Andrew Leon Hudson's Blog, page 6
October 30, 2014
Why-oh-why-oh-Writers Groups: Part Three
It’s almost the end of the week, but it’s certainly the end of an era – the era of my articles on writers groups being published by BTSeMag, After the rousing successes of parts one and two (examining respectively the Critiquing and Reading types of writers groups) it gives me very great pleasure to introduce the third type (and possibly the final writers group I shall ever be a non-founding member of):
Such has been the stellar popularity of this series of articles, it’s been pointed out to me that there’s a very real chance that I’m in the running for the second annual Mr. BTS contest, with first prize a four-page centrefold spread! Obviously, this would be a great honour, and it would be no less than anyone voting for me deserves were I to lingeringly unbutton my shirt and let the chest hair roam free. But hell, why wait?
Thanks for reading!
October 23, 2014
Why-oh-why-oh-Writers Groups? Part Two
One week ago, I had an article published in the daily blog of BTSeMag. It was all about writers groups – well, mostly just one writers group, which takes a particular approach to writer grouping not necessarily shared by others. Since then, the article has been tweeted 137 times, which either means that many people wanted to share it, or (perhaps more likely) one person wanted to share it a lot. Which is it? I’ll never know.
Anyway, what’s past is passed, and here in the now it’s time to present PART TWO of the series, in which we stop looking at critiquing writers groups and turn instead to…
…well, what are you waiting for?
October 16, 2014
Why-oh-why-oh-Writers Groups? Part One
In order not to appear a total on-line recluse, my publisher has assigned me into the care of what I like to all a “promotions wrangler”, who charged me with (amongst other things) writing some articles for a webzine. What was I going to do? I asked myself, much in the manner of the hero of a bedtime story, like Goldilocks or Alice Looking-Glass, or… or Conan the Barbarian, because I’m a great big man, not a little girl.
[Note to self: Google "Conan writing"]
That’s not really what I meant.
Sod it, that’ll have to do.
.
Anyway, I hit upon a winner (let’s hope) with a trio of articles about writers groups. I’m a member of three at the moment, each of which takes a different approach to the notion, so I’ve taken a look at each one’s strengths and weaknesses with the kind assistance of their individual ringleaders.
The first of these articles is now live and the other two will appear over the coming weeks – hope you give them a look!
October 1, 2014
Author Interviewed!
I’m rather pleased to say that I was recently interviewed for one of my homes away from home on the internet: SFFWorld.com, the best in SciFi Fantasy and Horror, from whose membership three fun anthologies of speculative fiction have issued, the last two of which included me.
Well, the interview went live a little while ago, so click on over if you’d like to see what I have to say about myself, my writing, my plans for the future, the global financial crisis (not featured), the Amazon/Hachette debacle, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East (not featured) and the philosophy of Descartes (not featured).
Also, cricket.
August 13, 2014
Thirteen Bullets
Almost a year ago I had a story published in an anthology by the name of Lucky or Unlucky? Thirteen Stories of Fate. All proceeds from the first year are going to The Children’s Hospice, and (in the hope of inspiring a final burst of timely interest) three of the pieces are being presented on the site that gave rise to the collection: SFFWorld.com, where I spend some quality on_line time.
Now it’s August 13th and it’s my turn, so I hereby present Thirteen Bullets, an action-packed, blood-soaked, horror-filled Weird Wild Western. I hope you like it, and if you do there’s still time to buy the collection and support a very worthy cause – details await at the end of the story…
…along with a creeping sense of inevitable doom, of course.
July 31, 2014
Wars to End All Wars
Wars to End All Wars – Alternate Tales from the Trenches is a collection of seven short stories inspired by the “Great” War, though not necessarily following exactly where it led. In addition to a piece from the award-winning��Elizabeth Moon, it contains��original stories by��Dan Bieger,��Wilson Geiger,��G. L. Lathian,��Igor Ljubuncic, Lee Swift, and, bringing things to a close, myself.��My story,��The Foundation, is��a supernatural examination of why we should never forget the tragedies of the past���but��also argues that how we remember them is important too.
As with��the previous two��anthologies put together by��SFFWorld.com’s N. E. White, the first year���s proceeds from��Wars to End All Wars��will be donated to charity: this time to��Doctors Without Borders, so every copy represents not just some interesting fiction for you but a little bit of valuable aid to a very worthy��cause. Plus, it���s��only 99 cents!
I hope you’ll give it a try, and let me know what you think.
AmazonUS��| AmazonUK | AmazonES��| Kobo
Barnes &��Noble ��| ��Smashwords�� | ��Goodreads
Wars to End All Wars
Wars to End All Wars – Alternate Tales from the Trenches is a collection of seven short stories inspired by the “Great” War, though not necessarily following exactly where it led. In addition to a piece from the award-winning Elizabeth Moon, it contains original stories by Dan Bieger, Wilson Geiger, G. L. Lathian, Igor Ljubuncic, Lee Swift, and, bringing things to a close, myself. My story, The Foundation, is a supernatural examination of why we should never forget the tragedies of the past–but also argues that how we remember them is important too.
As with the previous two anthologies put together by SFFWorld.com’s N. E. White, the first year’s proceeds from Wars to End All Wars will be donated to charity: this time to Doctors Without Borders, so every copy represents not just some interesting fiction for you but a little bit of valuable aid to a very worthy cause. Plus, it’s only 99 cents!
I hope you’ll give it a try, and let me know what you think.
Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads
Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
July 21, 2014
Incoming!
I have a little news: in 2013 I had a short story included in an anthology – called Lucky or Unlucky? Thirteen Stories of Fate - and very proud of it I was too. Well, in 2014 I’m going to be in a follow up anthology marking the centenary of World War One, and it could be available before the month is out.
This is an Alternate History collection, so instead of the War to End All Wars, we have…
There are seven stories in the collection, all written by members of the SFFWord.com forum. Wilson Geiger and I were both in the last volume, and are joined this time by Igor Ljubuncic, Lee Swift, Dan Beiger, and the double-headed entity G. L. Lathian. Our headliner is Elizabeth Moon, a fine science fiction author and winner of the 2003 Nebula award for The Speed of Dark, a novel about the future of autism that I happen to really like.
As with the previous anthology, some of the proceeds from Wars to End All Wars will be going to charity – this time, we’re supporting Médecins Sans Frontières (aka Doctors Without Borders), which also happens to be my personal charity of preference, so all things considered I’m delighted to be involved. I hope you’ll buy a copy, links to follow when we’re published…
May 23, 2014
The Glass Sealing
Hot-shot engineer Arthur Singleton is on the verge of achieving all his dreams when they are snatched away from him. His sympathies for the plight of mistreated workers lead him to speak up in their support, but for doing so he is made a scapegoat by the heads of industry, falsely accused of inciting a riot which they orchestrated to keep the people in their place. With his reputation ruined and his career in tatters, Singleton vanishes into the squalid streets of Southwatch, determined to make a difference where it really counts: in the lives of ordinary men and women, forgotten or ignored by those who live in comfort and luxury above the Dark Cloud.
Years later Singleton emerges from obscurity again as a secret leader in the Workers’ Movement, an underground protest organisation dedicated to challenging the status quo–but no change comes easy, especially when it threatens the profits of the wealthy. Looking down on their activities is Jocelyn Duville, heiress to a unique airborne transportation empire, who once considered Singleton more than a colleague and was an unwitting player in his wrongful disgrace. Now a darling of high society, Jocelyn is far from a conventional figure herself, refusing to simply marry and give up her independence. She has big plans for Southwatch, a proposal that will change the face of the city and write her name in the history books in the process. But her goals epitomise everything the Workers’ Movement struggles against, and they will not stand by and watch without a fight.
However, these are not the only forces at play. Street gangs, the city government, and the strange, inhuman beings that live in Southwatch’s deep shadows all have vested interests in the outcome of the building conflict. Arthur Singleton and Jocelyn Duville will face off across a chasm of class, each wielding very different kinds of power–unaware that they are pitted against each other, and of the terrible consequences their actions will have on the city they both love.
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon ES
Smashwords | MUSA | Goodreads
May 21, 2014
Countdown: Three, Two, One…
On January 4th, 2013, I learned that Musa Publishing planned to launch a Steampunk shared world project.
On May 23rd, 2014, The Glass Sealing will become the third title of The Darkside Codex.
What do I hear you cry?
You won’t have to for long…
