American Vampires Again

I hope that everybody had a very happy St. Patrick's Day. I've been meaning to update this blog but have been suffering from a few computer problems which I've had to sort out. So trying to get the final touches to American Vampires finished under a little bit of pressure. But we've most of the book done and like A Haunted Mind I've been sending the sections up to Gina as they get done.

This is, I think, the side of authoriship that a lot of people never see - it's not just all about sitting down and writing the book, it's putting the bits and pieces together and working through everything even after it's finished. I've always looked on a book as a kind of collaboration between the author and the publisher and that the two of us have to work to make the book the best that it can be. So we have to sit down and work out all the technical stuf as well.

I'm liasing with Ian too who'll be doing the illustrations for both books. Just for a change, he won't be doing the cover for American Vampires - that's done by a new artist. Jeff who works at New Page sent me down the cover for this book the other day and I have to say that it looks pretty striking - not the kind of volume that you'd miss of a shelf. You're getting an early look!  I hope that the text is up to the fantastic cover.

Getting ready for Easter and I'm trying to get a few days off. I do have another book proposal in with New Pager but haven't heard anything back from them - they need to go through meetings and the like. But am trying to plan things out for later in the year - I work about five months ahead, It's the only way I can do things and there might be something on the comics front again, so keep watching.

Anyway, I've promised to make my wife a cup of tea so I'd better go and get it for her. Somebody wrote and asked me if I had "drowned my shamrock" on St. Patrick's Day? I have to admit - and this is supposedly a terrible admission for an Irishman - that I don't drink. Haven't done so for nearly 30 years. Not out of any real convictions but I just don't. How's that for a confession? It makes for a cheap St. Patrick's Day though. Will talk soon I'm sure providing this computer holds up

Haunted Mind Off to Bed

Well, at long last, A Haunted Mind is finally finished and has been sent off to Gina my editor. This was the longest book that I've ever had to write for Career and also one of the most detailed. But I think it's been worth it - I can't think of another Lovecraft book that's like it. None that I've ever read. This will now go to a review edit and then we'll progress to a final edit and it should be hitting the stands later on in the year. I see information is already up here so that you can all pre-order it.

But no time to rest as I've American Vampires to finish - it's almost done and I should have it finished within a month or so. I have a new proposal in with Career and I'm working on a new science fiction book pieces up which might be up on the Amazon webpage very soon. This is a new area for me so I'll be interested to see how it goes - it's pretty much in the vain of Star Wars but a little bit different so hopefully it'll appeal to those fans. We'll see how it goes anyway.

But keep your eyes out for the launch of A Haunted Mind. I'm rather pleased with it - as is Gina - and I've been sending stuff down to Ian Daniels who will be illustrating both it and American Vampires and he seems to like it as well. But it's been a real task and when it was finished I put my feet up for an afternoon and watched the football - alas I am a fan of English football. You can't live in my house and not be -Mary my wife is a big fan of Arsenal whilst my son follows Manchester United, much to my disgust I'm afraid.

I used to live in the East End of London and the only two teams you could support there were West Ham and Leyton Orient, so I finished up as a Hammers fan. They're in the Championship at the moment but are expected to come back into the Premiership - although they'd need to play better then they did today! 1-1 with Doncaster who are struggling. I should have stuck to writing this afternoon! At the moment the rugby's on - Ireland against Scotland so I'll go and watch that. I promise I won't leave it so long until my next blog.