Jason Franks's Blog, page 6

Bloody Waters Redux

If you’ve been paying attention, you will have noticed that the first release from Argonautica Press, my new imprint with Jason Fischer, is a reissue of Bloody Waters.

There’s a few reasons for this. Firstly, the rights have come back to me, and I wanted to make sure the book would stay available. Secondly, I own the cover artwork, which I originally commissioned from the excellent Rhys James, and I had an InDesign layout of the book in hand.

Thirdly, the book has never had a proper physical edition, aside from the ARCs that Jan (my editor and former publisher at Possible Press) and I rushed out for Supanova in 2013. I really wanted a nicely turned out print edition of the book, and this seemed like a good opportunity to make that happen.

So I went to he excellent Garth Jones and asked him to produce a new cover design over Rhys’ artwork. While he did that I took the opportunity to gussy up the interiors, too. The result is a rocking new edition befitting of my favourite group of characters: Clarice, Johnny, Beresford, Enrique, Bad Jack Saunders, and of course, old Satan himself.

So here we are. The book as I have always wanted it to be, available everywhere.

The hard questions.

Is Argonautica going to be its forever home? I don’t know. I’ve had more than one project in the past that has gone through multiple publishers and I’ve learned never to rule out a change. I am writing a sequel now, and when that’s done, who knows where we’ll be? But in the meantime I want the best quality version of the book I can manage to be available to you.

And yes, I did say sequel.

It’s called Blackened Skies and I’ve written half of it already. I have known what happens next to the characters since long before Bloody Waters was published, but I had other projects that needed doing. Still, Clarice and the gang are just too much fun to be around, so I started picking away at some new bits and pieces, and now… well, it’s official. I can’t give a date yet, but the sequel is coming.

So what is the new book about? The cliche for rock’n’roll stories, of course, is for the second act to see the characters descend into drug addiction, financial ruin, and failure… but I have much grander plans than that.

Bloody Waters sees the band rise against the odds to the pinnacle of rock stardom–how do I top that? Well, without spoiling too much, I can tell you that Blackened Skies isn’t going to stop short of the end of the world.

I’m pretty excited about it and I hope you are, too. In the meantime, if you want to catch up on the first book, it should now be available in print or digitally from everywhere you expect:

Amazon ‣
Amazon Kindle ‣
Book Depository ‣
Rakuten Kobo ‣
Barnes and Noble ‣
Barnes and Noble Nook ‣
Apple iBookstore ‣
Google Play ‣
Fishpond ‣
Book Depository ‣
Booktopia ‣

If you bought an old copy and you want an upgrade, please let me know and I’ll work out a deal for you. I want you folks to have the best version of this, especially my loyal readers.

One last note: I have taken down the two Kindle shorts Possible Press published for me. The first of them, “Hellhound on my Trail”, is now available for free from Curious Fictions, so please click on through if you’d like a squiz. The second piece, “The Martyr and the Quarin”, I have adopted into the new book, so you will eventually have the opportunity to see it in context of the bigger story. I may or may not release another stand-alone piece to replace it, if there is enough demand (let me know!)

Otherwise, if you want a bit more occult rock’n’roll goodness from me that doesn’t directly involve Bloody Waters there’s my story Butcher’s Hook, which was published in Aurealis #65 a few years back and which is available here:

https://aurealis.com.au/store/aurealis-65/

Any questions? No? Then I invite you to join me in the moshpit.

Peace, love and head explosions, baby,

— JF

Voyage of the Argos

So by now you’ve seen the news about my new publishing venture, Argonautica Press, in cahoots with my mate Jason Fischer. This is basically the two of us teaming up to take control of our respective backlists and, I guess you’d say, side-lists. Or you could put it this way: we’re self-publishing our books under a collective banner.

Fisch and I have been discussing this for a good couple of years now. I’m not sure but I think it was JF.1’s idea to self-publish some work, initially, and I barged in and demanded he let me participate as well.

So what’s the deal? Am I going Full Indie?

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Well, no. Neither Fisch nor I are abandoning traditional publishing. I’ve had a terrific time working with IFWG Australia over the last year for my novel Faerie Apocalypse, and I hope to continue and expand that relationship in the future.

This is just the pair of us doing what many other peers have done–becoming hybrid authors, with one foot in trad publishing and the other in the self publishing world.

I have been watching the way that indie authors have been running their businesses over the last few years and I’ve been incredibly impressed with the quality of work they are putting out, which is often riskier and more interesting that the work put out by the Big Four publishers. Two of my favourite books in 2018 were self-published and five years ago I honestly never would have believed it.

Having full control of the product, from end to end, gives us a lot of advantages and, while there is obviously an extra workload, this will allay some of the frustrations I’ve had with traditional publishing for many years now. In this paradigm I control when the books are released, and how. I get to see how they are performing in real time. I get to control the price point and the position of the logo on the spine and a million other things that are impossible when there is a publisher and a distributor standing between you and the customer. If I want to do a giveaway or a sale or to bundle my books with someone else’s, I can do that without having to ask someone else to make it happen.

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These are books that mean a lot to me; they’re not abandoned bottom drawer efforts that I’m trying to make a buck from. I worked on Bloody Waters for a decade and, after a rollercoaster journey to publication, the book made an awards shortlist. I’ll talk about Bloody Waters more in a follow-up post but I do want to mention that I have had two other small-medium sized publishers approach me about taking the book onto their lists since the book first came out–so I’m not self-publishing now for lack of options.

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The same is true for Shadowmancy, which I will also be releasing under Argonautica Press. The book was signed to a publisher before it was even finished and, while that publisher collapsed before the book could come out (more or less), it’s hardly an unwanted manuscript I failed to sell. The truth is that I have been sitting on it waiting to get this venture up and running, because it’s a perfect, weird little project and I already have of the assets under my control, from the cover and design to the lavish interior art by my old mucker Nic Hunter.

So what happens now? We’ll release some books and see if we can make a go of it. I have some experience with the mechanics of publishing from my old comics imprint, Black Glass Press, and while that business has operated more like a production studio than a publisher for a number of years I think I’ve learned a few things about what not to do. I am also much better aware of my own limitations. I’m better suited to staying behind the curtain–setting up print runs and running the website–while Fisch is much really good at getting in people’s faces and promoting stuff. Hopefully we can muddle through this together. At the very least, we’ll have fun putting out some crazy weird genre fiction.

Wish us luck–we are now Hybrid As Fuck.*

— JF.2

I’m sure JF.1 would have a terrible pun but all I got is a swearword and a soon-to-be-dated pop culture reference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THE ARGOS SAILS

PRESS RELEASE – NO EMBARGO

Authors Jason Fischer and Jason Franks are pleased to announce the
launch of their exciting new collaborative publishing venture,
Argonautica Press. Dedicated to reprinting their best known works as
well as new projects, Argonautica Press is launching with the immediate
re-release of Jason Franks’ Aurealis Award shortlisted occult
rock’n’roll novel, Bloody Waters.

Jason Franks said “I was mostly known as a comics writer when Bloody
Waters first came out, and it provided me with my first real
introduction to the prose writing community. I had a terrible lack of
confidence and I weaseled out of doing a proper launch for the book–an
easy thing since it was released as an ebook first. I don’t think
anybody was more surprised when good reviews started to come in,
culminating in an Aurealis nomination. Until now the only hardcopy
edition of the book that has been available was a tiny run of ARCs that
we rushed out for Supanova, so I am particularly thrilled to see the new
redesigned edition. These are my favourite characters and I’m very
pleased to see them take another turn on the stage.”

The next release on the Argonautica schedule is the reprint of Jason
Fischer’s Quiver, volume 1 of the Tamsyn Webb Chronicles. The sequels
to this cult-classic zombie novel are in production, and the following
titles in the series are Go To Hell and Dead Last.

“The initial reactions to Quiver were favourable, and the book sold
out at the 2013 launch,” Jason Fischer said. “I’m very excited to
continue the tale of Tamsyn Webb under this new masthead, and look
forward to pushing this story into uncharted territory. It’s a lot of
fun doing unexpected things with the zombie apocalypse sub-genre, and
given the intent was always to
write a big sprawling series with these characters, I am pleased to enact the ultimate resurrection.”

The estimated re-release date of Quiver is mid-June 2019, with the sequels in the Tamsyn Webb Chronicles following shortly.

Simultaneous to the re-release of Quiver should see Argonautica’s
first new release title, Jason Franks’ novel Shadowmancy, a dark look at
a school for the mystical arts replete with a cover and lush interior
illustrations by Nicholas Hunter.

More information about Argonautica Press can be found at https://argonauticapress.com/

Holiday Reads!

I’m not much of an Xmas guy. My family never celebrated it growing up and neither did my wife’s. But I do look forward to the holidays, particularly because they give me a chance to read and write. And so I thought I’d share some of the stuff I’ve enjoyed best this year, as well as the top of my To-Be-Read pile with you.

Best of the Year

The Game Bird, Aidan Walsh

Aidan’s debut novel, the Game Bird, is a nautical adventure set in what feels a bit like our 19th century, but is in fact a fantasy world populated with mythological beasts and demons. This book has a cracking good pace, likable but flawed heroes, hideous villains, and a stew of incongruous story elements that I assure you is most delicious. Original, suspenseful, and just straight up fun. You can’t go wrong with this one.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

A new Coen Brothers movie is always a treat. I have enjoyed their recent forays into the Western genre and this anthology piece–a Netflix original–feels like their final word on the genre. It’s weird and obtuse and violent and funny as you expect; magnificently shot, cast and performed. I am unable to pick a favourite among the mostly unconnected vignettes, each of which examines a different mode of storytelling that has, in one era or another, been applied to the genre. See it if you can.

Top of my TBR Pile

Devouring Dark, Alan Baxter

I am a longtime fan of Alan’s and I expect that this book, a supernatural thriller about a murderous vigilante with dark powers of his own. Alan writes fast, action-packed horror-thrillers and this one looks like it’s playing to his strengths. Definitely should give it a look–I know I’m keen.

The Subjugate, Amanda Bridgeman

Amanda is best know for her military SF Aurora series, but her newest book, The Subjugate, is a bit of a different beast. A pair of homicide cops investigate  string of murders in a small religious community, in a world where violent offenders are ‘neurologically edited’ into placid servants. Looks like a suspenseful and thoughtful new work from an up-and-coming star writer.

We Ride the Storm, Devin Madsen

I am a fan of Devin’s earlier Broken Empire trilogy and her new book, We Ride the Storm, is a fresh entry into her intriguing, Far East inspired fantasy world. The setting isn’t the only thing different about these books–the magic system is completely original and the characters are dark and fascinating. I believe that you can jump straight into this new book without having read the earlier trilogy and I am very much looking forward to it. We Ride the Storm is currently a finalist in Mark Lawrence’s SFPBO competition, so you know it’s going to be good.

Tide of Stone,  KaaronWarren

I don’t think Kaaron needs much of an introduction here after her stint as Guest of Honour at this year’s World Fantasy Convention, but I will say that she’s probably the only prose writer in the world whose books I am actually terrified to read. In Tide of Stone, the world’s worst criminals can choose between the death penalty and eternal life–locked in a tower with others like themselves. I’m looking forward to reading this in the holidays… if I have the guts.

That’s it from me this year. I hope to have some news about some exciting new projects–Shadowmancy! Gourmand Go!–early next year but for now, have a safe and excellent holiday season. 

All the best,

— Jason 

Stan

I never met Stan Lee. Closest I came was being shoved out of the way by his security detail when I nearly tripped over him in a crowded aisle at San Diego Comic Con in 2010. I am glad, in retrospect, that those guys stopped me from treading on him because he was tiny and he looked a lot more frail than he does on the big screen.

But I did sit opposite his booth at the first Melbourne Oz Comic Con and I can tell you this much about him: he made people love comics. First and only con where people have come to my table and asked if I had locally made, original work for them. Whatever his creative contribution, he was without question the industry’s greatest spokesman.

Excelsior.

Curious Fictions – Free story and stuff

This new site Curious Fictions approached me a couple of weeks ago about joining up and posting some work there. A bunch of other, much better authors have shared short stories and other content there and it’s great company to be in, so I have joined up, too.

https://curiousfictions.com/authors/460-jason-franks

For starters I have posted my short story “Hellhound on My Trail“, a stand-alone piece featuring the bluesman Bad Jack Saunders from Bloody Waters, and if people tune in I’ll share more stories and other content. 

Give us a follow and have a browse around, there are many fine writers on the site.

Ursula

Ursula Le Guin, my favourite author, just passed over the wall of stones.

I always wanted to meet her, although I knew I never would.

Ursula was, in my estimation, the best author I’ve read. She was wise and humane and original and vital, in her writing and, as best I can tell, through her life. Her craft was beyond impeccable: every sentence beautifully turned out, rhythmically perfect, and unfailingly clear, without ever being pretentious or showy, despite the planet-sized intellect that lay behind it. 

I’ve just watched the The Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin, a documentary by Arwen Curry that was filmed mostly in Ursula’s last year with us and completed not long after her death, and you should watch it, too, if it becomes available near you.

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/ArwenCurryDocumentary.html

Here’s a short piece I wrote about how her work has inspired me since I was a child, which I wrote for Alan Baxter a few years ago:

https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/great-inspiration-jason-franks/

 

Character and the Modern Magus

I wrote this essay for Pete Aldin about how I developed the Magus in Faerie Apocalypse, and what I learned from so doing.

This particular character is probably the one that readers have remarked upon the most. One reviewer said he was unrelatable, repulsive an despicable (which he is). Others have told me that he is their favourite character in the book.

He isn’t my favourite, but he was certainly the most difficult to manage. I think I threw out fifty percent of the material I wrote around this character. An early reader told me that he should have an entire novel to himself and I probably could have written one… but that wan’t the story I wanted to tell here.

Anyway, here’s the essay, which includes a snippet of that deleted material. I hope you like it.

http://petealdin.com/character-and-the-modern-magus/

Horror Tree

I did an interview for “Scott” Summers at the Horror Tree. We talk about dark genre fiction, travel, and writing process, among other things. Contains a short snippet out of Faerie Apocalypse.

Make with clicky:

https://horrortree.com/the-horror-tree-presentsan-interview-with-jason-franks/

Beyond Words

I spoke to Holly Hunt’s Beyond Words podcast about writing and rewriting. If you want to spend 25 minutes listening to my weedy, stammering nerd-voice, well, here’s your opportunity!

Holly reviews Faerie Apocalypse for good measure at the end.

Check it one time:

http://themodernmeltdown.net/beyond_the_words/beyond-the-words-episode-40-writing-to-feedback-with-jason-franks/