels of Caliban.
Coming Soon - Azrael
The limited edition Azrael is now available to pre-order, with copies shipping on 12th December (apologies for the error in the last newsletter - it incorrectly stated it was coming out next year).
It was certainly popular at Black Library Live! last weekend - my hand has just about recovered from all the signings (just in time for the 1,500 pages of Jain Zarlimited edition sheets I need to sign).
"The Dark Angels Chapter sprang from the First Legion of Space Marines to fight and die at the Emperor's side. But over ten thousand years, even the most staunchly loyal warriors of the Imperium can fall from grace, and the Dark Angels guard their own murky secrets most carefully - only Supreme Grand Master Azrael knows them all. A legend among Space Marines, he has fought for centuries and ever at the forefront of battle. Now, with the enigmatically alien eldar as his uneasy and unlikely allies, he must tread the fine line once more between the pursuit of victory, and keeping the Chapter's past safely buried..."
Exclusive to blacklibrary.com, the Limited Edition includes the following features:
- 192-page hardback novel encased in a magnetic presentation box
- Box artwork depicts Azrael and includes soft-touch lamination, spot UV and a lavish ribbon
- Novel includes soft-touch cover and marker ribbon
- Each copy is uniquely numbered from an edition of 1,000
...a 'lavish' ribbon no less.
If you're interested in reading more about Azrael, keep an eye on my blog in the next couple of weeks, as I've got my author's notes, a writing advice post (including the phrase " Codex Schmodex "), and a great interview with the cover artist Akim Kaliberda. You can already read an extract in this blog post, and hear my music playlist here.
Short Story News - Shark Infested Worlds
I've recently had two short stories accepted into anthologies. The first anthology, edited by Scott Harrison for Snowbooks, is called Frontier Worlds and chronicles "the turbulent events of humanity’s struggle for survival six hundred years in our future". My short story is called Hostile Takeover. You can read more about the anthology here, but I'll give more details nearer publication.
The second anthology, edited by Jonathan Green, is Sharkpunk 2. As well as my story Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus, it will also contain stories from fellow Black Library authors Guy Haley, David Guymer and Josh Reynolds. It will be coming to Kickstarter in 2017, so expect my social media channels to be peppered with pictures like the one above.
Newsletter Q&A
Connor replied to the last newsletter (in reference to the Ride The Star Wind submissions opportunity): Thank you for giving us information on the submission window. However I was just wondering if you have any tips for writing space opera, since I’ve never heard of it before now.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the badge 'space opera' - it really means sci-fi that is about space-faring, colonised worlds, interstellar travel, possibly with aliens; rather than something set on Earth, near-future, small scale. So big on ideas, adventure, world-building. It could be 'hard' and realistic or more toward the fantastical but it should be a world-hopping story.
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 a 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 November.
! Submission Alert !
This time I'm providing details of THREE submission opportunities. Zombies Need Brains recently ran a successful Kickstarter to fund three anthologies, entitled All Hail Our Robot Conquerors!, Submerged, and The Death Of All Things.
Several authors are already on board, including Aliette de Bodard, Juliet E. McKenna and Seanan McGuire, but there are several additional slots available through an open submissions process.
They are paying 6 cents per word for short stories of no more than 7,500 words. The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2016, so you'll need to get cracking.
If you need help with your submission, have a look at the writing advice section on my website, which gives lots of top-tips, as well as in-depth blogs on topics such as narrative, action, and pacing.
Blog Post Round-Up
Following the publication of The Thirteenth Wolf earlier this month, I published a few related blogs you may have missed:
There's also an interview with Forge the Narrative, and my review of the board game La Granja.
Upcoming Events
- 5th February, Horus Heresy Weekender, Nottingham
- November 2017 (date TBC), Black Library Weekender
Do come and say 'hello' if you are attending these events (and feel free to bring any books you'd like me to sign).
Kickstarter - Ether Wars
I’m always a sucker for cool dice – what gamer isn’t – so this Kickstarter for Ether Wars, "a sci-fi strategic dice rolling game" has caught my eye.
It looks like some very nice production has gone into Ether Wars, as well as the design and mechanics being very intriguing. And the pledge levels couldn’t be simpler – there’s only one (two, if you count the Spanish edition), for which you get the game for 39 Euros - which gives me confidence that Burning Games will be delivering in a timely fashion and aren’t going to over-promise with lots of add-ons and stretch goals that will delay delivery...
One of the most common questions I get asked is "What are you working on?", so here's my (sorry, sometimes cryptic) list of works in progress, plus future releases.
Hard Drive Hot List
- Primarchs Series - Lorgar (Black Library)
- Frontier Worlds - Hostile Takeover (Snowbooks)
- Cryptid Clash - Conquest of the Nu-world: Ban-manush versus Buru (18th Wall Productions)
- Phoenix Lords - Jain Zar (Black Library)
- Sharkpunk 2 - Peregrinus Cibus Cedimus (Snow Books)
- 40k Space Wolves (Black Library)
- Scrape To Victory (Black Library)
- Vengeance of the Immortal (Black Library)
- Horus Heresy - Grey Raven (Black Library Advent Story)
- Horus Heresy - Valerius (Black Library Advent Audio)
Bi-Monthly Competition Winner
All subscribers to my mailing list are entered into the bi-monthly draw to win a personalised, signed copy of one of my books. This month's winner is [redacted on orders from the Imperium] from the USA, who will receive a signed copy of my Horus Heresy audio drama, The Thirteenth Wolf. The next winner, to be picked in January, will receive a copy of The Darker Road - a companion audio drama to Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan.
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