IAN MILLER COVER FOR THE UK EDITION OF WORLDSHAKER!
It's the trifecta! I can't believe I could be so lucky 3 times over! First Anthony Lucas's wonderful cover for the Australian version, then the great cover - whole jacket in fact - designed by Simon & Schuster for the US. And last but not least, a sensational cover by probably my very favourite SF/fantasy cover artist and illustrator, Ian Miller! It's for the UK version from Templar - they didn't even tell me they were asking him.
Here are the 3 covers side by side, from most recent to earliest
I just read through and discovered something I forgot to put in - Worldshaker has now been sold to Germany too!
MY FIRST PIECE OF STEAMPUNK JEWELLERY!
I had two great birthday presents this month. One was my very first piece of steampunk jewellery - I shall wear it on my Victorian-style tailcoat!
The other present was the news from Simon & Schuster in the US that they've sold Worldshaker to the Junior Library Guild - which means several thousand copies added to the print-run, several thousand copies instantly sold. Yippee!
THE VICAR OF MORBING VYLE WILL HAVE TO GO!
Sorry! I've been advised that it's unwise to have The Vicar available as a free download - for complicated reasons, that I wish didn't exist. At least it's been up for a while - and I'll leave it up till the end of this month. Then I'll have to do the 'wise' thing and take it down. So if you want to download it, do it quickly!
The following message is still true right now - but not for much longer!
>>>> So many people have wanted to read this book - the famous and original Vicar of Morbing Vyle. It's been embarrassing to have to tell bookshops and readers that, no, it's out of print, it can't be ordered, and the only sure way to get a secondhand copy is on eBay, where it'll cost up to $50.
Finally I've been able to make it available - the whole book as a PDF download - for free! I must be getting into a community service mindset. First, the www.writingtips.com.au website (a 145 pages guide to writing spec fic), then the free champagne launch for the website at the Conflux convention.
Download Vicar as pdf
STORY IN YEAR'S BEST FANTASY
Here's the cover of David G. Hartwell's anthology from US publisher, Tor, that contains my "A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead". Some very honourable company I'm in with there!
The anthology is available from Amazon or by direct order from the Tor website.
SEQUEL MORE THAN HALF FINISHED!
Liberator, the sequel to Worldshaker, has been zooming along. I've never written so fast - nor so well, I'm sure of it! I said this story was just bursting to come out!
Originally, it was going to be books 2 and 3 of a trilogy, but Erica and Sarah at Allen & Unwin persuaded me I needed something to top Worldshaker for a second volume - so stop thinking in terms of trilogies, and start thinking of how to create a bigger and better second volume than the first. The answer - combine the two stories into one!. It's worked! Liberator will be longer than Worldshaker, though not by much, but the narratives have impacted on one another and grown into one single super-story.
I'm over half way through - soon I'll be able to say, two-thirds through. And everything's turning out even better than I planned it. I love it when that happens!
CONFLUX, THE CANBERRA SF/FANTASY CONVENTION
I had a ball at the con. Lots of panels, a champagne launch for the www.writingtips.com.au website, and best of all, MCing the opening and closing ceremonies. For the opening ceremony, we, er,arranged an extra Guest of Honour, viz. a silvery, lobster-shaped, towering 10-foot tall alien. Here's a piccy -
That's me with the mike and the alien with the claws.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
And now Worldshaker has sold to France. Yay! Formidable! The publisher is Helium … promises well for a smooth and easy lift-off!
I love this overseas sales bit. It's like being rewarded for writing another novel without the actual effort of writing another novel.
STEELWORKS LAUNCH
What a fabulous day it was! I don't think it was just me, though I had plenty of reasons for feeling on top of the world. Everyone's been saying what a good feeling there was in the air.
The idea was to start in the foyer of the steelworks Visitor Centre, then open the doors and move en masse into the theatrette. OK, that didn't work too well - everyone managed to occupy theatrette and reception room and foyer all at once! So many friends and well-wishers, we had over a hundred people there. Aileen had the idea that she and I ought to dress up in Victorian costume, since WORLDSHAKER is a steampunk/Victoriana novel, so here we are:
Aileen on the left, yours truly on the right, and Minister for Transport, David Campbell in the middle. Aileen's my wife when she's not being a stunning MC - also the person who thought up the Steampunk in the Steelworks concept and made it happen.
David Campbell did the speech to launch the book - I was gobsmacked, because he'd really read the book. Not something you'd expect from a busy State Government Minister, and I probably wouldn't have believed it just from the speech (after all, a little knowledge can be made to go a long way). But I talked to David beforehand, and he had full knowledge of the details of the story. I'm flattered and honoured and very very grateful.
I'd be grateful anyway, because he delivered a wonderful speech, warm and personal. I did a reading from the first chapter of the book (always have to do a reading, just try and stop me!), then David proposed the toast. We had a hundred people in the audience and a hundred raised glasses sent the book on its way. Couldn't have a better send-off!
Here's a piccy of some of the well-wishers (before the drinks for the toast circulated) -
Afterwards, the good feeling continued. I was kept busy signing books - I won't say how many, because it was never all about sales, but a very large number anyway! People ate, drank, talked, and I'm sure they enjoyed themselves. Thank you, all and everyone! If good wishes can make a best-seller, well, WORLDSHAKER is a very lucky book, and I'm a very lucky author.
I almost forgot David's very important announcement in his speech - red-hot news, which arrived just a couple of days before the launch. I think I'll give it a separate headline ...
WORLDSHAKER SOLD TO THE U.K.
Yes, Worldshaker has just sold to the UK. The bandwaggon keeps rolling on and on! (like a juggernaut - unstoppable!). Templar will bring it out over there in June of next year. Yay!
I can now announce the date for American publication too - May of next year. Very very exciting! I can't wait.
MORE U.S. NEWS
Now we can name names. The U.S. publisher is Simon & Schuster, the revisions are already under way - nothing too drastic, in fact, all good changes for the American market. Planned publication date is May of next year.
BIG U.S. DEAL FOR WORLDSHAKER!
Worldshaker goes to the top of the page! It's finally time to make the big announcement. My steampunk fantasy novel has sold to a major US publisher. And for a big advance too - well, bigger than all the advances for all my previous fourteen novels added together. Yippee!
WRITING TIPS SITE NOW UP!
I don't know what to say first - about the new material going up on this site, or all the material now finally up on my separate website, www.writingtips.com.au
I guess it's time to give Writing Tips a turn. The old material is still on this website, about two thirds of the total - but all 145 pages of my full guide to writing fantasy and genre fiction is now on the separate website. It's separate because it's more of a community service than self-promotion. (My books get a mention from time to time, but only as examples.) I had to take 4 months out of my writing year to produce it all, but I'm proud of the result.
Best of all, it's totally free and available to everyone!
Check it out - 
www.writingtips.com.au
Here's a poster for teachers, librarians, anyone who wants to let other people know about the site. There's a monochrome version for black & white printers, a colour version for colour printers.
COLOUR>
MONO>
ONE MONTH TO GO!
Meanwhile, back in the world of fiction - it's only one month to go before Worldshaker hits the bookshops! And I've started to put up material on this site (which has been re-organised, to focus on recent books and Worldshaker, while older books all come under the OTHER BOOKS button).
With a fabulous cover by Oscar-nominated film-director Anthony Lucas, this is the ultimate in steampunk Victoriana. Think Philip Pullman, think Phillip Reeve - even think Charles Dickens!
The book has already received a great 4-star review in Bookseller & Publisher (the magazine that everyone in the book trade reads). Here's the back cover blurb, including a couple of raves from Ian Irvine (best-selling australian fantasy author) and D.M. Cornish (internationally published, and recently nominated for a Nebula Award).
Col lives on the Upper Decks of the juggernaut Worldshaker, a mobile city as big as a mountain. He has been chosen as next Supreme Commander – but then a girl Filthy escaped from Below appears in his cabin. ‘Don’t let ‘em take me!’ she begs.
Will he hand her over or will he break all the rules? Col’s safe, elite world is about to fall apart.
'Worldshaker is a terrific adventure, full of sly humour, weird and wonderful characters, and plot twists I never saw coming. More, more!'
Ian Irvine
‘I loved Worldshaker! A claustrophobic setting of rivets, iron and
steam, rustling silks and stiff collars and even stiffer manners; dark,
twisting, bustling, brilliant. I was very, very glum when it came to an
end.’ D.M. Cornish
I've already started putting up information and background material. And here are 4 audio files of the author - that's me - reading the first chapter and extracts.
YEARS BEST FANTASY #9
The year just keeps getting better and better for me! David G. Hartwell wants to include "A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead" in his Year's Best Fantasy # 9. That's the anthology from Tor, America's biggest fantasy publisher. So I can finally say I've made it in the US. I've had stories published in several US magazines, but this is the first time I've hit the very top level. Yippee! "A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead" came out in Jack Dann's Dreaming Again Australian anthology at the end of last year.
