Who? is out!

Hi Guys, 

 

 

 Well this has got to be something of a record for me - two posts in two weeks! But also two books! But having said that I'm extremely happy to have got both books done - and extremely tired! (It also may be a while before the next book comes out, as I was devoting all my efforts to these two books and everything else is a way off.)

Who is a science fantasy novel set in the near future when global warming is starting to dictate the will of the world, and when exotics - vampires, werewolves and other odd people - have been exposed. When their exposure has required a formation of a specialized world wide policing initiative - the Exotic Protection Service or Dog Squad. And where my main protagonist is actually something completely new (or old) a skin walker.

I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you'll have a lot of fun reading it.

It's actually been good to get back into just solid writing and putting away the troubles of the world for a bit, and I think that maybe one of the best things about writing. Though I worry that the time is coming when I may be unable to continue as my eyesight worsens. It's nothing revolutionary, just a cataract and presbyopia, but I'm utterly opposed to the idea of someone with a scalpel getting anywhere near my eyes! Novartis has a drug for the presbyopia coming out for those who are affected - UNR844 - roughly one seventh of the world's population, but they don't seem to be in a hurry to market it. So the message here is if you are starting to suffer the effects of old man's eye, send them a letter.

In the meantime I'll keep struggling on and I'll wish all of you the best.

Cheers, Greg.

Prince Of Stars

Hi Guys,

Ok, still behind in my posting unfortunately. Still dealing with a lot of personal stuff I'm afraid. But that's life I suppose and I'm slowly getting through it. 

Anyway, even if I'm a bit slow in posting, I have still been keeping up with the writing. (At the moment I've been finding it quite therapeutic to just be able to lose myself in my writing - and also in UTube music videos!) And my latest space opera, Prince of Stars has just been pubbed. 

I'm quite pleased with the book. It has a fun element about it and a feel of a seventies style space adventure which will hopefully make for an enjoyable read. Given some of the stuff that's been happening in my own world that was something of a blessing to be able to escape into when I was writing it. And I think the cover, above, is a beaut too. It was one of those images that just seemed to grab my eyes when I first saw it.

And the good news is that I've also completed an urban sci fi called Who? which is now just starting to go through the editing process. It is a somewhat genre bending work set in the 2040's and definitely sci fi but including werewolves, vampires and skin walkers. Hopefully Who should be out in the next month or so.But the cover is as yet a work in progress. It's really hard to find something that fits the lead character who is a gender swapping, shape changer, millionaire recluse living on his own island  - but I'm working on it!

There's also a fantasy in the works - Jax - which starts with the main character's execution - but that's a little way off yet.

Anyway, I hope that that brings you guys a little cheer in these strange days and you're all well etc.

Cheers, Greg.

Fineas And Tusk Released

Hi Guys,

As you may know, the eBook version of Fineas and Tusk: The Epic Journey of a Man and His Pig has gone out on Kindle. Now I'm in the process of getting it ready for publication as a paperback edition through CreateSpace. In the meantime here's version 1 of the full cover with the back cover with blurb roughed out. It probably won't change a lot before publication but I'm rewriting the blurb.

Have to say I enjoyed writing this book. It made me laugh in places. And when I got the cover back from Andrew I practically went hog-wild over it! (Pun intended!)

By the way, for those of you who wonder about such things, the lead character isn't named for the hero from Around The World in Eighty Days. That's Phileas Fogg. Fineas is actually a modern version of the Greek name Phineas which means Oracle. As for the other main characters, Tusk was named as he was because - well - he's a wild boar! And Shanniah because I was listening to the singer when I named her! So no advanced naming strategy here!

Anyway, that's my news. Hope you all enjoy the book.

Cheers, Greg.

Mages, Covers and The Woes of Princes

Hi Guys,

 

 

 

 

Tornado Mage by WarNick on DeviantArt

 

Been a while since I last posted, but I've been busy writing so I guess I have an excuse?! In fact I've written a bit over 160K in the last month, which is something of a record even for me.

 

The new book, which is about 80% complete, is called "A Bitter Brew" and is another epic fantasy. But this one's a little bit different to my others. The hero is a mage, but like all those with magic in his world, he isn't called that. He's called "afflicted", and magic is considered a disease. The afflicted have become a lower class in his world, like the untouchables, and are relatively powerless. They're also easily spotted, since as part of their gaining magic, they become marked with one of seven magic metals. In Hendrick's case the metal is Mithril, and the markings run up his entire left arm.

 

In his world - Styrion - the afflicted aren't just shunned. They are discriminated against in law. They may not hold any office or station. They can't enter the capitol city or any Council Chamber in any other. If by chance they have a useful spell, they cannot charge for its use, and if someone in authority asks, they have to provide the magical service immediately and for free. In short they are the lowest of the low, without any hope of improving their lot in life.

 

The reason those with magic are so powerless is that the way they gain their magic is different to that in other books. They aren't born with a talent, and they don't learn it. Instead they pick up a fragment of magic metal, usually not knowing what it even is, and it promptly dissolves into their skin marking them for life. And then instead of acquiring (or absorbing) a whole type of magic, they only acquire a single spell. One spell per fragment. And to add to their woes, there's no telling what spell any fragment contains. It could be a useful one. It could even be a warspell. But the most likely outcome is that it will be something completely useless - the ability to grow body hair for example!

 

This means that most of the magical are left in their world with one or two spells which are of no earthly use to them, and marked as afflicted for all the world to see. Probably the worst of all possible situations for a spellcaster! And yet there is an even worse possibility for some. That they pick up their spells by having the fragment of magic metal touch a part of their body normally covered by clothes, so the markings are hidden. These poor souls are called witches and warlocks, and are considered to be hiding their affliction. Naturally the normal distrust people have for the afflicted is multiplied for witches and warlocks, and in fact they're often simply considered evil.

 

For Hendrick the situation is more complicated still. As well as being afflicted and trying to run a brewery in a small town, he is also a prince - seventeenth in line to the throne - and yet the law actually forbids him from ever assuming the throne or even setting foot in the royal city. So he's a prince in name only, and an outcast! (I so love putting my characters in difficult situations!)

 

Of course I couldn't leave it there - it was just too easy! So naturally I had to give him a sociopathic mother who discarded him in favour of his older, unafflicted brother, and who spends her days plotting against the other wives in the royal household. A father - the King - who sent a squad of mercenaries to kill him on the pretext of escorting him to his latest royal wedding. A brand new step-mother who isn't so much monstrous as actually a monster. And a war. Actually, several wars!

 

So that's where the book begins.

 

Anyway the book is nearly finished, and will probably head off for beta reading in the next few weeks. Meanwhile I'm at the stage of looking for book covers - which is where the image at the top comes from. I was hoping to use it, if I could get it a little modified by the artist, but thus far he has failed to respond to my message. Still it is I think a powerful image and so hopefully he'll get back to me at some point.

 

Meanwhile I'll leave you guys with a rather brilliant word I came across while doing my research for the book. It's a ye olde timey English word which I found and loved - Mumblecrust. And for those of you who, like me had never heard of it before, a Mumblecrust is in fact a toothless old beggar who because of his lack of teeth can't speak clearly - bit like a few politicians I can think of!

 

Cheers, Greg.

 

 

 

MFA - Creative Writing Teacher Quits - With A Few Choice Words

Hi Guys,

 

Recently you will have read since its all over the blogosphere, about Ryan Boudinot, a former teacher of creative writing in an MFA programme who quit and then decided to leave a few unfortunate comments.

 

http://www.thestranger.com/books/features/2015/02/27/21792750/things-i-can-say-about-mfa-writing-programs-now-that-i-no-longer-teach-in-one

 

And of course there have been a great many (outraged) responses to his blog, which seems to have become something of a storm magnet. This is my own response which I hope will be somewhat more balanced than many.

 

To begin with let me just say that teaching is a hard job. Ask anyone who's been in the profession. It wears down the soul. And so first I applaud Mr. Boudinot for having made this a career of his and having tried to teach. But I would also say that given the general tone of his blog, I think he may have been in the job too long. It strikes me as the sort of post someone would write who's a bit on the jaded side of things.

 

I would also say that as has been said many times, the most convincing sort of lie is the half truth. The lie that has a nugget of truth at its core. And most of his blog post reads like that. It is not that there is no truth in what he says. If there wasn't people could simply look at it, laugh, and walk away. It is that there is a nugget of truth in there which is expanded upon and then made into a great flat blanket claim.

 

And last let me just say that Mr. Boudinot's claims - at least the headlines - read as black and white. As absolute rules that must be adhered to. But the truth is that with creative writing as with most other human endeavours there is a huge grey area. There are no hard and fast rules. If you do this you will not necessarily succeed. And if you do that you will not necessarily fail. You will just make things either easier or harder for yourself.

 

Okay, over to the claims he makes.

 

1 Writers are born with talent.

 

Well this is absolutely true. Everyone is born with all sorts of talents for all sorts of things. Maths, rugby and writing to name but three. But no one (or at least almost no one) is born with so little talent that they will never be able to produce great creative writing. And equally no one is born with such great talent that they can simply write masterpieces without some study and hard work. Mr. Boudinot actually alludes to this once you get past the salacious headline.

 

2 If you haven't started writing seriously by the time you're a teenager you're probably not going to make it.

 

Again a half truth. Yes if you start writing seriously at a young age you have a better chance of succeeding. The same is true everywhere. Tiger Woods would have to be the world's best example of how valuable starting as a toddler practically and training from then on can be. But if you start later does that mean you're doomed to failure? No. Even Mr. Boudinot says "probably". The fact is that many great writers have started later in life. What those of us who do start later - like me - is that the journey for us will probably be harder. But if we're willing to put the hours and sweat in, there's no reason to assume that any of us can't make it.

 

3 If you aren't a serious reader don't expect anyone to read what you write.

 

Well this ones a complete pile of pooh. Yes reading is vital to becoming a good writer. But is there any evidence that what you read will make you a better or worse writer? No. What we do know is expressed in that mantra every writer is told almost from the start - Write what you know. So lets take two well known authors - Dame Barbara Cartland and Feodor Dostoyevsky. Do I know what either of them read as kids? No. But is it a fair bet that the first read romance and the second serious literature? Yes. And what does this tell us? That That Dame Barbara Cartland probably couldn't write serious literature (don't you just hate the sheer snobbishness of the term) and Feodor probably couldn't write light romantic fiction. But is either of them not read? No. The truth is that both of them are highly read and respected. What you read won't determine whether you'll be read in turn. What it will do is probably steer you in a certain direction writing wise, and that in turn will decide who reads you - not how many. But that's one of the great things about creative writing. There isn't just one thing you can write to be read.

 

4 No one cares about your problems if you're a shitty writer.

 

And here were return to the issue of burn out among teachers. (Note that I choose to see things this way rather than the unfortunate alternative which is that this is how Mr. Boudinot always felt.) What I read here is that Mr. Boudinot is saying don't come to me with your problems unless you have something great to bring with them. As I said at the start teaching is a hard profession. But one of the things that stands out for me when I think about the teachers I've had, is that the best of them were the ones who understood that I like everyone else had problems and were willing to listen and help.

 

5 You don't need my help to get published.

 

Well this one is actually completely true in this day of the internet and the indie.

 

Okay guys. That's my two cents worth on this unfortunate episode in the annals of creative writing. Now it's up to you to go and write and prove this guy wrong.

 

Cheers, Greg.

 

 

Another Month - Another Book.

Hi Guys,

As usual an apology for posting so seldom to this blog, but also as usual, another excuse! This time no - the dog did not eat my post. Instead on the 14th of July I felt somewhat inspired and began a new book. A week ago 82,000 words were typed and sent off for editing. Which is I think pretty fast for a first draft. However from the comments already heard back, there may be some extensive rewriting required! Bugger!

However Doorways is at least drafted and I'm grateful for that. While I am able to write very quickly when the muse takes hold, it does come at a cost. Little things like sleep, most tv shows and dvds and fairly much everything else that takes up my normal days have to be drastically cut back.

For those of you who may be interested it's a science fiction novel but contains the one thing that has been severely lacking in sci fi until now - elves! (High tech elves of course! - And they're quite mean too!)

It's a parallel world story which I based in part in the city where I grew up - Wellington. Which for those of you thinking about basing your writing on cities you grew up in, has unexpectedly become a minor headache. It turns out that while I know Wellington of the 1980's and early 1990's quite well, Wellington 2013 is apparently quite different. Updating my knowledge through my family and Google has been a challenge.

Still it has been done and I hope to have it published in another month - which will be a huge relief since I'd like to go back to blobbing out in front of the idiot box for a while! Sleeping would also be a welcome activity.

Cheers, and as always - be good or don't get caught.

Greg.

Second Wizard At Law Book Published.

Hi Guys,

Happy new year and all.


Thought I'd let you know that the second Wizard at Law book - The Glimmering, has been published on the kindle. Here's the blurb:

It starts with a glimmer, and then it just glows!

Thomas Crow and his friends are back with another case.

Someone is busy turning the people of London bright yellow one by one and in the precess, threatening the exposure of the people and magic to the world.

Thomas must represent his client, one of the yellows as they've become known, a normal with no idea that magic exists or the people for that matter, and a man who really just wants a drink. And at the same time he has to keep lying to him, following the line of the Circle that it's just a disease and that the victims need to be quarantined. Helping to maintain the cover up that stops world wide exposure.

And then of course they have to find the caster that's creating the panic in the first place. Before the press finally get a picture of a yellow in all his glory and everything goes to hell.

Who'd be an advocate?!

 

So my years off to a good start, I hope yours are too.

 

Cheers, Greg.

 

Current Work In Progress.

Hi Guys,

This time I thought I'd return to my writing. Its been a while. So I thought I'd give you the cover and the blurb for my current book - Days of Light and Shadow. In this book I've returned to my love of traditional fantasy with elves and dwarves and magic etc, but I think woven a slightly darker tale. At present its a little over a month or so away from being finished, and as always all comments happily received.

The High Lord’s sister has been brutally raped and slain. An act of unspeakable foulness. Her brother Finell sits upon the Heartwood Throne, filled with grief and rage. His heart knows only the unelven need for vengeance. A need that will threaten a war of extinction against the humans. At his side his advisor Yaris works diligently to bring that war to life in the most terrible way possible, as he plots to take the throne and cleanse the world of human kind.

Arrayed against them a few innocents will have to stand, alone and unready. They will sacrifice all and they will be sacrificed in turn upon the altar of hatred, and still they will have to stand.

And all the while the spider demon eagerly awaits his feast of souls.

Cheers, Greg.