Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 35
June 24, 2016
Blood of the Wolf is nearly ready!
Sorry, I’ve been quiet recently and it’s down to the fact we’ve been having building work done on our house. So I’ve been painting and using a caulk gun for the first time in years and it’s meant work on the new book has been put on hold, just a little.
It IS almost finished though – I’m literally about to write the final scenes. Once that’s done I’ll just need to go back and add in any little bits that needed researched (Stephen’s history will be in this one for example) and then it’ll be off to the editor in mid-July.
It should be ready for publication sometime in August which isn’t that long to wait, right? I need to make sure I get everything spot-on for this, since it’s the very last book in the series and I want it to be memorable.
I do plan on writing a Will Scarlet novella which will be set AFTER Blood of the Wolf so that’ll be a stop-gap until the brand new series can get started…..
Other than that, the German version of Knight of the Cross was in a free promo on Amazon.de and hit the overall top 20 which was amazing. I hopefully gained hundreds of new, German-speaking, readers with that one. I also reached a real milestone with over 5,000 audiobook sales in the past two years. Having listened to each of them myself I can honestly say Nick Ellsworth does an amazing job of reading them. Check them out if you haven’t already – anyone owning the Kindle version gets the audio at a reduced rate!
In general, all the books continue to do well in the UK but PLEASE, leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads if you haven’t already. It really does help buyers. In fact, I tell you what – if you leave a new review today on ANY worldwide Amazon site, email me at stormwatch1977@hotmail.com or use the CONTACT button on here to let me know and I’ll put your name in the hat for a signed book! Particularly looking for reviews in places like India, Spain, Germany, Canada and Australia but I’m overjoyed with every good review I get no matter where it is.
Phew, that was a long one, I hope I didn’t lose anyone halfway through!
Have a great summer everyone, forget the EU referendum, Trump/Clinton or whatever political woes face your country, and just chill out in the sunshine with a cool drink, a good book, and remember – we’re only here for a short time so make the most of it!
PS This post is a copy of one I just sent out to the people on my Email List but they had another chance to win a signed book! If you haven’t signed up you’re missing out so get on it and don’t miss out in future: JOIN THE EMAIL LIST
June 1, 2016
Musicians in literature and life
I’ve recently been listening to Patrick Rothfuss’s fantastic audiobook The Name of the Wind and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Despite the odd slow, meandering section and a distinct Harry Potter-ish feel in places, it’s the kind of book an author reads (or listens to) and thinks, “Man, I wish I could come up with sentences like that!”
Rothfuss’s writing is very immersive and, in particular, the sections where his main character Kvothe plays his lute really struck me, being a guitarist myself.
At one point, Kvothe asks to hold someone else’s lute and there’s then talk of how that’s akin to asking a man if you can sleep with his wife or some similar analogy. I forget exactly what it is the writer says, it was probably much more subtle and interesting than that, but the point is: asking a musician to let you hold their instrument (no innuendos here please!) is a huge no-no.
“You’ve never played…?” “Don’t touch it!”
It took me back 25+ years or so, to a time when I was just learning to play the likes of AC/DC and Motorhead on a crappy old acoustic guitar. My friend’s older brother had a nice Yamaha axe and a big 100 watt Marshall amplifier and I yearned to try them out, but it was made very clear to me I’d be killed if I ever touched either of them. Some musicians really DO covet their prized instruments as much as the characters in novels!
It’s not even a question of money. Someone like Jimmy Page had his legendary Gibson Les Paul which he almost always played with Led Zeppelin even though he had enough cash to buy as many guitars as he wanted. Hell, Gibson even gave them to him for free, but that one guitar was like a lover to him.
Personally, though, I have a few guitars which I love but I leave them out on their stands and if my two year old son wanders in and starts whacking the strings and pulling on the whammy bar I don’t really care. I can just imagine what my teenage friend’s brother would have made of that.
To me, an instrument is just a tool. I have a few guitars, a bass, a mandolin and an Artley flute that was born in the same year as me. They’re just tools to me. To someone like Kvothe, or Pagey, or my friend’s big brother, it’s something more than that and I love how a fantasy novel got me thinking about this whole topic!
My prized Jackson PC-1 that Riley loves to mess about with.
What about you? Do you play guitar or bass or mandolin or piano or whatever? What does your favourite instrument mean to you? How would you describe it in a novel? Do you let anyone else play it? Let’s hear your thoughts and show us your photos (if you can’t post the pics here, post them on my Facebook page or email them to me at stormwatch1977@hotmail.com and I’ll put them up for you).
My Jackson Soloist in action. Kvothe’s lute would have been no good at this gig.
May 19, 2016
Indie authors and reviews
I recently read a post on Facebook by one of my favourite historical fiction authors, where he said he can’t wait to get the manuscript for his new book back from the copy-editor. His copy-editor is a historian – a scholar – so any mistakes the author made will be picked up on and fixed for the final draft.
This obviously makes perfect sense. When I read his books (which are traditionally published by Corgi), I want them to be as accurate as possible as well as being great reads.
The thing is, though – indie authors don’t have the luxury of a raft of editors, proof-readers and fact checkers like traditionally published authors do. Some might, but the majority, like me, are lucky to have a professional editor, cover designer and perhaps a proof-reader. Some can’t even afford that much and have to do the lot by themselves.
And yet, many times I’ll read a review of some major author’s new book where the reader will mention how the history is impeccable and assume it’s all down to the writer doing months of gruelling research on their chosen time period as if the book was a one man/woman operation. I’m sure in some cases those authors genuinely know their subject inside out*, but even if they do make a mistake – just as an example say they mention potatoes in Saxon England – one of their many editors will notice and correct it.
The reader doesn’t see all these corrections going on behind the scenes, they simply enjoy a good book that’s historically accurate, assume it’s all down to the author being great, and a potential 4 star review becomes a 5.
Oi! Potatoes weren’t introduced to England until 1586 you fool!
Contrast that with the reviews you see of many indie books which happen to make a slight historical mistake: The author hasn’t bothered to research the period; they don’t care about what they’re writing because they’re just jumping on a bandwagon to cash in on a current trend; they rushed the book; they suck in general and probably kick puppies in the nuts too. Oh and they should take a leaf out of that famous author’s book – he NEVER gets his facts wrong! And a potential 4 star review becomes a 3.
Honestly, I haven’t noticed any major complaints about historical accuracy in my own books – generally readers seem to think I’ve researched medieval England pretty well, so this isn’t a rant in response to any reviews I’ve had personally.
I’m also not in any way trying to make excuses for badly written or researched indie books, not at all. I’m just talking about minor factual errors that lead to poor ratings for a book an author has slaved over for months that the reader has otherwise enjoyed. We may not get every fact right, but if the story kicks ass, the characters are good and overall you really enjoyed your £2/$3 purchase then that has to count for something in your review right? Think twice before you dock a star for that rogue Saxon potato!
Okay, enough of this, time to get back to work on my new Robin Hood book, Blood Of The Wolf. The lads have just escaped the dastardly sheriff and are about to share a pizza and a few cans of lager around the campfire…
BTW, the author that sparked this little post was Douglas Jackson (who I’m certain knows the Romans as well as anyone!), and his Gaius Valerius Verrens books are fantastic. Check out one of my reviews here.
* Writers like Ben Kane, Andrew Latham and Robyn Young, for example, probably know their stuff better than any historian.
May 8, 2016
Signed copies now available on Ebay
Otherwise, just send me a message using the CONTACT button or email me at stormwatch1977@hotmail.com and I’ll sort you out!
May 5, 2016
New BLOOD OF THE WOLF bookmarks
FREE with every signed paperback! What do you think? I’ve been getting business cards for the past couple of years but bookmarks make more sense, right?
Anyone buying a signed paperback from me will get one of these free. They’re printed on nice, high-quality card so should last for years. It would be pushing it to suggest they’ll be a collector’s item one day when I’m really rich and famous but they ARE pretty cool, really! The perfect companion for any avid reader…If you would like to purchase any of my books – signed, lined and dated – just hit the “Contact” button and I’ll get it sorted.
Look out for Blood of the Wolf this summer. I’ve just been working on it tonight again and, hopefully, it’ll be a great ending to the Forest Lord series.
May 2, 2016
Some new audiobook reviews
As you probably know, I have an Audible account and listen to quite a lot of audiobooks. Here’s some reviews of my latest purchases, check them out!
Comrades at Odds: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt
UNABRIDGED
by R. A. Salvatore
Narrated by Ice-T
I’ve read a few of Salvatore’s Drizzt books and thought they were pretty good. I’m also a big fan of Ice-T, either in Law and Order:SVU or his metal band Bodycount – the guy just has a great voice!
Ice-muthaf**in’-T, y’all!
So I saw this short story read by him and I thought it was just such a strange combination that it HAD to be cool.
And it kind of is, but ultimately isn’t the best book you’ll listen to this year.
The story is okay, presumably setting up a new character for later full length novels, but not a lot happens and I felt like this was probably aimed more at fans who are familiar with this era of the stories.
Ice-T’s reading is quite good, but it IS reading. He doesn’t try to act any of the parts and never varies his voice when it comes to different characters. He reads a woman’s lines in the same voice as he reads any of the men’s. To be fair, Ice-T putting on a girly voice would have seemed pretty hilarious so it’s not surprising he avoided it, but it does mean the performance is lacking something.
It doesn’t cost much and it’s overall a decent listen so I can recommend it – just don’t expect too much.
Rating – 3.5/5
Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome
UNABRIDGED
by Steven Saylor
Narrated by James Langton
I’ve read some of Saylor’s stuff in the past and enjoyed it so when I saw this very long audiobook for the princely sum of one credit I knew it would be good value.
And it is! It lasts for a long time so will keep you going until the next credit rolls in. But is it any good? Yes, for the most part it’s well written, has interesting characters and is almost a history lesson without becoming boring or dry.
It follows one family, from generation to generation, as they deal with the various emperors and great events that shaped the mighty Rome. It’s all set within Rome itself and it’s mainly about people and political events, so don’t expect battles or heroic centurions. This is no Ben Kane or Douglas Jackson book but it works, mostly, just as well as something more action oriented as it’s so interesting and so well read – the
narrator really does a fine job.
The only downsides for me were a) everything is rather bleak and depressing, with lots of descriptions of people being tortured for fun while the populace lap it up like rabid dogs and b) there’s too much emphasis on the sexual appetites of everyone. It seems like everyone in Rome was either a sadist or a nymphomaniac which might be true for all I know, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting book. At times I felt like it was too depressing and I just longed to listen to some throwaway, light fantasy or something fun by the likes of Terry Pratchett.
But, overall, this is a fine audiobook – great value for your credit, with a nice performance by the narrator James Langton, and, in general an interesting and nicely structured tale.
Give it a try!
Rating – 4/5
Azure Bonds: Forgotten Realms: Finder’s Stone, Book 1
UNABRIDGED
By Kate Novak , Jeff Grubb
Narrated By Kristin Kalbli
I first read this book a long time ago when I was a teenager. So, probably about 25 years or so ago. At the time I thought it was great, so when I saw it listed on Audible I thought it’d be worth a listen. This is one of the old-school, 80’s American fantasy novels a la Dragonlance and, as such, it’s aimed more at young adults than the likes of Game of Thrones. This is no bad thing in itself but some fantasy fans new to the genre might find this kind of book a little twee.
I was happy to find myself enjoying the tale, which is a good one no matter what age you are, and the characters and events were interesting enough to keep me listening right to the end. I’ll buy the second book in the series too at some point, no doubt.
Dragons, magic, sword fights, friendship, a dangerous quest – it’s all here and the fact it’s aimed at teens means there’s some light humour and nothing gets too dark or depressing.
The narrator is okay without being either brilliant or annoying.
Heartily recommended.
4.5/5
Macbeth: A Novel
UNABRIDGED
by A. J. Hartley , David Hewson
Narrated by Alan Cumming
Narration was good and overall I enjoyed this audiobook. A bit light though, it seemed to flick between scenes without much character development. I’ve never seen the play so thought this would be a good introduction but now I’m not fussed about ever seeing it.
Feels a bit like a wasted opportunity, I think the bones of the story could have been turned into a better modern novel.
Rating – 3.5/5
Eagles at War
UNABRIDGED
By Ben Kane
Narrated By David Rintoul
I’ve been a big fan of Ben Kane’s since his very first Forgotten Legion series, and I was reading his first Spartacus novel in the hospital just after my son was born. I really wanted to check out this new series of his, but I don’t have much time to read these days so the Audible version was downloaded as soon as I had a spare credit.
The narrator is excellent, really putting himself into the tale and acting rather than simply reading which I really enjoy.
The tale, based on a true story, is a good one, with a few nice twists and turns, some good characters and an ending that sets up the rest of the series very nicely. I liked the way the author made me wonder who I should be rooting for – who was the “goodie” and who was the “baddie”? In most books that is very clear cut but here you empathise with both sides and that elevates this work above the usual run-of-the-mill action romp.
If I have a criticism it’s the fact that a certain character was blind to what was coming, even when it was pointed out to him on more than one occasion. It seemed so obvious that it made the guy in question come across as a bit of a fool but I suppose this is something authors must deal with when they choose to write about true events and people.
Overall, another great book by Ben Kane, although I personally liked the Spartacus novel better and will be downloading the second in that series next.
Rating – 4.5/5
Don’t forget, if you have an Audible or iTunes account, check out my own audiobooks, they’re all excellent, honest!
April 30, 2016
April 29, 2016
Translating your books? Easier than you’d think…
I know a lot of you are self-published writers, and you might have thought about having your work translated. Find out how I did it here, on the Writers & Artists Yearbook website:
As for Blood of the Wolf – it’s coming along nicely. Almost finished the first draft. Roll on summer! Might even manage another novella starring Will Scarlet before I move onto my next series…
April 25, 2016
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
Sorry, I don’t really have any news to report in terms of my writing. Blood of the Wolf is coming along steadily and should be ready for a summer release but not a lot else is happening right now.
However, a very successful author recommends that, to build a brand and connect with readers, all writers should talk about things other than their work, so I thought I’d share this with you…
You’ll probably be aware of my love of music, and it’s mostly metal of the heaviest kind that I listen to. My favourite band is Jethro Tull though, and I even bought a cheap flute a few years ago (an Artley, and from the serial number it turns out it was born in the same year as me – 1977!).
When my books started to sell and I earned some extra money I thought it would be nice to have a framed image of Tull’s singer/guitarist/flautist Ian Anderson, so I commissioned a really talented artist to do something for me.
We chose this as the image to work from:
This is the first work-in-progress image the artist sent me. You can see the layers of detail he was working on here:
Here’s the final image, before he rolled it up into a tube and posted it to me from the USA:
And here it is, framed and on my dining room wall.
Unfortunately my wife made me take it down from there, hahaha! But it’ll be finding a new home very soon and I can’t wait – I think you’ll agree the artist – Iain Stone – made an incredible job of it. He drew the entire thing using a pencil and it blows me away that someone can be so talented. I’m proud to have this one-of-a-kind artwork on my wall!
If you fancy having something similar done, check out Iain’s website. His rates are very reasonable and he works fast.
To see Ian Anderson wearing this outfit , check out my favourite Tull song (if you’ve read Wolf’s Head, this song inspired the part where Robin and Allan play the part of minstrels):
April 9, 2016
Ritter des Kreuzes – Jetzt erhältlich!
Jetzt erhaltlich
“Wirklich spannendes und gutes Buch!” 5* Jetzt erhältlich!
Deutschland, UK, USA, Weltweit! – getBook.at/RitterDesKreuzes
Auf mysteriöse Weise verschwinden mehrere Menschen in einem kleinen Dorf auf Rhodos. Als zudem drei Mitlieder des Johanniter-Ordens vermisst werde, sendet der Großmeister Foulques de Villaret den englischen Richter Sir Richard at Lee aus, um in dem Fall zu ermitteln.
Gemeinsam mit seinem Waffenmeister Jacob stößt er bei den Einheimischen auf eine Mauer des Schweigens. Er ahnt nicht, dass sich dahinter eine Verschwörung verbirgt. In einem Strudel aus Aberglauben und okkulten Riten, wird nicht nur sein Leben bedroht, vielmehr gerät er an den Abgrund seines Verstandes.
„Ein großartiges, actionreiches Lesevergnügen, in dem trotz der Kürze einer Novella der Autor eine spannende Idee umgesetzt hat.“ Matthew Harffy, Autor von „The Serpent Sword“.
—>>> getBook.at/RitterDesKreuzes <<
