David Guymer's Blog - Posts Tagged "age-of-sigmar"
A Week of Firsts
This has been a week of important firsts for me. It’s already seen the release of my story, Plan B, in the anthology, Drainpipes for Strikeposts, featuring eight stories of bone-crushing mayhem from the galaxy’s favourite sport, Dreadball. Published by Mantic Games, this little short has the privilege of being the first story I’ve sold to anyone but Black Library. Strike one to the Veer-myn!
Alas, it doesn't seem to be on Goodreads, but you can get your gloves on it at Mantic Digital here: https://www.manticdigital.com/product...
Fittingly then, this was the week I’ve also managed to do something else that’s escaped me ever since I started writing for money, and that’s write something entirely speculatively and then send it off to a magazine. I haven’t done that since I wrote Tilean’s Talisman for the Black Library open submission window in 2012. I’ve always told people it’s because my schedule is ridiculously slammed and it is (job, toddler, novels with tight deadlines), but a couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a mini-revelation. I managed to write a 5000 word story for Age of Sigmar in one day, because I had to, and it made me realize that the only thing I was lacking to get a story of similar length done was the promise of a pay cheque and a deadline. Of course, there wasn’t a lot I could do about the first part of that, but I tried to address the second as best I could essentially by telling everyone I could (including the editor of the magazine in question, who I’m at least on e-mailing terms with) that I was writing the thing. I figured that if people were expecting a story then I’d feel obliged to produce one, and it seems to have worked.
Strike two!
4000 words of grimdark adventure on the high sea, and set in a world I hope to be able to develop into more shorts and novels one day, was dispatched to Grimdark Magazine this morning. It may pass, it may not, that’s sort of what you have to expect if you want to be a writer, but either way I’m glad I finally wrote it. Hopefully, next time I see a week or two of daylight in my writing schedule with Black Library, I’ll know exactly what to do with it.
Alas, it doesn't seem to be on Goodreads, but you can get your gloves on it at Mantic Digital here: https://www.manticdigital.com/product...
Fittingly then, this was the week I’ve also managed to do something else that’s escaped me ever since I started writing for money, and that’s write something entirely speculatively and then send it off to a magazine. I haven’t done that since I wrote Tilean’s Talisman for the Black Library open submission window in 2012. I’ve always told people it’s because my schedule is ridiculously slammed and it is (job, toddler, novels with tight deadlines), but a couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a mini-revelation. I managed to write a 5000 word story for Age of Sigmar in one day, because I had to, and it made me realize that the only thing I was lacking to get a story of similar length done was the promise of a pay cheque and a deadline. Of course, there wasn’t a lot I could do about the first part of that, but I tried to address the second as best I could essentially by telling everyone I could (including the editor of the magazine in question, who I’m at least on e-mailing terms with) that I was writing the thing. I figured that if people were expecting a story then I’d feel obliged to produce one, and it seems to have worked.
Strike two!
4000 words of grimdark adventure on the high sea, and set in a world I hope to be able to develop into more shorts and novels one day, was dispatched to Grimdark Magazine this morning. It may pass, it may not, that’s sort of what you have to expect if you want to be a writer, but either way I’m glad I finally wrote it. Hopefully, next time I see a week or two of daylight in my writing schedule with Black Library, I’ll know exactly what to do with it.
2015 Roundup
It feels as though I've been worked pretty much as hard as I ever have last year, which to think back on it felt pretty good until I realised that I all I had to show for it was Gotrek & Felix: Slayer (which i wrote in 2014 anyway), and the short stories Beneath the Black Thumb, Godless, and Plan B in the Mantic anthology, Drainpipes for Strike Posts
Such is the delayed reward of professional writing, so hopefully 2016 will be a bumper year for releases. One speculative short story still sitting with Grimdark Magazine aside, it's all with Black Library so largely under wraps, but, just for a sense of what's coming...
January will see the release of an Age of Sigmar anthology featuring another short story of mine. I've received my author copies on this one and I'm just hovering over the 'share photo' button on my fun.
In June (I think) my entry into the Beasts Arises series, Echoes of the Long War will hit shelves both real and digital. And I can neither confirm nor deny that I am or am not working on another book in the series as we speak (I have two hands, after all)
I've also written four (count them!) Age of Sigmar audio stories, and according to the great Oracle, Amazon, it looks like I have an anthology of Gotrek & Felix stories coming out. News to me, but I'll take it!
Beasts Arises aside, there are some exciting projects lined up for 2016, but my goal for next year is to try and attend more conventions. If I'm not spotted at York Unleashed and EdgeLit Derby at the very least then you all have permission to slap me. And I still live in hope that someone might nominate Gotrek & Felix: Slayer for the Legend Award and I might get a paid trip to Nineworlds. It'd be a step up from the Magician's Circle in 2014 with Headtaker, awesome fun as that was, and I'll be keeping everything crossed from now until nominations close.
Happy New Year everyone, hears to plenty more bolters and warhammers in 2016
Such is the delayed reward of professional writing, so hopefully 2016 will be a bumper year for releases. One speculative short story still sitting with Grimdark Magazine aside, it's all with Black Library so largely under wraps, but, just for a sense of what's coming...
January will see the release of an Age of Sigmar anthology featuring another short story of mine. I've received my author copies on this one and I'm just hovering over the 'share photo' button on my fun.
In June (I think) my entry into the Beasts Arises series, Echoes of the Long War will hit shelves both real and digital. And I can neither confirm nor deny that I am or am not working on another book in the series as we speak (I have two hands, after all)
I've also written four (count them!) Age of Sigmar audio stories, and according to the great Oracle, Amazon, it looks like I have an anthology of Gotrek & Felix stories coming out. News to me, but I'll take it!
Beasts Arises aside, there are some exciting projects lined up for 2016, but my goal for next year is to try and attend more conventions. If I'm not spotted at York Unleashed and EdgeLit Derby at the very least then you all have permission to slap me. And I still live in hope that someone might nominate Gotrek & Felix: Slayer for the Legend Award and I might get a paid trip to Nineworlds. It'd be a step up from the Magician's Circle in 2014 with Headtaker, awesome fun as that was, and I'll be keeping everything crossed from now until nominations close.
Happy New Year everyone, hears to plenty more bolters and warhammers in 2016
2016 - the score so far
It's that time of year again, when Black Library tots up all the books I've sold over the last six months and pins them up on the proverbial noticeboard. The numbers are generally smaller ones than those my Thanquol-scale optimism continues to predict, but it's always interesting to see what's selling and how much.
There are generally a few surprises. I really would've thought that Gotrek & Felix: Curse of the Everliving would do better. I still can't believe that so many people continue to buy The Karag Durak Grudge four years on. And so, in no way inspired by Gav Thorpe's blog, which was itself in NO way borrowed from James Swallow's, here's my top 5 novels/novellas and short stories from the last six months.
Novels:
1. Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer
2. Echoes of the Long War
3. The Beast Arises Ten: [REDACTED BY THE INQUISITION]
4. City of the Damned
5. Gotrek & Felix: Slayer
Short Stories:
1. Beneath the Black Thumb
2. Infinite Circuit
3. Gotrek & Felix: Rememberers
4. Godless
5. Marienburg's Stand
The big surprise for me this year was
Beneath the Black Thumb which moved (for me) incredibly well. I'm hoping this reflects more general love for the Call of Archaon series. Also somewhat surprising was my two entries into the Beast Arises series already making the list despite not being released yet. The second of the two doesn't even have a cover yet! Hell, I'm still writing the second draft. The power of pre-orders, I guess, so thanks to everyone who bought their Beasts Arises subscription.
There are generally a few surprises. I really would've thought that Gotrek & Felix: Curse of the Everliving would do better. I still can't believe that so many people continue to buy The Karag Durak Grudge four years on. And so, in no way inspired by Gav Thorpe's blog, which was itself in NO way borrowed from James Swallow's, here's my top 5 novels/novellas and short stories from the last six months.
Novels:
1. Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer
2. Echoes of the Long War
3. The Beast Arises Ten: [REDACTED BY THE INQUISITION]
4. City of the Damned
5. Gotrek & Felix: Slayer
Short Stories:
1. Beneath the Black Thumb
2. Infinite Circuit
3. Gotrek & Felix: Rememberers
4. Godless
5. Marienburg's Stand
The big surprise for me this year was
Beneath the Black Thumb which moved (for me) incredibly well. I'm hoping this reflects more general love for the Call of Archaon series. Also somewhat surprising was my two entries into the Beast Arises series already making the list despite not being released yet. The second of the two doesn't even have a cover yet! Hell, I'm still writing the second draft. The power of pre-orders, I guess, so thanks to everyone who bought their Beasts Arises subscription.
Echoes of the Long War
The Beast Arises series is soon to hit its half way point with The Beast Arises 6: Echoes of the Long War, which, despite being set in M32, I'm still going ahead and calling my first Warhammer 40,000 novel.
To mark the occasion I intend to commission a Triumph, but while that's being costed I'm going to run a competition for 2 free and signed copies of the book. To make it a little extra special, I'll also throw in a copy of TBA 10: Last Son of Dorn, also by me, just as soon as I get them (and as soon as TBA9 is out - no spoilers!).
To win, I want you to send me a tweet to @WarlordGuymer saying what the #LongWar means to you. So for instance: @WarlordGuymer The #LongWar is the for all Space Marines (particularly, Dark Angels...) who secretly want to wear their power armour pink.
The funniest, cleverest or most unintentionally profound will get themselves a copy of both books, while the runner up will get a copy of Echoes of the Long War only. Multiple submissions, by all means, retweets will certainly (to quote Harvey Two-face) not hurt your chances.
The Book's out on May 14th when I'll, coincidentally, be at Warhammer Fest at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. I'll try to have winners announced and books in the post by May 7th.
Good luck, and keep an eye out for another competition that I'll be setting up in the coming weeks to win a copy of all four of my Knights of Vengeance audio dramas
To mark the occasion I intend to commission a Triumph, but while that's being costed I'm going to run a competition for 2 free and signed copies of the book. To make it a little extra special, I'll also throw in a copy of TBA 10: Last Son of Dorn, also by me, just as soon as I get them (and as soon as TBA9 is out - no spoilers!).
To win, I want you to send me a tweet to @WarlordGuymer saying what the #LongWar means to you. So for instance: @WarlordGuymer The #LongWar is the for all Space Marines (particularly, Dark Angels...) who secretly want to wear their power armour pink.
The funniest, cleverest or most unintentionally profound will get themselves a copy of both books, while the runner up will get a copy of Echoes of the Long War only. Multiple submissions, by all means, retweets will certainly (to quote Harvey Two-face) not hurt your chances.
The Book's out on May 14th when I'll, coincidentally, be at Warhammer Fest at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. I'll try to have winners announced and books in the post by May 7th.
Good luck, and keep an eye out for another competition that I'll be setting up in the coming weeks to win a copy of all four of my Knights of Vengeance audio dramas
