Gav Thorpe's Blog, page 15

Fantasycon By The Sea – Scarborough

Next weekend, 23rd-25th September, will see me jaunting up to Scarborough, for Fantasycon By The Sea. If you’re not familiar with it:

“Fantasycon is an essential annual destination for readers, writers, artists, editors, and publishers of all things fantastical. Featuring panels, talks, workshops, meet-ups and socialising.”

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s always good to get out and about to these types of events as being a writer can be a solitary business. These are the opportunities to meet up with people you chat with online, fellow anthology contributors, podcasters and interviewers, and of course readers, amongst others. This year’s event will be doubly awesome as I’ll be joined by fellow Black Library authors Guy Haley, David Guymer, and editor Laurie Goulding.

David has been nominated for the David Gemmel Legends award, for his book Gotrek & Felix: Slayer. The awards ceremony is on the Saturday night and I plan to bring my pom poms and act as chief cheerleader.

But as for Fantasycon itself, you can find me as follows:



Friday 23rd 4-5pm (Palm Court Ballroom)

I’ll be moderating a panel entitled “Are Writers Under Pressure to ‘Sell Out’ To Make A Living?” along with Meg Davis, Mark Morris, Scott Andrews and Penny Reeve.

Sunday 25th 11-12noon (Cocktail Bar)

Along with David, Guy and Laurie, I’ll be giving a reading from one of my Black Library works – I think it will be from Weregeld, the new story in the forthcoming Corax anthology.

All Other Times (Various Bars!)

I genuinely love meeting readers, and putting faces to Twitter handles, so please feel free to come and chat if you see me around the venue / paddling on the beach. Feel free to bring along any books you’d like signing.

In addition to the above, we’re hoping to have details of a group book signing at Games Workshop Scarborough while we’re in the area – keep an eye on the blog and social media for more details.

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Legacy of Caliban Omnibus – Order Now!

For some reason Ravenwing, the first novel in my Legacy of Caliban trilogy, has always been in short supply. I’m asked at least once a month if it’s being re-printed, or where copies can be obtained, so I’m sure there will be many people happy to learn that the omnibus edition of the trilogy is available to order today in paperback (physical copies in store next Saturday).

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-1784964399

Release Date: 17th September (order online from 10th September)

Legacy of Caliban Omnibus Edition

Descendents of the First Legion, the Dark Angels are peerless warriors with a knightly heritage from their sundered home world of Caliban. Amongst their hallowed ranks are the lightning fast Ravenwing and the stalwart Deathwing. But the Legacy of Caliban is dark, and the need for atonement is great and echoes through the ages. Ever do the Dark Angels hunt the mysterious Fallen, their greatest shame and their darkest secret. This omnibus edition contains the novels Ravenwing, Master of Sanctity and The Unforgiven, along with the short story collection Lords of Caliban.

The Legacy of Caliban omnibus edition contains the novels Ravenwing, Master of Sanctity, and The Unforgiven, along with the short stories A Hunt in The Dark, Honour of the Third, Holder of the Keys, Battle Brothers, All Must End, and Accept No Failure.

Keep an eye on my blog this week to find out more about the series.

Praise for The Unforgiven, the third and final book in the series

“An absolute smashing trilogy-closer filled with strong character development and wonderfully descriptive battle scenes that takes the epic story started so long ago in Angels of Darkness and brings it to a conclusion that will leave the reader stunned into silence while also exploring the deepest secrets of the Sons of the Lion. Fittingly the finest entry in the series and an absolute must-read for any fan of 40k and the Dark Angels Chapter.”

– Lord of the Night, Talk Wargaming

Buy Legacy of Caliban

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Warhammer 40k Legends Collection

You may remember some month’s ago that Hachette Partworks, the magazine subscription company that has published collections such as Doctor Who – The Complete History, and Marvel – The Ultimate Graphic Novel Collection, advertised a Warhammer 40k Legends Collection. As with all such partworks they tested the market in a few locations first, to see what the uptake would be like, and of course – as we could have predicted – there was a huge sign up.

Fast-forward a few months, and the magazine launches nationwide in UK stores today. I understand the full list of titles to be included will be kept under wraps, but I can confirm that it will include titles from me.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of partworks, it’s a regular magazine subscription with which you receive a related item that joins together into a finished item/collection. The most common being literal parts of models which you build each week into a finished display model. My own experience of this was ‘Take Off’ – a series of magazines about airplanes. I fondly remember the excitement of getting a new issue, and spending the next few days pouring over the finer points of the A-10 Warthog.

You can find more information over on the official website, but here’s the overview:

The Definitive Warhammer 40,000 Novel Collection

This incredible collection builds into a retrospective of the best of the Warhammer 40,000 novels with supporting editorial content focusing on key storylines, characters and themes.

Curator’s Introduction

Each novel has a brand new introduction that explores the importance of the story and its place in the Warhammer 40k universe. Together, they build up into a fascinating collection that provides a unique insight into the 41st Millennium.

Unique Warhammer 40,000 Artwork

Stunning colour artwork from the grim 41st Millennium and its most epic battles.

41st Millennium Timeline

Trace the history of mankind from the Horus Heresy to its darkest hours in the 13th Black Crusade, captured together in this collection, the perfect reference for any devotee of Warhammer 40,000.

Features & Profiles

All the essential information about a key character, faction or moment from the book, whether that’s the Warhmaster Horus, creatures such as Orks, or locations such as the forges of Mars.

Free Gifts!

There are also free gifts with the first four issues – including galaxy map, notebook, book ends, coasters, and tankard.

I have very rarely used my (very limited) influence to get free stuff, but I will definitely be trying my luck to get a set of those book ends. I’ve also been lucky enough to see the spine artwork in full detail – it’s stunning and would look awesome collected together on a bookshelf.

There is an official Facebook page for the collection here.

So what do you reckon – will you be signing up?

Find Out More

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Black Library Live! 19th November 2016

The news is now out – Black Library Live is back!

Black Library Live! returns with a packed schedule of seminars, signings, readings and Q&As – plus of course, the chance to meet your favourite authors and pick up new and pre-release books and CDs. It’s an unmissable event for all Black Library fans.

You can find all the details, and buy your ticket, over at the Black Library website.

Buy Tickets

From the Black Library Website:

WHAT DO I GET?

Your ticket gets you entry into the event itself (of course) with access to the seminars, signings and everything else on the day, plus an exclusive event programme and complete access to Warhammer World’s expansive Exhibitions, including massive dioramas, displays of Citadel Miniatures from across the years, and much more.

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

* Author signings – get your favourite books dedicated by the writers

* Seminars – discover the secrets behind Black Library series, including the Horus Heresy and The Beast Arises

* Author Q&As – get your burning questions answered

* Reading – hear authors read from their latest works

* Plus more to be announced later!

CONFIRMED GUESTS

Mark Clapham

L J Goulding

Guy Haley

Nick Kyme

Josh Reynolds

Gav Thorpe

Chris Wraight

Watch out for more guest announcements in the coming weeks.

NEW PRODUCTS

* ‘Nagash: The Undying King’ by Josh Reynolds, a new Warhammer Age of Sigmar novel exclusively available from events and Warhammer World’s Black Library store

* ‘Tyrant of the Hollow Worlds’, a Space Marine Battles novel by Mark Clapham

* ‘Fabius Bile: Primogenitor’ by Josh Reynolds, in both standard and deluxe Limited Edition formats

* Plus many more to be announced

If you’re unsure whether to attend, have a look at my previous BL Live blogs here, to see what you might expect. I’ll publish details of my schedule for the day as and when timings etc have been agreed.

I’m sure the guys behind last year’s fan arranged Convention Secundus will be breathing a sigh of relief; they freely gave their time (and I’m sure, stress) last year to create an event for BL fans who were lamenting the lack of an official Black Library Live. If you see them in November, make sure you buy them a pint

Eye of Terra – Now in Paperback

Book 35 in The Horus Heresy series, the Eye of Terra, is available in stores today in paperback for the first time (hardback, eBook and mp3 are already available).

The Eye of Terra anthology contains my short story Inheritor, and the prose version of my audio story Master Of The First, along with 13 other stories by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Graham McNeill and Chris Wraight amongst others.

Paperback: 978-1784963729

Hardback: 978-1784963675

eBook: 978-1785721953

You can read an extract of the book here.

About Eye of Terra

“The galaxy burns at Horus’s command, and a billion more lives are lost with each passing moment – though it was not always so. Once, the title of Warmaster stood for honour, loyalty and a fierce pride in the strength of the Space Marine Legions. But perhaps by following the myriad lines of destiny and defiance that were already woven around the primarchs and their sons, we may yet come to understand the bitterness that can eat away at even the most steadfast of souls…”

About Master of The First

The Dark Angels and the Night Lords fought one another to a bloody stalemate during the Thramas Crusade, leaving the First Legion scattered and under-strength. Back on Caliban, those Dark Angels loyal to Luther begin to grow impatient for a return to past glories, allowing the corruption at the world’s heart to spread. This story reveals the truth of what has been happening on the Dark Angels home world of Caliban while the Lion has been battling against the Warmaster’s forces on the other side of the galaxy.

About Inheritor

On the world of Kronus, deep within the grand realm of Ultramar, Torquill Eliphas of the Word Bearers brings his grand designs to fruition. As part of Lorgar’s Shadow Crusade, the Ark of Testimony Chapter has fought alongside their berserker allies from the World Eaters for many months. But the slaughter of Ultramarines is not their only goal – Eliphas seeks to harness the power of the warp, in the construction of the mighty Templum Daemonarchia…

Buy Eye of Terra

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Interview With Combat Phase – August 2016

Listen to an interview with the Combat Phase podcast where we discuss in depth book eight in The Beast Arises series The Beast Must Die. If you haven’t already listened to it, you can catch up on the podcast for book three, The Emperor Expects, here.

My interview starts at 40:00.

Listen To The Interview

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

August 2016 – Q&A

This is a compilation of questions that have been emailed and messaged to me recently.

If you want to ask anything, you can post a comment here or get in touch through the contact page (and newsletter subscribers can just reply to any of my emails).

Dalibor asked on Facebook: I have a kind of special question for you and I was hoping you could help me out. I have been looking into the Khazalid language from the Warhammer universe, and I am going to have some custom work done with inscriptions. For that I really need to know how to say Grudgebearer in Khazalid. I know that grudge is Damnaz, but I failed to find how to say bearer in Khazalid. Do you think you could help me out please?

Having a look at the lexicon pages in Grudgelore tells me that khaz is an underground hall, khazunki is cavalry (literally ‘carried warrior’) and khazakan is dwarfs or hall-dwellers. I would therefore suggest a variant on khaz. Perhaps Dammazkhazi as -i suffix is used to denote a singular person.

Colin was after some writing advice and contacted me by replying to the newsletter: My problem is not getting the ideas, it’s developing and focusing on the story, going the distance so to speak. How do you do that ?

There’s a whole bunch of stuff on the website about story structure and how to organise it – http://gavthorpe.co.uk/tag/writing-advice-planning/ – http://gavthorpe.co.uk/tag/writing-advice-synopsis/

But my one-liner piece of advice is always to figure out the end first. Get an idea of the final scene, and then build your story toward that, working out what pieces need to fall into place to bring about that conclusion. So much better than starting with an idea but then running out of steam when you run into a place you weren’t expecting.

Duke_Leto asked on the blog: Hi Gav, just read The Beast Must Die. Awesome. One of your best…seriously. How did you and the other authors decide who would write which books?

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the ride! The allocation of titles was initially done in the opening meetings, via who wanted to write which parts of the story. In the latter part of the series it really has just come down to scheduling and who was available for a particular slot.

Iracundus commented on the blog: I hope we get more about the philosophy behind the conception of the Path and Aspect system in the new novel. Maybe even some on why Jain Zarr creates a new Aspect as opposed to becoming Asurmen’s first Dire Avenger follower? That was one of my original critiques about the Asurmen novel, that we didn’t spend enough time on his spiritual awakening before he rather swiftly IMO transitions into being Asurmen, the legend.

Had it been 80,000 words rather than 50,000 I would have had more opportunity for that sort of thing, but it is something I’ll be exploring via other stories as well when possible. And yes, we’ll see why the ‘Aspects’ started to develop rather than just Asurmen’s approach and style.

Stuart asked via the website: Do you have any insider knowledge regarding the possibility of a future printed release of your Legacy of Caliban Novels in ‘Omnibus’ format? I am a little old fashioned and prefer to have a paper book to hold over digital formats.

Unfortunately Ravenwing is only available as a digital copy at the moment. There will certainly be a LoC omnibus in the not-too-distant future. Quite a few people have approached me about getting copies of Ravenwing, I don’t know why it didn’t have a bigger print run.

Joshua asked via the website: Is there a way we (your readers) get a list of video games that you’ve been involved in? I would really love to see it and hopefully own them all. Thank you for taking the time to read this message and I appreciate everything you do.

To be honest, the list of currently disclosed videogames projects for which I have / will have an actual credit is short: Mark of Chaos and the forthcoming Deathwing. There will be a top tier title to add to the list soon. Other than that most of my work was in my capacity as Loremaster / Lead Background Designer while at GW so doesn’t warrant an individual credit I can list but includes Fire Warrior, Warhammer Online (various incarnations!) and Dawn of War.

I will over time update the games section of the website to include more details of my tabletop and video games work.

Kasrkin asked on Facebook: Hi Gav, just wanted to thank you from myself and a friend about how well your Raven Guard are so well researched in regards to their ISR tactics and recon abilities. Did you have a military background at all, or ever do military press at some point? So few writers ever seem to get it as well understood as yourself.

I’ve never served in the armed forces but I have read a lot of accounts and reports from many periods over the years, right up to Afghanistan and Iraq, by way of Belize and Aden and other special ops of the 20thC.

Mark asked on Facebook: Can’t find any pictures of a Punisher-class Titan. Is it a new variant you created for The Beast Must Die?

Yep, I made it up. Maybe we’ll see a model one day.

James asked on Twitter: Do any of your books explain if Eldar Banshees are definitely all ladies or whether guys can join? It worries me.

I was tempted to make Path of the Warrior about a biological male Eldar in a female Aspect, but didn’t want to get drawn into into deep investigation of Eldar gender attitudes.To me, Howling Banshees take on every part of the role of the mystical being while ‘in Aspect’.

If you want to ask anything, you can post a comment here or get in touch through the contact page (and newsletter subscribers can just reply to any of my emails).

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Nine Worlds Geekfest 2016

With deadline day looming for my latest project, it has taken some time to get my thoughts together about this year’s Nine Worlds Geekfest. I’m always in awe of the people who write their blogs the day after – it takes me a few days to get back to real life after a con, even if I don’t have a project on the go.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, Nine Worlds Geekfest is:

“Three days and nights of books and comics, gaming, film and TV, fandom, crafts, cosplay and creativity, geek culture and academe, and above all meeting awesome people and having a really big party.”

Kez and I (and Sammy) have been attending since we backed the original Kickstarter in 2013, and is something we look forward to every year. Each year has been a different experience for us, as Sammy has in turn been in-utero, a non-mobile baby, a toddler on the move, and this time – a chatty budding geek.

Inclusivity is the backbone of the con, not just in how attendee diversity is supported and respected, but also as part of the programme content. This year included panels, amongst many others, on:

* Figuring It Out: Non-Binary Gender In Contemporary Comics

* Intersectionality 101

* Writing Neurodiverse Characters

* Fat Representation In Geek Culture

* LGBTQIA+ Representations in Saga

Nine Worlds is a great annual reminder to check my white- male- cis- het-privilige, both in life and in my work.

Passion for Lego reignited by Nine Worlds – our lounge is now one big construction site

Despite the fact there were so many interesting panels and workshops, we spent most of the time in the kids area with Sammy. Fortunately it was at the side of the board games room, so we were able to play a couple of games while keeping an eye on Sammy. Sammy was introduced to Lego for the first time, and it was very difficult to remove him (and Kez) when it was time to eat. Given there is a schedule of activities aimed at children, we hope that all three of us will be able to take part a bit more in the panels and workshops as the years move on.

I did manage to attend a panel on self-publishing, something I hope will be useful for a personal project in the 12 months, and another on PTSD in fan-fiction that I’ve already been able to apply to one of my current projects.

This year’s new venue – the Hammersmith Novotel – was better than previous years in so many ways, most noticeably the attitude of staff and available food options. I understand the organisers took a hit on funding this year, but I hope with enough support for next year’s con they’ll be able to keep the same venue.

Undoubtedly the best part of Nine Worlds is the people. I’ve been around enough conventions now that there’s usually at least one person I know if I look across a room, which for an introvert like me is very reassuring. But the difference with Nine Worlds is that everyone is attending as a fan of their own geekdom, even if they are working in a professional capacity at some point over the weekend. There’s no exclusivity of celebrities you have to pay to meet, or VIP tickets or areas, you just get to meet your tribe and geek-out with them. We’ve met some wonderful people at Nine Worlds, and even Sammy has friends he looks forward to seeing again.

Forbidden Planet book signing with Mike Brooks

I had one work session this time – a book signing at the Forbidden Planet stand with the lovely Mike Brooks. I was pleased to sign copies of Angels of Caliban, The Unforgiven, The Beast Must Die, but also that someone brought their 3rd edition Codex: Eldar for me to sign. I wish I’d had more time to chat with a few other people who made a point of coming to say hello, but Sammy-wrangling occasionally got in the way.

So it has been over a week since we left the Hammersmith Novotel, and said goodbye to our ‘people’ for another year. If you’ve never attended a convention before, I can heartily recommend Nine Worlds as a safe space to dip your toe in the water. Tickets for 2017 are already on sale, and you can get an early-bird rate if you buy before 31st August.

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Asurmen In Store Today*

*The paperback that is, not the Asurmen – that would be a bit terrifying.

The paperback of Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan is available in stores from today. If you haven’t been keeping an eye on my blog this week, you may have missed:

* Author’s Notes

* Interview with Cover Artist

* Music Playlist

* Free Extract

READ IT BECAUSE

For the first time, get a glimpse at the horrors of the Fall of the Eldar and find out what drove Asurmen to create the Dire Avengers and start a whole new way of waging war. You also get to see him ten thousand years later, still defending his people from the darkness, and look at what drives him to keep doing so.

Thanks to Clay Saunders for letting me use this picture of his brilliantly painted Asurmen mini

“…a fantastic novel of non-linear storytelling and highly memorable hero… a solid five star rating.” 5 out of 5 stars

– Alexander Draganov, Goodreads

“An excellent tale about the greatest of Eldar warriors, with insights about his life before and during the Fall.” 5 out of 5 stars

– Hakan, Goodreads

“It is extremely well written and well paced. and if there are any other books coming out (which I think there are) and they are written by Gav Thorpe, then I thoroughly look forward to reading them.” 5 out of 5 stars

– Rob C, Amazon

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**

Interview With Life After The Cover Save – August 2016

Here you can listen to an interview with the Life After The Cover Save podcast, where we talk about Angels of Caliban, Black Library readers, and yeast issues.

Interview starts at 42:50.

Listen To The Interview

**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**