Brian McClellan's Blog, page 13
March 12, 2019
Powder Mage Trilogy Digital Omnibus
I’m pleased to announce that you can finally get the entire Powder Mage Trilogy as a single ebook set! The omnibus is out today, priced at $28. This will save you a couple bucks and allow you to grab the whole thing for your easy binge needs. As usual, buy links are below!
![PowderMage-Omni-Cover-1[2].jpg](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1552466560i/27197250._SY540_.jpg)
March 11, 2019
Emerald City Comic Con 2019
Pacific Northwesters! This coming weekend will be my first ever time at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle. I’ll be in town Wednesday evening through Sunday evening, and I’ll spend most of my time hanging out at the Bard’s Tower booth #1121. You can come by and get your books signed, pick up new books, or just to say hi! As for specific panels and events, here’s where you can find me:
Thursday, March 14th, 2:45-3:45PM: How to use multimedia entertainment to tell your story. Location: WSCC 603
Friday, March 15th, 2-3PM: Signing at Badali Jewelry. Please obtain a free ticket ahead of time. Location: Main Vendor Floor Booth #111
Friday, March 15th, 7-10PM: Worldbuilders charity party. Tickets available for purchase here.
Saturday, March 16th, 1:45-2:45PM: All Bard’s Panel with Sam Sykes. Location: TCC L3-R4
March 4, 2019
Blood of Empire Cover Reveal
I am very pleased to reveal the cover for the sixth and last powder mage book, Blood of Empire! The book will launch December 3rd, 2019 (don’t believe what it says on Amazon, the meta-data has been giving us trouble updating). It will be released in hardcover, ebook, and audio in the US, and paperback, ebook, and audio in the UK. You can get your pre-order on now, or you can skip below to see the cover and read the blurb:
Direct signed from Brian: Forthcoming
US
iTunes - forthcoming
United Kingdom
Amazon UK - forthcoming
Audiobook
Audible - forthcoming
iTunes - forthcoming
As the final battle approaches, Mad Ben Styke must find an unlikely and dangerous ally in order to turn the tides of war in this epic fantasy tale of magic and gunpowder by acclaimed author Brian McClellan.
The Dynize have unlocked the Landfall Godstone, and Michel Bravis is tasked with returning to Greenfire Depths to do whatever he can to prevent them from using its power; from sewing dissention among the enemy ranks to rallying the Palo population.
Ben Styke's invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn - gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.
Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize's greatest general.
February 26, 2019
Tucson Festival of Books 2019
Will you be in Tucson this coming weekend (3/2/19)? Because I will! If you plan on attending the Tucson Festival of Books, you’ll be able to find me on three panels and their accompanying signings. My schedule is here, or check below:
Monsters, Magic, and Mayhem
Callie Bates, Jenn Lyons and Brian McClellan have offered epic tales mixing magic-wielding heroes, villains, and monsters. Can mayhem be far behind?
Integrated Learning Center Room 150 (Seats 155, Wheelchair accessible)
Sat, Mar 2, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)
Panelists: Callie Bates, Jenn Lyons, Brian McClellan
Moderator: Janni Lee Simner
Rebels with a Cause: Fighting the Establishment
We love to root for the underdog. These authors have written series involving bands of rebels in high-stakes battles against the powers that be.
Integrated Learning Center Room 150 (Seats 155, Wheelchair accessible)
Sun, Mar 3, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)
Panelists: Callie Bates, Emily Devenport, Brian McClellan
Moderator: KJ Kabza
The Writing Mountain: Personal Trials
What's the hardest part of being a writer? What personal obstacles have these writers overcome?
Integrated Learning Center Room 150 (Seats 155, Wheelchair accessible)
Sun, Mar 3, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)
Panelists: Charlie Jane Anders, Jacqueline Carey, Mary Robinette Kowal, Brian McClellan
Moderator: John Muñoz
February 9, 2019
LTUE 2019
Utah fans! This coming week (February 14th, 15th, and 16th) is Life, the Universe, and Everything. It’s a small convention taking place in Provo, Utah. Every year it has a boat load of awesome authors and other creative folks and includes book signings, panels, meet-and-greets, and all sorts of other fun stuff. As usual, I will be in attendance.
Note: the bookstore will purportedly have my novels. If you would like to purchase any of my self-pubbed stuff direct from me (novellas or RPG), please get in touch and let me know—I will bring a handful of copies that you can get any time during the convention.
Thursday
Swain's Scene-Sequel: Keeping an Emotional Rhythm Arches (Marriott), 10am - 10:45am
Institutionalized: Writing an Ensemble Cast Bryce (Marriott), 11am - 11:45am
The Invention of Genre Bryce (Marriott), 1pm - 1:45pm
Friday
Begin at the Beginning: Finding a Compelling Opening Arches (Marriott), 10am - 10:45am
Grudges, Risks, and Strong Opinions: Characters with Believable Motivation Arches (Marriott), 3pm - 3:45pm
Making a Protagonist Lovable Cedar (Marriott), 5pm - 5:45pm
Book Signing Exhibit Hall C 7pm - 8pm
February 2, 2019
Uncanny Collateral Newsletter Giveaway!
Starting next Wednesday (February 6th), I’m going to give away four early copies of Uncanny Collateral every week until the book is released on April 2nd. These will go to randomly chosen newsletter subscribers. If you’d like to be entered in these drawings and haven’t yet done so, please sign up below. Good luck!
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January 29, 2019
Uncanny Collateral
I’m pleased to announce Uncanny Collateral, the first book in my new urban fantasy series.
This is an idea I've been throwing around since my brief stint at a collection agency. It's based in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio near where I was born and raised. I wanted to evoke that rust-belt, blue collar feel with a main character who just has a job to do. The book is much shorter than my normal epic fantasy novels—a fast, relentless read that’s meant to be devoured in a sitting or two.
I am publishing it in ebook, audio, and hardcover on April 2nd, 2019.
To find out more, you can read the blurb below. But first, check out this cover:
Art by Shen Fei. Design by Shawn King.
Alek Fitz is a reaper, a collection agent who works for the supernatural elements of the world, tracking down debtors and solving problems for clients as diverse as the Lords of Hell, vampires, Haitian loa, and goblins. He’s even worked for the Tooth Fairy on occasion. Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Alek is the best in the game. As a literal slave to his job, he doesn’t have a choice.
When Death comes looking for someone to track down a thief, Alek is flung into a mess of vengeful undead, supernatural bureaucracy, and a fledgling imp war. As the consequences of failure become dire, he has few leads, and the clock is ticking. Only with the help of his friend Maggie—an ancient djinn with a complex past—can he hope to recover the stolen property, save the world, and just maybe wring a favor out of the Great Constant himself.
It’s a hell of a job, but somebody’s got to do it . . .
Release date is April 2nd. Pre-order below!
Hardcover
Ebook
iTunes (forthcoming)
Direct from Brian (forthcoming)
Audiobook read by Luke Daniels
Audible (forthcoming)
iTunes (forthcoming)
January 25, 2019
Brian's Year-in-Review
My birthday is today! Another year come and gone. Another mile closer to the grave. Another step in the march into infinity. Another meaningless milestone for a single speck of this immense universe we live in.
Yay!
So what did I get up to last year and what’s going on in 2019? Well, I’ll tell you.
Brian’s Year-in-Review:
I started off 2018 by releasing a powder mage short story, Siege of Tilpur, at the end of January. It was originally part of a larger SFF anthology and people had been asking me to put it out as a stand-alone. It’s a quick read about Field Marshal Tamas taking risks to make his bones in the early era of his career.
I followed that up in March with the release of the long-awaited Powder Mage RPG. To be perfectly honest, writing the RPG was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Content is such a different beast than prose. But it finally got finished and I was very pleased with the result! Thanks to everyone’s patience as I finished that bad boy up.
May was the biggest month for me. It started off with Badali Jewelry unveiling the super cool Ben Styke’s Mad Lancer Ring and moved straight into the release of my fifth major epic fantasy novel. Wrath of Empire is the middle book in Gods of Blood and Powder and the fifth powder mage novel overall. If you don’t really care that much about my side-projects but want to keep on task with the main series, this is the latest piece you need to catch up on.
The end of August saw the release of my first non-powder mage published piece ever. War Cry is a quick, short read published by tor.com. It follows a shape-shifting army ranger on the high plains fighting an endless war. This piece is very close to my heart, and if you like my stuff I hope you’ll give it a try.
The year ended with a handful of foreign language releases, and a semi-finalist spot for Wrath of Empire on the Goodreads Choice Awards, all of which was very cool. Over all, it was a very busy and successful year. Thanks to everyone who picked up one of my works and helped make that happen!
What to Expect from Brian in 2019:
Lots of travel happening this year, so keep an eye on my event list (I’ll update it frequently when I have confirmed conventions and signing dates). Please do keep in mind that I generally don’t choose where I go—I rely on invites from conventions/festivals/bookstores.
My first release of the year will be a side-project I’ve talked about on Twitter quite often. Uncanny Collateral is an urban fantasy romp about a collection agent in Cleveland, Ohio who works for the supernatural elements of the world. It should be out in April, with pre-order links going up over the next couple of weeks.
The only other planned release is the sixth and final powder mage novel, Blood of Empire. Pre-order links, as well as a cover reveal, will probably be up by the end of February. The first draft of the book is finished and I’m currently churning through edits. It’s slated for a release date of November 26th.
As for the rest of the year, there are things I would like to do but have no idea whether I’ll get to them. This includes one (or maybe two) more powder mage novellas, as well as the sequel to Uncanny Collateral.
And finally, the big one: I’ve been working on a proposal for my next epic fantasy series. I won’t say too much because I haven’t sold it yet, but this is a completely new universe; a flintlock fantasy with industrialized magic. The basics of the world have been floating around my head for a good two years now so I’m very excited to be working on it. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to announce a sale at some point during 2019 and give you guys some idea of when you’ll get to see the first book.
That wraps up my year-in-review. Thanks again for your continued patronage, and don’t forget to pick up your free copy of Ghosts of the Tristan Basin!
January 24, 2019
Birthday Giveaway!
Happy January everyone! Tomorrow (January 25th) is my 33rd birthday. It’s also roughly the seventh anniversary of me becoming a full-time author. To celebrate, I’m giving away an ebook copy of Ghosts of the Tristan Basin, This is a stand-alone novella that takes place within the powder mage universe, roughly a year before the beginning of Promise of Blood. Anyone who wants a copy can get it from my website store here until the end of the day on the 25th.
If you’d like to do something for me, you can review one of my books on Amazon/Goodreads/wherever, and maybe sign up for my newsletter via the sidebar so I can keep you in the loop for future releases.
For a year-in-review and an update on what’s coming next, check back here tomorrow!
January 10, 2019
A Little Housekeeping
Hey everyone! A handful of small items to let you know:
First of all, I’m dropping the “and dated” as a default for books in my website store from here on out. If you order signed books from me and you do want them dated, just request it in the box when you check out and I’ll still do it.
The trade paperbacks of Wrath of Empire are now listed on my website. If you’re a trade paperback collector and you’ve been waiting to get a signed version, head on over!
I’ve had quite a few people ask me if they can buy the Powder Mage playing cards (from the RPG add-on set) separately from the rest, and the answer is finally yes! They are now listed in the store. If you’re interested in other merch, I’ve also added more RPG add-on sets, as well as restocked on the silver Powder Mage Keg Pin.
