No Poetry In Death

So, it’s been out for a little while now, but No Poetry In Death is probably my favourite of the stories I’ve written for Everquest Next so far – I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. Normally I finish a story, whether it’s a five thousand word short or a novel, and no matter how much editing I do, there’s always the nagging doubts. Could it have been better? Is it ANY good? Is it too late to burn it and pretend nothing ever happened? Part of that is down to the way stories tend to develop a bit of a mind of their own as you write, and end up taking you down some alleyways that may lead to greatness, but more often and not lead to dead ends. With No Poetry In Death, the story came out more or less as I’d originally planned…so while that’s not to say it couldn’t be better, it was enough for me to be able to send it on its way and get started on the next one. More on that soon, but if you haven’t checked this one out, just click on the cover image – and thanks to everyone out there who’s given me an always welcome pat on the back from time to time over my two years of writing for EQN!

Missing: Thirty-Something Author

It’s been a busy few months. That’s about the best excuse I can come up for the ridiculous gap between posts! What have you missed? Well, there was The Arch Mage, Part Two, naturally. And there was The Razor’s Edge. Both of those EQ Next stories can be found through the links on the right – free as always. I did a bit of work on a fantasy project that didn’t quite work out, but took a bit more time than I’d expected – wasted time, as it turned out, but all good practice (so they tell me). And I’ve begun working in earnest on the sequel to Wrathful Skies. Over the next few months my schedule is going to allow me a bit more flexibility and writing time than usual, and I’m hoping that will translate to a blast of creative production…though with another EQN story on the way and more in the pipeline, new material is guaranteed no matter how “busy” I get with other stuff!

Thanks, 2013…It’s Been Emotional…

The last few hours of a fantastic 2013 are upon me, a year that’s seen the release of Wrathful Skies as well as two Everquest Next novellas, plus author appearances at San Diego Comic Con, Las Vegas Comic Con and SOE Live. What’s coming up in 2014? Lots, I hope. As well as hitting various UK shows and book signings and being far more regular in my updates on this website, there will be the final (?) Coralen Larkos story for Everquest Next early in the year, then a Lovecraft-inspired K Department novella around Easter, and hopefully, finally, the Wrathful Skies sequel towards the end of the year…

If I believed in New Year’s resolutions, I’d say my NYR for this year is to be prolific – but as I don’t, I’ll just content myself with saying thanks for coming along on this journey with me, and Happy New Year!

The Long Wait is Over…Wrathful Skies Released Today!

Mage of the Teir`Dal – An Everquest Next Lore Novella

Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know that I am one of a handful of writers working on Everquest Next lore for Sony Online Entertainment. It’s a huge honour, and in an industry where rejection letters (polite or otherwise) can sometimes seem the norm, it’s always wonderful to get that sort of validation of your writing! About three months ago, SOE published the first story, The Fall of Bastion, and it got some pretty nice reviews. Yesterday they released my prequel, Mage of the Teir`Dal, and hopefully the EQ Next fanbase will appreciate it too! As with all the lore novellas, it’s available for free download as an e-book from their website. Both my stories are roughly 20,000 words, but there’s a few shorter pieces in there too from the near-legendary Maxwell Alexander Drake. Enjoy!

www.everquestnext.com/media

Judging A Book By Its Cover

Everyone has read a book where the cover promised the Earth, and the story just couldn’t live up to it.  What about the flip side, though? What about books that looked truly awful, but turned out to be fantastic?  I’m guessing most people have read less of those, because let’s be honest, when you pick up a novel in a bookstore or a library and your first reaction is to vomit blood and pray for death…well, chances are you won’t buy that book, and you will never know if it was a hidden masterpiece or not. 

Naturally I hope Wrathful Skies will be hailed as an instant classic, be loved by generations to come, and generally sell enough copies for me to buy the Moon…but if it isn’t, it certainly won’t be because of the cover art.  I really can’t overstate how pleased I am with it.  The artist?  Lars Grant-West, who in addition to being a renowned fantasy artist and all-round top bloke, also did fantastic work on several other books from the stable of writers at III – I recommend a visit to www.larsgrantwest.com to see for yourself.  In a few weeks time I’ll be having a drink with Lars at San Diego Comic Con, and I will definitely be buying. 

Cheers, Lars!

Three Months and Counting!

The edits are mostly in, the cover art is almost ready, the review copies are being distributed…yes, Wrathful Skies is only three months away from its official date of publication.  It’s a cliché to say that writing a novel is a lot of work, and I’m all too aware of the hours / days / years of effort that have gone into writing, editing, rewriting, adding scenes, deleting scenes, exterminating unnecessary adverbs and generally getting this book honed to where it’s ready to hit the shelves.  What comes as an unpleasant surprise at the end of all this is the sheer time necessary to make that final step from approved manuscript to finished product, and the next three months are going to be a very busy time.  The end result, though, will hopefully be worth it.  It’s been a great journey, and some of you reading this will have been with me on that journey almost from the start, but we’re almost at the end.

The end, that is, unless you count further marketing, interviews, writing the sequel…