David Moody's Blog, page 21
May 12, 2022
Still here
I need to start with an apology. I’ve had a few messages from folks wondering if everything was alright because I’d disappeared. It’s true. I’ve barely left a mark online recently. This iteration of my website has been running since 2008 – more than 1000 posts in total – and April 2022 was the first complete month I didn’t post anything in all that time.
There are a few reasons why. You might or might not be interested, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Some are more personal while others are writing related. I’ll apologise in advance for the length of this post, however I promise a picture of cats and big writing news if you make it all the way to the end.
On the personal front, it’s been a tough start to the year. I’ve mentioned previously that my mum passed away unexpectedly at the end of January, and it’s taken three months to get her estate in order and her house ready to put on the market. My dad and both of my wife’s parents passed away after illnesses of varying lengths, and they all had opportunity to get their affairs organised and say their goodbyes. Mum, however, decided to do things her own way. I believe that a quick and dignified death is often the best option for the person who’s reached the end of their life, but when my brother and I first went into Mum’s house after she’d died, it was as if she’d just nipped out to the shops: there was washing in the machine, her breakfast things not yet put away… She lived in that house for just short of fifty years and taking it to pieces – disassembling her long life and the home where we both grew up – has been tough.
And then came Covid. Jesus, that was not fun. I count myself lucky that I caught it at this stage after I’d been triple jabbed. It was the two-year anniversary of my heart attack mid-April, and I genuinely wonder if I’d caught Covid back then, whether I’d have recovered. I dodged it for two- and a-bit years, then it hit me for six. I struggle to understand how there are still conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers out there…
Which leads me nicely to the third reason I’ve not wanted to post much online – it’s just not a very nice place, is it? Social media has become a toxic cesspit of lies and disinformation, and if it wasn’t for the fact that it helps me keep in touch with friends and share my news (when I get around to it!), then I’d delete all my accounts. I love to learn, and I love to share opinions and debate issues with folks, but Twitter and Facebook etc is not where I want to do it. My brain struggles to process the fact that lying has become acceptable. I did a lot of recruitment in my old life – if I’d got wind of a candidate having been sacked for lying from a previous job, their application would have been thrown out at the first stage, no matter how good they purported to be. So how can these shysters be allowed to become presidents and prime ministers? I must be old school, but it’s beyond me.
It’s a real shame, because I do have things I want to share. You’ve made it this far into my post, so I’ll update you. This will be light on actual detail, I’m afraid, but I hope it’s enough to pique/keep your interest. Over the last 10 months or so my agent and I have been negotiating a new HATER deal. No official announcement has been made yet, but I just wanted you to know that things are moving in the right direction and the deal is DONE. This is big. Very big. Again, I can’t say much yet – suffice to say the project is back in the hands of some of the giants who initially optioned the first book back in 2008. I’ll tell you more as soon as I’m allowed.
And I’ve also been doing a lot of work while I’ve been away. The writing of AUTUMN: EXODUS is well underway. At the moment I’m looking at a November release. The book should be finished in the next couple of months, but a delayed release will allow me to make sure the book gets the launch it deserves, as well as allowing me to publicise INFERNO in the way I’d originally planned.
Which brings me back full circle, because the launch of INFERNO was hugely impacted by the personal matters I talked about at the beginning of this post.
BRIAN KEENE, who posts with admirably regularity and whose newsletter I enjoy reading every Sunday, has included copious cat pictures in the recent issues, and they seem to have gone down well with his readers. As a dubious reward for reaching the end of this post, I thought I’d share a picture of our cat brood. These three are the final reason I’ve not been able to post much. These days I can barely get to the end of a sentence without (top to bottom) Milo, Jasper, or Sydney flying at me from out of nowhere and landing on my keyboard. Seriously, if you come across a typo in any of my books, blame them!
Thanks for bearing with me. More news coming soon.
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March 31, 2022
A few brief updates
I have a few very quick updates to share. I have some BIG news coming soon, but I’m not allowed to talk about that just yet…
First, I used to keep a set of my books at my mum’s house. My brother and I are in the process of selling the house, so I’m having to sell the books too. There are a few rarities available, so I thought I’d list them here:
HATER trilogy – US first edition hardcoversHATER – Infected Books original release (very rare!)HATER trilogy – UK first edition hardcovers SOLDAUTUMN 1-5 – UK first edition hardcovers SOLDONE OF US WILL BE DEAD BY MORNING – US hardcoverAUTUMN 1-3 + THE HUMAN CONDITION – rare Infected Books original releasesAUTUMN 2-5 – Gollancz (UK) first edition large format paperbacksAUTUMN 1-5 – US first edition paperbacksNext, in case you haven’t seen it yet, can I draw your attention to the new INFECTED BOOKS ETSY STORE. It was originally set up to make it easier to sell signed Infected Books titles from the UK to folks in the EU (thanks for nothing, Brexit), but readers have really taken to it. Click here to visit.
Finally, the paperback edition of THE LAST BIG THING has been updated. It’s now available from all the usual places online (links below) and you can order signed copies direct from INFECTED BOOKS or the ETSY store.
PRINT: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | INDIEBOUND
EBOOK: AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | NOOK
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March 21, 2022
AUTUMN: INFERNO (book two of the London trilogy)
“An absolute blast from beginning to end – 10/10” —GBHBL.com
PRINT
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | INDIEBOUND | B&N
EBOOK
AMAZON | APPLE | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | NOOK
SIGNED
INFECTED BOOKS | EBAY | ETSY
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March 8, 2022
Read an eBook Week
I try and post about this initiative every year. Last year I wrote about how important eBooks were to me in the early days of my career (they still are today). When we’re talking about eBooks, the conversation often focuses on how convenient they are, usually culminating in a debate between those who’ll read in any format, and those who insist on print. There’s no right or wrong answer, and I still do everything I can to give my readers the choice of how you want to read (or listen) to my books.
But there’s another facet of eBooks that often goes unspoken, and that’s how accessible they are to authors. There must be thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of novels that have been released electronically over the last couple of decades which would otherwise have remained unread. It makes you wonder how many magnificent pieces of work have been lost over the years because they didn’t appeal to the right publisher, editor, or agent at the right time.
So that’s as good a reason as any to keep supporting READ AN EBOOK WEEK. For a couple of quid you could take a chance and download something from a new author. If you enjoy it, let them know. I can’t tell you how much that means to an author starting out. If folks hadn’t taken a chance on the free download of AUTUMN back in the day, and if those folks hadn’t got in touch with their feedback, then things could have turned out very different for me.
If you’re in need of inspiration, indie firm SMASHWORDS is a staunch supporter of READ AN EBOOK WEEK. They’ve got a huge sale on this week. All my Infected Books titles are heavily discounted (including AUTUMN: DAWN and AUTUMN: INFERNO), but why not spend some time browsing and take a chance on some new authors?
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March 2, 2022
Herbst: Inferno – German edition out now
The German language edition of AUTUMN: INFERNO – conveniently entitled HERBST: INFERNO – is out now. Thanks to Jasmin Kraft for translating the book. Grab the print and ebook versions here.
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February 24, 2022
Autumn: Inferno – audiobook now available
On this darkest of days in Europe it doesn’t really feel appropriate to be posting about my nonsense books, but a number of people have worked very hard to make this happen and I’m keen for folk to hear this new release. The audiobook version of AUTUMN: INFERNO – narrated by the awesome AUBREY PARSONS – is now available from Audible, Amazon, and Apple.
The book is also available in print and as an eBook – links below. You can get hold of signed copies (and there are a few of the limited edition hardcover still available) from www.infectedbooks.co.uk.
Print: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | INDIEBOUND | B&N
eBook: AMAZON | APPLE | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | NOOK
As some of you will know, I like to give away copies when new audiobooks are released. I have a limited number of download codes (UK and USA only, I’m afraid) for AUTUMN: INFERNO and a number of other books. Use the form below to make your request (*terms and conditions apply).
[contact-form-7]Terms and Conditions:
You can request promo codes for some of the above titles using this form. All I ask in return is that you review the book(s) you listen to and/or tell your friends. Thanks in advance!
You can use this form to request any of the books shown aboveYou can make multiple submissions for multiple booksNumbers of codes available for each books vary and are strictly limited, so some or all of your requests may not be successfulIf a particular book of mine is not listed, no codes are currently availableThis offer is only available for Audible.com and Audible.co.ukI’ll endeavour to send codes within 24 hours of them being requestedMy decision is final in terms of sending codesAudible’s terms and conditions for promo code use apply.The post Autumn: Inferno – audiobook now available appeared first on David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER.
February 21, 2022
Memories or junk?
Thanks to all of you who got in touch following the sudden death of my mum last month. I’ve really appreciated all your comments. My brother and I have worked hard to get her estate in order over the last few weeks, and I’ll soon be back at my writing desk full-time again. Mum would have been appalled if she’d known that she’d inadvertently gate-crashed the release of AUTUMN: INFERNO. You see, she wasn’t a horror fan by any stretch of the imagination, but she supported my work tirelessly over the years and was one of my most ardent cheerleaders.
It was easy to take her support for granted. She used to infuriate me, if I’m honest. There were endless interrogations for news/gossip whenever I saw her, and I used to cringe whenever I released something new and she forced herself to read it out of motherly loyalty. She’d always report back with “it was quite good”, or “I enjoyed it (but it’s not my kind of thing)” when it was clear she’d had to force herself to finish every sentence, and I was forever telling her not to put herself (and me) through it every time I released a new book. She’d never been a lover of apocalyptic fiction, and nothing I wrote was going to change that! All that said, it will be strange when I next write a sex scene or a violent action scene filled with explicit language… I won’t be cringing inwardly thinking “Mum’s going to read this…”
As Pete and I have emptied the house, we’ve been forced to go through her most private things. Our parents’ love letters to each other, keepsakes and mementos, trinkets that meant everything to Mum, but nothing to anyone else.
I was talking to one of my daughters the other day about the transitory nature of memories. I have a cardboard box full of what can only be described as crap, but which I wouldn’t part with for the world. It’s filled with odds and ends that remind me of special times – mostly when Lisa and I first fell in love, and when the kids were born. I look in there and the emotion is almost overwhelming, but anyone else peeking in would just see junk: things like a perfectly preserved paper bag, a plastic roller skate keyring, a scrappy notebook filled with the track listings of mixtapes, a bunch of receipts for meals and gifts… To me, a box full of memories. To almost everyone else, a box full of rubbish.
It broke my heart when I found more memories in Mum’s purse. She’d been carrying these two scraps of paper with her for more than twenty-five years. They wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else, but to Mum they were clearly priceless. An invitation to the party Mum and Dad threw when my first book was released. Hundreds of friends, family, and neighbours piled into their back garden to eat, drink, and buy books. I know it started at 4pm, but I can’t remember when it finished… But it’s the receipt behind that touched me most. It took me a while to work out what it was for, then realisation struck – Mum posted the final edited manuscript of STRAIGHT TO YOU back to the publisher as I was at work, and she’d carried the receipt with her ever since. That release was the beginning of my writing career, the moment it stopped being a pipe-dream and became a reality.
To everyone else, these are just two dog-eared scraps of paper. To Mum – and now to me – they’re so much more than that.
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February 1, 2022
An explanation
AUTUMN: INFERNO was released a week ago, but I’ve barely been online and I’ve not promoted it at all. I wanted to explain why.
Last Tuesday morning, my mum was taken ill. She deteriorated rapidly and sadly passed away on Wednesday afternoon. The end was swift and relatively painless for her, so we’re grateful for small mercies. It was what she wanted. My brother and I were with her at the end, and in these difficult times for the NHS, we’ll be forever thankful for that. The staff who looked after her were wonderful, and she received nothing but the best care and absolute respect and dignity.
I wanted those of you who’ve ordered signed copies of the new book directly from Infected Books or Etsy to know that all copies have been dispatched and should be with you shortly (if you’ve not already received them). I’m going to take a few weeks out to focus on my family and on sorting out Mum’s affairs, so things will be even quieter than usual around here for a while.
To those of you who’ve already picked up and enjoyed INFERNO, thank you. I’m thrilled with the reactions from folks who’ve already read it. It’s available now in all the usual places. Please don’t delay if you want a signed copy or if you have questions about an order you’ve already placed. I have plenty of copies in stock, and I’ll be checking emails and dispatching orders daily.
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January 21, 2022
Book recommendation – The Final Cut
My friend (and THE FRONT co-conspirator) CRAIG DILOUIE released THE FINAL CUT, the long-anticipated third book in his INFECTION trilogy at the end of last year. Having just finished reading it, I’m pleased to report that it was well worth the wait.
It’s a testament to Craig’s skill as a writer that I felt able to jump back into the story, despite it having been almost a decade since the previous book in the series – THE KILLING FLOOR – was released. We’re right back into the action straightaway and it doesn’t let up throughout. Although the book is focused on a relatively small cast of characters, it’s evident that these people are the key players in humanity’s fight for survival against the unique alien scourge that’s decimated life on earth.
I’ve followed Craig’s work from the outset. From TOOTH AND NAIL onwards, he’s told a number of apocalyptic tales from the point of view of some of those folks on the military front line. Typically, stories with a detailed military content leave me cold, but time and again I find myself enjoying Craig’s writing and the realistic, personal perspective he brings to these chaotic, world-defining battles. The focus remains on the people and their physical and emotional fights, rather than the calibre of the bullets they’re firing.
It was great to finally get to read the last book in the trilogy. It’s sometimes hard to hit the landing when you’re writing sequels, particularly when the last book was written more than ten years previously, but THE FINAL CUT brings the story to a smart and satisfying conclusion. As many of you may know, I’m a sucker for hearing about the post-post-apocalypse, and the book’s coda, in which we get a glimpse of life with the Infection after another ten years, was very much appreciated.
You can grab a copy of THE FINAL CUT from Amazon now. Highly recommended.
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January 18, 2022
One week until Autumn: Inferno is released
A quick reminder that the release of AUTUMN: INFERNO is now just one week away.
LONDON’S BURNING!
Population seven million
99.9% of them dead
The survival of the rest still balanced on a knife-edge
Pre-order links are now up and running, with the German and audio versions in production as I type:
Print: AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | INDIEBOUND | B&N
eBook: AMAZON | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY | NOOK
For those who’ve ordered signed editions, they’ll start shipping in the next couple of days. There’s still time to order limited edition hardcovers (with bonus material) or signed paperbacks. Place an order today, and you can download and start reading a complementary eBook version of INFERNO immediately. Click here for more information.
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