Cameron Johnston's Blog, page 6
August 1, 2018
Dragon Award 2018 Finalist
So a very unexpected and wonderful thing happened at the weekend. I got an email to say that The Traitor God is a finalist in the 2018 Dragon Awards in the category of Best Fantasy Novel!! Please excuse the jaw trailing on the floor right now...
I have no expectation I will actually win of course, but I'm delighted that something I wrote was liked by enough people to get it nominated, and that's a truly wondrous thing. Thank you all, whoever you gloriously amazing people are!
If you want to take part in the final vote, anybody with an email address can sign up to receive a ballot when they are released:http://application.dragoncon.org/dc_fan_awards_signup.php
July 29, 2018
Blacksmithing
On Friday I took my first ever lesson in blacksmithing. Now that my arm can bend again I thought I would do a little write up of the experience, because it was a damn cool one that I would recommend to everybody. There's something hugely appealing and almost magical about heating and hammering red-hot metal into shape.
For the first project I was forging an iron coat hook from a long rod of metal. We were shown the forge (a small modern gas one rather than charcoal and bellows) all the various hammers, tongs and tools and the square rods of iron we were going to be beating into shape.
The first step was getting a feel for the metal and the hammers and begin drawing the iron out (making it longer and thinner). We heated the iron until it was a hot and glorious yellow and then placed the end on the anvil, hammering it five times on one side, rotating 90 degrees and then another five, alternating back and forth in order to keep the existing shape. Rinse and repeat until the the metal turned from yellow to red and faded back to black, then it was time to re-heat and do it all over again.
Once I had it down to a thinner length of metal it was time to take off those square edges and make it round instead. More delicate work with a lighter hammer but it proved to involve just as much arm-work.
Next it was time to curl the tip round into a decorative shape. Which was much harder than it looked, involving delicate taps with a hammer to draw it towards you, and some straightening wonky bits with tongs and hammering.
Once that was done it was time to fashion the flat plate where we would be putting in the screw/nail hole. Mostly that involved a heavier hammer and beating merry hells out of it until it was flat enough. Then it was time to use a punch to make the hole and a chisel to hammer a line into the metal above the hole, so we could snap off the unused length of iron rod. Some grinding and cleaning up with power tools and the coat hook was a splendid silver colour.
Then I decided to heat temper the iron to give it some lovely colour. Basically, to heat it up in the forge again, with different time and temperatures granting different oxide effects, going from deepening shades of gold through purple and blue and back to silver. At this point even a single extra second under intense heat can mean blue instead of gold - which you can hopefully see from the top and bottom and the slight golden colour in the centre.
It was hard, hot and sweaty work, but oh so satisfying!
For the first project I was forging an iron coat hook from a long rod of metal. We were shown the forge (a small modern gas one rather than charcoal and bellows) all the various hammers, tongs and tools and the square rods of iron we were going to be beating into shape.
The first step was getting a feel for the metal and the hammers and begin drawing the iron out (making it longer and thinner). We heated the iron until it was a hot and glorious yellow and then placed the end on the anvil, hammering it five times on one side, rotating 90 degrees and then another five, alternating back and forth in order to keep the existing shape. Rinse and repeat until the the metal turned from yellow to red and faded back to black, then it was time to re-heat and do it all over again.
Once I had it down to a thinner length of metal it was time to take off those square edges and make it round instead. More delicate work with a lighter hammer but it proved to involve just as much arm-work.
Next it was time to curl the tip round into a decorative shape. Which was much harder than it looked, involving delicate taps with a hammer to draw it towards you, and some straightening wonky bits with tongs and hammering.
Once that was done it was time to fashion the flat plate where we would be putting in the screw/nail hole. Mostly that involved a heavier hammer and beating merry hells out of it until it was flat enough. Then it was time to use a punch to make the hole and a chisel to hammer a line into the metal above the hole, so we could snap off the unused length of iron rod. Some grinding and cleaning up with power tools and the coat hook was a splendid silver colour.
Then I decided to heat temper the iron to give it some lovely colour. Basically, to heat it up in the forge again, with different time and temperatures granting different oxide effects, going from deepening shades of gold through purple and blue and back to silver. At this point even a single extra second under intense heat can mean blue instead of gold - which you can hopefully see from the top and bottom and the slight golden colour in the centre.
It was hard, hot and sweaty work, but oh so satisfying!
July 12, 2018
The Traitor God returns!
My good friends at Angry Robot have announced the sequel to The Traitor God. Colour me excited with a proper party hat on!
Tentatively titled, God of Broken Things, the novel will be dropping in June next year and sees your favourite antihero Edrin Walker back in the midst of all that terrible, beautiful action.
Here’s the synopsis:
Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested its magical elite with mind-controlling parasites. Edrin’s own Gift to seize the minds of others was cracked by the strain of battle, and he barely survives the interrogation of a captured magus. There’s no time for recovery though: a Skallgrim army is marching on the mountain passes of the Clanhold. Edrin and a coterie of villains race to stop them, but the mountains are filled with daemons and magic, and Walker must stop at nothing to win, even if that means losing his mind. Or worse…
For those of you who’ve yet to have read The Traitor God, called this year’s best and most brutal grimdark (by Angry Robot no less!), then you can get a sneak peek of the first chapter right here.
Tentatively titled, God of Broken Things, the novel will be dropping in June next year and sees your favourite antihero Edrin Walker back in the midst of all that terrible, beautiful action.
Here’s the synopsis:
Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested its magical elite with mind-controlling parasites. Edrin’s own Gift to seize the minds of others was cracked by the strain of battle, and he barely survives the interrogation of a captured magus. There’s no time for recovery though: a Skallgrim army is marching on the mountain passes of the Clanhold. Edrin and a coterie of villains race to stop them, but the mountains are filled with daemons and magic, and Walker must stop at nothing to win, even if that means losing his mind. Or worse…
For those of you who’ve yet to have read The Traitor God, called this year’s best and most brutal grimdark (by Angry Robot no less!), then you can get a sneak peek of the first chapter right here.
June 30, 2018
Head Games reprinted in Mirror Dance
I've been asked a few times where the idea of the character of Edrin Walker and the city of Setharis came from - and here it is, the short story that spun off and exploded into becoming The Traitor God: Head Games has been reprinted in Mirror Dance.
If you want to see a slightly earlier version of Edrin Walker taking place before he went into exile, you should probably read this.
Seven corpses lined the side of the alley, heaped atop pig shit and kitchen slops. Stained blankets did little to conceal the lumps of butchered human meat beneath. A black-clad warden wearing the red sash of a captain stood in the middle of the bloody mess, his back to me, hand resting on the pommel of the sword at his waist. I pried the bent rollup from my lips and yawned tabac smoke, scratching at my chin, bristles rasping. They had hauled me out of a warm bed and sent me trudging halfway across the bloody city for this? ...
If you want to see a slightly earlier version of Edrin Walker taking place before he went into exile, you should probably read this.
Seven corpses lined the side of the alley, heaped atop pig shit and kitchen slops. Stained blankets did little to conceal the lumps of butchered human meat beneath. A black-clad warden wearing the red sash of a captain stood in the middle of the bloody mess, his back to me, hand resting on the pommel of the sword at his waist. I pried the bent rollup from my lips and yawned tabac smoke, scratching at my chin, bristles rasping. They had hauled me out of a warm bed and sent me trudging halfway across the bloody city for this? ...
June 21, 2018
The Traitor God In Translation
If you haven't already seen the news posted on Angry Robot's website then let me enlighten you by repeating it below:
We’ve got some great news for our buddies over in Europe! Excellent grimdark novel The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston is going to be translated into both Hungarian and Czech!
In Hungary the translation rights have been acquired by Főnix Könyvműhely, with the book being published sometime within the next year. Czech folks will see the translation published by Euromedia Group sometime within the next two.
We told Cameron, and once he’d woken up from his dead faint asked him to give us a couple of words on the deals. Here he is:
“When my book was published several people said they were going to borrow it through their local library – whoa, my book being in a library gives me all the feels. As a kid I spent so much in mine time picking out and reading armloads of books. It is a wonderful feeling that mine has now joined the others on those hallowed shelves.
But wait, what is happening now? People want to translate The Traitor God? *stares* How AWESOME is that! It’s such a strange but similarly heartwarming feeling to know that something I have created will be published in other languages (that I can’t read) for people to enjoy. I wish them the best of luck translating all those unusual sweary words!”
Massive thanks to the Watkins Media rights team, who broker our translation deals. You guys are the best! *blows kisses*
Now to wait for the incoming covers, which we’re sure will be totally kickass. You’ll see them here as soon as our optical orbs get to process them.
We’ve got some great news for our buddies over in Europe! Excellent grimdark novel The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston is going to be translated into both Hungarian and Czech!
In Hungary the translation rights have been acquired by Főnix Könyvműhely, with the book being published sometime within the next year. Czech folks will see the translation published by Euromedia Group sometime within the next two.
We told Cameron, and once he’d woken up from his dead faint asked him to give us a couple of words on the deals. Here he is:
“When my book was published several people said they were going to borrow it through their local library – whoa, my book being in a library gives me all the feels. As a kid I spent so much in mine time picking out and reading armloads of books. It is a wonderful feeling that mine has now joined the others on those hallowed shelves.
But wait, what is happening now? People want to translate The Traitor God? *stares* How AWESOME is that! It’s such a strange but similarly heartwarming feeling to know that something I have created will be published in other languages (that I can’t read) for people to enjoy. I wish them the best of luck translating all those unusual sweary words!”
Massive thanks to the Watkins Media rights team, who broker our translation deals. You guys are the best! *blows kisses*
Now to wait for the incoming covers, which we’re sure will be totally kickass. You’ll see them here as soon as our optical orbs get to process them.
June 6, 2018
Newcastle event with RJ Barker
I will be in Newcastle's Forbidden Planet on June 14th, up to no good with that master of assassins, RJ Barker.
Join CAMERON JOHNSTON and R J BARKER, in conversation, at the Forbidden Planet Newcastle Megastore on Thursday 14th June from 6 - 7pm!
Spend an evening with two of Grimdark’s most exciting new authors, Cameron Johnston (The Traitor God) and RJ Barker (Blood of Assassins). The pair will interview each other on their writing processes and what makes great fantasy in 2018. Books will be available for signing post-event!
All the details are on the Forbidden Planet page.
Join CAMERON JOHNSTON and R J BARKER, in conversation, at the Forbidden Planet Newcastle Megastore on Thursday 14th June from 6 - 7pm!
Spend an evening with two of Grimdark’s most exciting new authors, Cameron Johnston (The Traitor God) and RJ Barker (Blood of Assassins). The pair will interview each other on their writing processes and what makes great fantasy in 2018. Books will be available for signing post-event!
All the details are on the Forbidden Planet page.
June 5, 2018
The Traitor God is here!
The Traitor God has been unleashed upon the world!
A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.
After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magus Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the mageocracy who rule the city. He failed.
Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods – Walker will burn them all if he has to.
After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed a god...
Available now from:
Angry RobotAmazon.comAmazon UKWaterstonesBarnes and Noble
Book Depository
A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.
After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magus Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the mageocracy who rule the city. He failed.
Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods – Walker will burn them all if he has to.
After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed a god...
Available now from:
Angry RobotAmazon.comAmazon UKWaterstonesBarnes and Noble
Book Depository
May 31, 2018
Mysterious Box
So, so, so...yesterday this mysterious box arrived while I was out.
What could it be? I certainly couldn't find out for the next ten hours. NGHHHhhhhh! So frustrating.
Of course I did have a pretty good idea what would be inside. *had fingers crossed they hadn't sent me somebody else's books*.
OH! Look at that. It's my book. It's really real. Such a surreal but wonderful feeling to see a box -a whole box!- of my own books, then to pick one up and feel its weight in my hand, turn it over and read the back as if I was browsing the shelves of a book shop.
What a wonderful moment :)
What could it be? I certainly couldn't find out for the next ten hours. NGHHHhhhhh! So frustrating.
Of course I did have a pretty good idea what would be inside. *had fingers crossed they hadn't sent me somebody else's books*.
OH! Look at that. It's my book. It's really real. Such a surreal but wonderful feeling to see a box -a whole box!- of my own books, then to pick one up and feel its weight in my hand, turn it over and read the back as if I was browsing the shelves of a book shop.
What a wonderful moment :)
May 11, 2018
It's Alive. ALIVE!
It's Alive. ALIVE!
Thanks to Angry Robot for teasing us all with a little preview of The Traitor God in actual real-life 3D paper book format.
Behold!
Feel the grimdark terror and lust for swords and sorcery seeping into your bones. Witness the fearsome might of my national animal! (The unicorn is Scotland's national animal. Really. How cool is that :D )
May 7, 2018
Interview by Anna Stephens
That wonderful writer and all-round fantastic person, Anna Stephens, has interviewed me on her website. If you want some sneak peeks at what you will find within the pages of The Traitor God then you are in luck - go here and have a read!
You might also want to consider buying her excellent novel, Godblind, while you are at it ;)
You might also want to consider buying her excellent novel, Godblind, while you are at it ;)
