Friday 30 December 2016

...And What's Coming Up

Ahoy!

So, another year over huh? Pretty sure they go by quicker the older you get, which is nice. What does 2017 have in store for me? Well, first off, I hit 40. Age has never really bothered me too much, for some reason 27 was a weird one, as I thought I was 28 all year, but 40?! I know it's only a number, but my brain has helpfully started enquiring as to whether I'm halfway through my life, or, more likely, past that point already. Regardless, me and Debbie are off to America for nigh on two weeks to celebrate it.

Never been to the US, though have always wanted to. We're hitting up LA, Vegas and San Francisco, and to say I'm looking forward to it, would be a MASSIVE understatement.

Workwise, well, this is where lessons learned kicks in. I have plans of what I'm going to release, but given that in 2016 I released two books I never planned on writing in the first place, I think it's safe to say that what you aim to do, and what actually gets done, are two different things. There are a couple of definites though.

First up, are three anthology appearances. I've been invited to contribute a story to Shadow Work Publishings 'VS' anthology. If you're not familiar with it, it pits American authors against us Brit's, to see who comes out on top. There are some killer names in there, and it is set to a theme of EXTREME. Whilst some of my work has been a bit gory, I've never written anything explicitly fitting this sub-genre, so should be cool.

The second anthology is Stitched Smile's 'Monsters v Zombies' anthology. They are doing two volumes, and I'm not sure which one I'm in yet, but my short story, LIVE TO SERVE will be in one of them. This was my first ever story acceptance from a submission call, so pretty psyched to see that released. The third anthology is hush-hush, for now. Rest assured that when it's announced, I'll be shouting about it, as it's a cool idea.

Aside from them, the only guaranteed book I will be releasing is a charity anthology, called TRAPPED WITHIN, the proceeds of which are going to the Stroke Association.


There will be twenty odd stories from some ridiculously talented indie authors, and am aiming for a May/June release, nothing definite yet though. I've received around half of the stories already, and there are some absolute corkers in there. I'll be confirming the TOC in the first few months of the year, and hope that people can support this, as the charity means a lot to me and Debbie. This will be released through my EyeCue Productions label, and might not be the last title next year which features authors other than me. More on that later in 2017...

As for my own books, I have plans, of course I do, but as for what I will release, I don't know for certain. There's DEADLOCK, which is my heist/heaven and hell novel, which I am reworking at the moment, as the early draft starts off strong, but didn't deliver a killer punch. Have got a decent handle on it now though, so hoping to get that ready for beta readers in January.

I've nearly finished up my weird as shit novel, SUMMONED. I have had so much fun writing it, and though am going to have to strip back some of my ideas for this, mainly due to cost, it should be a ball. It's a multi-narrative book, with a few different paths and endings. This probably needs less work, but another lesson I learned from 2016, is to FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME.

Aside from that, the next CLASS FOUR book will be done. I've moved away from making it a trilogy, and it is now a series. The entire book has changed from what it was going to be, but I think the new direction will work a lot better, and be a bit more focussed than what my original intentions were.

Then, I have around four or five other ideas jostling for space. One is another zombie book, completely different from my other undead books. It's got a really cool concept to it, and I'm excited about it. But...I have some serious research to do before I can start it, so realistically, I may start writing it at the tail end of next year, but it won't be released in 2017. Then there is another book, a silly post-apocalyptic story based on one of my favourite ever bands, set when I was at the peek of my powers, in the mid-nineties. I've got some killer thoughts on this, the design of the book, EVERYTHING, I've even planned the chapters and story out, which never happens. I just need the time to write it.

So there you go, plenty to keep me occupied. I am just getting back into the swing of things again, having taken a month away from writing. It can be a bit of a slog, especially being an indie, but it's also pretty rewarding when you see the final product and the months worth of work come together.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. From me, Debbie and the cats, we wish you a happy new year. I hope that 2017 is one which you will all look back on with satisfaction.

Salut

Dunk

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