Luke Walker's Blog: https://lukewalkerwriter.wordpress.com, page 6
December 29, 2018
Where I've been and where I'm going: 2018 and 2019
Time for the obligatory end of year/looking ahead to the next year post. So...
Good stuff happened in 2018 on the publishing front. I brought my second book back to life after it went down the toilet when the original publisher closed best part of five years ago. 'Set became Dead Sun - and is still my sole dark fantasy. It hasn't set the world on fire in terms of sales, sadly, so I don't think I'll be investing the time in writing more dark fantasy novels, but I am proud of that book and it's a tale I like very much.
The Unredeemed and Ascent were published by Hellbound Books. In the case of Ascent, that was its second go as another publisher folded soon after putting it out. There are still plans from Hellbound to release an audiobook version of The Unredeemed which is a first for me so that's pretty sweet.
Kensington Gore released The Mirror Of The Nameless which was yet another 'coming back to life' for me although it was the first time it'd been in paperback as well as ebook. I worked hard and fast on a prequel novel for Mirror which I'm pretty sure is one of the best things I've written. Maybe there's something to be said for working to a deadline. Or maybe that violent world of pulp horror gods and OTT action is something I'm better at than I realised.
My short story The Mouth At The Edge Of The World was due to be published in November but delays with the printers has meant the publisher needs to put it back to hopefully next month. No other shorts on the horizon although that's mainly down to my lack of submitting them. The market appears to have shrunk over the last year and that's especially true with paying markets. I'd rather keep hold of my work than get nothing back for it.
Being completely honest, this year's books haven't made me a ton of cash or garnered a lot of reviews. I'd love more of both, of course, but it feels like it's out of my hands. Other than spreading the word and hoping each new book boosts older titles, I'm pretty limited in terms of marketing which is why I always say that if any reader can do me a favour and post a brief review, that would be a massive help.
2019 plans - the prequel to Mirror I mentioned is set for the next couple of months. The Day Of The New Gods is a balls to the wall action horror about a group of criminals in the mid 80s who aren't going quietly into the night when the gods come a knocking. That'll be out from Kensington Gore soon.
The Dead Room is one of my favourites and I'm beyond thrilled Hellbound will be releasing it. It's an end of the world tale as seen through the eyes of two women who've lost just about everything. But then, there's always a level below rock bottom, isn't there?
The Dead Room is also coming soon and I'm hoping for good news on another book as well as sending out a brand new one in the next couple of weeks - it's a fresh genre for me. More thriller than horror but as I've said before, horror is a big genre with many sub divisions. When the shit gets bad, there's not much of a gap between the levels of darkness we can find ourselves in.
I'm hoping (always hoping) next year takes my writing and success to a higher level. After more than twenty years of submitting work to publishers and agents, it does get harder to hope, but who else is going write my stories?
That's about it for this year, I think.
Long days and pleasant nights.
Good stuff happened in 2018 on the publishing front. I brought my second book back to life after it went down the toilet when the original publisher closed best part of five years ago. 'Set became Dead Sun - and is still my sole dark fantasy. It hasn't set the world on fire in terms of sales, sadly, so I don't think I'll be investing the time in writing more dark fantasy novels, but I am proud of that book and it's a tale I like very much.
The Unredeemed and Ascent were published by Hellbound Books. In the case of Ascent, that was its second go as another publisher folded soon after putting it out. There are still plans from Hellbound to release an audiobook version of The Unredeemed which is a first for me so that's pretty sweet.
Kensington Gore released The Mirror Of The Nameless which was yet another 'coming back to life' for me although it was the first time it'd been in paperback as well as ebook. I worked hard and fast on a prequel novel for Mirror which I'm pretty sure is one of the best things I've written. Maybe there's something to be said for working to a deadline. Or maybe that violent world of pulp horror gods and OTT action is something I'm better at than I realised.
My short story The Mouth At The Edge Of The World was due to be published in November but delays with the printers has meant the publisher needs to put it back to hopefully next month. No other shorts on the horizon although that's mainly down to my lack of submitting them. The market appears to have shrunk over the last year and that's especially true with paying markets. I'd rather keep hold of my work than get nothing back for it.
Being completely honest, this year's books haven't made me a ton of cash or garnered a lot of reviews. I'd love more of both, of course, but it feels like it's out of my hands. Other than spreading the word and hoping each new book boosts older titles, I'm pretty limited in terms of marketing which is why I always say that if any reader can do me a favour and post a brief review, that would be a massive help.
2019 plans - the prequel to Mirror I mentioned is set for the next couple of months. The Day Of The New Gods is a balls to the wall action horror about a group of criminals in the mid 80s who aren't going quietly into the night when the gods come a knocking. That'll be out from Kensington Gore soon.
The Dead Room is one of my favourites and I'm beyond thrilled Hellbound will be releasing it. It's an end of the world tale as seen through the eyes of two women who've lost just about everything. But then, there's always a level below rock bottom, isn't there?
The Dead Room is also coming soon and I'm hoping for good news on another book as well as sending out a brand new one in the next couple of weeks - it's a fresh genre for me. More thriller than horror but as I've said before, horror is a big genre with many sub divisions. When the shit gets bad, there's not much of a gap between the levels of darkness we can find ourselves in.
I'm hoping (always hoping) next year takes my writing and success to a higher level. After more than twenty years of submitting work to publishers and agents, it does get harder to hope, but who else is going write my stories?
That's about it for this year, I think.
Long days and pleasant nights.
December 15, 2018
Film rec - Brimstone
I've been meaning for months to share more links to decent books and films I come across and, frankly, I've been piss poor at that mainly through a lack of time. Obviously, writing has to come first followed by sending my stuff off and then playing the waiting game. The result is my plans to spread the word about a book or film I really enjoyed goes down the toilet.
Cry your pardon.
Anyway, I recently watched a Western called Brimstone which was absolutely great. I'm not sure if you'd call it a Weird Western or a Western/Horror or a WTF; all I can say it's not just a straight good guys vs the bad guys film by any means. Nor is it a linear tale. Told in four chapters which link to each other and brutal as hell, it's not a film for everyone (put it this way - I have a pretty strong stomach as you might imagine, and even I thought it was fierce) and the run time of well over two hours might put some viewers off. For those who don't mind a slow, detailed story, an unusual structure and a dark storyline, Brimstone is one for you.
I won't say anything about the plot as I often think it's better to go in at least slightly blind to a film like this one. And yes, that is Jon Snow. He knows nothing.
BRIMSTONE
Cry your pardon.
Anyway, I recently watched a Western called Brimstone which was absolutely great. I'm not sure if you'd call it a Weird Western or a Western/Horror or a WTF; all I can say it's not just a straight good guys vs the bad guys film by any means. Nor is it a linear tale. Told in four chapters which link to each other and brutal as hell, it's not a film for everyone (put it this way - I have a pretty strong stomach as you might imagine, and even I thought it was fierce) and the run time of well over two hours might put some viewers off. For those who don't mind a slow, detailed story, an unusual structure and a dark storyline, Brimstone is one for you.
I won't say anything about the plot as I often think it's better to go in at least slightly blind to a film like this one. And yes, that is Jon Snow. He knows nothing.
BRIMSTONE
November 25, 2018
Trusting to luck?
You may or may not have noticed I've made some changes to the look of my blog recently - hopefully, it's clearer and refreshed. I've added a contact me form over on the right, changed the fonts etc and binned about four years worth of posts. I started this blog back in late 2011 and it was beginning to feel too busy for my taste which is why the oldest post here is now no longer the very first (funnily enough, my first two posts were the ones with the highest hit rate).
Blogging definitely feels a bit old hat now - asking readers, potential or otherwise, to actively seek out my rambling thoughts instead of posting an instant tweet or delivering my news right to their inbox with a newsletter. For what it's worth, I've got this blog, Twitter and a newsletter so take your pick on how you'd like to hear from me. It's funny how things change especially in publishing. Just before my first book was published, every single publisher I checked out specified their writers had to have a site/blog with plenty of them also saying you had to have a Facebook page. These days, the focus appears to be more on newsletters, but I wonder if they've had their time as well - unless you're a big name, of course. I think there's a good chance people just think it's yet another email to read so I'll bin it or save it for later and then never go back to it. The old problem for the writer is how to tell the readers about their books without boring them. Twitter, blog, newsletter, word of mouth, trusting to luck...
Honestly? I still have no idea.
Blogging definitely feels a bit old hat now - asking readers, potential or otherwise, to actively seek out my rambling thoughts instead of posting an instant tweet or delivering my news right to their inbox with a newsletter. For what it's worth, I've got this blog, Twitter and a newsletter so take your pick on how you'd like to hear from me. It's funny how things change especially in publishing. Just before my first book was published, every single publisher I checked out specified their writers had to have a site/blog with plenty of them also saying you had to have a Facebook page. These days, the focus appears to be more on newsletters, but I wonder if they've had their time as well - unless you're a big name, of course. I think there's a good chance people just think it's yet another email to read so I'll bin it or save it for later and then never go back to it. The old problem for the writer is how to tell the readers about their books without boring them. Twitter, blog, newsletter, word of mouth, trusting to luck...
Honestly? I still have no idea.
November 18, 2018
Grey in my beard
I turned 41 the other day. No age at all to someone like my dad who's 66 or my mother who's 73, but an old bastard to a 20 year old. And no, this isn't one of those wanky posts to moan about getting older. I'm fine with thinking that being 20 or 25 and even 30 is a way behind me now. Those ages may not feel that long ago, but let's face it, 41 isn't a kid.
And that's fine with me.
If you'd told me at 21 that two decades later, I still wouldn't be writing full-time, that I wouldn't really be any more of a success with writing and publishing seven years after my first book was released than at any point before it, and that there's close to zero indication of that situation changing. . .I would have wondered what the point was of spending so long and investing so much in time in making up stories. Whether or not I would have carried on investing that time, I can't say for sure, obviously. I think I would have, but who knows?
Writing, telling stories, making shit up - it's the only thing I'm good at. And that's not blowing my own trumpet; it's what I've come to realise after doing it for so long. I'm happy doing it. If it goes nowhere and if I'm writing another post along these lines in twenty years, then so be it. And if the main difference I can see between the 41 year old writing this and the 20 year old who'd be furious to know he's still not a success is the grey in my beard, then that's what I've got.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got stories to tell.
And that's fine with me.
If you'd told me at 21 that two decades later, I still wouldn't be writing full-time, that I wouldn't really be any more of a success with writing and publishing seven years after my first book was released than at any point before it, and that there's close to zero indication of that situation changing. . .I would have wondered what the point was of spending so long and investing so much in time in making up stories. Whether or not I would have carried on investing that time, I can't say for sure, obviously. I think I would have, but who knows?
Writing, telling stories, making shit up - it's the only thing I'm good at. And that's not blowing my own trumpet; it's what I've come to realise after doing it for so long. I'm happy doing it. If it goes nowhere and if I'm writing another post along these lines in twenty years, then so be it. And if the main difference I can see between the 41 year old writing this and the 20 year old who'd be furious to know he's still not a success is the grey in my beard, then that's what I've got.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got stories to tell.
November 3, 2018
Die Laughing - free this weekend
November 1, 2018
Ascent - the links
In case anyone was wondering why I hadn't shared any links to Ascent, it was because there was an issue with the ebook version which took a while to sort out. Everything should be okay now, so I'm delighted to post all the links now along with a little peek at the book.
UK paperback
UK ebook
US paperback
US ebook
As I've said more than once, I was gutted when the original release went down the toilet after that publisher closed their doors, so having it brought back to life through Hellbound Books is a result, I'm sure you'll agree. And as always, if you can do me a major solid of posting a review - no matter how short as long as it's honest - that would help me out more than you can imagine. In the meantime, how about a cheeky look at Ascent?
Claws sank into the skin of Dao’s forehead. Blood flowed from fine cuts. He still didn’t have the breath to make a noise, despite the pain rapidly becoming agony. His head was turned; he had no choice but to go with it while Yang’s wails rang out, non-stop, beyond awful.
Whatever held Dao’s head pushed him back towards the window, the glass looming closer as he dragged useless fingers over the carpet and wept. The forced movement took him to the window and kept going. His nose pressed into the glass, then his forehead. And still, the claws in his head wouldn’t let go. Dao’s first coherent thought in seconds was:
It’s going to crush me.
Dao’s vision rippled. For a tiny moment, even the terrible sensation in his skull lessened. Then the glass of the window parted like oily water, its surface shimmering and dancing on all sides as Dao’s head oozed through it. He couldn’t close his eyes even when the window—or whatever the window had become—pressed its cold into his pupils for a moment, then flowed to the sides, then up and below.
Air found Dao’s face.
He’d been pushed through the surface of the glass as if it were fresh mud. His knees and hands remained on the carpet while his head and neck jutted from the side of the building, offering him a God’s-eye view of Willington’s centre and its new lifeless surface.
But it wasn’t totally lifeless.
The claws forced Dao to bend his neck and see what moved on the pavement ten floors below.
Skittering, black pools sliding together, growing and forming wider circles; those circles slowly began to jut from the ground and form the unmistakable shape of bodies, while the same fierce white light that shone in the east rose from the pavement. The faint whiff of something meaty rose. Something burning reached Dao’s nose.
The stink and the shapes too awful to be called human were not the worst. Neither was the impossible horror of his head pushed through a window without any glass breaking.
The claws gripping his skull, piercing skin to send tiny lines of blood streaming down his face, had changed.
They had become the soft weight of a hand.
A child’s hand holding his skull and forcing his neck back, so his staring eyes couldn’t help but see the silver of the sun shining from the wrong direction.
UK paperback
UK ebook
US paperback
US ebook
As I've said more than once, I was gutted when the original release went down the toilet after that publisher closed their doors, so having it brought back to life through Hellbound Books is a result, I'm sure you'll agree. And as always, if you can do me a major solid of posting a review - no matter how short as long as it's honest - that would help me out more than you can imagine. In the meantime, how about a cheeky look at Ascent?
Claws sank into the skin of Dao’s forehead. Blood flowed from fine cuts. He still didn’t have the breath to make a noise, despite the pain rapidly becoming agony. His head was turned; he had no choice but to go with it while Yang’s wails rang out, non-stop, beyond awful.
Whatever held Dao’s head pushed him back towards the window, the glass looming closer as he dragged useless fingers over the carpet and wept. The forced movement took him to the window and kept going. His nose pressed into the glass, then his forehead. And still, the claws in his head wouldn’t let go. Dao’s first coherent thought in seconds was:
It’s going to crush me.
Dao’s vision rippled. For a tiny moment, even the terrible sensation in his skull lessened. Then the glass of the window parted like oily water, its surface shimmering and dancing on all sides as Dao’s head oozed through it. He couldn’t close his eyes even when the window—or whatever the window had become—pressed its cold into his pupils for a moment, then flowed to the sides, then up and below.
Air found Dao’s face.
He’d been pushed through the surface of the glass as if it were fresh mud. His knees and hands remained on the carpet while his head and neck jutted from the side of the building, offering him a God’s-eye view of Willington’s centre and its new lifeless surface.
But it wasn’t totally lifeless.
The claws forced Dao to bend his neck and see what moved on the pavement ten floors below.
Skittering, black pools sliding together, growing and forming wider circles; those circles slowly began to jut from the ground and form the unmistakable shape of bodies, while the same fierce white light that shone in the east rose from the pavement. The faint whiff of something meaty rose. Something burning reached Dao’s nose.
The stink and the shapes too awful to be called human were not the worst. Neither was the impossible horror of his head pushed through a window without any glass breaking.
The claws gripping his skull, piercing skin to send tiny lines of blood streaming down his face, had changed.
They had become the soft weight of a hand.
A child’s hand holding his skull and forcing his neck back, so his staring eyes couldn’t help but see the silver of the sun shining from the wrong direction.
October 23, 2018
Ascent - published on Friday
Word on the street (well, direct from the publisher) is that Ascent is published this Friday. It isn't listed on Amazon yet, but obviously I'll post those links as soon as they're live. In the meantime, how about a cover reveal?
When terrorists target an American air force base with a nuclear bomb, Kelly Wells races to find her sister in a nearby office block, desperate for them to be together in their final moments. At the same time, a handful of others fight their way through a panicked city to reach the building—frantic to make it to loved ones before the device ignites less than fifty miles away.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
When terrorists target an American air force base with a nuclear bomb, Kelly Wells races to find her sister in a nearby office block, desperate for them to be together in their final moments. At the same time, a handful of others fight their way through a panicked city to reach the building—frantic to make it to loved ones before the device ignites less than fifty miles away.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
October 13, 2018
A collection of interviews
Just a quick post on this blowy October morning. The publisher of The Mirror Of The Nameless has put together a collection of interviews with authors along with snippets of their books. I'm in it along with some very jolly people. You can get your copy over on Amazon this way for less than £2.50.
In other news, the reissue of Ascent is still coming soon - more info as soon as possible - and I'm alternating between new short fiction and a new book. Because there are always more stories to tell.
In other news, the reissue of Ascent is still coming soon - more info as soon as possible - and I'm alternating between new short fiction and a new book. Because there are always more stories to tell.
October 3, 2018
Yeah, it's another interview
Did an interview with Kendall Reviews a couple of weeks ago; it's now live, so you can have a read of my answers to questions I liked a lot. In the meantime, the re-release of Ascent draws closer. I'm working on the final version right now (after taking a break from the read of my my most recent book) and hoping to have the cover soon.
Here's the interview. As always, shares and comments are more than welcome
Here's the interview. As always, shares and comments are more than welcome
September 23, 2018
Ascent - republished next month
Happy to report that my novel Ascent, which was published summer last year but then went out of print at the start of this year when the publisher closed, is coming back to life. I thought it wouldn't be for another few months, but it turns out it's a lot sooner. Next month, in fact. Hoping to have more info such as a new cover and links soonish. In the meantime, here's the updated cover blurb to give you an idea of the tale.
When terrorists target an American airforce base with a nuclear bomb, Kelly Wells races to find her sister in a nearby office block, desperate for them to be together in their final moments. At the same time, a handful of others fight their way through a panicked city to reach the building—frantic to make it to loved ones before the device ignites less than fifty miles away.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
I've posted about this one before and how it was a struggle to write and produce a final version I was happy with, so there's no need to go over that crap, again. It's enough to say it's a book I'm proud of and I was gutted when it went down the pan this year. But, thanks to Hellbound Publishing, it's on its way back.
In other news, I'm working on a few short stories for the first time in a while and just aiming to have a bit of fun with them without worrying too much about potential markets. Next weekend, I'm going back to the second draft of my most recent book for the big read-through. That one is a little different to my usual stuff - more of a dark thriller than out and out horror. Anyway, lots to do. And if you want to be updated every now and again, sign up to my newsletter over 'ere -
NEWSLETTER
and get a free short story when you do.
When terrorists target an American airforce base with a nuclear bomb, Kelly Wells races to find her sister in a nearby office block, desperate for them to be together in their final moments. At the same time, a handful of others fight their way through a panicked city to reach the building—frantic to make it to loved ones before the device ignites less than fifty miles away.
In the frozen instant of the detonation, Kelly, her sister and three strangers are locked in that moment and trapped in the offices. But they are not alone. An ancient god from the deepest pits in the earth has woken and knows their most private secrets and guilt. Now, horror takes the form of their darkest dreams to draw sustenance from their terror, and the beast stalking them will dine well.
Because everybody is afraid of something.
I've posted about this one before and how it was a struggle to write and produce a final version I was happy with, so there's no need to go over that crap, again. It's enough to say it's a book I'm proud of and I was gutted when it went down the pan this year. But, thanks to Hellbound Publishing, it's on its way back.
In other news, I'm working on a few short stories for the first time in a while and just aiming to have a bit of fun with them without worrying too much about potential markets. Next weekend, I'm going back to the second draft of my most recent book for the big read-through. That one is a little different to my usual stuff - more of a dark thriller than out and out horror. Anyway, lots to do. And if you want to be updated every now and again, sign up to my newsletter over 'ere -
NEWSLETTER
and get a free short story when you do.
