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Cover Launch: NIGHT ANGEL OMNIBUS in Trade Paperback!

I’m super excited to show you the cover to the omnibus of Brent Weeks’ Night Angel trilogy. I was so excited when I heard I was working on this project. We wanted to repackage this series in a way that communicated the epic adventure but also looked badass on a coffee table: an element of sophistication and collectability.

We eventually decided to do the black cover with the blind spot glossing of the pattern in the background, the Night Angel title and Brent’s name in foil and the sword front and center. The sword was the biggest challenge since we needed to bring to life something that’s only been described in text. After considering all of our options, which included thinking about having someone fabricate a Curoch to shoot, we eventually decided a photo illustration allotted us the most flexibility with regards to tweaking an editing the final image.

I had an absolute blast working on this project. Anytime I get to research weapons, makes me a very happy designer. After a bunch of rounds tweaking and fine tuning, we came up with what you see in the final design.

Silver-Tongued Devil: Out Now!

The cover to Jaye Wells' Silver-Tongued devil, showing a red-headed woman holding a gun

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL is the fourth novel in the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells, and it’s OUT NOW to buy as a paperback or ebook.

The series that Sookie Stackhouse author Charlaine Harris called ‘fast-paced and fun’, these novels follow the assassin Sabina Kane as she tries to end the war between the vampire and mage races. In SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL, a series of sadistic murders threaten to stop peace talks between the vampires and the mages, but Sabina’s investigation soon has her questioning everyone she thought she could trust…

We really enjoy this series at Orbit, and we think that you’ll also love its mixture of humour, action and truly captivating characters. (My personal favourite? The demon ‘Giguhl’, trapped in the form of a hairless cat!) If you haven’t yet managed to read RED-HEADED STEPCHILD, THE MAGE IN BLACK, and GREEN-EYED DEMON, here are several more people who think you should…

covers for the three Sabina Kane books out before silver tongued demon

A fast-paced trip through a dark and dangerous landscape featuring an unusual take on vampires, mages, faeries, and demons. It hooks you on page one and takes you for a great ride!” – Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker series

The series is truly fab… a great urban fantasy I would definitely recommend.” – Book Chick City

Wells burns up the pages as if they were soaked in gasoline. Jaye Wells is the next coming of LKH and Kim Harrison.” – Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble Explorations

A seriously wild ride.” (Top Pick!) – RT Book Reviews

Plenty of humour alongside the action and suspense’ – Deathray

Why vaudeville for THE TROUPE?

I’m going to level with you here: I kind of pulled the premise for my third novel out of my ass.

I can remember the moment quite clearly: it was late 2008, and I was driving down 15th street here in Austin, talking on the phone with my agent (yes, I was That Guy that day – for some reason most of my important publishing conversations happened to take place while driving back then). I was just in the finishing stages of signing my first contract with Orbit, and the subject of an “option” arose – an “option” being a fancy legal term for “first dibs,” in this case being first dibs on my third novel.

So this begged the question – did I have any ideas for a third novel?

I was completely new to the publishing world then (and I still am, pretty much), but I knew that I did not want to let any important publishing people down, and I definitely knew I didn’t want to look like a chump and say, “No, no, I have no ideas for a third novel, I am completely fresh out and you are all totally hosed and you should have never hitched your wagon to my star.” So, while sitting at a green light, I wondered what to say.

But the odd thing is, I did have an idea for a novel rattling around in my head.

I had read an article just that day about vaudeville. It had made the curious point that vaudeville was one of the first moments of American mass cultural cross-pollination: the rails opened up all theaters all across the country to touring acts, so people had the first chance to see things they’d never seen before.

And I remember thinking, “How interesting. It’d be fun to write about that.” Specifically, I thought it would be fun to write a little fairy story about vaudeville, one about art, creation, and the nature of perception. (more…)

Will McIntosh’s Hugo Award-winning “Bridesicle” to become a novel

I am thrilled to report that Will McIntosh is writing a novel for Orbit based on his stunning 2010 Hugo Award-winning short story “Bridesicle.” Three hundred years in the future, technology has extended the lives of the rich and attractive decades. The wealthy can arrange to be reanimated multiple times (with diminishing returns), while in cryogenic dating farms, dead women await lonely suitors to resurrect them and take them home. In this daring and big-hearted novel, the lovelorn navigate a world in which technology has found the outer limits of morality and romance.

Orbit will also publish a novel based on McIntosh’s short story “Defenders,” as well as a number of original short stories.

Will McIntosh is an acclaimed, unique voice in science fiction, and a writer of impressive range. His first novel was published by Night Shade, his second is forthcoming in 2012, and his short work has been widely anthologized. He has won a Hugo Award and an Asimov’s reader poll, and has received a Nebula Award nomination. A professor of psychology, McIntosh lives in Georgia.

Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Competition

This competition is now closed. Winners will be notified by email.

To celebrate this week’s release of the majestic epic fantasy adventure that is Seven Princes (UK | US | ANZ) by John R. Fultz, we’re giving  7 copies of this title away absolutely free. To enter, all you need to do is fill in the form for your relevant territory, and 7 winners will be picked at random worldwide next week. Good luck!

 

The cover for the debut fntasy Seven Princes by John R Fuktz

A Fiery New Deal for Michael Cobley with Orbit

SEEDS OF EARTH, the first book in Michael Cobley’s space opera trilogy Humanity’s Fire, was first published in the UK in March 2009. Since then, the series described by Iain M. Banks as “Proper, galaxy-spanning space opera” has kept readers glued to its pages and eager to read more. Given the outstanding quality of Michael Cobley’s science fiction and its major success so far in the UK, Orbit is thrilled to announce a worldwide deal for a new book by this bestselling author. Orbit have acquired World English rights from agent John Parker at the Zeno Agency for a new standalone novel by Michael Cobley, set in the Humanity’s Fire universe.

the three covers for Michael Cobley's Seeds of Earth science fiction trilogy

The new book, WARCAGE, is a high-action space adventure currently scheduled for worldwide hardback release in autumn 2013. Ahead of that publication, all three existing books in the Humanity’s Fire series will be published by Orbit US, who are releasing SEEDS OF EARTH in the US in October, ORPHANED WORLDS in November and THE ASCENDANT STARS in December 2012. Anne Clarke, Editorial Director for Orbit UK, says:

We’re all delighted with the continuing success of Michael Cobley’s superb Humanity’s Fire series, and we’re very excited about WARCAGE and looking forward to sharing it with Mike’s fans next year. Michael Cobley is becoming an increasingly important name in science fiction, so we’re extremely happy that our colleagues in the US will be on this adventure with us too.”

Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Horror/Fantasy Connection

7 days for SEVEN PRINCES

 “As a small child, I felt in my heart two contradictory feelings, the horror of life and the ecstasy of life.” — Baudelaire

In today’s world Fantasy fiction is split into many genres: Epic, High, Low, Heroic Urban, Suburban, Historical, Science, Weird, Dark…you’re likely to find any of these words in front of “Fantasy” these days. Many authors enjoy blending and “splicing” genres together, which can often lead to new sub-genres and even anti-genre approaches. There are two enduring genres that have always gone well together, seamlessly blending one into the other, and their combination continues to be a popular pairing.

Often Horror and Fantasy are lumped together like fraternal twins forced to wear the same plaid sweater. Many are the theories defining exactly what each one of the genres actually IS, and the closer you look at either, the more splintering you find, the more sub-genres, the more distinctions being made on the “microcosmic” level. Yet examples of Horror/Fantasy blends continue to amaze and terrify readers.  (more…)

Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Wallpapers

As part of our 7-day celebration of the epic fantasy Seven Princes (UK | US | ANZ) by John R. Fultz we’re giving away wallpapers of the awesome cover artwork to spruce up all your fancy devices. And I know we’ve had some gorgeous wallpapers, but I think the illustration for these is so much sexier BIG that trust me, you’re going to want it on every screen you have. The art is by the fantastic Richard Anderson and he really just knocked it out of the park. It’s like epic fantasy impressionistic, such a fresh style. (You can read an interview with him and John R. Fultz over at Black Gate.) Enjoy!

1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 |1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad

 

(and yes I think we’ve finally mastered the iPad flippable art thing. ha!)

Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Inspiration

7 days for SEVEN PRINCESI’m proud to tell anyone who asks me about it that I write fantasy novels. The publication of SEVEN PRINCES represents many years of hard work, commitment and stubborn dedication to one man’s mad vision. Writers are obsessed with their ideas. They have to be.

I also write in the horror and sci-fi genres. Yet fantasy has always been my first love — specifically high fantasy, or epic fantasy, as some folks like to call it. Although the term dark fantasy is also one of which I’m rather fond. A lot of my favorite fantasies are indeed “dark,” and you will find some darkness in every fantasy — if only to provide contrast to the sweetness and light. The murkier the darkness, the brighter the light. (more…)