The Iron Code - Stories in Honour of David Gemmell

On this, the 20th anniversary of David Gemmell's passing, NewCon Press have published The Iron Code, a short story anthology inspired by the works of the legendary fantasy author, edited by Ian Whates.

I join the likes of Joanne Harris, Dan Abnett, Anna Smith Spark, Mark Lawrence, Juliet E McKenna, Adrian Tchaikovsky, John Gwynne, R J Barker, and many others, in having a story of my own in the anthology, called The Wolf in Winter.

You can find out more and order the book here, or on Amazon here.

Warhammer Wednesday: Sticks and Stones

I haven't done one of these for a while - a Warhammer Wednesday post.

However, with the news that the Orc & Goblin Tribes Arcane Journal is soon to be released for Warhammer: The Old World, it seemed as good a time as any to remind you* that my Empire vs. Orcs short story Sticks and Stones is available to download as an eBook from the Black Library.

War against orcs and goblins is never easy for the soldiers of the Empire. Their foes and savage and brutal and revel in battle. and never more so than when a mighty idol of their gods marches to war alongside them, fuelled by magic and the power of the Waaagh! In the midst of battle, it falls to Rutger Erlang and his pistolier comrades to deal with the manifestation of Gork (or is it Mork?) and prevent the total destruction of the Empire army.

The Bretonnian Grail Reliquae was recently featured on the Warhammer: The Old World home page. I also wrote a story about one of these back in the day, entitled Sir Dagobert's Last Battle, which can be found in Issue #9 of Hammer and Bolter .

 * Or let you know, if you're new to this blog.

Shark Week = Sharkpunk

As it's the start of Shark Week 2019, isn't it time you read Sharkpunk?

Sharks - the ultimate predators, masters of their watery domain, a world that is entirely alien and inhospitable to man. So many aspects of the shark are associated with humankind's most primal fears. The tell-tale dorsal fin slicing through the water, the dead eyed-stare, the gaping jaws full to unforgiving teeth, the remorseless drive to kill and feed...Inspired by such classic pulp movies as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea - as well as such ludicrous delights as Sharknado and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - the stories contained within are rip-roaring page-turners and slow-build chillers that celebrate all things savage, pulp and selachian. Covering the whole range of speculative fiction genres, from horror and Steampunk, through to SF and WTF, these are stories with bite! Come on in. The water's fine...

You can pick up your copy of Sharkpunk here.

Short Story Saturday: One of the Many

Yesterday, news broke on the Barnes & Noble website about a new anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane. And here's the cover...

See that 'and many more...' at the bottom? I'm one of the many, having contributed a story based on one of my favourite parts of the whole Alice mythos*. Wonderland: An Anthology is due to be published later this year, on 17th September 2019.

But twelve days before that, on 5th September, Scarlet Traces: A War of the Worlds Anthology, edited by Ian Edginton, is due to be published, and here's the cover...

See that 'AND MANY OTHERS...' at the bottom? I'm one of the many again, having also contributed a story to this particular anthology.

So if you're a fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The War of the Worlds, and my short fiction, then there's plenty to look forward to this September.


* If that's a thing.

Gamebook Friday: The Beowulf Beastslayer Kickstarter launches on Monday

In case you've been living in 6th century Denmark and haven't already heard, the Kickstarter campaign for Beowulf Beastslayer, my fourth ACE Gamebook, launches on Monday 1st October 2018 at 9:00am BST.

Rewards on offer to backers included exclusive bookmarks, signed hardbacks, dice and card sets, and (if we achieve the necessary funding goals) exclusive miniatures of the main characters from the story.

To help get you in the mood, here's the promo video, now with added Old English! And I'll see you on Monday. ;-)

Thought for the Day

"Writing a novel is like putting a grizzly bear through college. You know there's a vague chance this might work out and maybe even change the world, but you are still being mauled constantly by something ungrateful."

~ Sam Sykes, American epic fantasy author

Thought for the Day

"There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La."

~ George R R Martin

Thought for the Day

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real... for a moment at least... that long magic moment before we wake."

~ George R R Martin

Thought for the Day

"Fantasy isn't just about wizards and silly wands. It's about seeing the world from new directions."

~ Sir Terry Pratchett, 1948-2015

Thought for the Day

"I'm growing increasingly convinced that genre (fantasy, sci fi, etc.) are more window dressing than category and that the stories are more broken down into heists, coming of age, revenge story, etc. So, you know, stuff to keep in mind when you're writing. The genres are loose enough to fit the kind of story you want to tell. Build the genre around the story."

~ Sam Sykes, American epic fantasy author

Thought for the Day

"Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape."

~ from Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett

Sharkpunk Saturday: SHARKPUNK 2 is now live on Kickstarter!

SHARKPUNK 2 is now live on Kickstarter! Please back the project and then tell all your friends to back the project too.

Thank you!

Happy New Year, Happy New SHARKPUNK!

SHARKPUNK - The Audiobook!

Fresh from the minds of twenty-two top writers comes an anthology of killer shark stories to sate all appetites. From SF to WTF, from gritty to whimsical, these stories all have weight and depth as vast as the deep blue ocean. And now you can get it as an audiobook from Circle of Spears Productions!

This is the first release featuring all the members of Circle of Spears, which presents SHARKPUNK in its entirety in both Download and MP3 CD format. Over 13 hours of shark-themed stories available for the first time in audio!

And if you need any more persuading, just check out the reviews the print edition has received.

Even if you've already read the stories contained within the anthology, you owe it to yourself to download and listen to the audio version as well - and it really helps make the time pass while you're preparing supper, or paintings your wargaming miniatures.

So what are you waiting for? Come on in... The water's fine...

You can buy the 2-disc MP3 CD set here, and you can buy the MP3 Digital Download here.

Thought for the Day

"When first drafting, quality should not be the prime concern. It's like being sick. Just get it out. You can clean it up later."

~ Joe Abercrombie, fantasy author.

Warhammer Wednesday: Still available to buy

I've not had anything out with the Black Library for quite a while, but three of my novels are still available to buy in eBook format.

So if Space Marines are your thing, why not check out Iron Hands? Or if you prefer your action to be old school and Old World, you can download both Magestorm (awesome wizard on wizard action) and The Dead and the Damned (my first novel).

Thought for the Day

"People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around."

~ Sir Terry Pratchett (1948-2015)

Thought for the Day

Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse

On Tuesday I teased you with news of a new book of mine that will be out next Spring, and today I'm doing the same with regards to another book that will be out next Summer.

Now that the news has been released via the official Facebook page for the project, I am delighted to be able to announce that I will be writing the novelisation of Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse, based on a script written by the creator of the iconic ITV show, Richard Carpenter.

You can read the official 'press release' here.

New Fantasy Fiction on Inkitt.com

I've tried something I've never tried before - I've submitted a short story of mine to a writing competition.

Who Walks With Death* has been entered into the Epic Worlds contest on Inkitt.com, so if you'd like to read one of my fantasy short stories for free, simply follow this link. And if you like it, you can vote for it in the competition.

I have no idea how I'll get on, but it'll be an interesting experiment.

* The story first appeared in Legends: Stories in Honour of David Gemmell, edited by Ian Whates and published by Newcon Press, but I've given it a wash and brush-up for the competition.