Update – And New Releases

First things first, both Exiled To Glory and Conquistadors have been published.

Conquistadors is currently number one in new releases for alternate history and I hope it will stay that way for quite some time . Exiled to Glory has done very well, so I’m working on finalising the plot for book two (provisional title: Stolen Glory) and I intend to write it in the next 2-3 months. First, however, I have to finish The Fires Of Freedom, the latest A Learning Experience universe novel, and then I intend to write the second inverse shadows novel. Quite a few people asked me, at WorldCon, what happened to the second book, so I guess I have to write it.

WorldCon was pretty good, but also very draining. I sold 58 out of 60 books, but ended up going home early because it was just incredibly draining. My son had fun helping to sell the book too, although I think he got a little bored after a while. I met and briefly exchanged words with Robert Silverberg and Simon R. Green, the latter notable for having written one of the very few science-fiction (more accurately, science-fantasy) novels that beat Star Wars at its own game. The Deathstalker books are very well worth a read.

It also gave me time to think about the future. I am very fond of the Ark Royal and Schooled in Magic universes, but I think the former is largely played itself out and the latter needs to move away from Emily. There is always a drop off in readership and sales as a series advances, as the bigger it gets the harder it becomes to get into the series. I also want to explore new settings and characters, both in a shameless attempt to attract new readers (and therefore earn more money), and also to do things I can’t do in the established universes.

Regarding Schooled in Magic, I’m currently waiting on the first set of edits for The Unnatural Order. This will be followed by Wolf In The Fold, The Hour Of The Wolf, and Heart’s Eye, which I think will be Emily’s last major adventure. (I may do a singleton or two featuring her, but we will see.) I have several ideas for other spin-offs, but I think the most interesting one to explore will be the life of Emily’s son, who will obviously grow up in her shadow and find it difficult to make a name for himself. By that point, the industrial revolution will be impossible to stop, a combination of magic, science, and magic technology changing the world into a steampunk fantasy. How does that sound?

There will also be at least six books in the Morningstar/Exiled To Glory universe, following Leo’s career, and two more Conquistadors. Beyond that, I’m not sure. I do have a vague idea about a alternate history novel set between The Flight Of Werner Von Braun and the Twilight Of The Gods, perhaps set largely in an alternate Iran caught between Nazi Germany and Atlantic US/UK Alliance. However, that still requires a great deal of research.

I would like to take this moment to remind you to subscribe to my mailing list, if you haven’t already. Facebook has a nasty habit of throttling posts, and the mailing list is the only way to guarantee receiving updates. I promise I won’t spam you.

Please let me know what you think, and don’t hesitate to leave a review if you like any or all of my new releases.

Thank you for your time.

Chris