Evolution Expects reviewed

Came across this review of Evolution Expects the other day.

"Awesome." (4 out of 5 stars)

Nice and succinct, I think you'll agree.

Pirates of the Black Skull

Seeing as how Bloodbones (my fourth Fighting Fantasy adventure) is being re-released next year, I thought I'd get you all in the mood for a slice of swashbuckling voodoo with this...

Crisis on Coruscant is coming

28 January 2010.

You can pre-order your copy here.

And while we're on the subject of all things Star Wars...

Abaddon Books gets a facelift

Exciting news! The Abaddon Books* website has had a make-over - and very cool it looks too. To check it out for yourself, along with news of Abaddon's first ever competition, click here.

* Publishers of the Pax Britannia series.

Franchise fiction vs original fiction - the debate continues

Came across this today over at Jeff Vandermeer’s Ecstatic Days blog. It's a conversation between Dan Abnett and fantasy author Mark Charan Newton (who also happens to work for Games Workshop’s Black Library range of tie-in novels). Dan has how had over three dozen novels published but, amazingly, Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero is his first non tie-in book.

Mark and Dan talk about the frustrations and advantages of writing tie-in work versus the advantages and frustrations of working in your own universe. It's a cracking read and seems all the more timely to me as my latest piece of tie-in work dropped through my letterbox yesterday to be proofed. You can read The Relic in the forthcoming Legends of the Space Marines Warhammer 40K anthology.

Night of the Necromancer competition

Just a quick reminder that the guys at Wizard Books are offering one lucky reader the chance to be immortalised in the new Fighting Fantasy gamebook Night of the Necromancer (to be published in April 2010).

To find out more about the competition and its money-can't-buy prize click here.

The Ultimate Christmas Quiz at the UCS Beyond Words Festival 2009

Well I survived the What is Myrrh Anyway? Ultimate Christmas Quiz experience at the UCS Beyond Words Festival and sold a few more books, which is always nice. It just remains for me to thank Martin Hitchcock and his able assistants Sophia, Katie, Hal and Ian, for all their help and for making me feel so welcome, and Najma of Icon Books for arranging the session.