State of the World Address

The bride tells me it's been a while since I did one of these, so here's an update on where everything is at:

STORMDANCER – copy edits for the UK are done. Copy edits for the US aren't (but tbh, there will be no differences other than spelling, you crazy yanquis with your missing 'U's and superfluous 'I's, eh?). Cover design is underway in the UK, I've seen roughs and I suspect this thing is going to stand out like the dog's bollocks on shelves (Presuming said dog in question still has the requisite parts, of course. Sometimes I catch my dog staring all mournfully at the place where his bits used to be. Poor bastard…)

ANYWAYS, after wrangling in the dank stinky depths of stock photography for a while, it's been decided we're going to actually shoot ourselves a model (with a camera, not a gun, jesus…) to go on the background being assembled by our Mac master. The gal in question has been chosen, and her online portfolio is here. I think she'll make a pretty goddamn awesome Yukiko. Wardrobe is currently being sourced, photoshoot is happening soon. I'll be doing a big detailed post about the cover process a little later, and of course, I have a metric fuck-tonne of signed China Meiville books to give away when we launch our UK/Aus cover, courtesy of the awesome folks at Tor UK.

The US time lines are little more generous apparently, because I haven't heard much in the way of covers from them. Such is life. If you aren't good at waiting, don't be a gorram author, is my advice.

I have a bunch of other stuff I want to reveal. A good buddy of mine created some awesome mons (we round-eyes call them logos) for the four clans of Shima and the Lotus Guild, but I think I'll hold off on those until I have covers out in the big scary world.

I also have some cover blurbs from some very generous and awesome authors who are saying lots of cool things about the book. but I can't show you those yet either

Yeah, so much for telling you what happening…

If you wanna add STORMDANCER to your Goodreads lists and make me go all squirty in my gutty-wutts, click n'yah.

BOOK 2 – Book 2 has a title, but it's not 100% official yet. Besides, I get the feeling that revealing its title should be some kind of… thing.  You know, with dancing girls and limos and ass-loads of blow or something.

I handed the manuscript into my editors at the end of January. It came in at 160k, which is 40k longer than STORMDANCER. There's a lot more happening in this one, but I still get the feeling I'll be asked to kill a few darlings. I don't expect to hear anything back on it in terms of edits for months, so in the meantime…

(flawless segue)

Book 3 – Book 3 also has a title, but it'll be a thing too. Probably next year. I've started writing it, and the first act is done. Much carnage. I feel like a kid who's spent a day down at the beach building this enormous sand castle with spires and battlements and an elaborate, fully functional sewage system, and now the sun is setting and I've started to stomp up and down on it before the tide comes in.

I think I'll be sad when I finish. Sad and terrified. Funny thing is, I'll probably be finished writing the end of this story before most of you even start it.

It's funny game, this.

Anyways, that's where everything is at. Now stop saying I never tell you anything, mum.