Aliens: Bishop (why I shut up and took the gig)

I wrote an Aliens novel. I did it in five months and I can’t quite remember how. My previous record for completing a full-length novel was about three years.

I didn’t want to write an Aliens novel. Not at first. My agent came to me with the offer, and I was sceptical. For a number of reasons, which I get into below.[image error]

But first, several people (writers, in the main) have asked how I got this offer, and the answer shows how much luck plays a part in publishing. My agent was shopping around my new n...