Stephen Aryan's Blog, page 9
September 8, 2020
Authors Talking About Writing
Given that there are no conventions at the moment, a lot of stuff is moving online. I miss talking to authors about writing, characters, world-building and so on.
With that in mind I’m going to do a late night talk with Angus Watson on Tuesday 15th September.
If this one goes well I might do some more in the future.
Angus’s first series, the Iron Age Trilogy, debuted a year before me, also published by Orbit books. And this month, it will be 5 years since Battlemage was published. It’s also 5 years since the final book in his first trilogy, Reign of Iron, was published. So we’re going to celebrate that and talk about writing.
Tweet any questions about writing, books, publishing, whatever you fancy to @LateNightTalk3 and we’ll answer what we can.
The videos will be uploaded to YouTube a few days after 15th September.
August 17, 2020
Good and Bad Advice About Writing and Getting Traditionally Published
[image error]I’ve been working on this for a while in parallel with other projects. Over the last few months I’ve been working on an ebook for writers. It’s called – Good and Bad Advice About Writing and Getting Traditionally Published.
This is predominantly aimed at fiction writers and those looking to be traditionally published. The rules are different for non-fiction (which I touch on briefly in the book) and I have little experience with self-publishing, so I can’t really talk about that. I briefly explain some of the alternatives to traditional but not in any great detail.
The ebook is now available to pre-order. It will be published on 24th August.
This is a kindle ebook and it has a lot of information about good advice to listen to and bad advice you should completely ignore. I debunk a lot of the myths around writing a novel, debunk the rules people claim are necessary for success, information about writing a novel, finding an agent and then submitting to an agent.
Writing a synopsis is difficult and painful (and I still don’t like doing it), so I’ve also included my original synopsis for Battlemage (which then got me an agent) together with the back and forth correspondence from my agent. She explains what she liked about it and so on. Hopefully it will help you to write your own synopsis.
I also pull the curtain back a little on traditional publishing and explain the typical stages a book will go through from when you sent it to your agent to when it lands on a shelf in a bookshop.
There is information in there about lessons I’ve learned about being published, information about finding your style and other practical help for writers who are struggling.
There’s a lot of good information in there, plus some topics I don’t see people often writing or talking about. Hopefully it will help you if you’re trying to get published or find an agent.
If you know anyone who would be interested, please send them the link to pre-order the book, which will be published Monday 24th August.
August 8, 2020
That’s a wrap
So, a quick update from me. I’ve been on furlough from my freelance day job during lockdown. That’s the bad news. The good news is I’ve been able to focus more on my writing. As a result of less interruptions and with nowhere to go, I’ve finished the first draft of my current work in progress in record time. Normally a first draft takes me anywhere from 8 months to 13 months. I wrote this first draft in 6 months.
This is book 2 of 2, in the new fantasy duology coming from Angry Robot Books. Book 2 will be published in the summer of 2022. However, book 1, The Coward, will be published next summer. So I’m a bit ahead of my deadlines.
Time to take a little break, clear my head, and then get to work on the next project.
Here’s a link to the press release with more information about The Coward, coming next summer.
April 28, 2020
Online convention
It features readings and panels with fantasy authors from the UK and USA. I took part in a couple of panels on Zoom with live Q and A for each from viewers. All of the convention so far is now available on Youtube and it wraps up tonight with some panels from 7pm to 10pm UK time
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQRT...
April 24, 2020
Conventions during lockdown
[image error]Because all of the conventions have been cancelled during lockdown, a lot more are going online.
I’ve already been involved in one, called CONtagion. A SFF convention and also meeting space on Facebook, which has links to panels, workshops, readings, blog posts and all sorts to keep you busy.
I moderated a panel about writing fantasy series and how most writing advice is about how to get the first book written or published. This panel is focused on the demands of writing a series of books. How do you keep it going? How do you keep yourself motivated? And how do you deliver something interesting to reading on time, every time? You can download the MP3 of the panel here
QuaranCon2020
I’m also getting involved with QuaranCon2020, which is running for the next few days from today, Friday 24th, over the weekend and into early next week. These will be live panels, on YouTube, via Zoom, where viewers can ask the panel questions at the end.
Friday 24th April 8pm (UK time) I’m on a panel – Fantasy book series, how long should they be? Here’s the link to YouTube for tonight
Monday 27th April 9pm (UK time) I’m on a panel – Magical systems in Fantasy.
April 10, 2020
5 Cool Comics to Read
Something to keep you occupied during lockdown.
[image error]Sleeper – This is still one of my favourite series of all time. It’s gritty and sometimes grim, but not overly so but it’s definitely not a comic for children due to the adult content (violence, swearing, sex etc). It’s about a guy who has some powers (no capes, no tights) that are kind of low key but useful and brutal, going undercover in a criminal organisation. It’s espionage with an edge as there is the constant fear that he could be discovered at any time and the repercussions if that happens will be very bad. It’s two seasons, well 2 x 12 issue trades. Self contained and an excellent read. Amazon UK
[image error]Y: The Last Man – Only slightly close to the knuckle given the current situation, however, it’s still worth your time. A virus wipes out every male on the planet except one guy, Yorick, and his pet monkey. It’s about his journey across America in a strange new world. Yorrick has lots of interesting and thought provoking adventures. This 10 trade paperback comic book series is also in development to be a TV series, coming maybe 2021 given changes to scheduling and so on. Amazon UK
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Joyride – A fun sci-fi comic about a girl living on Earth during a particularly difficult time who just wants to get out and explore, have fun and find out what’s going on in the wider galaxy. So she steals a spaceship because Earth sucks, and together with two friends, goes off to have some adventures. It’s that simple. It’s fun, brightly coloured, not too heavy, but it’s sometimes emotional, often funny, and the whole thing is only 3 trades long from start to finish, so it is a self contained story with a satisfying end. Amazon UK.
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Locke and Key – You’ve probably heard about this because of the TV series, however, as with many things, the source material is better. The TV series crams a lot of stuff in and picks bits and pieces from across the whole 6 trades. This comic has more time and space to explore areas, take it’s time, sets things up gradually and creeps you out. When the TV show was first being advertised I spoke to a few people who thought it was a teen drama or YA series, and I can see why but the comic book is definitely not. It’s a lot more brutal than the TV series, scarier at times and it will creep you out. Also it is also a self contained story. The TV series is going off in its own direction, so even if you are watching you’ll get two different stories. Amazon UK.
[image error]Mister Miracle – This is a 12 issue, self contained story. While it is part of DC comics, you don’t need to know much about the character or the series beforehand. You don’t need to be a fan of superhero comics because it’s not about that. At all. I’ve spent hours with friends discussing this book. I’ve done a whole podcast on it where 4 of us talked about the themes and ideas being explored in it for over an hour and barely scratched the surface. The book is fascinating and it is the kind of thing you can reread and will get something different from it every time. If you want something to spell everything out and give you all of the answers, then this isn’t that kind of book.
Very simply put, imagine if the Devil and God each had a son, and to ensure a form of peace between the two warring empires, they each raised the other’s son. That’s the basic premise. Scott Free, aka Mister Miracle, was raised in a hellish dimension by Darkseid, the epitome of evil. At the same time Orion was raised by Highfather, the epitome of pure goodness, in the equivalent of Heaven.
This story takes place years later when Scott is an adult. Scott has done it all. In the past he’s been a superhero but now he and his wife are just trying to live a quiet life on Earth. He’s a professional escape artist and celebrity. The story is about family. It’s about being an adult. It’s about faith and destiny. It’s about being a parent, but also being someone’s child and the expectations that come with that. It’s about freedom and choice. It’s about a hundred other things that I don’t want to spoil. It’s also an action and adventure story with a war, and duty, and honour. It’s a family drama with real weight and consequences. It’s also hilarious at times and very emotional and terrifying.
It’s one of my favourite comic books of all time. Read it. You can thank me later. Amazon UK
If you read any of them, get in touch and let me know what you thought or send me 5 comics you think I should read (self contained stuff only please).
April 4, 2020
Battlemage on sale – Kindle deals
I thought this was just a daily deal thing and it might now just be a weekly deal so it could end on Sunday, however, as of this minute, Battlemage is 99p on Amazon UK on Kindle.
So if you started with Mageborn, now is the right time to go back to the beginning and get a deal.
Also, Battlemage on Amazon.com is currently $1.23 but this could change at any minute as it doesn’t have the limited time deal sticker on it. So get it ASAP.
April 2, 2020
Battlemage Kindle deal Amazon uk
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlemage-A...
March 28, 2020
Battlemage Daily Kindle Deal
Battlemage, the first book in the first trilogy, is a kindle daily deal
https://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=UTF8&...
Enjoy!
March 25, 2020
It’s my birthday
Yes, today. What a day. I thought it was going to be a fairly forgettable one. Not a big or special number. I thought it would just cruise past and I wouldn’t remember it in years to come. Never forget the old saying or curse, depending on how you look at it “May you live in interesting times.”
Anyway, since it’s my birthday I’m going to ask a favour!
Write a review
If you’ve read one of my books and you enjoyed it, please take a couple of minutes to leave me a review on Amazon. It really helps get the books noticed by other readers who may not have heard of me. Also, Amazon has lots of complex algorithms, which are always changing, however one thing remains constant; the more the reviews you have the better.
Something to read
If you like comics and want to read something quite different from me, the first issue of Flux, a comic book mini series (4 issues), that I’ve co-written is now available on Gumroad. It’s a science-fiction thriller about the threat of time travel, government issue wearable tech and one detective’s search for the truth.
We’re hoping to launch issue 2 on Kickstarter on April 1st. We were in two minds about whether or not to proceed, but we’ve polled our previous supporters and the majority said we should continue as normal and sort out posting physical copies later. Anyway, Issue 1 is now available on Gumroad is you’re interested.
Bonus
A small bonus for loyal readers on here, and for those of you that have made it this far! As you’ve seen, the new book being published next year, The Coward, is book 1 in a 2 book series. I’m delighted to tell you that this book has a fantastic map which has been drawn by an excellent artist. I gave him my crappy hand drawn nonsense and he turned it into a thing of beauty. So watch out for that!!
Thanks for reading, take care and stay indoors.
PS. – What are you reading at the moment? I’m always searching for new fantasy and SF books and you can’t get better than a recommendation.
