Mark Stay's Blog, page 34

Best Books of 2022 and chat of things to come

Happy New Year from all at The Enchanted Emporium and we wish you a magical 2023 with plenty of happiness, good health and laughter. And books, lots …

Best Books of 2022 and chat of things to come

New Poster art for UNWELCOME

I love this new poster art for UNWELCOME! The film is out on 27th January in the UK and 17th March in the USA (not sure elsewhere, so please check local listings!). There are more details here.

And here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it already…

The Title of the next Witches of Woodville novel is…

A very Happy New Year to you all! And I begin 2023 with some splendid news. I’ve delivered the fourth Witches of Woodville book to his agent. It will be published on 14th September 2023, and therefore someone at the publisher has pushed the big red “Pre-Order” button (every publisher has one, and it’s usually locked away in the basement) and thusly it is now available to, well, pre-order at many of your favourite retailers (some take longer than others to pull their finger out when it comes to pre-orders… Yes, we’re looking at you, Audible).

So without any further ado, I can exclusively reveal the title and blurb for the next Witches of Woodville book is…

(insert drumroll here)
 

THE HOLLY KING

The Holly King is coming, and you’re on his list . . . 
 
You are cordially invited to the FEAST OF FOOLS.
A YULETIDE celebration in the village of WOODVILLE.

Your host is THE HOLLY KING, benevolent demigod and newly-restored RULER of the woodland realm.
Confront your fears and banish darkness at our Saturnalian Revels, with food and drink aplenty for all you lusty guts. Join your neighbours, Dead-Eyed Fairies and a Woodwose, all overseen for one night only by the Lord of Misrule.

STRICTLY NO WITCHES ALLOWED.

Have you been Naughty or Nice?
RSVP, regardless.
 

As Christmas looms, the villagers come under the spell of the Holly King, a demigod bent on destroying Woodville. Faye, Bertie and the witches are determined to stop him, but first they must confront terrible truths that threaten to tear them apart.

Golly, that does sound thrilling, doesn’t it! The Holly King will be available in paperback, eBook and audiobook on 14th September 2023, and you will find all the current live pre-order links here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#thehollyking

Christian Cameron on the Bestseller Experiment

A rare thing these days: an in-person interview for the podcast! I got to meet the delightful Christian Cameron in the bowels of Hachette’s big publishing castle near Blackfriars Bridge. We discuss worldbuilding, research, and learning to write without doubting yourself (something I’m not sure I’ll ever get the hang of). Also, before the interview, Me and Mr D discuss AI and how it might impact authors over the coming years…

I Wrote Every Day in 2022… Was it Worth It?

We bang on about our 200 Words a Day Challenge on the Bestseller Experiment podcast constantly (click here to find out more), so it only seemed fair that I should give it a go. It also occurred to me that the sheer number of projects I had lined up for 2022 might benefit from me writing every day, so why the hell not.

I was also inspired by one of our listeners, Mark Hood, who (at the time of writing) has written every day for over 1100 days. Check out his daily word counter here.

How to keep track of these words? I downloaded a simple to use spreadsheet from MoonBunny Creative’s Kofi page. In fact, I’ve just got my 2023 spreadsheet from Moonbunny here. I saved it on my desktop and popped the words in at the end of every session.

Here are the numbers…

A total of 388,854 words in 2022.

That’s 32,405 per month. A little over a thousand words a day. I rarely wrote more than 3,000 words a day, and in December there were a few days where it was a scrabble to get to the 200 minimum (mostly due to travel/family commitments).

Those 2599 minutes per month translate into about 43 hours a month spent writing… Which, considering I’m supposed to be a full time writer, doesn’t feel like a lot. But I’m also taking meetings, travelling to conventions, co-running/presenting a podcast, interviewing authors/guests, editing books and scripts for clients, and doing housework (it’s often the only exercise I get during the day!).

I also only average 13 words per minute, so I’m not particularly fast.

But… I wrote every day and, as you can see, it all adds up. I usually start at 7:30am on my main project and work for two hours. I start writing by hand in a notebook (each project has a specific notebook), usually typing it up the next day and, in the process, redrafting it. Later in the day, I might work on a secondary project, or edit a client’s book etc.

May was my most productive month as I was in the thick of the drafting of Woodville #4 (exciting title to be revealed soon!). January was my least productive month, at least in terms of words, as I was in the thick of drafting TV scripts: lots of story, though not as many words as a novel.

What Was I Writing?

Here are the projects I worked on in 2022. Most of these have vague titles/descriptions because they’re either works in progress, or they simply haven’t been picked up or announced yet.

YA TV Science Fiction series: a pilot episode, a series episode, and pitch document. Caesar on Watling Street .Interstellar Mega Blaster (a middle grade book that never worked… I had another stab at it earlier this year… and it still doesn’t work). The Ghost of Ivy Barn (final edits prior to publication earlier this year).Woodville novel #4 (main first draft and by far the biggest project I worked on this year).An historical romance screenplay that I’m working on with another writer.The Wish Demon comic book.New Fantasy Novella (hoping to self-publish this next year).Cosy Crime Mystery that I’m co-writing with my wife Claire.A Disco-themed RomCom screenplay that I’m working on with another writer and is in development with a production company.What’s Not Included?

I only counted words that contributed towards creative projects, so I didn’t include my diary entries, emails, newsletters, blogs (like this one), or any of the notes or reports I’ve made while editing books/scripts for clients. I’m also a story consultant on a TV thing, which involved reading scripts and giving feedback, but while that was sort-of creative, it’s not my show, so I didn’t count them.

Was it Worth it?

I remember in those early episodes of the podcast where almost every author we spoke to said they wrote every day, and we got very excited thinking we were onto something… Until we got to Sarah Pinborough who said in her own brilliant way that she thought the whole “write every day” ethos was “bollocks” (listen to the full episode here, it’s one of my favourites). And she’s right in a way… If we’ve learned anything in over six years of the podcast it’s that every writer finds their own way of doing things. There are no rules, only principles.

That said, if you’re just starting out then one of the most important things you can do is develop a regular writing habit. And all you need to do is write 200 words a day. You can do that in 20-30 minutes tops. We ask people to try it for a week, and see if they get hooked (and they very often do, and also end up writing a lot more than 200 words a day). It’s less intense than NanoWriMo, and if you follow the #200WordsADay hashtag on Twitter you’ll find me and a community of writers sharing our word count every day. We’re all in it together. Sign up for free to the challenge here, and download Moonbunny’s tracker here.

Was it worth it? Definitely. I got a lot done this year, and I never lost any momentum and it never felt like a burden. Will I do it again? I think I probably will… I might give myself more time off over Christmas next year, but who knows? The thing is, I love writing. It’s a privilege to do it full time, and getting those words in every morning is my happy place. When I’m writing, nothing else worries me and I can’t wait to get back there again. Maybe I’m just weird? Or I’m a writer? Or a combination of the two?

Happy New Year to you all and good luck with your writing in 2023!

One Month until UNWELCOME hits UK cinemas…

Just one month until you can see this handsome devil in action in UK cinemas…

Just to be clear… this is before I went into hair and make up…

This pic appeared in the new issue of Empire magazine and it’s the first clear look at the malevolent redcaps who cause so much chaos in the story. The original designs for the redcaps came from the wonderful concept artist Paul Catling, and they were brought to life by the genius of Shaune Harrison’s prosthetics, Paddy Eason’s VFX, and second unit director (and redcap wrangler) Rick Warden.

This is how this redcap is described in the original script…

A BIG NOSED REDCAP - two foot tall and standing on skinny legs with an oversized, misshapen head.
Its eyes are milky-white and skin is like burned bacon. Tufts of hair sprout from odd places and its jaw juts out revealing razor sharp rows of teeth. It wears a tanned skin cloak stained dark red and a dagger on a belt.

Film is a collaborative medium, so there are plenty of others who helped bring this critter to life. Do check out their names on IMDb here. It never fails to amaze me just how much work goes into making movies, and the best way to see their incredible work is on a big screen so I really hope you can make it to the movies on January 27th! (I think we’re out in the US in March… not sure about the rest of the world yet, but I’ll bang the drum here when I know more).

There’s more info on the Warner Bros UK website, and here’s the trailer…

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EPISODE OF THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT!

We don our terrible Christmas sweaters and hats to celebrate the festive season and look forward to 2023. I test Mr D with a super-duper mega quiz, we discover that Americans don’t have Christmas crackers, we reveal where Santa comes from, tell terrible jokes, and we discuss taking stock and setting goals for 2023… and much more! Available on all the usual podcast providers or you can watch it on Youtube on the link below for the full Technicolor Christmas experience…

Margaret Weis on the Bestseller Experiment

Every now and then on the podcast we ask our listeners who they would love have on as a guest, and Margaret Weis was one of those names, so I was delighted when she took the time to speak to me about her extraordinary career. We dispelled a few myths about the origins of Dragonlance, we talked about her collaboration with Tract Hickman, and how she continues to be inspired by the likes of Dickens and Austen. She also answers our listener question

Please note: My interview with Margaret took place on the phone, so our conversation on the Youtube version of this episode is audio only.

Oh and stay right to the end for a few outtakes from me and Mr D (it had been a long week)…

I should also add that the Bestseller Academy is about to open its doors again. Pop along to https://academy.bestsellerexperiment.com to discover more, or take a moment to listen to some of the writers who have achieved their writing goals with the academy here…

Elizabeth Noble on the Bestseller Experiment

I had a great time chatting to Elizabeth Noble on this week’s podcast and she talks about writing novels with huge casts and big families and lots of moving parts etc. And before that, me and Mr D talk about the recent ALCS report that showed that UK’s authors earn only an average of £7,000 a year from their writing, and a bit in Private Eye that noted that so many of our big brand male authors (and their characters) are all getting quite long in the tooth… so where are the new big brands coming from?

My Favourite TV of 2022

As someone who is still catching up on The Sopranos, I struggle to keep up with all the good telly out there. So this is by no means a definitive best of 2022 (still haven’t seen The English, SAS Rogue Heroes, or Normal People). This is merely my favourite shows from what I managed to actually see in 2022. And why not start with the biggest surprise of all…

ANDOR

A prequel to a prequel that has no right to be half as good as it is. And it’s restored my faith in the Star Wars universe. All props to Tony Gilroy who has taken some complex ideas about sacrifice, rebellion and loyalty and delivered a slow burn that pays off in spades. If you want to hear me waffle on about how brilliant this is for over two hours then check out this episode of the Authorized Podcast. Oh, and an honourable mention for Obi-Wan Kenobi. I know a lot of people didn’t like it, but I did for no other reason than Ewan McGregor finally got a chance to play that character with a decent script that had some depth!

DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED

Did you ever see a show that was so strange and twisted that you feel like it was made specifically for you? DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED is that show. Surreal and darkly funny this is NOT a children’s show… despite looking remarkably like a lot of the warped kids’ shows I grew up on.

FOR ALL MANKIND

A simple concept: what if the Russians were first on the moon? How would that change the space race and history? Brilliantly executed, this is terrific alt history. It gets a little soapy at times, but always pulls it back. I gobbled up three seasons this year. Can’t wait for season 4.

SEVERANCE

A man called Mark has a baffling office job that’s so soul destroying he agrees to a process that separates his non-work and work memories. Hmm… what was it about this that so resonated with me? And look at that cast: Adam Scott, Christopher Walken, John Turturro and Patricia Arquette firing in all cylinders.

OUTLAWS

And speaking of Christopher Walken… I don’t know how Stephen Merchant convinced him to do two seasons of this brilliantly funny show about a bunch of community service misfits turned drug dealers, but I’m glad he did. There are a few scenes where you can see the extras beaming because they’re in a scene with The King of New York!

BETTER CALL SAUL

So… so good. Such an emotional rollercoaster. So many shocks and surprises. And what a great ending. And the fact that Rhea Seehorn hasn’t won every acting award going should be a matter for the courts. She was robbed.

SLOW HORSES

Gary Oldman has said that he could play Jackson Lamb for the rest of his career, and I kind of hope he does. He’s having so much fun and the rest of the cast playing MI5’s rejects at Slough House are having a ball. I haven’t seen season two (yet), but I plan to savour it all very soon.

WELCOME TO WREXHAM

I rarely give two hoots about football, but as a study of a community that has its identity tied up in failing team this is binge-worthy stuff. Toss in to that the disruptive influence of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McIlhenney who buy the team in an effort to restore it to its former glories and I’m suddenly on the edge of my seat with every corner kick. This will give Ted Lasso a run for its money when it comes to heartwarming footie shows.

GHOSTS

This just gets better and better and is still full of surprises while pushing the boundaries of family-friendly telly, ‘He got sucked off!’ There hasn’t been such a brilliant writing/acting/comedy combo this good since Python.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS…PAM & TOMMY

Okay, this might have outstayed its welcome a little bit, but it has a talking penis and you can’t ask for more than that, surely?

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS & LOWER DECKS

After the too-serious mumblecore of Discovery, Star Trek decided to be fun again!

SHE HULK and MOON KNIGHT were fun if a bit forgettable.

RINGS OF POWER and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON looked like the real thing, and almost felt like the real thing, but they lacked the little something extra that Tolkien and Martin brought to their worlds. I’ll probably come back for more, though.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING was fun if confusing.

And I enjoyed a couple of horror anthologies on Netflix: CABINET OF CURIOSITIES and THE HOUSE. A little hit and miss as with any anthology, but these are always great testing grounds for writers and directors and I hope there are more.

And I hope to see more of WE ARE LADYPARTS…