Well, I’ve got a book signing at Waterstone’s Leeds this Saturday, but typically only a fraction of the stock required has arrived. My publisher is being as lame as ever – not returning calls, etc. Sheesh. Looks like Leeds will have to do an internal stock transfer from Waterstone’s Nottingham (which has stock for the signing I’m due to do on 20 March). It goes on and on, this nonsense. What an author has to put up with!
08
Feb
10
review of the vampire diaries
Well, they’d been hyping it plenty on ITV2 and there wasn’t much else on tv last night, so I watched a couple of episodes of The Vampire Diaries – the hottest teen drama going, apparently. Oh dear. It’s a blatant and poor rip-off of Twilight. The dialogue is clunky and the vampires are tawdry. What a shame. A dismal 3/10. I won’t be watching again. True Blood still rules by a very long margin.
07
Feb
10
hats off to Terry Pratchett
Although I’m not the biggest Pratchett fan (only having read half a dozen of his books), the things he’s doing for the quality of the moral, intellectual and social debate in this country are truly inspirational. If you haven’t seen the talk he gave at this year’s Richard Dimbleby debate, then you may want to check this out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qmfgn/Richard_Dimbleby_Lecture_Shaking_Hands_with_Death/
Well, just finished chapter 8 of book 3, in which Kate is at her homicidal best. Now onto 9, and the Scourge is depressed. And when he gets depressed, nothing good’s gonna happen, especially when Stangeld brandy’s involved…
30
Jan
10
the nameless day
Currently reading the Nameless Day by the Australian fantasy author Sara Douglass (http://www.saradouglass.com/), who wrote the fab Axis Trilogy. The Nameless Day is branded as ‘historical fantasy’, which isn’t a term I’ve really come across before. Historical fiction, we’re all familiar with, but historical fantasy? Anyway, it’s set during the inquisition and is about a priest who has to seal the gate to hell cos loads of evil has been leaking out into the human world. After a great start, the book seems to be dragging its heels a fair bit. Will let you have a full review in due course…
Oho! Just agreed a book signing at Waterstone’s Nottingham for Saturday 20 March, from 11.30am. Nottingham is a flagship store – Raymond Feist did a signing there last year!
We’re hitting the big time, baby! With Leeds on 13 Feb as well, then one day we might even see Manchester Deansgate fall to the marketing tsunami of the Flesh & Bone Trilogy! Then the dark empire will be all-conquering! ha ha ha
24
Jan
10
review of avatar
Went and saw the movie Avatar yesterday. I was in two minds about seeing it but am now very glad I did. I’d been worried the eco-political storyline would prove to be too hackneyed and heavy-handed, but actually you get so sucked in by the film, that you almost lose all sense of exteriority and miss the ‘messaging’ about the state of our own world today. The emotion in the film is handled well too – not the saccharine nonsense you often get from Hollywood. Ultimately, the piece displays and comments upon the black heart of humankind. So, overall, Avatar does set something of a new standard in movie-making and story-telling. I’d give it 9.5/10. The missing half is because the story doesn’t quite have the epic scale of something like the original Star Wars.
24
Jan
10
Cover of Necromancer’s Fall
Ollie the artist has just done the first version of the cover for book 3 – see the page on this site called ‘the art’.
I’m liking the big O’s work, but feedback from the readership would be more than welcome!
22
Jan
10
necromancer’s betrayal
Can’t resist sharing this really nice email I got from Danny. Keeps an author believing it’s all worthwhile.
“Once again nothing but perfection. I applaud your work sir, a true pioneer of the fantasy genre, and thank you again for signing my copy of the first book. “Laugh cry and wonder why.” Is something i think about quite a lot now. I did post a message on your facebook, but i thought this would come with a more personal touch. So thank you once again, your works never cease to amaze me. I look forward to the next time your in Bolton so i may be able to meet you. My best regards and deepest thanks”
19
Jan
10
signing at Waterstone’s Leeds
Hurrah! Just confirmed first book signing of the new year. Waterstone’s Leeds on Saturday 13 Feb from 11am… cos people like to buy horror-fantasy novels around Valentine’s Day, eh?
Nice to have a signing in a big city store, I reckon. And Nottingham, Sheffield and Liverpool will then probably fall into line.
