Anthony Ryan's Blog, page 31
February 13, 2015
and ‘Blood Song’ in Japanese is…
Thanks to my Japanese translator Satoru Yaguchi (@YaguSaru on Twitter)��and everyone at��Hayakawa Books for making this happen.
February 12, 2015
Interview with The Grimdark Review
Many thanks to Eric Fomley at The Grimdark Review for inviting me to do an interview, which you can read here: https://thegrimdarkreview.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/interview-anthony-ryan/
February 9, 2015
New Podcast Interview on Scrivener Soapbox
Thanks once again to TJ Redig for hosting another��interview with yours truly on the Scrivener Soapbox podcast in which we talk mainly about Slab City Blues, why Superman is boring and I reveal my general ignorance of the nuances of self-publishing. Listen here:
http://www.tjredig.com/scrivenersoapbox/2015/2/7/anthony-ryans-slab-city-blues-bonus-episode
Also available on iTunes if you search for Scrivener Soapbox.
February 4, 2015
First Ever Guest Post – TJ Redig on Writing ‘The Philosopher’s Load’
Thanks to TJ Redig, host of the Scrivener Soapbox podcast and now first-time author, for writing the first ever guest post on my blog. Read on for a funny and insightful look at TJ’s experience of writing his first novel The Philosopher’s Load:
How on Earth did I end up writing The Philosopher���s Load, a novel chock-full of drugs, violence, awful antiheroes, even worse villains, and, most importantly, a man defecating substantial amounts of solid gold? I suppose you can blame graduate school, a lacklustre music career, and China Mi��ville.
I completed my undergraduate studies in 2009, right at the tail-end of the worst global recession since World War II. Trying to find work with a liberal arts degree was like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube. With looming bankruptcy and no vocational prospects, I went the same way so many directionless degree-holders go: graduate school. Don���t get me wrong, I learned a lot and ended up with a great job, but my hobbies got shelved for a few years.
Throughout my undergraduate years, I played in a number of local rock bands. Fun fact, I earned most of my income during college by teaching guitar lessons. None of the bands did particularly well or netted me any substantial cash (a high-paying gig was one that covered gas, food, and drinks for the evening), but they provided me with a creative outlet. I didn���t realize how much I missed working the right-side of my brain until grad school was behind me.
I grew up reading lots of science fiction and fantasy, but eventually became bored of the recurring clich��s. That���s where China Mi��ville comes into the story. For reasons I don���t remember, a neighbor gave me a box of books. Most of them were Stephen King or bland sword and sorcery, but there was also Perdido Street Station. Bas-Lag, the unique world from one of new weird���s most prolific writers, was a breath of fresh air. Suddenly drugs were A-Okay; the bizarre was beautiful; and the heroes didn���t have to be heroic, courageous, or even good. That���s when I first started kicking around the idea of writing a novel. And, of course, I wanted to write something weird.
The years prior to college and music were filled with lots of fiction writing, but none of it was published (or had any business ever being published). College had substantially improved my abilities while also teaching me some semi-useful things like, you know, the value of outlining and editing. That being said, I still pantsed the first draft and probably wouldn���t have finished the manuscript if I hadn���t; couldn���t kill the momentum. The second through umpteenth drafts were spent hammering the thing into shape. Honestly though, the story was decently structured even with an unplanned narrative featuring five POVs. This is pure speculation, but I think the countless hours spent crafting/running adventures for Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowrun had taught me a thing or two about plot progression. Finding a writing group that had some very talented authors (e.g., David Bruns and Aimee Kuzenski) and taking a bunch of classes at The Loft Literary Center helped too.����
The Philosopher���s Load was actually completed about six months ago (editing was done by the wonderful Valle Hansen from Words as Words), but I first pursued traditional publishing, forcing the manuscript into purgatory. Long story short, I turned down an offer from a small press and had some back and forth with a perspective agent before deciding to self-publish.
That���s about the gist of it. Now go forth and read the first few pages of The Philosopher���s Load (a sample pops up when you click the cover image on Amazon). I promise you���ll be hooked.
TJ Redig
TJRedig.com
For updates on my podcasts, blog posts, and fiction, subscribe to the��monthly newsletter.
January 27, 2015
Blood Song – Trade Paperback Goodreads Giveaway
To celebrate the release of the Blood Song trade paperback edition by Ace on 3rd February I’m running a giveaway on Goodreads for five copies, all signed, lined and dated. You can enter here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/124416-blood-song
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January 24, 2015
Queen of Fire – Pre-order links
Queen of Fire (Raven���s Shadow Book 3) will be released in the UK on 2nd July and the US on 7th July. You can now pre-order from the following sellers:
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Hardcover:
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Ebook:
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No word on the audiobook yet, but watch this space.
January 8, 2015
Queen of Fire – UK Cover Reveal
The UK cover for Queen of Fire is now here – UK release date 2nd July, you can pre-order the hardback now at amazon.co.uk��(no Kindle pre-order yet, but stay tuned). Thanks to Orbit UK for all their hard work in making it happen.
November 29, 2014
Queen of Fire – US Cover Reveal
The US cover for Queen of Fire seems to be percolating out through various places today so I thought I’d go ahead and share it. Heartfelt thanks to everyone at Ace for their hard work on this. Blurb on the Amazon pre-order page.
November 21, 2014
Last 30 days Book Recommendations
My (seemingly endless) mission to recommend a book a day until Christmas continues. Listed below��are the last 30 days books recommendations originally made via Twitter with links to my Goodreads reviews, enjoy:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/245224756
The Complete Halo Jones by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1087239032
The 13th Valley by John M. Del Vecchio https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1087970525
Sandman vol 1 – Neil Gaiman https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1088859511
The Middle Kingdom (Chung Kuo #1) by David Wingrove https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1089546717
Famous Monsters by Kim Newman https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1090388401
Waylander by David Gemmell https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/245222398
Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/717368757
I am Legend by Richard Matheson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1092021510
Chickenhawk by Robert Mason https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1092022266
The Terror by Dan Simmons https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1092023174
The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1095151043
Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/245222508
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1096628137
The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1097568544
Bomber Command by Max Hastings https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1098909928
William Blake: The Complete Writings https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1099401682
1812: Napoeleon’s Fatal March on Moscow by Adam Zamoyski https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1100658699
Legend by David Gemmell https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1101413088
The Alienist by Caleb Carr https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/245225119
Promise of Blood by Brian McLellan https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1103023376
Count Zero by William Gibson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/245223685
White Jazz by James Ellroy https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/987381207
The Queen of Bedlam by Robert R. McCammon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1106115032
The Hell of it All by Charlie Brooker https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/403903373
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1107595048
The Smoke by Tom Barling https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1108498517
First Light by Geoffrey Wellum https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1109452637
The Black Death by Philip Ziegler https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1110232363
I, Partridge by Steve Coogan et al https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1111065964
November 19, 2014
Queen of Fire – Pre-order Pages
Pre-order pages for Queen of Fire are now active on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and iBooks. The UK release date is 2nd July 2015 followed by the US release on the 7th. No covers yet, and the blurb for the UK version hasn’t gone up. Also, no page as yet for the UK Kindle version as far as I can tell. Anyway, happy pre-ordering. I’ll update the links on the Books page when the covers appear.
