Plumbing The Depths

I don’t know exactly where Mal came from (other than the twisty recesses of my mind), but I can tell you what his building blocks were — a host of dark emotions: disappointment, anger, impatience, bitterness. As I mentioned in my first post about the events that led me to write Blood Rights, that book started as an outlet for my frustrations — something I highly recommend to those of you feeling bummed at the way things are going with your career! And since the bones of my heroine, Chrysabelle, were already developing into something very distinctly bright and full of light, I knew I couldn’t pour all that darkness into her.

Mal became the perfect receptacle. He is, to me, the embodiment of the dark, tortured hero. He’s got soul deep wounds that aren’t going to be healed in four hundred pages. If you don’t already know, he’s also a vampire, but he’s so much more than that.

Let’s back up. Let’s start when Mal was human, before his existence fell apart. I decided as his back story to make him a headsman. The job of executioner in the late 1500s, when Mal would have been alive, was one that both isolated and somewhat vilified the individual that held it. Superstition said that the executioner took upon him the sins of those he was paid to dispatch, the full weight of the souls of those rapists, murderers and thieves. (more…)

Orbit Needs You. And You. And You.

We are looking for three people to join our awesome publishing team in New York. To apply to be an Editor, click here. If Online Marketing is your thing, click here. Publicists, click here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Important note: Please read the job descriptions carefully and confirm that you have the required experience, skills, and attributes before you apply!

The Orbit Team

Why Chapter 1 of COLD FIRE Covers Much the Same Ground as the Last Chapter of COLD MAGIC

I’ll define a trilogy as three novels with a thematic or narrative relationship OR as a novel in three parts. N.K. Jemisin’s fabulous Inheritance Trilogy is an example of a trilogy in which each volume stands alone as a complete story while a larger thematic narrative arc is addressed across all three books. My own Spiritwalker Trilogy is a novel in three parts. I do attempt to give each volume a beginning, a middle, and some manner of emotional resolution at the end, and I think I manage that fairly well, but the full story will take all three books to tell.

One of the challenges in writing this kind of trilogy arises in how to start volumes 2 and 3. I’m not starting a new story; I’m continuing one. Most of the readers who pick up volume 2 will have read volume 1, but a few won’t, so I need an effective way to introduce the world to new readers while not boring returning readers. Additionally, many returning readers will have read volume 1 many months ago, and the situation and characters may not be fresh in their minds. So I need to reintroduce them to both the characters and the situation in a way that engages them as well. Meanwhile, other readers will recently have read COLD MAGIC, or will have re-read the closing chapters to reacquaint themselves with the story. I don’t want to bore them. (more…)

The Path of Least Saneness

I’ve been a writer since a very young age, but when I started writing with the goal of publication, the first full length book I produced was a fantasy romance featuring a half-elf merc and a fire-wielding mage. I loved that book. It poured out of me in a way writing never had before, but that was long before I’d been weighted down by the rules of writing. No matter what genre you’re in, there are rules and people who will eagerly tell you about them and when you’re breaking them.

After years of trying to write within the confines of those rules and construct a book that fit the wants and desires of the romance publishing industry, I burned out. The broken promises and the inability to write without those rules in my head pushed me to a breaking point. I started to question why I was even writing if I no longer enjoyed it.

I reverted to my angsty high school self. The me that used to get lost in comic books and fantasy novels and autobiographies of Isaac Asimov. I got mad. Anger is an emotion I don’t do often but my Sicilian bloodlines allow me to tap into it pretty well.

All of that pushed me to write something new. Something that wasn’t for anyone else but me. This story, this book, this character sketch (I really didn’t know what I was writing, just that I was writing) became the vehicle for all my dark and twisty emotions. I poured everything I felt into those pages. I affectionately termed whatever it was that I was writing my Screw You book. Screw the rules, screw what anyone said I could or couldn’t write, I just wrote to make myself happy. (more…)

Andy Remic unleashed in ebook!

Ever feel like you need more adrenaline-fuelled adventure in your life, where technological gadgetry and big explosions come as standard? If so, then you’re in luck: today sees the ebook releases of Andy Remic’s turbo-charged techo-thrillers, SPIRAL, QUAKE and WARHEAD.

In Remic’s future vision of Earth, nuclear warheads can be hidden in a suitcase, bio-plagues can be held in a teardrop . . . and the elite organisation known as Spiral is humanity’s last line of defence against global armageddon. Operating in secret, Spiral fights a constant war against rogue states, deadly assassins and ruthless dictators that will not stop at anything to get what they want – even if it means the Earth’s destruction.

Praise for Andy Remic’s Spiral trilogy:

Hugely entertaining and packed with more explosive action scenes than is probably decent, SPIRAL starts off loud and ends in a bang” WATERSTONE’S BOOKS QUARTERLY

“Spiral is certainly chock full of action … ideal summer reading if you’re looking for something filmic” SFRevu

“A new writer who knows what a regular reader sitting on the bus wants – action . . . Pure Die Hard, pure Rambo. This has got to be a film, surely!” LADSMAG 

“Fans of the action adventure genre will not be disappointed by SPIRAL . . .  A light, fast read with quick action” THE REVIEWS PAGE

About the author:

ANDY REMIC is a larger-than-life action man, chainsaw warrior and chef. He has written a variety of thriller, SF and fantasy novels, and sometimes delves into the murky underworld of teaching. If pushed to describe himself, Remic claims to have a love of extreme sports, violent computer games and kickass bikes. Andy is also married and has sired two strapping young boy cubs. Remic is now working on various new SF and fantasy projects, and threatens he will never stop writing.

Andy can be found on the web at his personal website.

Keep your eyes peeled for a couple of articles from Andy in the near future!

HELL SHIP reviews — featuring aliens, invaders and pirates in spaaaace!

As we’ve had such a fine crop of reviews for Philip Palmer’s rumbustious tale, we thought it was only fair to share. Click on the following links for more on Hell Ship’s swashbuckling story (UK | ANZ | US ) plus here’s a free extract  and reviews follow below … the Sun review is just hilarious in itself!

No one writes SF quite like Palmer… Hell Ship is a freewheeling extravaganza replete with a hundred varieties of alien, vast spacecraft, exotic worlds… aficionados of bizarre space opera will be amazed and delighted”
GUARDIAN

“The triumphs and tragedies of this novel are told in the style of ancient legend. But there is also a sense of irrepressible fun … This is epic science fiction with a twinkle in its eye”
SUN

“I really do recommend Palmer’s work – he’s an unflinching and relentlessly ballsy writer”
SFREVU.COM

“Great storytelling … a joy to read. Great stuff from Philip which proves why he’s fast becoming my favourite science fiction author”
FALCATA TIMES WEBSITE

“Palmer’s imagination knows no bounds … readable and enjoyable”
THEBOOKBAG.CO.UK

“I knew I would love it after reading just a couple of pages … You will be treated to an entertaining tale of heroics, tragedy and selfless sacrifice all written with a gleam in the eye”
IWILLREADBOOKS.COM

Get in at the start with BLOOD RIGHTS

It’s publication time (UK | ANZ) for Blood Rights — the first book in Kristen Painter’s eagerly-awaited, explosive, down-right fabulous new urban fantasy series. The books are set in a version of our world, but one twisted so it’s not quite as we know it. And US readers only have to wait a short time longer, as Blood Rights is released next month in the US. You can also get a free extract of the book here. Book one will be closely followed by the next two books Flesh and Blood (US | UK | ANZ) and Bad Blood (US | UK | ANZ). All three covers are fabulously striking too and check out all of them below:

                                         

We’ve had amazing advance coverage of these fast-paced adventures and just look at what these experts have to say about the rising star that is Kristen Painter!

Passion and murder, vampires and courtesans — original and un-put-downable.  Do yourself a favor and read this one”
Patricia Briggs

“Dark and rich with layer after delicious layer. This spellbinding series will have you begging for more”
Gena Showalter

“A world full of rich potential. Excellent!”
P.C. Cast

“Kristen Painter brings a sultry new voice to the vampire genre, one that beckons with quiet passion and intrigue”
L.A. Banks

“Gripping, gritty, and imaginative.  If you love dangerous males, kick-ass females, and unexpected twists, this is the series for you!”
Larissa Ione

Cover Launch: EMPEROR MOLLUSK vs. THE SINISTER BRAIN by A. Lee Martinez

Like I was saying when I posted the Chasing the Moon wallpapers, I love that Will Staehle’s covers really work together to give the author a cohesive look and feel, but they work as the stand-alone stories they are. I thought Monster was my favorite…until this one came in. A squid riding a body with a suit and tie! I mean come on, that’s hilarious. And the squid has a crown. And the back cover art is pretty fab too, just wait and see. So here’s another great one, to look and and to read, for a tale of intergalactic politics and a galaxy-wide scourge…who just might be sick of keeping up his reputation.

And really, the best reading line i’ve put on a title in a long time. “He came, he squirmed, he conquered!” ha!

Here’s a teaser, and all A. Lee Martinez’s covers together after the jump…

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Cover Launch: ANGEL TOWN (Jill Kismet #6) by Lilith Saintcrow

Here’s a bittersweet cover launch for you – sweet, because it’s another great cover by Calvin Chu, showing one of my favorite Lilith Saintcrow heroines, Jill Kismet. Bitter because it’s the finale of the Jill Kismet series! I love the graphic feel of these covers, it’s been a really fresh take on the urban fantasy style, and both Jill Kismet & Dante Valentine were well-characterized by the illustrations. In this book we really wanted to refer back to the first cover (Night Shift) and bring the series full-circle with a close-up shot. After the jump, see the whole series together, and a teaser…

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Put THE BUSINESS OF DEATH on your to-do list

The Business of Death (ANZ | UK | US) is out this month and a fun-packed, fast-paced basket of grim it is too! Trent Jamieson’s fantastic Death Works trilogy is a lively, urban fantasy read featuring a hard-pressed hero whose job is to ease the passing of spirits from one world to the other. But as Steven de Selby’s life goes rapidly to hell in a handcart, he finds there’s more rather more at stake than the job description indicated:

Steven de Selby has a hangover. Bright lights, loud noise, and exercise are the last thing he wants. But that’s what he gets when someone starts shooting at him. Steven is no stranger to Death – Mr. D’s his boss after all – but it’s still a shock when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate. It’s a bigger shock when he finds his friends, family and colleagues have also been targeted. His job is to guide the restless dead to the underworld, but he didn’t expect to find his loved ones among his ‘clients’.

With Mr. D missing and no one in charge, the living are being hunted, the dead start rising and the whole city is headed for a regional apocalypse. Steven must shake his hangover, not fall for the dead girl, and find out just what’s going on – or there’ll be hell to pay.”

The Business of Death is a three-book omnibus (you can get a sample chapter here) so no need to wait for next instalments. And terrific quotes for this series include the following:

Jamieson writes a fast-paced story studded with action-movie beats”
Financial Times

 “An intriguing evolution of the undead genre”
The Telegraph

“Refreshingly original and enjoyable”
TheBookBag.co.uk

“There is a lot to like … Combine this with the corporate version of Death, the subtle blend of humour and dry wit and you get a well-thought-out rewarding story. I heartily recommend.”
SFBook.com