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Announcement: THE SENTINEL, coming soon from VS Comics!

by on October 8, 2012 in comics, News, The Sentinel with 1 Comment Permanent Link to Announcement: THE SENTINEL, coming soon from VS Comics!Permalink

Phew! I can talk about something new!

Today I’m pleased to announce I am writing my first comic!

The Sentinel is an ongoing Prohibition crime/urban fantasy series debuting this December as part of VS Comics, a new monthly digital anthology created by Mike Garley and James Moran. The Sentinel has art by Joe Ward, colours and inks by Mike Bunt, letters by Mike Stock, and is edited by Ned Hartley.

Click on the banner to see the full-size art, which is pretty amazing. Here’s the official blurb:

New York, 1929. A city torn apart by Prohibition, corruption, crime. Rookie cop Harvey West is determined to make his mark, but his career is cut short when he is tragically killed, leaving his new wife alone in the city.

In the subway tunnels beneath Manhattan, something stirs; a dark power from an ancient, extinct civilization rekindled by a cult of insane magicians determined to plunge the world into a new Dark Age.

As the power awakens, a mysterious newcomer appears in the city: a man seeking vengeance, a man searching for answers about himself and his past. A man searching for the secret of The Sentinel.

The Sentinel will run as monthly six-page episodes, starting December 2012. VS Comics has a page on Facebook – head over, give it a like, and you’ll be able to see more updates and previews of my story and many others.

So… OMG! You might know that I quite like comics, so maybe it’s no surprise that I’d write one eventually. And I must say, writing The Sentinel has been the most fun ever. Thanks to Mike and James for giving me a break!

And that’s not all! VS Comics is being launched at the Thought Bubble comic con in Leeds, on Sunday, 18th November, 2.10pm in the Alea Cinema Room. The programme for VS Comics, including our panel and information on tickets, etc, is available here.

I hope to see you there!

And…OMG COMICS!

Cover reveal: SEVEN WONDERS

by on April 26, 2012 in News, Seven Wonders with 4 Comments Permanent Link to Cover reveal: SEVEN WONDERSPermalink

Seven Wonders, my superhero novel, is out worldwide from Angry Robot in September. And here’s the cover (click to enlarge):

Seven Wonders cover by Will Staehle

It’s by the amazing Will Staehle, who was responsible for the equally awesome Empire State cover (not to mention covers for the likes of Michael Chabon and Michael Crichton). And… well, wowsa about sums it up. I have to resist licking the screen every time I see it.

All I can say is… get those pre-orders in!

SHADOW’S CALL on Publisher’s Marketplace, a Portuguese blog, and something cool coming tomorrow!

by on April 25, 2012 in Empire State, News, Shadow's Call with No Comments Permanent Link to SHADOW’S CALL on Publisher’s Marketplace, a Portuguese blog, and something cool coming tomorrow!Permalink

This looks to be a busy week – there is something cool coming tomorrow morning which I’ve been dying to show off, so check in around 9.10am (BST) on Thursday here and on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the official Publisher’s Marketplace announcement of my Tor deal went online:

Sir Julius Vogel award recipient and a nominee for the British Science Fiction Association, British Fantasy Society, and Parsec awards Adam Christopher’s SHADOW’S CALL, a dark space opera featuring a distant outpost, bathed in toxic radiation from a nearby star, where a washed-up Fleet commander must battle a sentient mechanical spider race and its sinister allies with the help of a long-dead Cosmonaut and a sexy but troubled celebrity asteroid-miner, to Paul Stevens at Tor, by Stacia Decker at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).

Film: Luke Sandler at Gotham Group

Woo-hoo!

Also, strangely enough, the announcement was covered by a Portuguese blog, who somehow think Shadow’s Call is a graphic novel set on a space station full of garbage. But hey-ho. In a slightly more expected place, the news was mentioned by SF Signal in between Stephen Fry and Stephanie Meyer.

Couple of other things too – a great review of Empire State from Sean Cummings over at A Golden Age, in which he says (well, in the comments actually) that

It’s a pretty mind bending book – a must read.

…while over at Under The Bluegums mentioned John Anaelio‘s very cool song, The Empire State.

So, see you back here tomorrow for something wondrous…

Announcement: New book deal with Tor!

by on April 23, 2012 in Ludmila My Love, News, Short Stories with 11 Comments Permanent Link to Announcement: New book deal with Tor!Permalink

Seriously, keeping secrets just kills me. So… I’m pleased to announce I’ve signed a new book deal!

The deal is with Tor US for a new novel called Shadow’s Call, a dark space opera set on a distant, derelict space station, bathed in toxic radiation from a nearby star, where a washed-up Fleet commander must battle a sentient mechanical spider race and its sinister allies with the help of a long-dead Cosmonaut and a sexy but troubled celebrity asteroid-miner.

The deal was negotiated by Tor editor Paul Stevens and my (exceedingly kick-ass) agent, Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, and includes North American English rights in physical and electronic formats.

Shadow’s Call is the Secret Project S I’ve been talking about recently, and long-time readers of my blog may remember this book from the original title of Ludmila, My Love.

Now, this deal is pretty cool – this is my first with one of the Big Six publishers, and it’ll be my first novel in hardcover. Shadow’s Call is due out in summer 2013 from Tor in the US. I’m excited to be working with Paul at Tor, and this clearly means I’m going to have to go back to New York for a meeting. And cake. As you do.

My thanks to Stacia Decker and to the original Ludmila beta-reading team!

Announcement: Two new books for Angry Robot!

by on March 20, 2012 in Empire State, Hang Wire, News, The Age Atomic with 1 Comment Permanent Link to Announcement: Two new books for Angry Robot!Permalink

It’s always so hard keeping things like this secret, but today’s the day – I’m pleased to announce that I’ve signed a new deal with Angry Robot for another two books! You can read the official announcement here, but in the meantime here’s the full press release:

Press release | 20th March 2012 | For Immediate Release

Adam Christopher Joins Angry Robot’s Four-Book Club

Following the hugely successful launch of his debut novel Empire State earlier this year, Angry Robot has signed Adam Christopher for another two titles.

Christopher revisits the world of the Empire State in a sequel, The Age Atomic, to be published in May 2013, with Hang Wire – a tale of ancient gods and serial killers – to follow within a year.

The deal included world English rights in physical and electronic formats and was negotiated by Angry Robot editor Lee Harris and Christopher’s agent Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Agency.

New Zealand-born Christopher, who now lives in the UK, said: “I’m delighted to be back for another visit to the Empire State! Rad Bradley is a character close to my heart, and as soon as he reappeared on the page and started throwing punches, I felt like an old friend had returned… albeit one I’m obliged to put through the wringer again! Angry Robot continue to impress with a kick-ass roster of authors and titles, and I’m thrilled that The Age Atomic and Hang Wire will be part of it.”

Editor Lee Harris said: “I couldn’t be happier to have more of Adam’s books on our list. Adam joins a very exclusive club – he is now one of only three authors to have placed four books with Angry Robot. We’re thinking of getting them membership cards.”

Empire State was launched in January to widespread acclaim. Adam’s second novel – Seven Wonders – will be published worldwide in September 2012.

Visit Adam online at http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk, or check out his Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/ghostfinder.

You can also read a new interview with Adam at Erik Lundqvist’s book review blog: http://www.iwillreadbooks.com.

Angry Robot is a genre publisher that brings readers the best in new SF, F and WTF?! All titles are released as paperbacks and in all major eBook formats. Distribution is through Random House (North America) and GBS (UK). Angry Robot is part of the Osprey Group.

For more information, review copies, interview and feature requests contact our Marketing Manager, Darren Turpin at darren.turpin@angryrobotbooks.com or by phone on +44 (0) 7584 355911 [UK Office Hours]

Angry Robot Online

http://angryrobotbooks.com
http://www.twitter.com/angryrobotbooks [@angryrobotbooks]
http://www.facebook.com/angryrobotbooks

So there you go! As it says above, The Age Atomic is a sequel to my debut, Empire State; we move from we move from detective noir to 50s sci-fi as Rad finds himself New York’s Public Enemy number 1, fighting a quantum ghost and her army of atomic robots determined to protect the United States against the Red Menace of the Empire State.

Hang Wire is an urban fantasy, set in modern-day San Francisco. There’s ancient magic hidden in the city’s Chinatown, while below ground a primal evil begins to stir. Meanwhile, a serial killer stalks the streets at night and a sentient circus plots world domination.

The press release sums it up, but I’m pretty thrilled to be making a return to the world of Empire State with The Age Atomic. That secret novel I’ve mentioned a few times is that book. And Hang Wire is weird and wonderful, and a lot of fun to write. And before you ask, yes, it shares its name with the song by the Pixies.

And make sure to head over to I Will Read Books to learn more!

My thanks to Stacia Decker, Lee Harris, and everyone else at Angry Robot!

Links and interview round-up

by on September 8, 2011 in Empire State, Events, Interview, News with 2 Comments Permanent Link to Links and interview round-upPermalink

Been a while since the last round-up, so time to take stock.

  • I’ve pimped out the Empire State page with the complete set of blurbs so far collected and links to the blurbers. Angry Robot have also updated their page for the book.
  • Empire State is now available for pre-order on the Kindle, for readers in the US and Canada only. In the UK and other regions, you cannot pre-order on the Kindle, so you’ll have to wait until the release day!
  • I’ll be at FantasyCon, being held September 30th to October 2nd at the Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton. In addition to doing a reading from Empire State, I’ll be on a panel on the Friday at 2pm about maintaining an online presence, and on a panel on Saturday at 2pm called “New Voices”, in which I will try to explain why a science fiction and superhero writer like myself is doing on a panel about new horror and fantasy writers. Hey, it’s all SF, right? Anyway, more details when I get them.
  • Interview (and photos) over at DC Sterne’s site. DC Sterne did my official Angry Robot picture, and this interview was done as my photo was one of several included in their exhibition of social media users in the North West. Unfortunately I was overseas when the exhibition was on, but it’s nice to have the interview online now!
  • As part of their Angry Robot week, there’s a new interview with me over at The Secret Lair, where I talk about Empire State and the Worldbuilder project. The Secret Lair also talked to Angry Robot editor Lee Harris and project manager Mur Lafferty about the Worldbuilder.
  • Fun mini-interview with WriteFast – not sure I linked this at the time.
  • Over at I Will Read Books you can read the first part of my guest blog post on my writing process.
  • The Empire State Worldbuilder gets mentions over at The Traveler’s Steampunk Blog, Booksprung, and Occasional Fish.

And because I promised Catherine Hill yesterday, here’s one of my favourite Muppet moments:

Empire State linksapalooza

by on August 19, 2011 in Empire State, Events, News, Night Pictures, Seven Wonders with 3 Comments Permanent Link to Empire State linksapaloozaPermalink

Things have been ramping up a little around here lately, so please to enjoy this handy round-up:

  • As part of Noir Week on Tor.com, you can read an exclusive extract from from Empire State, a full five months prior to publication. Angry Robot pointed the way, and it was also mentioned over at Benito Corral Reviews.
  • At WorldCon in Reno, the Empire State Worldbuilder was announced…
  • …and was covered by The Bookseller today.
  • You can pre-order Empire State here, and you can read some of the early blurbs here. And there are more to come too.
  • If you missed it earlier, my two-part interview with Chuck Wendig is available here and here. As well as talking about writing and how I got my book deal, it also features a brand new short story, Green Eggs and Handguns, which you won’t find anywhere else.
  • I’m also pleased to announce I’ll be at FantasyCon this year. FantasyCon is being held in Brighton from 30th September to 2nd October, and with a bit of luck I might be doing a reading from Empire State. Please come and say hello!
  • Seven Wonders, my superhero novel coming out from Angry Robot at the end of 2012, is now listed on Goodreads, so you can now add it to your bookshelf. You’ll find Empire State‘s listing here.

I’ll be updating the Empire State page with more information about the book soon, along with more details on the Worldbuilder project and how it works. Stay tuned!

I haven’t updated my stats on Night Pictures for a while, mostly because I’ve had a slightly erratic week of writing and the stats have been all over the place. My last update was last Sunday, when I’d reached just over the 30k mark on draft 0. There’s no point breaking down the writing for the week, but taking it up until 12pm today, this is where I’m at:

Project: Night Pictures (missing persons, ghost towns and TV hackers)
Words, Sunday to Friday morning: 9,198
Words total: 40,030/100,000 (40%)
Word to go: 59,970
Days to go: 42

This works out at about 1,533 words a day, which is not great. However, I’m still on schedule to get draft 0 done by the end of September – by the end of today (Friday 19th August) I should have 38,000 words done. I’m 2k ahead of that and I’ve still got an afternoon of work to do, so we’re looking good.

Of course, that’s assuming this is a 100,000-word novel… and y’know, I’m not sure yet…

3rd May, 2011: New Zealand, here we come…

by on May 3, 2011 in News with No Comments Permanent Link to 3rd May, 2011: New Zealand, here we come…Permalink

…well, in another 10 hours or so.

So, we’re off for a visit home, the first in four and a half years. Which is pretty exciting, and also a little weird – from what I can gather, there’s been a whole bunch of changes to my home town, Auckland, including (so I have been told) an extensive change to the motorway system. Hmm. The drive from the airport to my parent’s place should be interesting.

Anyway, that means blog updates will be a little sporadic for a while. I’ll try and sort my internet access as soon as I can – I’m waiting on a few important emails! – but until then, be safe. And lucky. And don’t break anything while I’m gone.

21st April, 2011: Cool things

by on April 21, 2011 in Conventions, Events, News, Seven Wonders with 1 Comment Permanent Link to 21st April, 2011: Cool thingsPermalink

Two cool things happened this week.

Yesterday I joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America – SWFA – a sort of association/union of professional writers. It might sound a bit odd, but SWFA is an organisation I’ve dreamed of joining, because to join you need to have a qualifying sale. And guess what, I qualify now. I still need to expand my profile a bit, but you can find it under the member directory link.

Cool!

Secondly, I was lucky enough to be asked by author John Hornor Jacobs to read and blurb his debut novel, Southern Gods, which is due from Night Shade books in August this year. I’d been looking forward to reading this Lovecraftian horror ever since I read the description – you can read that, and my endorsement, over at John’s blog. I believe the endorsement will also be printed in the book. It was a real privilege to be asked to blurb it, and the book really is brilliant – as I hinted at earlier this week!

Also cool!

Tomorrow I’m off to EasterCon. I’ll be taking Seven Wonders with me to edit (well, I have to try, right?) – the edit is going well, and I’m finding it quiet enjoyable. There is a satisfaction in improving a work, knowing that you are slowly but steadily improving it.

So, 43 pages down, 375 and 41 days to go.

20th April, 2011: Elisabeth Sladen

by on April 20, 2011 in News with 1 Comment Permanent Link to 20th April, 2011: Elisabeth SladenPermalink

I’ve been a Doctor Who fan nearly my entire life, but thanks to growing up in New Zealand, “my” Doctors were actually Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. Which means, despite being part of the wrong generation, I grew up with the Brigadier, and Sarah Jane Smith.

Elisabeth Sladen, 1948 – 2011

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