Gav Thorpe's Blog, page 41

Deliverance Lost Giveaway

This Saturday, 19th November, I shall be making an appearance at the Warhammer Doubles tournament, to sign pre-release copies of Deliverance Lost. As Nottingham is a bit of a trip for many Horus Heresy fans – especially those in exotic places like the USA, the Czech Republic and Swindon – I am running a competition this week so that someone who won't be able to attend can get their grubby little mitts on a copy before their friends (and it's better than laying down two hundred notes on Ebay!). All you have to do is answer three questions, and send your answers to the quiz email address at the end of this post.

Oh, one other thing. You'll have to find the other two questions on Twitter and Facebook… The lucky winner will be announced on Friday 18th November.

Question One: What would Corvus Corax call his pet hamster? (I will choose the best answer as a tiebreaker.)

Answers to all three questions on a postcard, or more properly an email, to mechanicalhamster (at) gmail (dot) com

Special Deliverance-y

Folks who were fortunate enough to be at Warhammer World over the weekend would have been able to pick up a special pre-pre-release copy of my first Horus Heresy novel Deliverance Lost. This would mean they got their mitts on an actual propercopy before I did, as mine only arrived in the post this morning…

An actual copy, in my house.

There will be another chance for those in and around Nottingham to get some pre-release copies on the 18th/ 19th November, and I'll be on hand on the Saturday to talk about the book and sign autographs for those who can make it.

And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, there was a Bully Bonus in the form of the Age of Legend anthology. This includes my story The Ninth Book, featuring a certain befanged fella who Warhammer fans will recognise from the cover art…

He'll be later known as Count Vlad von Carstein.

And if that wasn't enough…

Okay, this one is also from Age of Legend. First released as an audiobook, my Aenarion short story is also included in this collection. Feel free to make up your own sound effects as you are reading to try to achieve a similar effect (it was written for audio and is wonderfully read by Beth Chalmers, so I would suggest you grab that version too).

In Other News

I have just finished the synopsis for part three of The Eldar Path. Covering the piratical exploits of Aradryan, it features Rangers, Corsairs, Dark Eldar, Exodites and Harlequins. Yup, I managed to fit all of them in. Well, in the synopsis… Out next summer, Path of the Outcast reveals the fate of Alaitoc craftworld.

With that interlude over, plus a trip to Games Day Italy now passed, I have a couple more days of work of The Lion. This short story if for The Primarchs  anthology in the Horus Heresy series. Expect Dark Angels action and revelations.

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Who's the Agent?

This isn't an article about whether an author should get an agent, and who that might be, though it is an important issue for most writers. No, this is me putting down my thoughts on the narrative concept of agency – the power, or lack, our characters possess to change the world around them and influence the plot of a story.

Agency is Good

In general, few people like reading a story in which the main character or characters have no influence on their surroundings or what happens to them. There is a danger, particularly when exploring unusual concepts and settings as happens frequently in genre fiction, that the characters are relegated to the role of observers and reporters of the author's creation. As readers we become disassociated from events because the characters' actions are rendered meaningless.

The amount of agency possessed by a character varies a good deal depending on the style of story being told, the world they live in and their position within it, and the requirements of the wider narrative. However, the agency of characters should never be ignored, even if it is occasionally subverted or suspended.

For instance, a thriller is very much about the loss of a character's agency. The character will find themselves, unwittingly or otherwise, in a situation spiralling out of their control, often set against forces with a far greater agency than he or she has. It is the crux of the narrative that the character has little nor no influence for a large part of the story, either because of external influence or some internal conflict or obstacle. It is the realisation of agency, the taking of control to overcome these blocks that lies at the conclusion of the thriller narrative.

There are frequent debates on the nature of 'high' and 'low' fantasy, and while setting and substance plays an important part in reader's perceptions of these, I think agency is also a key ingredient. High fantasy, no matter how brutal, bloodthirsty and dirty it is presented, focuses on characters with a high degree of agency. They are the queens and heroes and wizards that can change whole worlds with their actions. In The Lord of the Rings, although Frodo is a humble Hobbit, possessed of very little ability in himself, he holds the ultimate agency in the form of the One Ring. While Aragorn is reclaiming his throne and other characters fight battles and lead armies, it is Frodo (with help from Sam) who can ultimately decide the fate of Middle-Earth. The rest of the cast exist to help him exercise this agency.

Low fantasy, on the other hand, deals with characters who are not going to overthrow dark lords and topple empires. They have far less lofty goals of survival, love, revenge or whatever else it might be. Their means to achieve their ends are themselves and perhaps a few friends or allies and like the thriller, the odds are stacked against them.

Changing your Agent

Agency can (and should)change through the course of the narrative, and as I mentioned with thrillers, the weight of agency between characters can be a pivotal part of the plot. It might be as simple as gaining possession of the magical macguffin that enables the characters to face their enemies, or as complex as resolving personal and interpersonal issues, battling against grief or hatred or lust or something else internal in order to be prepared to succeed in the external conflict.

Although I might not have put it in these terms when I started writing it, The Crown of the Blood series has a strong theme of agency running through it. The disparate characters each have their own agendas, which often conflict but also overlap at times, and the interplay of the exercise of different agency is what shapes the unfolding events as the various characters meet and overcome or are baulked by their trials and the agency of others.

This is no truer than in the story of the main character, Ullsaard. He has quite a lot of agency from the outset, being a general and friend of princes and all that. However, his agency is slowly eroded, not only by the actions of others but by his own ambitions, shortcomings and misconceptions. In the second book, The Crown of the Conqueror, Ullsaard appears to have attained the ultimate agency, but the truth turns out to be very different. In the third book, this examination of agency is taken to its inevitable conclusion, but I won't spoil that for folks…

As a counterpoint to the 'high' agency of many of the characters, I felt it was important to present a far less empowered character. Gelthius is a debtor, caught up in these world-changing events without any volition of his own. He is the small man, trying to do his best with what circumstance presents him, and in many ways I find his story the most engaging. As the everyman, he is most of us, adrift in a world that we can barely control, contenting ourselves with the small victories afforded to us.

Double Agents

In keeping to this theme of conflicting and mutable agency, it is important to remember that our featured characters are not the only characters whose agency may wax and wane. If you want to achieve some semblance of reality in fiction, the ability of our characters to overcome their obstacles is defined not only by their personal agency but also by the agency of the characters set against them.

Yes, characters set against them. Even if they never feature as viewpoint individuals, the dark lords, the scheming aliens, the faceless bureaucrats at city hall or the police commissioner looking for re-election are all characters within the world you have created and have their own agency. If they exist purely to thwart the agency of your protagonist, they may come across as thin, nothing more than plot-required obstacles to be overcome.

Sometimes our characters' conflicts may arise purely from circumstance, but that is not common. There is almost always some other person whose own objectives are at odds with those of our characters. The agency of these conflicting forces must be weighed as carefully as those of the characters when creating the setting and plot. Too much and the characters have to do something unbelievable to succeed, too little and the reader is left wondering what all the fuss was about.

As with all of these things, this agency must be conveyed through the writing somehow. Are our characters baulked by a deliberate counter-agency, or are they simply caught up in the backwash of a far greater power's schemes and plans? And when we have conveyed the extent of our antagonist's agency the reader is left in no doubt what is required of our characters to overcome it and assume agency for themselves, thus achieving their goals and getting the happy ending they so surely deserve…

Agency is Good… Sometimes

So we have the various powers at play, conflicting with each other to give rise to drama and strong narrative. We're all set then, right?

Wrong.

The nature of reality, even a fictional one, is that no matter how empowered individuals are, we can never rule out the nature of chaos – the reality of coincidence, bad or good luck, happenstance and synchronicity. Our fictional characters should be subject to the ebb and flow of life's little mysteries as anyone in the real world, where even the best laid plans can be thwarted by a rain cloud or a lucky sword thrust.

Too much or too little agency on the part of our characters threatens the verisimilitude of the narrative. If everything they touch turns to gold we end up with Mary Sue characters with metres-thick Plot Armour; or if they never, ever (and I mean ever) get a lucky break, our suspension of disbelief is threatened when finally they get their chance just at the right moment to resolve theplot.

There is a fine line to draw between circumstance and deus ex machina, but it does not mean that as writers we should avoid giving our heroes a moment of good fortune or happy coincidence. History shows us that alongside personal strength, political power and resolve, some of the most famous and infamous individuals from the past and present might not have ever risen to prominence if not for a quirk of fate or fortunate situation. No character has 100% agency (unless you are writing about a god, I suppose, but even then there are all those pesky mortals to mess things up). The trick is to present those occasions in such a way that they appear unplanned by you (the ultimate agency in any story).

Just don't push it too far. If the happy circumstance or unexpected setback required the confluence of a dozen different things, you might be stretching the reader's tolerance. On the other hand, if a somewhat unlikely event happens to occur, well that's just the nature of the universe, isn't it?

Balance the flow of agency between characters, and the influence of events beyond any control, and you will create a narrative that appears natural and believable, even if the characters are doing unbelievable things – and less face it, most genre fiction thrives on the unbelievable.

Genesis of an Idea

Recently, fellow author Rob Sanders asked via the comments 'The 'Crown' series looks like exciting times for you, Gav. How did it come about?'. Never one to miss an obvious prompt for a post, here is the answer.

Serendipity

Marco is that colour in real life.

It was fortuitous for me that while I was leaving Games Workshop and having thoughts of writing full-time, former Black Library Overlord Marc Gascoigne was also beginning a new venture. I had chatted to Marco about the whole writerly-life-situation-thing so it was a pleasant development when he contacted me with news of the Angry Robot imprint, asking if I wanted to pitch for a novel or three.

Having recently left my job as a Senior Games Developer, I was financially stable for a while, which in hindsight proved invaluable to me during my transition into full-time authorship. Invaluable because that money meant that I did not have to be chasing commissions from the very first moment. I had a bit of work lined up with Black Library, but I was able to give myself a couple of months to plan, plot and prepare. Into this headspace came Marco's invitation to come up with some ideas for him.

Finding a Suitable Audience

The first question I had asked myself when considering the freelance approach was what kind of books was I going to write? I really didn't want to give myself any restrictions at that point, so I spent quite a bit of time in book shops looking at the various genres and approaches, seeing how various things were worked out, and I also looked at the books available in the local supermarkets to see what kind of thing makes it to their shelves (not being a celebrity, I had to rule out an 'auto'biography). I picked up a couple of thrillers, a couple of more literary titles, and the first two books of George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire (someone had given me a copy of A Game of Thrones when it was first released, but I picked up the first two volumes in the series as a reminder). I must admit that I never got around to reading the GRR Martin books because work got in the way.

I had just finished writing Malekith for the Black Library, and was planning Shadow King, so my head was very much in the place of epic fantasy. While I was confident I could turn my hand to a supernatural thriller or Dan Brownesque nonsense, my heart wasn't really there. With Marco then asking for pitches, I decided that my first venture should not be too far from what I had already become known for.

Influences

I had been tinkering around with various ideas for fantasy novels and series since leaving GW, as well as writing some short stories for a group I had  joined called the Quota. I would like to come back to those ideas in years to come, but none of them made the cut for what I would pitch to Marco. I needed something I was confident I could get into and deliver, whilst different enough to stand apart from my Warhammer and 40K work.

I've always been a fan of HBO's Rome, and remembering that ol' George RR was doing pretty brisk trade with his own tale of double-dealing and throne-snatching, it occurred to me that an epic, dynastic fantasy would not be such a bad place to start. The thing that had disappointed me a bit with Game of Thrones (and it is only a small disappointment) was the somewhat predictable tropes that were emerging – medieval world, castles, knights and dragons. Although presented in a somewhat new and different way than had become traditional, the elements being used were pretty tired. Added to this, I was certain that there should be clear ground between my Warhammer fiction and whatever I created out on my own.

So it was that pseudo-medieval was out and biblical, bronze age, swords-and-sandals was in.

I like to read a lot about history, particular ancient history, so I developed the idea of a Phillip-Alexander-Caesar-type character who would be the anchor for the novels. He would be a man of action (and not just action hero, but a character that changes worlds), a conqueror and empire-builder.  Ullsaard was born pretty early on in the process, though originally the Crown of the Blood started with him already being king. Here are my first opening paragraphs, written in early July 2008 as an exercise to help me get into the character of the man:

THE CROWN OF THE BLOOD

BY GAV THORPE

Part One – Legacy of Asqos

Chapter One

The storm-lashed seas vexed King-Emperor Ullsaard III. He stood upon the chalky cliffs above Nuthris glaring at the jagged waves as they hurled themselves onto the shore. They not only kept their secrets from him, but sought to carve away his domains, inch by inch, one day at a time.

The rain slashed down onto the muddy clifftop, plastering Ullsaard's dark hair to his face, soaking the long cloak wrapped around his shoulders and body. Raindrops clustered glistening in his short-cropped beard and slid down his sharp nose. A puddle was growing at his booted feet, but he did not care, nor even notice. His slate-grey eyes were intent upon the seas, his mind bent to their dominion. He was set with his legs braced against the wind, his tall, slender frame unmoving.

"Is there anything less caring in the world, or more relentless?" Ullsaard asked, his gaze still staring out across the waves. "There is nothing else in all the world that refuses to be tamed."

His son, Mutaar, remained silent and Ullsaard could sense his petulance. The King-Emperor glanced to his right, to where his youngest son stood a little way back from the cliff's edge, shivering and bedraggled. The wind buffeted the youth, who stood resolutely looking down at his feet, his arms crossed; a drip hung from his pouting lip and his sharp blue eyes were half-shut against the wind.

"Is life really so bad?" Ullsaard asked.

Mutaar glanced at his father sullenly.

"This place is miserable," the boy said.

"It's only miserable because you are," said Ullsaard.

The King-Emperor threw open his arms, casting back his cloak to reveal his silvered armour. Rain rattled from the ornate breastplate, a damp tattoo sounded out upon a design of interweaving leaves.

"Feel the wind on your face, boy!" Ullsaard shouted, his voice a stentorian bellow perfected over countless parades and no few battles. "Let the rain wash over you, wiping away doubt and fear. Feel the life you have been given!"

Mutaar smirked at his father's theatrics.

"I'd rather feel alive under a roof," the son said. "There's less chance of catching a chill."

Ullsaard laughed and strode over to his son, his boots kicking up splashes of water and mud.

"You used to love the sea when you were a child," Ullsaard said, laying a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I still do," said Mutaar. "The sea keeps its wetness to itself. The rain spreads its attentions liberally."

"That's what I like about it," Ullsaard confessed. "It gives me perspective."

"Perspective on what?"

"There is not a single man nor beast from sea to sea more powerful than I," said Ullsaard, turning his son to face him. "The last census estimated my subjects to number more than seven million. The great and the good, the poor and the wicked, all owe allegiance to me. If I were a tyrant, I could cast you over that cliff right now and none would raise a hand against me, not even your mother."

"I suspect she would complain a bit," Mutaar said with a smile.

"The rain doesn't care for all of that, not one bit," Ullsaard continued, ignoring his son's wit. "It rains on fishermen and emperor's without hesitation. My great uncle, King Aresul, used to shout at the weather, or so the secret diaries of my grandmother claim."

"If they are secret, how have you come to read them?"

Ullsaard's path of thought was disrupted by the question.

"What?" the King-Emperor said.

"You said they were secret diaries," Mutaar said. "They can't be secret if you read them."

"Well, there's secret and there's secret," Ullsaard explained. "I wouldn't read your mother's diaries, or any of her sisters'."

"Out of politeness?" said Mutaar.

Ullsaard laughed.

"Not at all," the King-Emperor said. "Why would I want to read what they really think about me? I'm quite happy in my ignorance, thank you."

"Did you have a point?" Mutaar asked. "Only, I'm start to lose the sensation in my fingertips."

"A point? Yes, of course."

Ullsaard extended his arm across his son's shoulders and turned so that both were facing the sea again. He waved an extravagant hand out towards the waves.

"The rain, and the sea, are reminders that the struggle is never done," Ullsaard said. "

This changed quite quickly, with Ullsaard being demoted to a prince, though the shape of the story-as-it-turned-out was forming quickly.  The plot I initially worked out charted Ullsaard's desire to inherit instead of his older brothers. Everything was going fine until I realised something terrible… I was essentially rehashing the plot of Malekith! I even posted about it – here and here.

For your edutainment, here is a rough of the original plot/ plan. No spoilers, it bears little relationship to what I ended up with, other than the very beginning (odd how some ideas stick when everything else changes, isn't it?).

Crown of the Blood I – Structure

Major Characters

Ullsaard

A self-confident, ambitious man in his mid-forties, Ullsaard is a prince of Asqland, second and youngest son of the king. As one of 'the Blood', drawing direct lineage from Asqland's founder, Ullsaard has led a life of combined privilege and duty. He embodies the Asqlander ideals of military acumen, personal bravery and dedication to the nation and the ideals of Asqos. Ullsaard is not due to inherit the throne and when he finds out that his older brother is dying from a sickness heplunges Asqland into a deadly war to save him. However, he is to realise that his brother is unsuitable to inherit and eventually claims the Crown of the Blood for himself, thereby breaking a true line of several hundred years and ultimately dooming the empire to collapse.

Nikahor

A young adept in the temple of mysterious eulanui, Nikahor is one of the acolytes despatched to bring Ullsaard to the temple in order that the eulanui can be reinvigorated. He is naïve and knows nothing of the worlds outside the temple. Though indoctrinated into the cult of the eulanui, his travels and the influence of his friend Dort show him the evil that is perpetrated by the cult of the temple, and he eventually warns Ullsaard and the others of the eulanui's intent.

Anglhan

Anglhan is a debt guardian,

Peritia

Secondary Characters

Cosuas – Veteran general of the Asqland armies, friend of King Nardun and self-imposed mentor of Ullsaard. Pragmatic and

Asuhas

Kulrua

Lakhyri

Dort – Nikahor's friend

Furlthia

Gelthius

Other Notables

Wives

In Asqland society men marry all of the daughters of a family, to increase the chances of producing an heir. Each wife bears only one child before being sterilised by the Brotherhood. Ullsaard has three wives, from eldest to youngest: Allenya, mother of Mutaar, matriarch of the family, the steady hand and head, and a caring mother for all three of her sons; Luia, mother of Kariq, a wayward woman often at odds with her sisters but conniving enough to keep this from her husband; Aumeliu, mother of Ullnaar, was still a child when she married as is absolutely smitten with her husband and son.

Sons

Kariq is the eldest being in his mid twenties, with an ambition that outstrips even his father's and a spiteful streak to match. Mutaar is the second son by only a few months, dull but dependable, dedicated and loyal to his father. Ullnaar is the youngest, in his mid-teens, and is spoilt by his young mother, though he is probably the quickest-witted of the three.

Brother – Kamaud

Mothers – Calmeti – Duialla

Ullsaard story Eulanui story Anglhan story Peritia story

TEMPLE

Lakhyri – The magic is failing, the Eulanui speak

ASCAR

Ullsaard – Ullsaard fights the Ascarni

Ullsaard – return to camp

Cosuas – camp life

Ullsaard – learns of brother's illness.

Asuhas – going to the ship

Kulrua – aboard ship

Ullsaard – reaching the wall.

SALPHORIA

Nikahor – travel across the waste into the mountains

Nikahor – descent into the pastures

Dort – goatherding, Nikahor's appeearance.

Nikahor – talks of Asqland

Dort – leaving the village

Anglhgan – introduction

ASQLAND

Ullsaard – riding into the city

Peritia – picked up by Ullsaard, coming to the palace

Ullsaard – audience with the king

Asuhas – sees his sick father

Ullsaard – meets the family

Peritia – Bedded by the prince and discarded. Taken for execution but escapes – burns Ullsaard's eye. Some form of visible scar or other indicating feature on Peritia.

Kulrua – calms Ullsaard, Kariq despatched to hunt the woman.

Peritia – fugitive in Asq

MAGILNADA

Anglhan – comes to Magilnada, finds it in rebel hands.

Nikahor – Passes through Magilnada

Gelthius – The debtors are freed.

Furlthia –  forced into rebel army

ASQLAND

Dort – Reach the borders of Asqland, the great wall, turned away.

Ullsaard – visits the 'oracles'

Lakhyri – contact with the oracles

Nikahor – Sneaks inside and goes to Asq. Met by the oracles and Ullsaard. Dort dispensed with.

Peritia – Fugitive in wilderness.

Dort – meets Peritia

Peritia – Come across village, takes shelter.

Kariq – Kariq comes to village

Dort – Peritia hidden but when soldiers have gone they decide to leave.

SALPHORIA

Kulrua  – Herald despatched to Salphoria.

Kulrua – Confrontation with king, herald killed

Gelthius – A skirmish with Salphoria as king sends troops to border

ASQLAND

Ullsaard – Ullsaard's rage at death of Kulrua.

Kariq – Hunting the woman.

ASCAR

Cosuas – messengers from Asqland. Marches north with army.

Ullsaard marches on Salphoria

 MAGILNADA

Peritia – Peritia and Dort come to Magilnada.

Furlthia – Ullsaard comes to Magilnada.

Anglhan – Rebel leader defies Ullsaard. Anglhan speaks out against leader, division. Dissenters allowed to leave.

Furlthia – undecided but loyalty to Aglhan wins over. Anglhan strikes deal with Ullsaard. Anglhan leads Ullsaard into Magilnada.  Furlthia disgusted, leaves.

Ullsaard – Ullsaard enters Magilnada.

Gelthius – chooses not to warn rebel leader, surrenders instead

Cosuas – the butchery of the rebels.

Anglhan – Anglhan made governor by Ullsaard.

SALPHORIA

Ullsaard – first battle

Nikahor – slips away from army to take news to the Temple

Gelthius – the march on Carantathi

Ullsaard – delegation of campaign to Cosuas, the seeking of the temple

Mutaar – the expedition into the mountains

Luia – foreboding  at the edge of the waste

TEMPLE

Nikahor – Returns to temple

Ullsaard – Ullsaard comes to the temple of the eulanui.

Nikahor – meets Luia and warns her to leave.

Ullsaard – The ritual and double-cross.

Lakhyri – warning from the eulanui

ASQLAND

Ullsaard returns – news of father's death

Brother should inherit, takes crown instead

Secret of the crown revealed

MAGILNADA

Furlthia – Anglhan dreams of ruling Salphoria

Peritia – Gives birth

The Pitch

Anyways, the story and the arc for the trilogy went through various iterations. When I was happy, I met with Marco again and made a verbal pitch over lunch. Marco was intrigued enough that he asked me to write a sample and flesh out the plot some more.

This was when I made one of my biggest mistakes. I went away and worked up 10,000 words or so for the book's opening, as well as putting the plot into something resembling a coherent document. I then spent about three months reworking the sample. And reworking. And reworking. And that was the big problem. My natural writing style is fast and fluid for the most part, and with so many rewrites the sample had become stodgy and packed with purple prose. Luckily for me, Marco had seen how I can write before and after providing feedback on the sample (along the lines of 'get rid of all the waffle' and 'kill all of those adjectives') went ahead and commissioned the book despite the appalling state of the writing sample…

Never, ever (and I mean ever) overwrite. If description is too lean, it can be expanded. If dialogue is too sparse, it can be lengthened. Like putting salt in a recipe, you can always add more but it's really hard to take it out.

As part of the rationalisation of the plot, I had a good overhaul of the names too. There was a definite feel that I wanted, but some of the names were getting a bit too strange and the theme I had been developing was getting hidden.

OLD                      
ASKH
NORTHERN
SOUTHERN
SALPHORIAN


Lakhyri
Noran
Ullsaard
Cosuas
Anglhan


Askhos
Lutaar
Ullnaar
Asuhas
Furlthia


Askhor
Kalmud
Murian
Kulrua
Gelthius


Askh
Erlaan
Urikh
Maasra
Magilnada


 
Aalun
Jutaar
Ersua
Carlangh


 
Nemtun
Anrair
Mekha
Arosius


 
Eruun
Enair
Askhira
 


 
Pretaa
Allenya
 
 


 
Adral
Luia
 
 


 
Okhar
Meliu
 
 


 
Nalanar
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 

Typing

After all that work, the only thing left to do was to write three 130,000-150,000 word novels! Two down, one to go.

All right, that's not exactly the easy bit. There's the sketchy map OI had to draw, the replotting of segments that weren't working, the introduction and removal of characters, and all sorts of other transformations.

This has been the beauty of writing The Crown of the Blood. With Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, even if I am creating my own plot and characters, so much of the universe is set. In some ways that is good and a pleasant challenge, in others it presents restrictions. Embarking on My Very Own Work ™ has been a case of taking an absolutely blank piece of paper and starting from there. Everything, even if heavily inspired by history and real people, had to be created or pulled together.

Conquering a bookshelf near you

It's a process that is still ongoing. Though The Crown of the Conqueror is now on sale, I have to think about book three, The Crown of the Usurper. I know the basics of what is going to happen, but as with the start of the series' life, the end is also mutating as characters' fates ebb and flow in my mind. Some will certainly die, others will survive, and I can honestly say I do not know for sure about anybody's destiny yet.

And Beyond

The nature of publishing being what it is, I do not just have the third book to occupy me. With the initial trilogy written, Marco has posed me another question and offered another opportunity – what do we do next? As an author writing all day, every day for a living, the hard questions are not about the book you are writing or the one you are about to write; it's the one that's a year down the line, two years, maybe five years from now…

Difficult Second Album

Or in this case, the difficult second part of a trilogy…

Conquering a bookshelf near you

The Crown of the Conqueror is now on sale, and judging by this early review from Falcata Times it seems I've managed to follow-up The Crown of the Blood with another entertaining tale.

Writing a trilogy, or an even longer series, can be a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, you have a lot of space to tell a story (although I am not sure what sort of story needs ten or more books to tell…). On the downside, you have to tell a story over several books. With trilogies there is always the risk that book two is something of a bridging novel, existing purely to get the plot from the end of book one to the beginning of book three rather than being a convincing narrative in its own right.

A sure way to avoid this is to make sure you have a tight plan before starting the series. If you can sit down and work out the structure of each novel beforehand you can make sure that each volume exists in its own right, drawing on the other books in the series but not wholly dependent upon them.

I have recently been tackling several different trilogies, and have avoided 'middle book syndrome' by not following a conventional 1-2-3 chronological narrative. The Sundering trilogy, part of the wider Time of Legend series for Black Library, focuses on a particular character in each installment, with the timelines of each novel overlapping. Each is a self-contained tale detailing the life and tribulations of that character and provides different perspectives on shared events and encounters whilst also moving the arc of the trilogy toward its conclusion.

I am going one stage further than this with The Eldar Path, a Warhammer 40,000 series that deals with the alien eldar and their way of life. Even more than The Sundering, each book is from the viewpoint of a single character, and all three books take place over the same period time. Thus while the events that affect Alaitoc craftworld are known after the first novel, Path of the Warrior, each successive volume layers on a different perspective on those events, and it is not until the third book, Path of the Outcast, that the reader truly discovers exactly what had happened and why, and reaches the final conclusion of the narrative.

The Crown of the Blood

I did not come up with any such fancy author wrangling for The Crown of the Blood series. Each book picks up narratively from where the previous book ends. Since the first volume finishes on a huge cliffhanger, it was important that the second book did more than just wrap up the mystery, but also provided a new arc of story and a whole new set of conflicts for the characters to overcome.

Pacing was also an issue. I was in two minds for a long while, considering how much of a recap to provide for readers concerning the events of the first book. In the end I decided to include only minimal reminders of what had previously transpired. I have assumed, rightly or wrongly, that readers will have read The Crown of the Blood before picking up The Crown of the Conqueror, and when it comes to the time to pen The Crown of the Usurper, I will do the same.

I felt it was better to spend the available space pushing on with the narrative to new revelations and exciting battles than harp on about stuff the majority of readers would already know. I hear from a lot of genre fans who read long series that they will often re-read previous titles in preparation for a new release, and so it was on that basis that I wrote the second volume.

After the revelation at the end of The Crown of the Blood, and the subsequent twists and turns this leads to in book two, it was important that The Crown of the Conqueror had an equally (or as near as I could get it) impactful ending. In hindsight the end may be a bit telegraphed, it's hard to judge when you know what's going to happen! Either way, I hope the trials and triumphs of Ullsaard, Noran, Anglhan, Gelthius and the other characters will have readers turning the pages as quickly with The Crown of the Conqueror as they did with book one.

Competition Winner

Big Box of Books

Having now received a big box of samples, I am pleased to say that I will shortly be despatching a signed copy of The Crown of the Conqueror to Jonathan Beer, who won my Live Chat competition last month. Congrats to Jonathan, and as he is also a budding writer I wish him the best of luck with his authoring too!

What I'm Doing

I am currently finishing off a Black Library novella concerning the exploits of Ultramarines Chaplain Cassius against a voracious Tyranid swarm. No release information as yet, but keep checking the Black Library website. Once that is finished, I'm working on rewrites for Deliverance Lost, my first full-length Horus Heresy novel. Then it is one to another HH piece, this time a novella of The Primarchs anthology entitles The Lion… Aided ably by BL's Andy Smillie on the flight to Chicago I have thrashed out the plot of this and I think it will provide not only Dark Angels fans but followers of the Horus Heresy in general with plenty of food for thought (as well as a cool battle or two, of course).

I'm off later to record a video interview with BLTV, so keep an eye out for that around the time of release for Path of the Seer. I also recorded a couple of podcast interviews during Chicago Games Day, so I'll post info about those as when they go live.

Quick Addendum

A fan of the first book, Liviu also gives us a tease of his forthcoming review of 'Conqeuror' on Goodreads. He likes it! I am pleased by this.

 

Hello Chi-town!

As well as being the home city of the fantasic CM Punk, Chicago hosted US Games Day 2011 this past weekend. I know, I was there. Alongside me were fellow authors Mike Lee and C. L. Werner, as well as writer/ editor Nick Kyme, with supporting appreances from salesman Vince, marketing dude Andy Smillie (now also an author) and head honcho George Mann (who is a writer too…).

We pretty much spent the day signing books and chatting to fans, with a seminar in the morning to explain to the enthusiastic crowd what our plans were for the future, and why BBQ was our favourite sauce of inspiration. We were ably assisted/ stalked by Commissar Ploss of The Founding Fields and fiction boards of Heresy Online.

There was quite the hubbub about the BL stand, with 50 copies of Nick's limited edition novella Promethean Sun available on the day, and pre-release goodies such as Salvation's Reach, Sons of Ellyrion, The Madness Within, and Nagash Immortal by Mike. To ensure I had a busy day, my latest offering Path of the Seer was also on sale, and a good many I signed too. (For those who want a sneak peak, there is an extract on the BL site.)

Thanks to everybody who came for a chat, or just to get a book signed. We were busy throughout the day, demonstrating the continuing popularity of Black Library's output, and it was great to see so many people and talk to many of them. I also managed to slip in a couple of interviews for podcasty types, as did my fellow writers, so expect to hear about them in the coming days.

Jaw-dropping moment of the trip

When Mike Lee ordered dessert at our Friday night meal, he was warned that the helpings were generous. None of us expected this:

A big piece a' pie

That is 4 lbs of chocolate mousse sweetness (1.8 kilos for our metric friends). It made even my birthday streudel look pitiful.

Many apples died for this dessert

Other highlights of the trip included George being attacked by the most complete skeleton of a T. Rex in the world.

"I think it's seen George..."

And the furriest giant spider I have ever encountered. It's like My Little Shelob.

"Get away from that maggot, you filth!"

All-in-all, a great trip to a great show. Next on the signing agenda is the Nova Open at the end of the month. See you there!

Sample Chapters

The folks at Angry Robot have made available the opening chapters of The Crown of the Conqueror. I'd put them here, but WordPress doesn't allow 'live' links…

Free start of book here!

It contains a very major spoiler for the end of The Crown of the Blood – you have been warned.

Addendum

And a trailer for Path of the Seer.

Online Chat Transcript

As a preview to the Other Worlds 2 event at Nottingham Central Library, I took part in a webchat along with Angry Robot editor Lee Harris, and Alt.Fiction organiser (and former Black Library dude) Alex Davies.

Below is a transcript of my chats from the morning. You can find all of the transcripts at the Nottingham Festival of Reading webpage.

Chat 1

Ed: What's the oddest thing you've seen submitted to the Black Library/GW?

Gav Thorpe: When I was Warhammer Loremaster, somebody sent us Warhammer Armies: Horses. Yep, Horses. A whole army of just the horse models available. The Lord level horses were also as powerful as greater daemons…

Chat 2

F: What's the most common mistake unsuccessful authors make when they submit (either in the story itself or the cover letter or both)?

Gav Thorpe: Hi there. I can't say from the receiving end, but I do know some of the things starting authors have asked me about and thought about doing.  For instance, I get asked a lot about the synopsis of the novel; the format and content of it.  One of the most common questions I am asked is how long should the synposis be – a lot of writers are worried that either a) their synopsis will be too long, or b) a short synopsis will fail to convey the full genius of their characters and plot.

The synopsis and writing sample have a job to do – sell the idea and the author to the editor. The two things have to do this together. A synopsis doesn't have to explain every little detail of every character and plot twist, it has to show that the wonderful prose from the writing sample is attached to a strong story full of conflict, character and narrative. I.e. that the novel actually goes somewhere other than just beign nicely written.

An equally good question to ask Lee would be "What things have authors done well in their cover letters and initial submissions?" It's sometimes tricky not to get trapped in avoiding making mistakes rather than concentrating on making the submission shine out!

Lee Harris: Ok, this is quite an easy one from my perspective. The most common mistake an author can make during the pitch, and during the story…

Pitch, first:

The worst possible mistake is to ignore the publisher's submission guidelines. (Or agent's, if you're submitting there). Publishers know exactly what they want to see, and in what format/s. Authors can spend *years* writing their first novel, then ruin their chances at the final hurdle by not spending an hour or two giving the publisher what they ask for. It suggests a degree of unprofessionalism, and publishers don't want to work with unprofessional authors.

Included in this, is sending a submission (or a pitch) when the publisher's submissions window is closed

Next, story:

This is going to be different whichever editor you speak with, but my own bugbear is dialogue:

Dialogue should be *believable*. Do people actually speak the way this character is speaking? (read it aloud – that should tell you if the sentence works as a piece of dialogue).

Do the characters have their own distinctive voice? This is the most common dialogue error – where all the characters sound the same.  You should be able to tell from a section of dialogue (not necessarily a single line) who is speaking, as everyone has their own speech pattern – and they shouldn't all sound like the author.

However, other editors will look for different things. Structure is importsant, of course, foreshadowing, consistency of plot and world – all very important. It's not easy to do it right, but when you do… it's a wonderful thing to read!

*phew*

I hoped some of that helped.

Chat 3

T: Hi.What changes do you see for the SF genre in the next ten years?

Gav Thorpe: Hi there.  I think in general terms sci-fi is going to have to learn a bit from some of the more successful fantasy titles.

That's to say, more character-driven stories and series, rather than hi-concept.  It's a lot trickier these days for authors to be cutting edge, when the pace of technological and scientific advancement makes any extrapolation into the near-future somewhat forlorn.

T: That could be interesting. Any examples of a sci-fi novel currently addressing that well?

Gav Thorpe: There might be, but I have to confess that most of my sci-fi reading over the last couple of years has been older titles rather than contemporary ones.  It seems to me that a lot of the fantasy market has been cornered by ongoing series like Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire. There isn't anything like that that leaps off the shelves.  But sci-fi is still enjoying dominance in the movie and TV fields and that explains why tie-in titles also seem to feature heavily in lists of top-selling sci-fi.

T: Thanks for answering my question. I look forward to reading Crown of the conqueror. Have fun.

Gav Thorpe: What sort of thing do you look for in a book or series?

T: I like fast-paced action. For instance my favourite two authors are Steven Brust and Matt Forbeck. Books that I find easy to read.

Gav Thorpe: Well, I hope Crown of the Conqueror delivers some of that for you

Chat 4

J: Have you preferred writing in a preset world like 40K or is it more rewarding to work in your own world? What are the pitfalls of working in a world of your creation?

Gav Thorpe: There are pros and cons to working in an established setting and creating your own world.  On the plus side of 40K, a lot of stuff has already been worked out – how things look, how people travel about, what weapons there are and so on.  On the downside, there are certain things that just don't 'fit' with the 40K ethos and themes.  The other good thing about a shared world like 40K is that it has an established fan base!

On the other hand, getting to create your own world gives a writer tremendous freedom to invent places and things.  But it comes with the risks of people not liking or understanding the setting.  I find that with a 40K or Warhammer story, so much of the work needed to create the characters and setting is the same as with my Angry Robot books. Both of the GW universes are drawn with very broad strokes so there is always lots of detail and further world-building required to create the setting for a novel or story.

Chat 5

M: Gav, how did you become involved in working for Black Library?

Gav Thorpe:  When Black Library was created by Games Workshop, I was working in the games development dept of the design studio. The guy who started BL, Andy Jones, sat about five metres from me!  BL started with the Inferno! magazine, so I volunteered to write a short story, which appeared in issue 2. I later penned the first Lt. Kage story, and when BL moved into novels they wanted to take Inferno! characters that were already known and the Last Chancers series started.

M: So you've more or less been involved since the very start, that's quite cool. I know the Horus Heresy series is invite-only, but how are other projects arranged? Does BL come up with something and then assign it to whoever they think most appropriate, or do the authors suggest projects and handle them personally if they're accepted?

Gav Thorpe: BL has a number of series on the go – Time of Legends, HH, Warhammer Heroes and so on. In my experience they have asked me to pitch ideas for a certain series of novels (like they asked me for a Space Marines Battles book and I pitched Purging of Kadillus), but I know that for some authors there is a bit more of a nudge in a certain direction or towards a certain character or subject.

M: Okay, for something a little more directly related to the content of your novels: who has been your favourite character to write about, and why?

Gav Thorpe: It's still Lieutenant Kage, I think.  Cos he is just so screwed up.  I really enjoyed writing Alith Anar in Shadow King too.  I hope to write more about him in a future series.  Not for a couple of years yet, at least.  That said, after re-reading Grudgebearer recently in the omnibus, I've a hankering for more dwarfs fiction…

M: You're currently writing the Horus Heresy novel "Deliverance Lost" based on the Raven Guard legion. Is there anything you'd like to/are able to share about that novel for us, or is that all still quite tightly under wraps?

Gav Thorpe: I suppose it's not too much to give away one little snippet about the plot (for those who have read Face of Treachery).  The 'bad guys' start with the letters A and L…

M: Aha, I'm glad to see they're getting some more love, even if it's in an antagonist role.  If you could choose any one writing project – BL-related or otherwise, existent or otherwise – to claim as your own and work on, what would that project be?

Gav Thorpe: It's not a specific thing, but I would really like to do some kind of big script project, whether TV, game, comic or film. It's a very different style of writing that I would love to get into.

M: Do you think you might take a break from other projects sometime in the next few years to give that a shot?

Gav Thorpe: As my catalogue of novels/omnibuses continues to increase I am hoping that it becomes possible to lower my output on that front so that I can dedicate some more time to other kinds of writing.  I don't think I would be able to take an extended break to fully switch, but maybe if I can get down from four novels a year to two…

M: Four novels a year is a fairly hefty rate, that's for sure.  What do you do to relax in between sessions of writing?

Gav Thorpe: Xbox, reading, cooking. Watching bad telly (and some good telly too). And obviously I am a huge fan of all sorts of gaming.

M: Do you play any Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer Fantasy tabletop games? Or is that something you can rarely find time for?

Gav Thorpe: Not so much in recent years, but I still have my Eldar and Dwarfs armies, as well as some Orcs and Easterlings for LOTR.  My gaming in general has been quite limited (miniatures games wise) but I have recently been moving stuff around in my house and my games room is operational again.

M: Ahh, progress. Always a plus! I'm afraid I've got to nick off and prepare dinner in a few minutes (it's almost 11pm in my part of the world), but two final questions. Do you mind if I post this little Q/A session online for others to read? And do you have any final words you'd like to share?

Gav Thorpe: Thanks for chatting, I think you should be able to post up elsewhere. I also believe the organisers will be making all of the transcripts available so keep an eye peeled.  Thanks again, have fun.

M: Thanks Gav, take care.

Chat 6

E: How much would you expect to write series of graphic novels?

Gav Thorpe: What do you mean by 'how much'? Financially? How likely?

E: Yes.  What is the typical rate you'd expect to get for something like Sandman or Watchmen.

Gav Thorpe: If you're Neil Gaiman, a lot!

E:   If you're Gav Thorpe?

Gav Thorpe: If you're not Neil Gaiman, then not so much.

I've only done a little bit of comic work, a short Mordheim strip for Warhammer Monthly. I think that was £35 a page, about ten years ago… And it was only three pages.  So no yachts bought yet!  It varies on whether you are a creator or not too.  Creator-owned stories will pay better (but might never get published).

E: I guess creator owned stories will pay out more in royalties and advances.  Is there a sales % rate between publisher and author?

Gav Thorpe: I expect it will vary with publisher and title. I'm pretty sure there are royalty/ sales commission contracts in comics.

E: So if you were writing a story in 2000AD you'd get a straight payment plus a royalty if the story became a graphic novel?

Gav Thorpe: I couldn't say for certain if that is the way it works, or whether graphic novels are included as part of the initial commissioning agreement, like anthologies.

E: OK.  I'm not getting the hang of the return button I'll drop you a line later. Good luck with the rest of the online chat

Gav Thorpe: Okay mate, thanks for dropping by. Have fun.

Chat 7

[This chap was, though he did not realise it at the time, the winner of a signed novel for being the next person to ask me a question!]

J: For Gav Thorpe. How did you approach writing the Path of the Warrior?

Gav Thorpe: Hello.

J: Hi.

Gav Thorpe: Path of the Warrior?

J: yes what a fantastic book.

Gav Thorpe: It started out with a desire to write a definitive Eldar series, after some people were less-than-satisfied with previous BL Eldar offerings.

J: and how has that progressed since the first book.

Gav Thorpe: The idea of the trilogy, each exploring a part of the Eldar Path, was early on in the process. It seemed natural to start with the Warrior Path.  Having decided that, it was a question of which Aspect Warriors to choose.  Dire Avengers were a little too generic for me, and Dark Reapers would not have made for exciting battle scenes!  So it was going to be a close combat Aspect. As appealing as the idea was to have a male character in the female aspect, and the chance to examine Eldar approaches to gender roles, that would have been a bit too much for most readers to get their head around, so it ended up being Striking Scorpions.

J: I have got to say since the Path of the Warrior I have followed your blog and loved the competition you ran for the Path of the Seer. Will there be more opportunities like this?

Gav Thorpe: The biggest development of the series has been the exploration of why the humans attack Alaitoc. In Path of the Seer we understand a little bit better what has irked the Imperials so much, but I still haven't worked out every detail of how Aradryan pees them off so much!

I will certainly be running some more competitions on the blog in the future. I have to do something with those samples I'm sent

[Oh, the irony!]

J: Can't wait for the next book….  thank you.

Gav Thorpe: Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for chatting.

Chat 8

S: Of all the characters you have written, which one is your favourite and why?

Gav Thorpe: Wotcha. How you doing?

S: Not too bad at all, yourself ?

Gav Thorpe: I'm good.  So, my favourite character?  Just answered that for someone else.  I would say Kage is still my favourite, even after all of these years.  I guess writing first person gets him inside my head as much as I get inside his.  And he still has the most fun, in a bloody, violent sort of way.

S: Kage eh ? Hmm.. I would have sworn it was Malekith.

Gav Thorpe: I did like the arrogance and swagger of Malekith, to be sure.  But he is a bit too grandiose to be my favourite.  Morathi, on the other hand… Evil bitch queen from hell, always fun.  Alith Anar, the duality of him and the Shadow King, is immensely rewarding. More books about him at some point, I hope.

S: Fair enough, he's odd because you do sympathise with him and then there's a point where he goes a bit too far and… Hear me out here – he reminds me a bit of the guy from "Falling Down" in that regards.  Big yes please on the Alith Anar front from me!

Gav Thorpe: That's what I was hoping for – I didn't want there to be a single 'I'm turning evil' moment, or a single reason why he ends up going down that path.  It's a number of factors and people, including his own frustration, that leads him to take the drastic measure he does.  Of course, he was still sane at that point. Not so much, post-flames!

S: Haha, yeah, post flaming he's a whole new kettle of fish.  Do you/the powers that be ever consider alternate timelines or what if scenarios/stories?  The later books benefited from the longer page count BTW. Big thumbs up there. I likes my fantasy trilogies chunky.

Gav Thorpe: I don't think anything like an alternative history Warhammer title would work – a fantasy version of a fictional world would just be too confusing.

S: Oh yes "Curse of Shaa-dom" sounds cool.

Gav Thorpe: Though in a way, pretty much any work or game set in the current period is a what-if? of sorts.  Curse of Shaa-dom was good fun to write, especially working with Andy C again. His DE novel and story is top (I guess you've read Midnight on the Street of Knives?).

S: Hmm… I guess. Read far, far too many "what if" comics I guess. And of course the actual tabletop game is the ultimate what if one supposes. I guess army lists for alternate realities would be a nightmare.  Have indeed read that short, very cool. Glad to hear the novel is ace. Does this connect via a certain scorpion character in Path of the warrior?

Gav Thorpe: It doesn't, unfortunately, but I might mention it to Andy as something to explore in future DE books.

S: Hmm. He was a character with a great deal of potential, but I guess the DE would perhaps need a deal of fleshing out a bit more perhaps. was there much change between their background as it is now and as it was back in manyyearsago when they were first rolled out? They were in an odd limbo both rules and background wise for a LONG time.  IIRC your Torturer's Tale was almost the entirety of their background.

Gav Thorpe: For a long, long time there was almost nothing about the DE. Shame really, as we had worked out quite a bit in our heads, there was just no venue to present the material in the mini-codexes.  It was good to do some more work on them before I left GW, chatting with Jes on the development. Phil picked up a lot of the ideas and has made them see the light.

S: Was that stuff much different to what we have now? I can, sort of, understand the near absence of any psyker use, especially compared to their craftworld kin, but it's not an angle that had occurred to me prior to the current codex coming out. I guess that may have made them a bit too evil twin like?

Gav Thorpe: From a design perspective, it was something we were keen on from the start – that they did not just end up as evil craftworld eldar. The easiest thing to do would be to have all eldar psychically powerful on the tabletop, so we went completely the other way.

S: Ah, covers that. How's the "Crown.." series coming along then?

Gav Thorpe: The Crown series is doing fine, the second one is out next month. It's been good fun, but at the moment I've got one eye on what I'll be doing after. It might be something related to the series, so I'm not quite sure exactly how I am going to have the third book end at the moment!

[There was a bit of to and fro here, but 'S' is talking about Dark Eldar in his next response...]

S: Well… it worked. The thoughts and the actual process of the design work intrigues me greatly. I have, as have all veterans one supposes, knocked around a few homegrown army lists. It's surprising how interconnected the whole process is — a change here affects this which in turn etc etc. Even these feeble efforts gave me more respect for what is actually involved in a professional environment. Plus this was only going to be my friends slagging me off, not enraged 11!!! strangers online.

Gav Thorpe: For every hater there's usually at least two people who say they love your work, so you take the rough with the smooth.  It's time to end this chat. Great talking to you.

S: Always a pleasure, hope to catch you at Games Day UK. Thanks!

Competition News

This week I'll be sending out the first of a couple of signed books to Facebook competition winners. Marc Collins won a signed copy of Path of the Seer for his witty dedication, while Jonathan Beer (as noted earlier) also earned himself a copy by wandering into my online chat at the right moment. Lucky Jonathan had already won a copy of POTS from another blog, so he'll be the proud owner of The Crown of the Conqueror instead.

Event News

Fans in North America, don't forget I'll be at US Games Day in Chicago this weekend. Come and say hello, get a book signed, and stop for a chat. Don't be shy.

 

Alt. Fiction Report

This past weekend, the Quad in Derby was packed with authors, publishing types and fans of Sci-fi, fantasy and horror at the Alt. Fiction convention. As usual, I completely forgot to take any photos of the event, but I am sure that there will be plenty of visual aids across the internet in the coming days.

So what did I learn from the experience? Well:

Military sci-fi isn't just for fascists and gun nuts, but some of it is.
Characters in a well-realised political and social context are just as important in military sci-fi as anywhere else, but blowing big shit up helps.
Tolkien's presence continues to be felt right across the fantasy literature, for good and bad, but the genre is so broad it can encompass many different types of fantasy.
Talking about race in a fantasy context is tricky, when it can mean both people of different physical and cultural backgrounds as well as varied species such as dwarfs and elves.
The Witch King of Angmar was sucker-punched by a midget and a cross-dresser.
Dwarfs are still more fun than elves, whatever way you put it.
The world of audiobooks and audio dramas is a fascinating if somewhat surreal place.
I was glad to have practised my reading from the Crown of the Conqueror – some names are easier to read in your head.
The Wasp people in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of Apt series are badass; and the Rapture isn't all it is cracked up to be.
Water is indeed essential, especially in a very hot convention venue; helped by caffeine and alcohol.  Having nine hours between 'appearances' needs a lot of liquid filling.
Turning up a little late to a panel on 'The Writer's Life' is somehow apropos.
There are as many different writing processes as there are writers.

I'd like to say thanks to all of the people who came to the recordings, panels and readings, as well as the folks I talked to in the bar and around the Quad. It was great to see familiar faces and to meet lots of new people. This was my second Alt. Fiction and to be honest I felt a little like a fish out of water last time, with so many strangers about; not so this year, where I was kept entertained, informed and amused for the whole event.

Special thanks to Alex for organising and on two occasions taking personal charge so that I ended up in the right place at almost the right time. Big props to all of the volunteers who made the convention run so smoothly, they are the heart and soul of Alt. Fiction.

 

Alt. Fiction

So, this weekend I and many other fine writing people are descending on Derby for the Alt.Fiction convention. Here's the official blurb for the event:

Alt.Fiction Festival 2011

25th-26th June

QUAD, Market Place, Derby

Saturday 25th June, 10am – Midnight

Sunday 26th June, 10am – 5pm

Weekend pass £45

Saturday pass £30

Sunday pass £20

Alt.Fiction marks its fifth year with a fantastic weekend for readers and writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Bringing together some of the UK's leading talent in the genre, Alt.Fiction presents a two-day programme of readings, panels, workshops, film, podcasts and much more, giving you the chance to hear from your favourite authors, find out more about the world of publishing and learn more about the writing process.

This year's Guests of Honour are bestselling science fiction author Alastair Reynolds and acclaimed comic book writer and novelist Dan Abnett. They will joined by speakers Tony Ballantyne, Keith Brooke, Mark Chadbourn, Paul Cornell, Peter Crowther, Stephen Deas, Paul Finch, John Jarrold, Graham Joyce, Juliet McKenna, Graham McNeill, Mark Morris, Adam Nevill, Mark Charan Newton, Sarah Pinborough, Robert Shearman, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ian Whates, Conrad Williams, Chris Wooding and many more.

Alt.Fiction is truly a weekend not to be missed for book lovers and writers alike.

As one of the 'many more' I can honestly say that I have not been to any other event quite like Alt.Fiction. If you haven't been, picture many rooms (and a bar) chock full of authors, editors, publishers, reviewers and bloggers; all talking about horror, sci-fi and fantasy books. For fans, there are a lot of signings going on; for would-be writers or those starting out there is a huge number of talks, panels and workshops, as well as podcasts being recorded and extracts being read, covering not just the skills and attitudes of being a writer but also valuable insights into how publishing works, what to do to get yourself out there and noticed and lots of other essential advice. This is the first two-day Alt.Fiction so there is even more stuff to do and people to talk to.

The bar area is a natural congregating ground for general chit-chat, a place to grab an autograph or two that you may have missed and a great arena for swapping war stories and ideas. The whole event has a relaxed atmosphere where fans and professionals alike can chill out and share their love of genre fiction.

I'll be appearing on a podcast about military sci-fi, and on panels discussing post-Tolkein fantasy and the life of a writer; and on Saturday evening you can hear me give an exclusive reading from The Crown of the Conqueror. That's if you can fit me in around all of the other luminaries doing the same sort of thing over the weekend.

In other news, I am just starting a Vampire-related short story for Black Library and the planning continues for a 40k novella featuring Chaplain Cassius of the Ultramarines as well as sundry other audiobook and novella ideas.

Come and say hello if you can make it to Derby at the weekend.