…and ends in bloody vengeance!
Available through Sword and Sorcery Magazine is my latest published story, In the Shadow of the Gibbet.
A change of pace for me from my usual horror short stories, In the Shadow of the Gibbet is a sword and sorcery tale – a bit of passion and action and lots of sword fights in a gladiatorial arena.
Fantasy is my first love and it was very refreshing to be able to write this one and see it find a home.
Check the story out and leave a comment here.
Until next time…
Sometime last year I was thrilled to be invited by Mark West, Neil Williams and Stephen Bacon, the creators of Ill at Ease, a UK anthology, to contribute to their second volume.
My story, Masks, will join other stories by Shaun Hamilton, Stephen Bacon, Val Walmsley, Sheri White, Mark West and Neil Williams.
The final touches are being made to the anthology, which will be made available as a book and e-book.
The stunning cover art is reproduced here.
I’ll post ordering information when it becomes available.
Radio silence has finally been broken.
On the writing front – nothing positive to report. My story with Rogue Blades entertainment’s Assassins anthology has gone south as the anthology won’t be released due to a variety of reasons I’m cool with. Well, sort of cool with, but that’s the publishing game, isn’t it?
I sent four stories out in January and all were rejected. The positive thing was they were swift rejections, so I can farm them out to the next publishers on the list.
I’ve one story that’s definitely coming out in a new anthology I’ve mentioned before. All the stories are in, and we’ve all seen the cover (which I’ll reproduce here when I’m able to). Quite excited about this as each story has something to offer the reader and the standard is impressive.
On other fronts – been reading more this year than I did last year. Think I’ve finished close to ten books and happily none of them crap. I noted in an earlier post the number of books I had to abandon last year (books with good reputations) because the standard of writing was in my opinion crap. I don’t speak as a struggling writer crapping all over those who’ve made it, but as a reader of genre fiction since the early 1980s who knows what is good, and what is bad.
Weekends are book buying opportunities, always from charity shops as you can get amazing bargains for quality titles. Picked up two excellent crime novels by Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) and Andrew Vachss – stripped down tales with grim protagonists – great stuff. Some other books to flog on ebay, and some non-fiction books looking at the GFC.
As a tangent, I listen to a lot of podcasts – The Bugle, Film Sack, Blue Box Podcast, Speculate – all entertaining in their own way and worth tracking down.
Hopefully I’ll have something more positive to report vis a vis publishing. Until then…
One hour and twenty-two minutes to go, so here’s he obligatory end of year wrap.
Basically, a slow 2012 publishing wise. I had 3-4 stories published, with one accepted which will see the light of day in 2013 in the e-anthology, Ill at Ease 2. I was very pleased to have a story in Dark Minds Press anthology, ‘Darker Minds’, which featured a number of very, very good established writers and some sharp up and comers.
Biggest highlight was beginning and finishing a fantasy novel – something I’ve dreamed of doing for over twenty years. And in the end, surprisingly, not that difficult to do (well, hindsight is a wonderful thing – sometimes getting the words out was like sifting through my brain with a pair of tongs!) but I got there.
Still waiting for several stories to see the light of day despite acceptances from some time ago. The Lighthouse was meant to come out from Estronomicon Press in 2011! Blood Fire from Rogue Blades Entertainment also from 2011 and Tropic of Cancer from Black House Comics but not sign yet. Fingers crossed for all of them.
Not much planned for 2013, though I intend having a crack at another novel, editing the crap out of my first effort, and some more short fiction writing.
See you all on the other side!
…if only!
I was tagged by Stephen Bacon, a UK horror writer on the ascendant, who has been fantastically supportive of my writing efforts, for the Next Big Thing networked blog interviews series Here’s what I had to say:
1) What is the working title of your next book?
I haven’t really sat down to think about the title of the book I’ve written. At the moment, the placeholder name is The Desert Kingdoms. Since it’s a very, very rough completed first draft, an actual title at this time might be a bit too fancy!
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
The Eastern Roman Empire has fascinated me since I read Lord Norwich’s three-volume popular history of it during the 1990s. The setting – roughly analogous to the regions around Palestine – gives plenty of scope for a different type of fantasy, away from the almost clichéd medieval European setting (which I love, I have to say). I wanted a story of contrasts, of different, clashing cultures forced to work together against a common enemy. My two protagonists are at opposite ends of the spectrum, emblematic of their two peoples, and having to overcome prejudice to work for the common good. Plus I wanted to have lots of fights with swords!
3) What genre does your book fall under?
It’ll be a fantasy. I wrote the book without many fantastical elements, because I wanted to get the story down. Adding in these elements will change the story somewhat, but the overall shape of the book will remain the same.
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Angelina Jolie for the female lead – dark, smouldering looks. As for the male, I’ve based him on a footballer named Jay Schulz who plays in the main league here in Australia, the AFL. Tall, rangy, with a short beard and knows is way around a sword…err, football!
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
At the crossroads of Empire, an exiled son is forced to work with his father’s sworn enemy and topple a conspiracy that threatens to enslave all who live in the City.
That’s more or less accurate (and actually sounds better than the actual novel!)
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is still in a very rough shape. I’d love to get it published as a physical book, but to be frank, it’s likely never to see the light of day.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
About four months – I wrote every day, except for a three-week period towards the end when my enthusiasm started to wane. At 72000 words, it’s the longest story I’ve ever written.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
At the moment, it’s more historical than fantasy, so in some ways, it’s inspired by what Guy Kay has done with his fantasy tinged pseudo historicals. There have been some recent fantasy novels taking advantage of a Middle Eastern setting, like Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon – that’s more fantasy than mine is at the moment. By the way, his is a great book and well worth reading.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Ego. Pure and simple. I’ve always wanted to do so, been too lazy, then finally got my act together and just did it. Remarkably, it worked!
10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Clash of personalities, a hint of romance, political intrigue, power politics, lots of sword fighting, and an exotic setting all mashed into 72000 words.
A story of mine, Tropic of Cancer, will hopefully be released this side of Christmas from Black House Comics. It’s slated for release in the anthology comic/magazine, After the World.
I wrote this story at the beginning of 2011. Done the rounds a couple of times, but I’m glad it’s found a home with an Australian publisher. Whenever it comes out. At a newsagency near you.
From Exaggerated Press comes this little magazine, Wordland 2. My story, Home Sweet Home, is one of the dozen or so in it. Very pleased to be part of this – had to write to a tight word count which meant reining in my usual verbosity. Available for free on the site, or you can get e-copies or (gasp!) buy a paper version.
