It's a double dose of interview action this week, as I have also been answering questions over at the website of fellow Orbit author Jennifer Rardin (author of the Jaz Parks series, which involves the CIA, assassins, vampires, demons, witches and - in a future instalment - Scotland. Excellent location choice there, Jen.) It's a fun little number, covering such never-before discussed topics as why I think Aeglyss might enjoy talking to dogs, and which planet I'd like to visit.

Labels: Interviews

I've been interviewed at mighty length over at A Dribble of Ink. Go have a look, if you like.

Plus, we're now in the final week of the great big Bloodheir giveaway on Facebook. Three lucky winners have already been picked out of the hat (actually, rumour has it they're being selected using an old set of D&D dice, but I don't know how credible such rumours are ...). One more chance to win, this Friday, so if you like the idea of getting your hands on a signed, dedicated hardback of Bloodheir, go sign up as a fan at the Winterbirth page on Facebook. You've got to be in it to win it. Or something like that.

Labels: Facebook, Interviews, Signing

In honour of the release of Winterbirth as a US mass market paperback, I have been interviewed over at mania.com. There's also a review up over there, which is generous enough in its praise to make me blush (you can't see me, but I'm blushing. Really).

Seems a bit self-indulgent to take up blog space just for that (I know, someone with a blog suddenly starts worrying about being self-indulgent. Imagine that. Next up: a politician admitting they have no clue whatsoever how to solve a problem). Anyway, since I'm here, a handful of other webby things:

The Abominable Charles Christopher. A web comic by Karl Kerschl. I enjoy it. Nicely drawn.

The Orbit Page on Facebook. You can now become a fan of an entire publishing imprint. It has cover galleries of upcoming books, news on author events etc. etc.

Golden Age Comic Book Stories. Is a torrential cornucopia of great art, not remotely limited to comic books. I was going to try and pick some favourites to link to, but it's pretty much all good.

British Fantasy Society Short Story Competition. For the aspiring authors out there, a chance to flex your genre muscles.

Labels: Interviews, Reviews, Winterbirth

I've been interviewed over at the Grasping for the Wind blog. Includes some mutterings about free will and prophecy in fantasy, an explanation of why Taim Narran is one of my favourite characters in the trilogy, and some vague hints about what's to come in Bloodheir.

Labels: Interviews

Jeff VanderMeer, author of some rather fine books himself, interviewed a whole bunch (well, four anyway) of more or less new fantasy authors for the Amazon book blog: me, Joe Abercrombie, Karen Miller and Brandon Sanderson. So that's four sets of answers for the price of one. Part One of the interview, and Part Two. Plus, as an added extra, the out-takes.

Labels: Interviews, Translations

It never occurred to me, when idly dreaming of one day being a writer, that it would entail answering questions about haggis and Edinburgh pubs. Funny how things turn out.

Mister Roy, the very same marketing professional I mentioned in the last post, has been talking about Winterbirth again, only this time it's a plain old review rather than a dissection of the 'to buy or not to buy' decision-making process.

The rather fine Fantasy Book Critic blog also has a review of Winterbirth up. Earth-crumblingly important and fascinating as that is, even I'm prepared to admit that another item on the blog might be of even more interest: an outrageously generous book giveaway where you (so long as you're a North American resident) can win no less than six books from the Orbit US launch line-up.

Labels: Interviews, Reviews

It occurred to me there might be one or two new visitors to the site, what with UK paperback and imminent US publication of Winterbirth. Also, thanks to the miracles of modern technology, this blog is now syndicated on Amazon.com, so maybe some folk will stumble across it over there (waves to anyone who happens to be reading it over there!). All in all, I thought a little welcome and orientation might be in order, so this is it. Hello and Welcome.

This blog is a fairly random mix of news, rambling, links to things elsewhere that I find of interest. Entirely normal bloggish stuff, in other words. I mentioned some reasons why I blog here, but if you like you can also regard it as my indirect means of answering the frequently author-targeted questions 'Where do you get your ideas from?' and 'What are your influences?'. Partial and vague answers are scattered throughout this blog, a bit like bones buried around a garden by an over-active and forgetful dog. (Do dogs actually do that outside of cartoons? I've never owned one, so I don't know whether it's a myth or not.)

There is a feed thingy, to which you might want to consider subscribing (and if you're not using those things yet, why on Earth not? I love my feeds, I do. Whoever invented RSS should get a Nobel prize, or a knighthood, or something.)

Elsewhere on the website, the Gazetteer section has some (spoiler-free) info that fills in a little of the background to events described in the books. Stuff gets added to it now and again - in fact it's just been updated with a note on the Kyrinin clans. Another new addition is something that's almost but not quite like a cover gallery: all the covers so far stuck onto Winterbirth can now be viewed on this page deep in the bowels of the website, which is also the place to go for anyone who's curious about non-English language editions.

Should you be yet to buy the UK paperback, and be tempted by the thought of a signed copy (or a signed copy of the UK hardback, which is still available and might actually be of more interest to those of you who like signatures on their books), see here for details.

Oh, and interviews with me have been sprouting across the internet like an infestation of pernicious mushrooms recently. Should you not yet be sick of the sight of me rambling on, there's one here: part one and part two, and another one here.

And that was the Welcome Message. Consider yourself welcomed, and thanks for listening.

Labels: Gazetteer, Interviews, Signing

There's a very enthusiastic review of Winterbirth over at The Fantasy Review. Good stuff.

At the very end, there's a plea for someone to get out the thumbscrews and extract an answer from me to a particular question. In an effort to cut out the middleman, and because one or two other people have been curious about the same subject, I thought I'd short-circuit the system a bit and do a quick interview with myself. So here we go ... Oh, this will make basically no sense whatsoever to anyone who hasn't read Winterbirth, by the way. Sorry.

Q: Is there going to be any more information on the Anain, Saolin or Whreinin?

A: Well I don't want to stray into spoilerish territory. The safest thing to say would be that a little more info on all the races can be found in the Gazetteer on this very site, and more is likely to appear there eventually.

Q: 'Little' is a very accurate description of what's currently in the Gazetteer. You can surely be a bit more revealing than that?

A: Okay, okay. First off, the Whreinin are extinct, so the chances of them taking an active role in this trilogy are ... slim. They may get talked about now and again, though. For those interested in the archaeology of the writing process, back in the mists of time there did once exist a draft of Winterbirth, and a notional outline of the next two books, in which there was considerably more stuff about the Whreinin floating around. It didn't survive the slaughter that is revising and rewriting.

As far as the Anain are concerned, the short answer is yes, there's more to come on the subject of the Anain in both Bloodheir and Book 3. The focus stays on humans and Kyrinin, but the Anain won't be staying entirely passive. What part they play, I obviously can't tell you or I'd have to kill you.

Q: That's slightly more illuminating, I suppose. Still seems a little coy as answers go. You haven't even mentioned the Saolin, for example. Couldn't you ... Hello? Hello? Oh, our interviewee seems to have gone off to boil the kettle. I guess that's the end of the interview.

Labels: Interviews, Reviews, Winterbirth

The interview is at A Dribble of Ink. The longest one I've done to date, as far as I can remember. I was feeling talkative evidently, but despite that it turned out reasonably well, I think. There's a lot of other good content at A Dribble of Ink, so have a look around while you're there.

The signed books are at Transreal Fiction. Anyone who would for some reason like a signed (and optionally, dedicated, dated, whatever) copy of the Winterbirth paperback can order one from Transreal - details on their website, or you can e-mail enquiries[at]transreal[dot]co[dot]uk for more info. Cost is cover price plus p&p.

To my surprise, interest in signed copies of the hardback hasn't quite died down yet either, so just to confirm: you can still get signed hardback Winterbirths from Transreal too, although I'm not entirely certain how long it will remain available now that the paperback's out, so now's the time to buy if you're so inclined.

Labels: Interviews, Signing

Apparently, getting a starred review in Publishers Weekly is what is known as 'A Good Thing'. Pleased, therefore, to say that Winterbirth has got one, about two-thirds of the way down this page.

It talks about the 'unapologetically stark yet darkly poetic narrative' and seems to predict a 'fervent audience', which sounds slightly alarming if you ask me, but I imagine I could live with it should such a thing come to pass.

Also, if anyone feels like they have an unrecognised talent for interrogation, there's an invitation to submit questions for an interview with me here - don't seem to able to link directly to the specific post, but it shouldn't be too hard to find, since it's got a great big picture of the Winterbirth cover.

EDIT: Things change fast in internetland - I can now link to the specific post about interview questions so here it is.

Labels: Interviews, Reviews

I've not actually seen a hard copy, but I believe I'm interviewed/profiled in the February issue of Writing Magazine, as part of their 'New Authors' series.

Another interview, along with a mini-review of Winterbirth, is also now online.

I came across a clever little web-thingy (well, I think it's clever, but I'm quite easily pleased). It takes a bit of figuring out, mainly because there's so many things you can tweak, but once you get the hang of it, it's an interesting way to kill a few minutes: the state of the world, visualised as a cloud of drifting, expanding, multi-coloured balloons.

And finally, I wonder if ITV is about to prove conclusively that Torchwood could and should have been a lot better?

Labels: Interviews, Reviews

1. I have been answering questions over at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.

2. Winterbirth has made it to the far side of the world (i.e. Australia) and judging by this and by this, it might get a slightly warmer reception than the England cricket team, if nothing else. (EDIT: the first of those links no longer connects with the relevant review. But it was a rave. Really. It said everyone should immediately go and buy Winterbirth. At least, that's how I choose to remember the sense of it...)

3. This last week, for the first time in what feels like ages, it has been neither wet nor windy nor cloudy hereabouts, which meant it was actually possible to enjoy a stroll in the great outdoors. England has evidently been submerged beneath an ocean of inconvenient fog, but here:


Nice. Have a good Christmas, everybody.

Labels: Interviews, Photos, Reviews

I have been interrogated.

Labels: Interviews