Joshua Reynolds's Blog, page 46

Station Identification

I’m moving house in the next week or so, so posting here will be on the light-to-nonexistent side for the duration. Amuse yourselves with this test pattern until my return, whereupon I’m sure I’ll have plenty to talk about. Or not. We’ll play it by ear.

In the interim, however, why not check out all the neat stuff over at the Royal Occultist site?  There’s free fiction, downloads and extra material of all kinds.

And, if non-Royal Occultist stuff is your bag, why not check out the rest of my free fiction, here on this very site?

Or, if you’d like to help me pay my bills, why not buy a book or two? Or even three. Maybe even write a review.

Anyway, see y’all on the flip side.

WIP Wednesday #36: Periwig

A periwig, if you’re curious, is a highly styled wig worn formerly as a fashionable headdress by both women and men and retained by judges and barristers as part of their professional dress. I assure you, this is relevant to this week’s discussion of my works in progress.

Work continues on Book #4. I hit the 82,000 word mark today, which would be awesome if I was close to being done, but I’m not. I estimate about 20-25,000 words remaining. All things considered, it isn’t that bad, but I was hoping to be done before next week. The deadline isn’t until the end of next month, but I’ve got other things to work on, and this book’s run a bit long. It’s the nature of the story, though. A sort of Dante-esque journey into Hell, only with Stormcast Eternals instead of an Italian writer. And less symbolism. More monsters. That sort of thing.

As with everything, I can already spot places where it needs improvement. Little rough spots that need sanding down, or, conversely, smooth spots that need a bit of roughening up, for texture. I suspect that I’m trying to do too much with this book, as happened with Fabius Bile: Primogenitor. There’s lots of stuff I wanted to get in, and some bits of it fit better than others. Possibly, I’m being a bit indulgent–do I really need skaven plague monks riding giant, poison-breathing bats, or a scene featuring a plaguebearer in a periwig? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Or, it could simply be that I need an additional 20-30,000 words to play with, because that’s what the story requires. Maybe this is just one of those books that needs to be a doorstop, whatever my inclinations.

But, all of that is for the revising stage. Right now, all that matters is getting the draft hammered out. Which I intend to do, come hell or high water. Hopefully next week, but I’ll settle for end of the month.

I’m keeping that daemon in a periwig in, though. That’s my legacy for the future, right there. My gift to the generations yet to be.

Speaking of daemons, why not check out Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu, edited by Jonathan Green, and featuring stories by myself, among others? Available in hardcover and paperback.

Black Library Live 2016

So, apparently, I’ll be at Black Library Live 2016.

I know, I know. I’m as shocked as you are. Appalled, even. This is as sure a recipe for a disaster as–well–the last time I went to Black Library Live. But the hexagrammic wards have been lifted, and my fetters broken. Those who dare call themselves my masters shall rue this day. Their screams shall echo for an acceptable length of time.

Chairs will be gently overturned. Tables upended, politely. People will be somewhat discomfited, in vague and uncertain ways. Queues, jumped. Dogs, nudged. I shall unleash all these horrors and more.

Oh, also, I’ll have two new books on sale.

Anyway, I’ll be updating this post with my schedule, closer to the day. Until then, why not grab a ticket, if you’re thinking of being in Nottingham on November 19th?

WIP Wednesday #35: Still Busy

Oh, is it Wednesday again? Land o’ Goshen. I’m still busy, obviously. But, I’ve managed to move forward with almost everything, despite a few hiccups.

Work on Book #4 has continued steadily. Today’s word count pushed me over the 66,000 word mark, which is not *quite* where I wanted to be, but I’ll take it. It’s been a solid month, however. I haven’t gotten bogged down at any point, which is something of a surprise. Usually, I hit a stumbling block around the 60,000 word mark. Never anything serious, more a failure of motivation, if that makes sense. The will to write dwindles for a few days, before flaring back to life. I tend to take it as a sign that I need a break.

So far though, I’ve managed to avoid that with Book #4 (knock on wood). I suspect it has a lot to do with my new way of planning things–rather than simply blocking the book out into chapters, I’ve broken it down even further, into individual scenes (of which there may be several, in a given chapter). Too, by only planning a few scenes ahead of the one I’m currently working on, I’m hoping it’ll allow for a more organic progression of the plot. It’ll also prevent me from getting bored, which is a plus.

By breaking the book down into more bite-sized chunks, I find that it’s easier to keep the various plot elements straight, and give certain characters a bit more time on stage, as it were. The process isn’t perfect, by any means. I’m still adding complications on the fly–inserting characters who demand equal (or more) time than I intended to give them, for instance–which inevitably results in a cascade of changes. But, its easier to shuffle (or excise) scenes than chapters.

On the short story front, I completed a 5,400 word first draft today, after fighting with it for two weeks. “La Chauve-souris” is the working title, a reference to the piece by Agathon Léonard (also known as ‘Le Vampire’). It’s interesting, though I’m not yet confident in it. I cut out about 2,000 words of an unnecessary detour in the plot in order to refocus on the main characters, but even so, it’s a weird little beast of a story. There’s a lot to chew on in it, and I’m not sure as to whether that’s to its benefit or not. I tend to like my stories to be a bit cleaner in execution, but I may risk a bit of roughness, given that the submission deadline is only a few weeks away.

And that’s what I’ve been working on this week.

Brichester Book Sale

As the week winds down, why not take a moment to check out Dark Regions Press’ new indiegogo campaign?

From the overview:

Support the creation of three new Dark Regions Press titles including fiction from Stephen King, John Skipp, Lucy A. Snyder, Josh Malerman, Cody Goodfellow & many more! Unlock stretch goals to add color illustrations to the books. Campaign-exclusive bundles, custom short stories & illustrations, editing packages & more from an award-winning independent specialty press of horror, fantasy & science fiction in business since 1985.

I mention it because I’ve got a story in one of those new titles–The Children of Gla’aki, of which I’ve spoken before. But, if you need a quick reminder…

There is a lake in the Seven Valley, near a town called Brichester. It is an eerie, haunted place, both by day and by night. Night especially though, is a time when no one in their right mind would go anywhere near it, or those oddly deserted houses that stand, albeit barely, on the edge of the shore. But why? What is it that moves about in that lake, a thing that makes its presence known with three sinister glowing eyes that protrude from beneath the water?

Ramsey Campbell, Nick Mamatas, John Goodrich, Robert M. Price, Pete Rawlik, W.H. Pugmire, Edward Morris, Scott R. Jones, Thana Niveau, William Meikle, Orrin Grey, Tom Lynch, Konstantine Paradias, Josh Reynolds, Lee Clarke Zumpe, and Tim Waggoner, these are, The Children of Gla’aki.

Stretch goals are available to get this book fully color illustrated by Daniele Serra, illustrator of Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror.

So, go forth and donate, and may the blessings of Gla’aki be upon you.

WIP Wednesday #34: SDLN

I’m busy this week. Novel, short stories, pitches, various real life things which need taking care of. So, have some Junior Kimbrough to tide you over.

Zibaldone #16: Marceline, Marceline

I read a thing, a few days ago, and it got me to thinking, and making notes for a story I’ll probably never write. I do that a lot. Ideas, and the notes that come with them, are a dime a dozen. I get five ideas before breakfast and five more after my first cup of coffee. Ideas are cheap. Time is expensive.

Anyway, “Medusa’s Coil”, by H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop. Like “The Horror at Red Hook”, I both enjoy and detest this story. It is, without a doubt, one of the most staggeringly, ridiculously, obtusely racist stories Lovecraft ever attached his name to. The denouement alone is infamous…

It would be too hideous if they knew that the one-time heiress of Riverside—the accursed gorgon or lamia whose hateful crinkly coil of serpent-hair must even now be brooding and twining vampirically around an artist’s skeleton in a lime-packed grave beneath a charred foundation—was faintly, subtly, yet to the eyes of genius unmistakably the scion of Zimbabwe’s most primal grovellers. No wonder she owned a link with that old witch-woman Sophonisba—for, though in deceitfully slight proportion, Marceline was a negress.

C’mon, dude. At least try and be subtle about it.

Rereading the story, I was struck by the thought that the whole narrative might be topsy-turvy. Antoine de Russy is the epitome of the unreliable narrator, as are his son, Denis, and the painter, Frank Marsh. The picture they paint of Marceline Bedard (pun intended) is one overwhelmingly tainted by bigotry, misogyny and jealousy. And even then, her on-screen crimes amount to…falling in love with an idiot, being a bit shallow, showing interest in the wrong men, and, well, being not-white. As far as eldritch horrors go, she’s not exactly scary, is she? Other than the thing with the hair, I mean. Even that’s more ‘Lady, you come right out of a comic book‘ than, y’know, evil.

Too, Marceline is far more interesting a character than the nominal protagonists of the story. Where did she come from? How did she come to acquire the occult knowledge she possesses? Or control a group of mystics in Paris? What’s the deal with that hair? What’s her connection to R’lyeh and Cthulhu, if any? Did she ever meet Harley Warren, or Randolph Carter? What about Charles Dexter Ward or Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee?

Questions, people. I have them.

For me, “Medusa’s Coil” is a story in need of, if not reclamation, then at least some reinterpretation. Especially the ending. Marceline Bedard is too intriguing a character to wind up on the wrong end of a machete and buried in quicklime. At least, not permanently. But physical death isn’t the end, in Lovecraft’s universe. It’s often just a gateway, to a stranger, bolder existence. Randolph Carter found that out. And poor King Kuranes. Probably better not to mention poor Edward Derby.

What if Marceline escaped to somewhere else? What if the gorgon-haired adventuress stalks a new and more interesting world, with new dangers?

What if.

Like I said, notes for a story I might never write.

WIP Wednesday #33: Midway Draft

Thirty-three weeks in. This year, I’ve written three books, two novellas and ten short stories. I have three more books, one novella and two short stories to write by year’s end. Four and half months. No sweat.

I’ve reached the midway point of Book #4. Which means (a) I can invoice for the second part of the advance, and (b) it’s all downhill from here. I’ve found that there’s always a certain sense of relief that comes with the midway point. All (or most) of the set up is done, and the climax approaches. It’s like…finding your seat after switching trains. You can close your eyes and nap until the next stop.

In related news, I’ve found the TMFH or ‘This Motherf*cker Here’ for the book. The character who will infuriate some readers to an excessive degree. The character people *want* to see get a proper, old fashioned, back-country butt whuppin’. In this case, he’s also one of the good guys, which makes for a fine line to tread. But he provides a nice contrast to the other protagonists, so I’m having fun tap-dancing back and forth over said line.

I also managed to complete a full pitch for Book #5 today, incorporating various editorial suggestions. They seemed to like the rough pitch, so there wasn’t much to do. Just a bit of tweaking here and there. In the process, I learned what the word ‘palatine’ means, which is nice. Other things I learned about today, which may, or may not, be related–perfect numbers, the Company of Masters, and ‘the true art’. Also, this guy.

Besides that, I managed to complete the first draft of “The Uninvited Guest”. Despite my best intentions, it came in at around 4,500 words. That might change during revisions, but I doubt it. It wound up being a bit more complex than the relatively simple story I planned, but that works to its benefit, I think.

And that’s what I’ve been doing this week.

The Play’s the Thing

Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu had its opening act this past weekend, at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London. While I couldn’t make it, it looks as if everyone at the launch party had a blast. Even better, the book is now available for purchase.

From the blurb:

An anthologie of fine stories inspir’d by the Bard of Stratford and the Lovecraftian Mythos

Imagine if it had been William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, who had discovered the truth about the Great Old Ones and the cosmic entity we know as Cthulhu, rather than the American horror writer H P Lovecraft.

Imagine if Stratford’s favourite son had been the one to learn of the dangers of seeking after forbidden knowledge and of the war waged between the Elder Gods in the Outer Darkness, and had passed on that message, to those with eyes to see it, through his plays and poetry. Welcome to the world of Shakespearean Cthulhu!

To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Snowbooks proudly presents fifteen stories of eldritch horror that blend the Bard’s most famous plays with Lovecraft’s most terrifying creations. But before you dip into this curséd tome, be warned – that way madness lies…

My story, “A Tiger’s Heart, A Player’s Hide”, finds the Royal Occultist, John Dee, and his assistant, William Sly, investigating a mysterious pestilence afflicting the playhouses of London, even as the latest play by one William Shakespeare makes the rounds. Are the two related? Probably!

Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu is currently available from the publisher and via Amazon, in both trade and hardback edition.

Night Falls

The Contest of Night closed last night at midnight, leaving me with a tough decision to make. As ever, the entries were all impressive, and I’ll be sharing some of my favourites on Twitter and Facebook later today. But, this is a contest, and that means there has to be a winner. And that winner is…

Tom Wood!

Congratulations, Tom. You and Agengrim One-Eye of Gravenport, Bishop of the Church of Nagash’s Hand, win a copy of Mortarch of Night. 

This was another close one…there were a number of good entries, but Tom’s beautifully converted old school necromancer bags the book. It’s an older model, and heavily modified. I’m a sucker for clever conversions, especially when they’re wearing a fancy hat. But really, it’s the skeleton holding up the book that did it for me. Look at that little guy. I don’t care who you are, that’s cool.

As ever, I want to thank everyone who sent in an entry. The level of talent and creativity in the Age of Sigmar community is fantastic, and, at times, inspiring. Especially for a guy like me, who’s artistic abilities are, shall we say, less than stellar.  Be sure to check out my twitter feed for a few of my favourites.