G.R. Forrest's Blog, page 2

The Books of My Year 2014 (and a few to read in 2015!)

With 2014 about to start disappearing over the horizon behind us, I thought this would be a good time for a little retrospective on the books that have stood out for me over the past year. (This is a very personal list, not intended to reflect 2014’s publications or anyone else’s viewpoint but my own.)Mistborn: The Final Empire – Brandon SandersonMy big discovery of the year has to be Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn books. I had them recommended to me, and as soon as I started reading I was gobsmacked that I had previously managed to miss such a fantastic author. This series has it all: fast-paced action, political intrigue, fully realised characters that leap off the page, a complex multi-layered plot and one of the best magic systems I have ever read. There are currently four titles in this series (in order: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages and The Alloy of Law), with a fifth expected late this year. At time of writing I am two thirds of the way through The Hero of Ages, and once I’ve finished these I’ll be delving into Sanderson’s other works as well!Cuckoo Song – Frances HardingeFrances Hardinge is one of the authors whose work has become essential reading for me. Her writing style is gorgeously rich in imagery and the fantastical elements of the worlds she builds are beautifully detailed. In contrast to most of her other books, Cuckoo Song is set mainly in 1920s England, but with added elements of folklore and dark fairy story. An outwardly respectable family come to regret their dealings with the mysterious ‘Besiders’ after their cosseted daughter goes missing and returns strangely changed from her former self. As the plot unfolds, the story is surprisingly hard-hitting where it tackles how different people deal with love and loss, but it is also written with great warmth and ultimately turns out to be a tale of redemption.Dragons at Crumbling Castle – Terry PratchettAs those who know me would be able to tell you, no book list of mine would be complete without including something by Terry Pratchett. This one is a lovely volume of short stories written for publication by the Bucks Free Press between 1965 and 1973. Although primarily aimed at children I found it a joyous romp of a book. According to the introduction, the stories have been reproduced with a minimum of editing, and as such the collection also offers a close look at Pratchett’s early writing style. Even then, his trademark satirical humour was already in place, as was his talent for capturing character types. Delightful!The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert GalbraithI didn’t know what I was going to make of J. K. Rowling in her adult-crime-writing incarnation, but as it turned out I really enjoyed this book. The plot had more than enough twists and turns to keep me interested, but what really grabbed my attention was the flair with which the colourful cast of characters was presented and handled. The satirical streak which added much of the humour to the Harry Potter series is strongly in evidence here, though not at the expense of the more serious side of the story. The efforts of the main protagonist to piece together a new life for himself rang true and added an extra dimension to his investigative work, as did the gradual forging of a working relationship between him and his unexpected new assistant. A highly satisfying read on all levels.And now for the 2015 reads. I constantly have an extensive to-read list, but here is a selection of the books I particularly want to tackle this year.The Bone Season – Samantha ShannonAdvertised as dystopian/paranormal fantasy set in an alternative London and Oxford, a brief scan of the first chapter or so revealed a couple of elements which also seemed quite Steampunky to me. Overall it looks very promising, and if I like it as much as I hope I will – well, the sequel is coming out at the end of January!The Old Kingdom Series – Garth NixI could be pretty awkward to please when I was in my teens. I remember reading part of the first of Nix’s tales of magic and necromancy (Sabriel) and, for some reason, not really getting on with it. Last month I picked up Lirael while in the local library, read the first half dozen chapters all in one go and absolutely loved it! And then remembered that it was not the first book in the series. So, I’ll be going back and reading these from the beginning. As of 2014 there are four of them: Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen and the recently released Clariel.A Song of Ice and Fire – George R. R. MartinWhat can I say? I have heard enough from people who have read them about Martin’s fantasy-medieval saga of warring families (with dragons!) to know that I will most likely enjoy this series very much, so it’s about time I got around to reading it.The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. TolkienNo, don’t panic – Ihaveread them before! However, the launch of the final film in the Hobbit trilogy this winter has made me realise that it is past time for a re-read of these fantasy classics.I tend not to be spectacularly good at reviewing books as I finish reading them, but I will attempt to report back on at least some of these, either here or on my Goodreads profile.Happy New Year once again – and happy reading to you all!

Smashwords Interview - Part 2

This is the second part of a Q&A originally published on my author page at Smashwords.com.What do you read for pleasure?If I’m reading purely for pleasure, nine times out of ten it will be fantasy fiction. The idea of being able to slip away and go exploring in an alternative world has a perpetual attraction for me. Cliché though it may be, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ made a huge impact on me when I first read it and saw the films in my early-mid teens. Then, at around the same time, a friend introduced me to the work of Terry Pratchett and I quickly became hooked on the Discworld series. The warmth, humanity and sheer intelligence of Pratchett’s writing make every book sparkle and he remains to this day my literary hero. More recently, two authors whose work I particularly enjoyed are Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson: the worlds and plots created by both are richly detailed and full of well-realised characters. I’m also a fan of a number of authors who write primarily for children and teenagers, including Brian Jacques, Philip Pullman, Frances Hardinge and Michael Hoeye.Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?I did most of my growing up in a small town in Derbyshire, surrounded by huge hills and cliffs - a beautiful and dramatic landscape. My imagination used to populate the countryside with fictional characters, both those taken from books and films, and those of my own creation. To the child I was then, the open spaces seemed so vast that there might be anything out there!It was also a safe area, for the most part, so as I got a bit older I tended to go out wandering by myself. That and the fact that I was an only child gave me plenty of mental space to daydream, and I certainly needed no other encouragement!What motivated you to become an indie author?The opportunities that this mode of publishing offers. If you take advantage of all of the services which are available to help produce and distribute your book, you can have a reach which is comparable to that of traditional publishing, which is fantastic! Of course, the other big advantage is that you can do everything on your own terms. I won’t say that that same independence doesn’t have its challenges (it does!), but I’ve learned a lot about how the e-book industry works, and about the mechanics of producing an e-book, in the process of getting my first one out there.Describe your desk.Wherever I happen to be when I’m writing! As I started writing while I was still at school, I got into the habit of always carrying my notebook with me and fitting in as much wordsmithing as I could, whenever I could. That habit persisted all the way through university too. After I graduated the notebook was replaced with a netbook, and I still write whenever and wherever I can: the corners of pubs while my partner does his sound engineering work, the decommissioned boiler room at my workplace (no, really – it’s quite cosy!), the local library and, of course, those favourite writers’ haunts: cafes!When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?Music is the other big occupation in my life: I play keyboards and sing, and at any given time am usually trying to learn at least one other instrument as well... I spend a lot of time listening to music too. I’ll try anything once and my CD collection ranges from film soundtracks and musical theatre to indie rock, disco, world music and metal!I also enjoy sewing, especially in the context of creating costumes. I first dipped my toes into the colourful world of fandom and conventions a few years ago, and quickly became hooked: there’s a wonderful, instant sense of camaraderie to be found wherever people meet together dressed as fictional characters.Originally published at:http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/GRForrest

Smashwords Interview - Part 1

This is the first part of a Q&A originally published on my author page at Smashwords.com.What's the story behind ‘Tamzin and the Viper’?This book went through quite a long evolutionary process. I started writing it when I was still doing my A-levels, and in a very real sense it has grown up with me because I finished it (or at least, a full draft of it) while I was at university. As you can probably imagine, writing time had to be fitted into whatever space was available around those educational commitments!The main character, Tamzin, had been around in my imagination, in various different guises, for a few years before this particular story was even conceived. She eventually became part of what I remember as a ridiculously complex extended story that I had under construction in my late teens, to which the contents of ‘Tamzin and the Viper’ (only vaguely sketched out back then!) were supposed to be the backstory. One day, having got bored of trying to figure out the minutiae of the large-scale story I thought I should be writing, I sat down and penned a very early version of what became the prologue of ‘Tamzin and the Viper’. Before I knew it, I had become inspired by the characters and events, and realised that this was the tale I really wanted to tell.What are you working on next?My second book is going to be a sequel, set a few months after the events of ‘Tamzin and the Viper’. Tamzin has travelled south to the coastal town of Ashmin, right on the border of Kazanchutah. There she takes part in the Rain Festival marking the start of the monsoon season, answers a plea for help and uncovers a sinister plot which, if successful, would have catastrophic consequences for the town. The development time for this one has been much shorter than for ‘Tamzin and the Viper’! When I wrote that first book, I spent a lot of time learning the process of constructing a story, and finding out what would and wouldn’t work in terms of plots and characters. A lot can be learned from books on writing and from other people’s knowledge, but in the end there’s no substitute for just sitting down and trying things out for yourself! Also, for a variety of reasons, my ideas and attitude to life were changing very rapidly at the time I started writing ‘Tamzin and the Viper’, so it took me a while to find a style I was happy with. Of course, the fact that the second time around I already know my main characters very well helps too!What is your writing process?I seem to have settled into a rough pattern of forward planning alternating with the organic development of ideas. I start off with a scene in my head, which I’ll write down and then tweak a bit until I’m happy with it, and during that process I usually find myself gaining ideas about where the story could go next. After that I’ll compile a series of questions relating to how the developing story is going to work on a practical level: which characters need to know what and when, what provokes somebody to act in a certain way, how the timescale is going to work and so on. Once I’ve answered at least some of those practical questions I’ll move on with the narrative, which will provoke more new ideas and also sometimes uncover pitfalls in my original planning. I tend to end up with a general ‘road map’ of where the story is going, with the main points of action and character motivations marked out along the way, but I seldom plan each individual chapter in detail before sitting down to write it. I used to try, but something extra or different would always creep in regardless!What is the greatest joy of writing for you?There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting ideas to slot neatly into place, of getting dialogue to sparkle and flow, or of suddenly having a new scene or character jump out at me so vividly that I find myself being swept up in the flow of the story, and laughing, crying or whatever along with it! In all three of those cases it can often take quite a while to arrive at that point, re-writing and fine-tuning or staring into space for days on end while trying to work out exactly how this bit of the story is supposed to go until, all at once, the answer is obvious.Very occasionally, one of these glittering little nuggets will drop out of the sky straight into my lap, fully formed, before I even know I’m looking for it, but for the most part it’s my job to hunt them down for myself!Originally published at:http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/GRForrest

E-reading Apps and E-book Formats

I’ve had a few queries along the lines of “I want to read your book, but I’m not usually an e-book reader/don’t have an e-reader”, so I’d like to offer a suggestion which enables your regular desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone to be used as an e-reader: Amazon’s free reading apps. The setup for these is absolutely cost-free and (in my experience, at least) very quick and easy.The homepage for all the apps can be found here:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=dp_kinw_kcpapp_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000425503There are various different download options to choose from, depending on the computer or device you are using. I test-drove this with Kindle for PC (Windows 7 version) and found that the app can be downloaded and ready to use in minutes.Once the app is installed and opened, all downloaded e-books can be seen in its library (a few free ones are provided automatically to start you off). Further e-books purchased from Amazon are delivered automatically to the app and appear in the library as soon as the purchase transaction is complete. Clicking on the ‘Shop in Kindle Store’ button in the top right-hand corner of the app’s screen will open an internet browser window at Amazon’s e-book store - I’ll add the ‘Tamzin and the Viper’ link here as soon as the e-book is released!Of course, various other e-reading options are available depending on your computer/tablet/phone, but this one seems to cover most devices. Hopefully that’s all clear! Please feel free to drop me a line via one of the methods on the contacts page if you think something needs updating or correcting.And finally, for those of you who have e-readers, here is a comprehensive list of the formats in which my book will be available (once again, links to be added as soon as the book is released.)Amazon.co.uk– all types of KindleKobo.com– Kobo e-readersSmashwords.comEpub (open industry format)Sony Reader (LRF - the format used on older Sony Reader e-book devices)Kindle (.mobi /Mobipocket - an eBook format supported on the Kindle, as well as Windows PCs and many handheld devices)Palm Doc (PDB - PalmDoc is a format primarily used on Palm Pilot devices, but readers are available for PalmOS, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile Pocket PC/Smartphone, desktop Windows, and Macintosh)PDF (Portable Document Format - readable by most devices, including handheld e-readers, PDAs, and computers)RTF (Rich Text Format - cross-platform document format supported by many word processors and devices)Plain Text (Works on nearly all readers and devices. It lacks formatting, but will work anywhere.)BarnesandNoble.com– Nook e-readers

Tamzin and the Viper - Prologue

By request of the Chaskandrah City Council:   Adventurers and Adventuresses sought to assist in the Council’s new campaign to reduce thieving and vandalism in this City of Chaskandrah.   Substantial financial rewards in return for success in this task. Register at the City Council Offices.   No claims for rewards will be accepted without prior registration.     The notices had attracted Tamzin Trezurah’s attention from the moment she had arrived in Chaskandrah. They were scattered all over the

Tamzin and the Viper Extract: Escape!

Standing motionless against the tunnel’s rough wall, well outside the glow cast by the nearest lantern on its metal bracket, Tamzin held her breath as she realised the import of the conversation on which she was eavesdropping. The suspicions that had prompted her to tail the two men out into the mountains had been fully justified after all. Their meeting with this gang leader, Corby, had taught her more about Chaskandrah’s criminals than she had dared to hope for. She strained her ears, waiting for more, but instead heard a yawn from the little room around the corner.“Anyway, we’d better be off,” one of the male voices said. “Can’t sit here jawing all day, we’ve still got a few things to sort out back in Chaskandrah.”That was Tamzin’s signal to move, she realised at once, and snuck quickly back out of the short corridor. There were plenty of possible places to hide in the tunnels between here and the entrance to the catacombs. All she had to do was conceal herself until the two spies she had followed here had exited, and then emerge to make her own way back to Chaskandrah. Her head was buzzing with what she had just overheard. And then suddenly -“Oi!” The loud exclamation echoed around the tunnel. A burly man with a shock of spiky black hair had rounded a corner with the natural soft tread of many large men, and walked straight into Tamzin. For a split second he stopped dead, staring in incomprehension at the unexpected girl. And then two muscular tawny dogs trotted into view in the passage behind him and, on seeing Tamzin, instantly crouched and began to snarl.But it was Tamzin who reacted first. Grabbing hold of the man’s shirt front, she hauled him towards her, delivered a vicious headbutt to his face, kicked a foot around the back of his leg and pulled, sending him crashing backwards into the dogs just as they sprang. All three landed in a confused jumble of limbs, out of which the two dogs emerged with teeth bared – but Tamzin had already fled back the way she had come.Guard dogs! Trained attack animals made human opponents look benign by comparison. Even if you managed to down them, by the time you did they would either have ripped your hamstrings to shreds or savaged you so badly you’d quickly become faint from blood loss. And the dogs were between her and the cave system’s exit.She dashed down the tunnel, deeper into the caves once more. The man’s yell and the growls of the dogs had alerted Corby and the two spies, who came pelting up towards Tamzin only to be knocked aside like skittles as she barged between them. A cacophony of shouting erupted from the trio as she raced away from them.She had to find another way out, and quickly – or at least a position out of reach of the dogs, from which she could fight back. Swerving around a corner, she found herself in a larger cavern, its rough red walls eerily lit by a combination of a smokeless cooking fire and a weak shaft of sunlight from somewhere high up in the roof. The two thieves occupying the blocky table and chairs in the centre of the room were halfway to rising, hands reaching for weapons, when Tamzin barrelled into them. The table went over with a crash and both of the thieves went down too, one gasping from a kick to the stomach and the other clutching a broken jaw. Tamzin snatched up a fallen sword and plunged into yet another tunnel moments before the dogs burst into the kitchen behind her.Downhill – she had to keep going down. Water had carved these caves, she thought desperately. So, somewhere, it must have found a way out. She couldn’t outrun the dogs forever. They weren’t the type to waste energy barking, but she could hear their eager panting getting closer behind her. And following after them she could hear human pursuers – goodness only knew how many.The tunnel forked and she turned left, following the slope. Around a corner and ... a battered cupboard and a couple of chests sat at the far end of a tiny room. Tamzin skidded as she checked her headlong dash, bouncing off the cupboard. She whirled around barely a second before the leading dog sprang at her, mouth agape. She kicked out at its chest. It jinked sideways in mid-bound to avoid the blow and closed its jaws around her calf. But the kick had only been a feint. At the same moment that the dog’s teeth broke her skin, Tamzin buried the sword in its skull. Blood spattered her clothing and she let go of the weapon as the animal convulsed, but she freed her leg easily and crossed the room in a leap. A heavy fur blanket unrolled easily when she seized it from atop one of the chests. When the second dog bounded in, bristling and slavering, Tamzin cast the blanket like a net over its head and shoulders. It stumbled, its front paws scrabbling at the fur. Tamzin planted a kick squarely in its ribs.Even as the agonised yelp rang out she dashed from the room, back towards the last fork in the passage. And there was Corby running towards her brandishing a pair of wickedly curved daggers, three other crew members at her heels. But, at the sight of Tamzin still on her feet and apparently unscathed, an expression of surprise crossed the crew leader’s face – a split second before the two parties collided.Someone’s blade glanced off Tamzin’s back in the confused melee. She punched and ducked and cannoned her way through the group, thanking her luck that they hadn’t been expecting her to escape the dogs. A club whistled past her head as she broke out from the fray. A moment later she was pounding down the right-hand fork, hoping and hoping that this one wasn’t a dead end as well.She forced herself to breathe deeply, hearing the racket of her pursuers already hard on her tail. She wouldn’t be able to keep up this frenetic chase forever. But, she thought grimly, neither would they. As long as she didn’t run herself straight into a cul-de-sac...Suddenly the tunnel began to open out, and then sloped downward so abruptly that Tamzin nearly went head over heels. Half running, half falling, she scrabbled for balance. And then she was in a cavern; not a small one like the kitchen she had passed through earlier but a gigantic space, its ceiling lost in shadow. Pillars of rock like petrified tree trunks thrust upward from the floor where stalactite had met stalagmite. A handful of lanterns formed puddles of illumination here and there – perhaps there would be somewhere to hide.And then something came into view, glimmering faintly in the uncertain light and gently filling the air with its soft rustle... Water!Thump. Unlike Tamzin, her pursuers had not been taken by surprise by the abrupt slope. One of them, sprinting ahead of the others, had launched himself at her in a flying tackle. Tamzin felt multiple joints jar as the impact carried them both to the ground, and then momentum took over, tumbling them down the incline in a bone-shaking roll.They landed in a dazed sprawl a few feet apart. Tamzin muzzily lifted her head, spitting blood from a split lip, and blinked. There was the water, close enough to touch, gleaming dully as it flowed through a deep trough carved in the cavern floor. For a moment all she could seem to do was stare at it, her whole body throbbing like one big bruise.The slap of approaching feet jolted her back into awareness. With a heave she staggered upright. A hand – that of the thug who had tackled her – closed on her leg. She pivoted unsteadily, trying to kick it away, but his grip was tight and with a lurch he had got his feet under him and seized a handful of her blouse too, hauling her off balance again.“Hold her!” Corby howled as she and the others pelted headlong down the slope towards the combatants. “Don’t let her get away again!”As the enraged crew leader bore down upon her, Tamzin made her decision. She let herself fall, grabbing at the thief’s shirt as she went. For a moment they teetered on the lip of the trough, and then plunged over the edge.In a whoosh of water all sound was cut off. The river was deep. Tamzin felt the thief release his hold and struck out for what she hoped was the surface. Black water filled her vision and for several seconds she seemed to be suspended in a shadow-world which tossed and swirled and pressed in on her aching limbs.Finally, with a splash and an ear-popping gurgle, she found herself with her head above water. Gulping air, her ears still roaring with liquid, she registered Corby and her two remaining cronies running along the bank towards her. The rocky walls of the river trough were sliding past on either side of Tamzin, she realised as she trod water. And the channel was deepening.She glanced downstream. A blank wall of rock loomed up before her, its contours barely touched by enough light to cast shadows. Momentarily Tamzin panicked – this too was a dead end! But there’s a current, another part of her mind insisted. The water has to get out...The man whom Tamzin had dragged into the river with her had surfaced as well, coughing and spluttering, only a few yards behind her.She looked again. This time, as she squinted into the gloom, a faint jagged shape at the surface of the water resolved itself into a crack in the rock face, dark grey on black. And as she was swept nearer, a tiny diamond sparkle showed deep inside the cleft. Daylight.She dived. Once again dark water suffused her senses. Down here it was nearly pitch black but there was only one direction she could go – so long as nothing blocked her way. A body of water this size must have carved an exit big enough for a human to fit through, surely? And the current was strong. It wouldn’t be if the water was struggling to find a route to flow easily through, would it?Tamzin’s mind raced and she fought to maintain her calm. Fear wouldn’t help her hold her breath for longer or swim faster. The outstretched fingers of one hand scraped stone but suddenly the light was brighter up ahead. Her lungs were burning; her body desperately wanted to breathe. Just a few moments longer, she pleaded with herself.Just a few more seconds...The relief came sooner than she was expecting it. She was spilled out of the watery tunnel down a tiny waterfall and surfaced, coughing, to claw her way out onto the riverbank. To her surprise, the strip of ground by the river was well worn, a clear path curving its way down the mountainside.Somewhere in the depths her shoes had slipped off, but she paid their loss no heed. Scrambling to her naked feet she immediately set off down the trail, hardly daring to believe that she might have escaped from the lair and its occupants. Would they come after her? She couldn’t guess and she wasn’t prepared to hang around to find out. But paths led somewhere, and since she was now in a part of the Brazoa Mountains that was completely unfamiliar to her, she was prepared to take this one and hope it led her back to something like civilization.It was only after she had been moving for almost a quarter of an hour, the sun rapidly drying out the water trail that she had initially left behind, that she allowed herself to feel relieved. Because, still, the only footfalls she could hear were her own.