Super Special UNBOUND

This just showed up in the mail:

It's the super special signed edition of UNBOUND, edited by Shawn Speakman. I'm in it, and the book is lovely. Yay! Look, signatures!

Hey, this is fun. Shawn Speakman just sent the first pages of all the stories in the upcoming SFF anthology, Unbound. That includes a story from me. It's got a nice little illustration as well.

Click on it if you'd like a teaser...

As for the book itself, info available here.
 

Unbound

The ebook version of the new anthology from Grim Oak Press – Unbound – Tales by Masters of Fantasy – is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com; Amazon.co.uk.

Unbound will be released on 1st December and includes my story "All in a Night's Work". It's a playful solar punk ancient Egyptian story aimed at younger readers. I had fun with it. ;-)

 
Here’s the full line-up of contributing authors:

• Small Kindnesses by Joe Abercrombie
• An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks
• Mr. Island by Kristen Britain
• Jury Duty by Jim Butcher
• Madwalls by Rachel Caine
• The Way Into Oblivion by Harry Connolly
• Uncharming by Delilah Dawson
• All In a Night’s Work by David Anthony Durham
• Son of Crimea by Jason M. Hough
• Dichotomy of Paradigms by Mary Robinette Kowal
• A Good Name by Mark Lawrence
• River and Echo by John Marco
• Seven Tongues by Tim Marquitz
• The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan
• Fiber by Seanan McGuire
• Stories Are Gods by Peter Orullian
• Heart’s Desire by Kat Richardson
• The Hall of the Diamond Queen by Anthony Ryan
• The Dead’s Revenant by Shawn Speakman
• The Farmboy Prince by Brian Staveley
• The Game by Michael J. Sullivan
• The Ethical Heresy by Sam Sykes
• The Rat by Mazarkis Williams

The Shadow Is In Play!

As of today, my middle grade novel - The Shadow Prince - is seeking a publisher.

Last week I got the last round of editorial suggestions from my agent and a couple of other readers at ICM. I penned responses where appropriate over the weekend, and yesterday I sent back my final manuscript. Sloan approved, and he's going to work with it.

We have a rather specific plan in place. I shouldn't blab too much about it, but certainly if it works out I'll let you know all about it.

Funny thing is that this - my first kid's book - is heading for consideration after more editorial input than any novel I've done so far. My wife and kids read it. Several beta readers (all former MFA students of mine) read it. My agent and at least three over people at ICM read it, and some folks at Curtis Brown (my UK agents) read a portion too. Mary Robinette Kowal read a little bit, as did my neighbor (an Egyptologist). Even my librarian read some! All gave feedback and helped shape the novel. I'm sure it's much stronger for it, and in the process I've learned a great deal about writing for kids.

Among other things, I've learned that I really, really enjoy it!

Will post here when I have good news...

So What Does A Guy With a New Children's Book Want to Hear?

Exactly the sort of good-vibe about the status of children's books that's been coming out of the Barcelona Children's Book Fair.

To quote from the article:

 “I’m going to wrap up a number of deals here,” said agent Marcia Wernick of the Wernick & Pratt Agency. “That hasn’t happened for me in at least 15 years.” Overall, attitudes were positive throughout the show, with strong interest in both middle-grade and young adult fiction... 

Nice. I'm not saying that The Shadow Prince was doing the rounds there, but it's nice to know there's optimism in general!

Full story HERE if you want to take a look.

The Shadow Prince

I have something to announce.

I've just finished a new novel.

It's not what you might think, though. It's not the Spartacus novel. That one's going to take awhile yet.

No, what I've completed is a middle grade fantasy set in Ancient Egypt. A kid's book called The Shadow Prince. It grew on my by surprise, took over, beat Spartacus into submission, and then asked for a few dedicated months of my time. I'm so glad it did.

What's it like? Well, if I had to give it a sub-genre it would be "Solar Punk". It's not a very historical novel. Instead, it's one that takes all the funky stuff of Egyptian mythology and spins it playfully into a full-on fantasy. Weird shape-shifting gods with crazy powers? Yep. A demon fighting voyage into the underworld? Of course. A group of kids that have to save the world against impossible odds? Totally.

It's not exactly like any one series in particular, but I think of it as being similar in ways to a number of series. The demon fighting element was influenced by Jonathon Stroud's Bartimaeus novels. I tried for the playful, mild-peril of Angie Sage's Septimus Heap books. I wanted to keep the pacing brisk, like Kai Meyer's Wave Walker's books. And I have to admit to wanting my Egyptian setting to have some of the exotic - and yet contemporary - feel of the anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender. (Not the film based on it, and not, of course, the James Cameron Avatar movie either.) I'm not saying I achieved the quality of any of these artists; I'm just saying I tried.

I'm really excited about it. My wife read the new pages aloud every night to my kids (aged 10 and 12), so I got immediate feedback from the target audience. (I also got to hear it brought to life by a lovely Scottish voice...) I've had several beta readers look it over, with very positive responses (and useful feedback!). It's now in the hands of my agent. Hopefully, we'll soon be talking to publishers.

I really hope this works. I'd love for this to grow into a series. I'll still write historical works and adult fantasy, but writing for kids scratches a different itch. And, for once, it's just plain fun!

Wish me luck!