Introducing…ECHOES

That’s the problem with spending nearly four years in a fictional world.

You get to tell the story you want, true. If you’re really lucky, like I was, you get an amazing publisher backing you up, which lets you stretch the story out to three whole books. So I got to tell the story of Riley Hale, and how she almost saved Outer Earth. It was a total blast, and some of the best fun I’ve ever had.

But the problem with writing a focussed story is that you can’t explore. You have to stay on track. I might want to go explore that dimly lit corridor Riley is running past, the one with the evil looking graffiti and the sparks flying from a distant plasma cutter, but I can’t. I need to keep shit moving. Otherwise the books would never have been finished.

Fortunately, I had two things going for me. One: I write fast. Not Seanan-McGuire-fast, but at a reasonably speedy clip. This helps me make my deadlines, and gives me a little bit more free time. Two: I don’t jump straight from one book into another. My head is too fuzzy. I need to write something else, clear the cobwebs, take a long breath of fresh air after three or four months with my head plunged beneath the surface of the book.

So what did I want to do, after I’d finished working on book two of the trilogy, ZERO-G? I wanted to explore the world of Outer Earth a little bit more. I wanted to delve deep into the cracks of this century-old, rusted, angry little space station. More importantly, I wanted to find out more about the people who lived in it. Riley’s crew, for example. You got a tiny bit of their back stories in the books themselves, but believe me, I was just curious as you were to know more. Where did Carver get his mechanical ability from? How did The Twins hook up? What drove Amira to do what she did? And what about Sam Royo – the gruff cop who just wants to keep the station safe? What was his story?

So I started writing. I hung out with these shady characters for a little while, and got them to tell me about themselves. It was one hell of a ride, and I came back with some great stories. I took them to Orbit Books, that mysterious, enigmatic company who are stewards of the world of Outer Earth, and asked them what I should do with them.

And now we have ECHOES.

Four stories. Bite-sized snacks you can read in an hour. A chance to find out more about the nooks and crannies of this fucked-up little space station. If you’re a fan of the series, then you’re going to bloody love this. If you’re a new reader, then this will give you an idea of what to expect before you bark on this insane, breathless ride. Whichever camp you fall into, buckle up.

How is it being released?

The Outer Earth series is both paperback and eBook, but ECHOES is ebook only. It’ll be out on Amazon, Kobo, Google Play etc soon, worldwide.

WHEN is it being released?

Orbit need to coordinate a worldwide release, and make sure Amazon get it up in time, so that’s still being worked out. Expect it within the next month. I’ll be on Twitter shouting about it if you need me.

How much will it cost?

£1.99 in the UK, $2.50 in the US, or thereabouts.

When’s your next full-length?

Coming sooner than you think.

Read the series Glamour Magazine calls “Exhilarating and guaranteed to keep you hooked until the very last page.”