…not the title they went with. ‘Das Heer des Weißen Drachen’ (The Army of the White Dragon), Draconis Memoria Buch 2 is released today by Hobbit Presse Klett-Cotta. Many thanks to my German translators Sara Riffel and Maria Pfaffinger for all their hard work on yet another lengthy book from me.
I thought I’d share a time-lapse of the line work for my most recently completed map (it’s for a non-Raven’s Shadow/Draconis thing – details to follow soon, I hope). I’ve been trying to develop a more refined, ‘false perspective’ type approach for maps, hopefully, it worked out. This was all done on an iPad Pro using Autodesk Sketchbook for the original drawing and Adobe Draw for the final version.
I’m delighted to announce my next novel The Wolf’s Call, the first volume in a two-part series The Raven’s Blade which is a return to the world of Raven’s Shadow and will continue the story of Vaelin Al Sorna.
The Wolf’s Call will be published in summer of 2019 by Ace/Roc in the USA and Canada and by Orbit in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. No word yet on non-English editions but I’ll keep you all updated whenever I hear anything.
This week I carried out a long overdue review of my sales figures and it turns out that, thanks to The Empire of Ashes, I’ve now sold over one million books in English worldwide. It all feels a bit surreal given that it doesn’t seem that long ago when I wrote this post about reaching the what I once thought to be the impossibly out of reach goal of surpassing ten thousand sales, but I guess six years is a long time in publishing.
As a thank you to all my readers for making this happen I’m running a mailing list giveaway for a rare signed US first edition hardcover of the book that started it all – Blood Song. The giveaway is open to all existing mailing list subscribers and anyone who joins the list before midnight GMT on July 31st. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on August 1st.
Links to reviews are on the book page. You can also read a sample chapter here. New maps have also been added to the Map Room for the benefit of e-book owners.
Huge thanks to my agent Paul Lucas and everyone at my publisher Ace/Roc for their hard work in publishing the third and final volume of The Draconis Memoria, most especially my editor Jessica Wade.
To celebrate the imminent release of The Empire of Ashes I’m holding a mailing list signed books giveaway. Existing subscribers to my mailing list and anyone who subscribes between now and midnight GMT July 1st are automatically entered.
One first place winner will receive a UK hardcover.
Two second place winners will receive a US hardcover.
Three third place winners will receive UK trade paperbacks.
All books will be signed, lined and dated (with a personalised dedication if requested). The winners will be chosen and notified on July 2nd.
The Empire of Ashes is released in ebook, audio, and hardcover in the US on July 3rd and in the UK on July 5th. Pre-order links are on the book page.
In other news, in addition to the free short stories, anyone who subscribes to my mailing list will now receive a free download ebook compilation of all my non-fiction as a thank you for signing up. Contents:
1. ‘The Neophyte’s Guide to World-building’ or ‘How I Wrote Blood Song’
2. ‘Kicking over the Sandbox’, or ‘How I Wrote Tower Lord’
3. ‘We Will Make an Ending’ or ‘How I Wrote Queen of Fire’
4. Inspiration for Fantasy Authors
5. David Gemmell and the Depiction of the Hero
6. How to Write an Effective Battle Scene
7. How I Edit a Novel
8. The Influence of History on Epic Fantasy
9. Writing and Naming Fantasy Characters
10. Tips on Writing Dialogue
11. Happy Being Sad – Four Great Books with Unhappy Endings
12. ‘The Long Overnight’ or ‘How I Became a Published Author’
For any collectors out there, I’ve contributed a signed US first edition hardcover of Tower Lord (Raven’s Shadow Book 2) to the fundraising efforts for horror author Brian Keene who recently suffered severe burns in an accident. Like many US authors, Brian doesn’t have medical insurance and is facing bills in excess of $250,000 for his treatment.
Bidding starts at $50 and the auction will close in five days. Please also be sure to check out the other auctions for this fundraiser which include signed books by Stephen King, Alan Baxter, and Christopher Golden.
The US paperback edition of The Legion of Flame (Book 2 of the Draconis Memoria) is released today. To celebrate I’m doing a quickie giveaway for ten signed copies of the paperback. The giveaway is open to existing mailing list subscribers and anyone who joins the list between now and midnight GMT on 6th June. The giveaway is open to all subscribers, not just readers in the US. Join the list by clicking here.
The winners will be chosen at random and notified on 7th June.
For any signed book collectors out there, Goldsboro Books are offering 250 signed, stamped and numbered copies of the UK hardcover first edition of The Empire of Ashes. Available on 12th July but you can pre-order here: