This Is Very Important: Penny Dreadful’s Returning

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So, I saw this today: https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/11/01/penny-dreadful-sequel-series-city-of-angels-announced (Actually, I saw it first on Twitter, but the IGN link provides a little more substance…) Eeeee….….eeeeeeE……eeeee……EeeeeEEeee… Also, Eva Green was the best thing about this series, so for the love of god get some jumper cables and get her out of the ground. https://t.co/u0id2sgZ1E — Richard Parry (@ParryForte) November 1, 2018 This is excellent news. I suspect getting Eva Green back won’t be possible based on the IGN text, but a guy can dream, right?

It’s Now Safe To Talk About Christmas

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October’s behind us, which means my birthday is also behind us. You can stop sending me gifts for my incept date and start planning my seasonal loot haul. What do you mean, this isn’t about me? Okay, okay. Let’s take a slight tangent toward retailer recommendations and see where we end up. You might be feeling a little lost if you’re an Amazon shopper, wanting books for a loved one. You look in the genres. You try and find something in the top ten that looks rad. In sci-fi, you find nothing but bare-chested romance. Cyberpunk is a trash fire of lit-RPG romance. Hell, romance is everywhere. Here, I’m going to: Show you the problem, then Give you my top five solutions. Let’s rock. A good friend and I were having wine (and beer, and…) the other night. We agreed Read More …

Should You NaNoWriMo?

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No. Wait, you want something better than that? Okay. I entered, and “won,” NaNo back in 2014. I was itching to write a cool, edgy cyberpunk book. I’d originally titled it Uplinked, but after conversation with my wife that changed to Upgrade. I had so, so many ideas for this book. Bionics. Particle cannons. Plasma weapons. Always online, always ready. Love. Hope. The people lost in the cracks. I would do William Gibson proud, man. A little peer pressure crept in. October of that same year, a few friends were talking big about how they’d win NaNo. I’d never heard of NaNo, thought, “How hard can it be?” and wrote Upgrade (or a hyooooge chunk of it) during November. Despite knocking something like 65,000 words out of the park during NaNo, well in excess of the 50k threshold, I discovered Read More …

Timeless Values

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Way down here in New Zealand, we didn’t get spontaneous applause because we’re very British. Having said that, I might admit to giving a small fist-pump when Cap came on in Infinity War. Evans’ portrayal of the hero is exceptional. Worldwide reach shouldn’t be dimmed by the use of “America” in his name; I mean, hell, the values Cap stands for go well beyond an individual country. Having spent over three months re-editing and writing my cyberpunk Future Forfeit stories, I drove myself into a state of hopelessness. It might be time to dust off the First Avenger and get a little hopeful reminder.

What Changes Can You Make?

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While elections approach for many of you, I wonder what … personal changes people are making in the wake of the IPCC report. The rest of the world doesn’t get to go to the polls, but we can still make changes that effect our planet and our children’s children. Here: [The Adorable Optimism of the IPCC] It’s a pretty amusing read. Watts is one of the best sci-fi authors to grace our blue-green world. Reading the post, I’m able to reflect on the changes we’ve made at home (and wonder what else we can do). We’re using public transport a lot (it’s our default), and ride-sharing services when not (we still have cars, but are wrestling with whether it’s better to go electric or keep ’em, as the cost of producing vehicles has a tremendous environmental impact). We’re deleting single-use plastic Read More …

The Magic of Release Strategies

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This is one of my world-famous emails, originally sent Friday, October 26 2018. You can get on the list here. There’s been a pretty big response on the topic of release strategies, so I’m thinking of following this up with another mail on pricing and margins. In order to preserve the 10% preview rule for Amazon KU, I’ve stripped the excerpt for Chromed: Upgrade from this post. Telling fairy tales is serious business. Sometimes y’all like when I pull back the curtain and talk about “writer business stuffs.” I’ll try for a bit of that magic today. On today’s menu: Another outstanding NZ Police video; On pricing and the demise of books, and A download of the first third of my latest release, Chromed: Upgrade, on the house. Are you ready to rumble? Want to join the NZ Police? My Read More …

Want a sneak peak of Chromed: Upgrade?

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The first third of Chromed: Upgrade is available for download on the house. You’ll still need to wait until November 9 to get the whole thing, but that’s not that far away. Until then, this might just whet your appetite. [GIMME] Remastering the original Upgrade’s been a blast. My editor had my back, and dipping back into the universe was a fun ride. I don’t mind admitting I like my own story! I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Chromed: Meltdown is Out!

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I’m quite excited about this one! Mike is a sometime hero of Upgrade, but doesn’t get quite enough screen time for my liking. He’s fun to write, having more than his share of sass, and his handler Sam-don’t-fucking-call-me-Samantha has a little vinegar to share too. ARCs have given me good feedback on this one – mostly along the lines of, “Don’t you dare kill Mike Takahashi!” His future looks bright. Ish. Metatech enforcer Mike Takahashi’s vacation is off to a bad start. When Mike wakes on a slab, a bone saw a handspan from his arm, it’s all the confirmation he needs that someone is harvesting Metatech operatives for spare parts. Naked and weaponless isn’t the best way to start a break-out of a top-secret research facility, but Mike feels he has the right incentives to get the job done. Read More …

Do Not Adjust Your set

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The latest in my world-famous email campaign series, originally sent Friday 12 October 2018. If you’re not on the list, maybe you should check it out? Do not adjust your set. Back in the days of yore, you signed up for my list. You’re awesome. You’ve probably not heard from me in a while because my mail provider had a localized apocalypse. We’re starting again here, you and I. I understand if this instills an urge to [unsubscribe]. If that’s your frame of mind, you do you. If not, let’s chat about what’s going on. Today, we have: Some wallpapers for your phone or desktop; A Discord community for readers; An ancient story I dredged from the archives so we can both laugh/cry together; What I’m reading; and A cover reveal. Rock on. Eye Candy Some new wallpapers are up Read More …