Graham Edwards's Blog, page 26
July 25, 2014
First Draft VS Final – A Comparison
At what point does homage become pastiche?
That’s the question I came up against when I wrote my neolithic murder mystery Talus and the Frozen King. While the novel is unashamedly inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories about Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes, I was determined that my tale of ancient crime and punishment should never descend into parody.
However, alarm bells rang loud when early editorial feedback (though largely positive) included the dreaded phrase “occasionall...
July 18, 2014
The VFX of “Snowpiercer” – Cinefex Blog
Just published on the Cinefex blog is my Q&A with Eric Durst, Visual Effects Supervisor on Snowpiercer. In this science fiction film directed by Bong Joon-ho, a giant train circles an ice-locked, post-apocalyptic Earth on endless tracks. Its carriages contain a highly stratified society of survivors, from the working classes at the rear to the privileged bourgeoisie at the front. It’s an atmosphere ripe for revolution.
In this short extract from the Q&A, Eric discusses the stunning underwater...
July 16, 2014
The Dragoncharm Ebook – Let’s Go!
The question I’m most frequently asked by readers is, “Areyou ever going to publishDragoncharm as an ebook?” Until now, my answer has always been that I’m looking into it, but other things have to take priority. As of today, however, I’m happy to tell you I’m working on it, and it’s going to happen soon.
What does “soon” mean? Probably next year. In 2015, Dragoncharm will be twenty years old – a fitting anniversaryon which to letthe grizzled old thing spread its wings once more.I’m amazed at h...
The Dragoncharm Ebook – 01
The question I’m most frequently asked by readers is, “Areyou ever going to publishDragoncharm as an ebook?” Until now, my answer has always been that I’m looking into it, but other things have to take priority. As of today, however, I’m happy to tell you I’m working on it, and it’s going to happen soon.
What does “soon” mean? Probably next year. In 2015, Dragoncharm will be twenty years old – a fitting anniversaryon which to letthe grizzled old thing spread its wings once more.I’m amazed at h...
July 6, 2014
Birotech – “Limb”
Here’s another of my Birotech doodles. Why “Birotech”? Because I draw them with a Bic biro.
It’s called “Limb” for no other reason than that it looks like some kind of robot arm. Maybe. The truth is I’ve no idea what it is, any more than I knew what my previous drawing in this series was: Station. All I know is, on the rare occasion I get a Sunday afternoon to myself, I’m slowly rediscovering the simplesatisfaction of drawing for no other reason than to please myself.
Beloware the work-in-progr...
July 4, 2014
Construction Kit Junkie
When I was eight years old, I became a shipbuilder.
The ship in question was the RMS Mauretania – not the actual ocean liner, you understand, but a 1:600 scale plastic kit made by UK model manufacturer Airfix. The kit had been a gift from a kindly relative and, despite having no particular interest in ships, I broke open the box and assembled it with the blind unthinking enthusiasm that fuels all our young lives.
I didn’t do a bad job. Yes, there were smears of glue here and there, and the two...
June 22, 2014
The Voyage of the Plastic Beagle
After bombarding you with a few blog posts of the navel-gazing variety (not to mention all that shameless promotion of the new novel) I thought it was about time I rewarded you, dear reader, with a gift.
The Voyage of the Plastic Beagle is a short story I wrote some time ago, and which Inever could decide what to do with. Like a lot of my fiction, it doesn’t fall into any neat category.You might call it fantasy, bordering on horror. You may very wellconsiderit strange. I don’t mind. I never ha...
The many lives of a writer – 6
Most people live not just one life but many. I reckon that, as a writer, I’m on my fifth. If writers share any kind of DNA with cats, that means I’ve still got four to go. I wrote about my first, second, third and fourth liveshere,here,here,hereand here. On with the sixth.
Life 6-Collaboration
I’m not exactly sure when I slipped into my sixth writing life. That’s the thing with time. We like to imagine it frozen into neat little chunks, like ice cubes in a tray. But time is really a river, flow...
June 21, 2014
Talus and Beyond
Okay. I’ve got you reading this post under false pretences. This is not an announcement about my next novel. Except it is. Sort of.
The thing is,having got someway into the manuscript for the sequel to Talus and the Frozen King, I find myself facinga dilemma. I’vemade a decent start – and I’mexcited about where the story is going- butI’ve begunto believeI may have more on my plate than I’d first imagined. And that’s thrown me for a loop.
The first Talus book tells a simple story about a neolith...
June 17, 2014
Visual Effects of “The Machine” – Cinefex Blog
If you’re a fan of movie robots, head on over to the Cinefex blog, where we’ve just published my article on the visual effects of The Machine. If you haven’t yet seen thisindiesci-fi film, you’ve missed a treat. Directed by feature first-timer Caradog James andfeaturing a compelling performance by Caity Lotz as the android Ava, it’s packed withbig ideas andsupported by visual effects both subtle and unsettling.
Here’s a brief taster from the article:
In the film’s dramatic opening sequence, com...
