And a merry time for you all

Now this is Christmas, and things are going to be a little bonkers for a while, so I would just like to wish you all a good festive time whatever you are doing. I'm taking a well earned break from it all, until the new year when I start the new books. 

Next year my science fiction novella, The Sandcastles on the Moon, will be published under Paper Planes, a pretty cool initiative headed up by fellow writer Rupert Morgan with Hachette Livre publishing. Initially it will be published in French only, but my agent and I will put our heads together to find the best way to get it out in English in the coming months. So watch this space.

Also on the cards, is a novella and I hope to have some news on the non-Secret War novel, The Black Hours.

But first it's time to recharge the batteries and gear up for writing The Blood on the Seine (Secret War book II) and the SF novel Shadows of the Hive. 

The Secret War (revised edition) is still available to buy from Amazon for the Kindle, by the way, for a paltry £1.99 or $3.22, a snip for just 500 pages or so. 

And Kobo and iBooks readers should not despair as it will be coming to your e-readers soon too at some point in January.

Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all

x

On the 13th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me...

... One free copy of The Secret War ebook (and no partridges in a pear tree ...)

Yep, until 18th December, the revised edition of The Secret War is available for the price of air on the Amazon Kindle, to celebrate the run-up to Christmas.

For the UK offer, click here.

For the US offer, click here.

And in the new year, The Secret War will be available for Kobo and iBooks users too!

It's a meme-or-e-thing

Roger Morris tagged me for this meme - The Next Big Thing - that's been doing the rounds on the internet, a meme that's had me scratching the ol' brain matter for a day or so. You see, I feel like I'm out of training, publicity wise, not to mention getting it on with a full blown writing project, which is what this meme is about.

I guess you could say that recently my "media" hasn't been that social. I've had a lot going on; it's been a difficult time just to keep a thought in my head. A really tough time for writing.

The main reason for this was our littlest, who was rushed into children's A&E last month due to problems with his breathing. He was put on oxygen for five days, and it scared the shit out of me. It happens to young children all the time, but when it happens to your own, it's very different. It's taken weeks to just get over that little episode, and when I can concentrate, I've been working on a little project that should see publication next year. (I'll say more once it's official ;) ). So it ain't all doom and gloom.

This year has been a strange one for me. I've not completed a single draft of a novel, only completed one novella, a short story, and edits on the revised edition of The Secret War. It's been a fractured writing year really, of projects (Thirst eDition Fiction), renewed publicity, finding talents I didn't think I had (composing music and cover design) and of course family life which takes up most of my energies at the moment. I won't go into the day-job here; it's something that pays the bills, helps a few people but is hampered by lofty decisions that I do not agree with in the slightest.

So, when this meme from Roger dropped in my inbox, it got me thinking. So I've used it as a spring-board for 2013 - a year when I'll be making up for 2012. A year for two projects. Yep - crazy - but I've done the maths, and it can be done. One book will be on a faster track than the other, but in theory I'll have two books completed by 2014.

Wanna know more?

Then read the post below ...

The Next Big Thing (meme)

So, here goes - my thanks to Roger for sending this over...

~

1) What is the working title of your next book?

Well, there are two at the moment:

The Shadows of the Hive

and the next Secret War novel: 

The Blood on the Seine

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

The Shadow of the Hive comes from my love of SF and good stories. I recently went back to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and was reminded how simple, yet compelling the book was. The themes are so timeless. It's more about human nature and the ability to better one's self under traumatic circumstances than anything else, and could be written about any place or any time. So it got me thinking about how To Kill a Mockingbird would read if set in the far future. That's what Shadow... is, essentially, a book about human nature dealing with trauma and the stress of living on this floating and aimless ghetto in space, called the Hive, and how that can put a stress on our humanity. It might sound bleak, but it will actually be a very optimistic and uplifting book.

The Blood on the Seine: Secret War Bk2 is a natural progression from the first book. What I wanted to do was explain a little about what happens to the main character, William Saxon, between The Secret War and the Hoard of Mhorrer (which was originally published as Secret War book 2 in 2009 by Pan Macmillan, but is now in effect book 5/6). There's five years of experience in fighting demons and other undead that changes the man - I wanted to show some of that. Then it's onwards to two or maybe three more books before the events of the Hoard of Mhorrer.


3) What genre does your book fall under?

The Shadow of the Hive is science fiction

The Blood on the Seine is historical fantasy


4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Not sure about The Shadow of the Hive; I'm still feeling my way into the characters, but one of the main characters, Dallas (the father) needs to be played by an actor of quiet, humble gravitas, but big physical presence perhaps Hugh Jackman or even Tom Hardy. The narrator - a nine year old girl - would need to be largely unknown, but gifted actress, possibly the next Dakota Fanning or Natalie Portman.

The Blood on the Seine is easier to cast as the series has been in my head for the last 15 years. Since his turn in the new Star Trek reboot, I thought William Saxon should be played by Chris Hemsworth (who also acted well in the Thor movies). As the film would be set in Allied occupied Paris in 1815, the rest of the cast will be English, Scottish stalwarts of cinema and TV, while the character of Juliet Baudin would be played by Eva Green.

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

The Shadow of the Hive:

"A family existing in the chaos and aimless existence of a floating ghetto in space, are faced with a new danger, when inexplicably the people of their Hive turn on a minority section of their society: the Adapted, people who have been surgically altered to survive the rigors of space."

The Blood on the Seine:
"While serving his exile in a remote village in Italy, William Saxon is recalled by the British Army for what might become his final mission: to hunt down eight French deserters in Paris, but events run out of control as one by one the deserters are brutally murdered and William suspects an agent of Hell might be, once again, involved."


6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Both books will be agency represented, but initially it is expected that Blood on the Seine will be self-published as an ebook to generate interest.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

They are both still being written - but I expect much of this year and the next will be taken up by these two projects in total, with first drafts completed by the summer.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

The Shadow of the Hive is as suggested above, To Kill a Mockingbird in outer space.

The Blood on the Seine is a gothic, mystery and adventure novel. There's a bit of Sherlock Holmes in this, a bit of Dracula, and huge dollop of Edgar Rice Burroughs too.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The Shadow of the Hive was inspired by a series of events: being thrown into the wilderness of publishing, the belief of my agent, and Rupert Morgan who has reignited my love of SF through his venture, Paper Planes.

The Blood on the Seine was inspired by the first book in the series, and interest from fans. I wanted to do right by them.


10) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The Blood on the Seine is for everyone who loved The Secret War, and even The Hoard of Mhorrer (despite being set five years before the second book). It is an adventure novel above all else, with sword fights over mist-shrouded bridges in Paris, chases across rivers and down streets, and plenty of demons, vampires, blood-letting and peril. Lots of fun!

The Shadow of the Hive has less action, but is more about people and what they do in exceptional circumstances, against a back-drop of an immense folly that is both organic and steam-punk influenced. The Hive is a fantastic setting of vertiginous layers of walkways, cabins suspended on cables and ledges, and people who have learned to live in this great canopy-like of vessels. On this stage is played the most basic of human reactions: fear of the unusual, and what it drives men to do, often violence, against the most marginalised of society. In this drama, one man and his family are brave enough to stand up against that fear, leading to tragedy as well as redemption.

Halloween Offer Ends Tonight!

The launch offer for The Secret War (that's 50% off folks and undead folks!) ends tonight. 

The ebook even has a brand-spanking new cover too:

From the 1st November, the Kindle ebook version will revert to £1.99/$3.16, so get 'em while you can:

UK Kindle readers click here

US Kindle readers click here

~

In other news, the iBooks enhanced version of The Secret War (Revised Edition) took another step closer this week. The publication for the iBooks ebook is scheduled for Monday 7th January 2013 and will feature a musical score for the book, videos, previous cover art, and may even include the original book, typos and all.

As ever watch this space ...

Out now on the Amazon Kindle:

The revised edition of the best-selling historical fantasy novel The Secret War:

“For thousands of years a secret war has been fought between Heaven and Hell. Daemons and angels, knights and vampyres (known as the cambion), clash for the future of mankind, and as the two sides wage war across the world, innocent people are caught up in the conflict – men like Captain William Saxon and Lieutenant Kieran Harte, two great friends who have recently survived the horrors of the Battle of Waterloo.

But now they face a greater struggle, against the daemonic forces of Count Ordrane, and the clandestine ambitions of the Vatican. They must try to survive assassination attempts, political machinations, epic battles on land and sea, and above all the power of a mysterious bronze pyramid – the Scarimadean – that brings everlasting damnation too all who come into contact with it. Their only allies are an old man, a fading secret organisation in the Church, and an enigmatic warrior, who may hold the key not only to the friends’ fates, but to the fate of all mankind…

The year is 1815, when angels and daemons walked our streets…”

What they said about the original book published in 2007 by Pan Macmillan:

“Curran has an engaging style which has produced a very entertaining book…Curran’s talent is in ascension, and I for one cannot wait to read the sequel…” Prism – newsletter of the British Fantasy Society

“…its gripping and above all it’s a tale that will suck the reader in from the first page… Definitely an author to watch although I wouldn’t leave this offering on the shelf for long, one of our tips to pick up and get into before the masses learn of them.” Falcata Times

“…Just the sort of book I love, a historical novel shot through with the elements of the fantastic to pump up the action and the scope.” Rick Kleffel’s Agony Column

“The Secret War is great fun and a terrific read, an interesting take on a familiar idea that falls somewhere between epic fantasy and boys-own adventure it’s a heady mix that’s well worth investigating.” The Disgruntled Writer

“Well written, especially for a first novel, the early-19th-century setting is realised in grimy detail and the battle scenes are very graphically described.” Otago Daily Times

“Worth the read if you like your warfare bloody and brutal…” Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review

“Curran has produced a debut novel that’s tremendous fun…” Historical Novels Review

“Impressive for any writer, but considering this was his debut novel, this makes it even more worthy of note…” The Bookbag

“It’s well written and well paced with the mud & blood of battle coming through strongly without obsessing over the gore. …it’s an excellent read and thoroughly absorbing.” Un:Bound

“The Secret War is well written and an easy page-turner…” Chronicles

Out now:

Click here if you are a UK Kindle owner

Click here if you are a US Kindle owner

Where I am: have I lost my mojo?

I’m not sure if this counts as a mid-life crisis, but in the last year or so I think I’ve lost my mojo.

In 2008 I felt on top of my game, on a steep learning curve, but one that I was forging up at quite a rate I might add. In 2009 there was a significant event which kinda scuppered that: fatherhood. Now, yeah, it was self-inflicted, but it had a significant impact on my ability to keep a thought let alone throw my entire concentration onto the page. In the the past 3 years this situation hasn’t changed, in fact it might have gotten worse. My concentration has been beaten up by a three year old looking for attention and a baby who is damn cute, but needs constant care (we’ve been to A&E twice already this year with no.2 son).

So my writing has certainly been a casualty of fatherhood. I’m not saying that it contributed to what happened with the split with Pan Macmillan – I think the cracks were showing before my first son was born – but the time I have to write and the energy I have to concentrate on it has been greatly reduced. I’ve suffered RSI (partially due to using the keyboard, but significantly contributed to by constantly picking up said children); I’ve had more child-introduced illnesses in the last two years than I had in the ten preceding them (due in no small part to the breeding ground that is the nursery – your pandemic’s incomparable ally!), not to mention untold sleepless nights due to restless kids wanting comforters or with fevers etc.

And then there’s the lack of time with Sarah, and my laughable social life (which is on life-support – I’ve been out five times so far this year, and 2 of those occasions were a wedding and a stag-do). I haven’t been to a writers’ convention in a couple of years and it’s doubtful I’ll get to one in the next year or so either.

And, of course, it’s hit us financially.

None of this is a surprise. Not really. Though perhaps I didn’t think it would hit the writing so hard. What I’m going through is what any new family goes through, and there will be sacrifices. I’m lucky that I haven’t had to sacrifice my writing completely. Sarah has been very understanding. But what I put down on the page takes longer to construct and I make more mistakes. With all the things I’m involved in at the moment, it might seem that my productivity is as high as usual, maybe higher, but all the hours of the day are being spent getting it there.

The edits of The Secret War have taken longer than expected, due to me taking on more responsibilities. Little projects have been marginalized - like "Our Writing World" for example. I wanted to do more with that, make it a bigger thing than it was, involving more writers and presenting it on a separate blog. But all the work involved made it prohibitive, even though it would have been really interesting.

It's these little losses that make my shoulders slump and wonder what I could have achieved if I wasn't going through fatherhood.

So ... do I regret it?

Actually, no, I don’t.

In fact it’s something I can live with quite easily. Because firstly I’m a father, secondly I’m a husband, and at some point down the line I can call myself a writer. It’s still very much what I do, and I get off on it – writing that is. I can still make some money from it, maybe not enough to say “sayonara” to the day-job, but enough to justify the time being spent on publicity and the non-writing stuff. And that’s okay. As long as I don’t burn myself out – which is the risk, especially when you can’t rely on your mojo to get you by.

But my family is everything. Every time I shout at my son for interrupting me while I write, I almost immediately go back and apologise to him for being angry. Because they are what is most important to me.

Yeah, I might have lost my mojo, but what I’ve gained is a family and that’s a sacrifice worth making – even for a writer.

Music in the words: Scoring The Secret War (Secret War files No.7)

One of the things I’ve been looking into over recent weeks is the possibility of an enhanced e-book for The Secret War by the end of the year, or in the early weeks of January 2013.

The e-book of the revised edition is about to hit the Kindle in a couple of weeks, but that limits the book to just one platform, something that I’m not entirely happy about. My view is that one e-reader shouldn’t dominate the market, so with that in mind I’ve embarked on a parallel project to publish via iBooks Author too. Not just a carbon copy of the Kindle version, but something that utilises the iPad/iPhone platform and Apple’s flexibility.

It won’t be the first Thirst eDitionFiction book on iBooks, but The Secret War will be the first enhanced e-book that Thirst eDition Fiction will be putting out. The difference between the Kindle version and the iBooks version will be content – the iBooks version will have a video interview,including author interview, readings of the book as well as never seen footage of the original book launch. It will also feature animations at the beginning of each part; for the iBooks edition, the book will be split into three parts – each part will have an animation, and also a musical score.

And it’s the score that has been occupying me of late. I would never consider myself as a renaissance man, more a writer who has been forced into artistic DIY due to financial circumstance. The cover, for instance, was designed and put together by this author, and the copy-edits have been done by someone I know. The formatting of the book will eventually be done by me, as will all the other marketing, publicity etc. To pay someone to do all that would have cost four figures or thereabouts, and this is a project that aims to demonstrate that one person can do all this themselves on a small budget.

That includes the theme music for the enhanced iBook version. I’ve always been interested in movie music (I have around 50 soundtracks to various movies, kicking around thehouse) so armed with a nice bit of software on the iPad I’ve been scoring a couple of tracks for the book. After a little tinkering, I’m now in a position to preview these tracks on this blog:

The first track is more of a stoical, adventure theme, aiming to be simple, brooding, and perhaps a little sad. It's called "William and Kieran's Theme":

This track, or a variation, will form the score for each of the three parts, though probably cut down. The last theme is for the end of the book, again a poignant piece about loss more than anything, but also about a new beginning (I won’t spoil it for those yet to read The Secret War).

~

Again, this might be cut or altered; both themes are working pieces. But scoring The Secret War has made me look at the book again in a different way. There is a melody in writing, a movement in the words akin to music and getting that mood and rhythm right has been paramount. Too whimsical and it feels disposable. Too serious and it becomes turgid. There is a balance needed. I’m not sure if I’ve got that right in the music– I am still an amateur when it comes to composing – but I’ll be busting my own balls to get it right for the writing, believe me...

Progress is slow, but important

It’s been a weird couple of weeks. First I’m asked to consider writing a novella for a continent-based project – a project that has practically no limitations other than the word count – and then The Secret War edits turn into something more extensive. My copy-editor has put in a fair number of hours doing the edits so far, but as they are being done for nowt, they coming in a bit slow which means delaying The Secret War for a few weeks.

Which isn’t a bad thing. By publishing around 10^th September I can be certain it will get to you, the reader, in tip-top shape.

On top of that, I’m branching out into iBooks too. So expect an enhanced ebook of the Secret War coming out soon via Apple, one that has interviews, readings, animations and music. It should be fun.

~

After a couple of bad days regarding the health of our second son, this is welcome relief. I guess that’s what’s made this a strange couple of weeks, and nervy ones. As a parent you spend most of your time keeping alive your baby – and it takes a lot out of you. Just as the writing does, for different reasons.

Here’s hoping that the next few months are easier on both the writing and the family ...

Pulling teeth and other removals: The Secret War Files No.6

I used to love vampires. When I was a kid, the idea of Christopher Lee imprisoned in a castle just waiting to rip the throat out of an unfortunate passer-by, scared the crap out of me. Salem’s Lot did the same thing to middle-class America, and to a middle-class English kid too. As a nine year old I thought if it could happen in the States, it could happen here. I Am Legend reinforced this fear, but then it all started going down hill in the 80’s.

First there was Lost Boys, a brilliant modern take that I loved – and still do – enjoy thoroughly. Near Dark was more brooding, more serious and readdressed the balance of fear. But then Buffy the Vampire Slayer arrived, and while it was fun, vampires became dumb. After that it just went south and vampires have been denuded and diluted over the last two decades, turned into something that doesn’t resemble the fears of Matheson, Stoker or the makers of the Hammer movies.

The problem with using such an icon in fiction and movies is there are many vampire fans out there now, and when you read that vampires exist in a story it can attract readers of those stories. But when the vampires advertised in your book aren’t their version of what a vampire should be like, it’s gonna annoy the vampire faithful. Thanks to True Blood, the Twilight books, countless vampire-softcore porn both commercial and self-published, the modern vampire is a brooding teen-to-twenty something, immaculate, pretty, and charming, someone to be mooned over as well as feared. There are exceptions, books that have tried to get back to the bare bones or have a wit that makes the rise above the norm – Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula being one, but I haven’t bought a vampire novel in years now; this creature and his troupes have become trite.

~

When I wrote vampires into my Secret War books way back in 2001, I wanted to go back to the basics, the mythology of how the likes of Stoker could have dreamt them up – to make them scary again. I wanted to tinker with their lore, make them more grounded and show how the legends were abused by chinese whispers. In most cases, the creatures in my books are referred to as vampires because the locals call them so, not due to the facts which are very un-vampire like. It’s this thing we do to transfer those anxieties that can’t be rationalised, onto our greatest feared myths because it’s more comforting to know our enemy than not. Thus the disappearances of hunters are down to Big Foot, the slaughter of live-stock has been caused by werewolves, and immortal, half-daemons are in fact vampires.

So what about my vampires? Well for a start, they’re called "vampyre", and for another they’re not about sex, which is bound to disappoint some. My vampyres aren’t afraid of crosses, do not suffer garlic, and a stake in the heart will just annoy them. Some will lose cohesion in direct sunlight (their skin is extremely sensitive, and with some, is almost gossamer), but all will perish once decapitated. They do not drink blood. They drink wine, or spirits, or ale, because it tastes good – not because they need to. They eat because they can, not because they are hungry. They are undead. They are animated by the spirit of a daemon who does not need food, drink or blood to keep going. Their energy is a constant, coursing through the cells of the host, keeping them alive and immortal.

Really they are half-daemons, creature’s seduced by the promise of immortality but enslaved as servants to Count Ordrane of Draak, the super-half-daemon if you will, hell-bent on enslaving the rest of humanity. They are the Knights of the Lost, the brotherhood of half-daemons who believe they are masters of their own fates, when in fact their fate was sealed the moment they allowed themselves to be turned.

There is nothing glamorous about being one of these vampires. In one of the later Secret War books, Baron Horia tells Captain William Saxon that he made the choice after seeing his grandfather die of pestilence, slowing rotting away piece by piece. He did not wish to go the same way.

Fear drives my vampires to becoming the undead.

And really that’s what they are, undead, not truly alive or free. They exist only on the whim of daemons, and that is slavery not matter how you look at it. Is it tragic? For some, maybe, but it was their choice, their cowardice that made them so. It’s difficult to turn a man or woman into my vampires unless you really want to be one – too difficult to be done on a whim as so often happens in the flood of vampire-related fiction these days. There is nothing romantic about it. No ideal that makes them attractive. The undead are naïve at best; cowardly in the worst cases.

~

All this amounts to one thing: my vampires aren’t vampires in the modern sense, and its the modern sense that has won-out. I think there might have been room for my vampires say in the 70’s, and definitely when Stoker’s books came out, but not now. They just don’t fit the bill.

So during the revisions of the first book, I’ve deleted references to the name “vampyre” and replaced them with the “Knights of the Lost” and “undead”; truer references.

The Secret War books aren’t vampire books. Not in any sense of the word. I don’t want to be seen as mis-selling a fantasy series by saying otherwise.

But more importantly, I think vampires have had their day. For me, in a modern world of serial killers, cannibals, flesh-eating viruses, zombies and religious fundamentalists, vampires no longer frighten me.

And that’s the scariest thing of all.

Evolution of Covers: The Secret War Files No.5

I'm a big believer that readers do judge a book by its cover, including e-books. Cover design isn't an after-thought. It's a necessity.


However, the biggest problem with the revised edition of The Secret War, is that there is absolutely no budget for a cover...


... which means I've had to design one myself.

~

My first attempt at designing a cover, using Photoshop, was your basic heroic, battlefield-type e-book, with the solitary sword stuck in the ground:

Which really didn’t tell you much at all about the book, other than there were swords in it.

So I went for a bronze cover next with stock images of mayhem and Hell:

Which I thought looked okay, and was closer to what I wanted, but you could tell I was using Bosch in the background and while he’s not a bad reference, it still didn’t get the mood of the book.

So I thought, why not do an original drawing? I have a sliver of talent, and lots of enthusiasm, and as long as I still remained objective then the endeavor would be worthwhile. 


For this third attempt at cover design, I used Artrage and bought two reference images from a stock-photo store. I used these as the basis for my “soldier in a tangle” and the “grisly inferno”, digitally painting in the other elements and inserting the titles and the Thirst eDition Fiction logo. It all came together as this:

And this is how it looks on the Thirst eDition Fiction site. But while I’ve been looking through the copy-edits, I’ve been tinkering with the cover again.

I’ve always been a fan of pulp fiction covers, with that aged, “loved-book” appearance, and I thought why not do an e-book cover the same way? The Secret War has definitely a pulpy feel to it – it’s essentially an adventure romp, not too dissimilar to the Edgar Rice Burroughs books, though a war fought on Earth between Angels and Daemons, and not between John Carter and the Martians. I thought that creating an e-book cover that looks pulpy, might not be a bad thing. 
So, again using Artrage, I began marking the cover, saturating the colours and ageing the picture to come up with this:

I’m still not sure whether to run with this cover or not. I’m sure there’ll be some people who think the pulp cover is pants, indeed might even say the same about the original covers, but those I have spoken to say the cover is no worse than the hardback or paperback editions at the very least.

So, I am a relieved professional writer, and a happy amateur artist - I don't think it turned out all that badly considering I'm not a trained graphic designer. 
But as with the writing, I'll let others be the judge of that ...

Being clever is sometimes good; sometimes it’s shit: The Secret War Files No. 4

The worst part of writing, and publishing, is the proof-reading or copy-editing stage. It’s a killer. It’s the moment that you let go of your baby and let someone else cut it up into something publishable. A moment where someone tells you that your book aint bad, but could be better.

And apart from the fact it feels like eating your own ego through a straw up your nose, it’s also intensely boring. It requires you to trawl through your book for the bazillionth time accepting or rejecting changes that could make or break a novel. And it’s for that reason the copy-editing and proof-reading stage is the trickiest part of the whole writing thang. You have to be on your game like someone concentrating on defusing a bomb, whilst at the same time sucking in your pride.

And it takes t-i-m-e. You’re not at the finishing post quite yet. Shit. At this point, it’s not even in sight.

And I’m at that stage right now with the revised version of The Secret War. And this painful part of writing has just gotten trickier as we are pioneering the use of the Kindle to do the copy-edits. And this is where it gets "geeky", because we’re eschewing the standard paper-based copy-editing for something more pixel-orientated. 
As the book will be going out as an e-book, where better to pick up errors and general editing than an e-reader?

Sounds ideal, doesn’t it, especially as the Kindle has a highlighting/annotation function. But Amazon is half-a-job. They’ve created something that could be the dream of all writers out there, but have crippled themselves by the lack of functionality available. Just like Apple...

For those not in the know, the Kindle has the ability to annotate text, to make notes and general suggestions and save them in a file called “My Clippings.txt”.

Now, what would be ideal is if you could save the text document with the notes embedded in them, kinda like “track changes” on Microsoft Word. However, Amazon have decided that’s something we don’t need, so what you get is the ability to make notes, and what you don’t get is the ability to link them to the text unless it’s on your Kindle; you can’t export the two together. BIG mistake. You would have thought this functionality would be common sense. Alas, Amazon seem to be fresh out of that.

So what I’m stuck with is this: an e-book version of the new Secret War, the Word version of that same book, and a file of notes and annotations that mean naff-all without a reference. I’m having to manually match those suggested changes onto a Word document, and each change takes around 2-5 minutes to make. Multiply that by the number of changes and you can see that just 12 would take an hour; 120 would take ten hours.

If we went back to paper, it would take almost as long because it would require posting reams of paper over to me, whilst it’s easier just to e-mail the clippings file over on a weekly basis. So there are pros in doing it the Kindle way, but boy, it’ a ball-ache and should be so much simpler (are you listening Amazon?).

~

So, inevitably there’s now a delay with the publishing date of the book. It’s been rescheduled for 20^th August, which isn’t great but I’m not going to rush it. The whole point of this endeavour was to get the book to you, the reader, in the best possible state. That means poring over all the copy-edits, matching them to each location point on the e-book and then the Word Document; and yes, it’s like having your fingernails being pulled, and my patience is tried to breaking point. But it needs to be done.

It has to be done.

Many writers fall at this stage – thinking this is the end, and it isn’t. I don’t intend to be one of them.

The Secret War - the Next Chapter: The Secret War File No.3

Back in 2006, after Macmillan Publishers signed up The Secret War, I was asked what would I write next? What followed was the kind of excited panic felt by a child in a sweet shop surrounded by hundreds of different toffees, hard-boiled delights and mallow sweetness, but then being told they had only a few minutes to choose one or two before closing. It was a delight, but the pressure to decide on a path for the Secret War was immense.

The original premise for the series was something around 12-18 books, going as far back as the beginning of mankind and ending with the last battle between Heaven and Hell. But after watching other authors being saddled with a long series by their publishers - asked to churn out an ever decreasing quality of work - I had my concerns. These concerns were founded later on, but my initial reaction was to hang the series and just do three books. I could get what I wanted out of a trilogy if it was done my way, so that seemed the sensible route.

What I came up with was The Hoard of Mhorrer and then The Fortress of Black Glass. While I was pleased with The Hoard of Mhorrer it missed five years of William Saxon's story that needed to be told - story that was only hinted at in Hoard. I soon regretted this the moment that I was asked to edit out a whole sub-plot and one that was key to the entire series. I had been so eager to wrap up the books in three pieces, that I had missed the point, as had the publisher - the series needed to be longer.

When it came to writing the next book, The Fortress of Black Glass, I had to deal with that excised sub-plot for it to work. The sub-plot therefore became a book in itself. So the amended series now included The Traitor of Light - an intermission devoted to the Dar'uka; but Macmillan wanted only William Saxon stories, and this was also shelved. 
So in true Hollywood style, I embarked on a third book that I wasn't prepared to write, with a plot that would not make sense (because such a big part would be left unexplained) and with my confidence in myself and my publisher diminishing.

It was inevitable that I would leave Macmillan, perhaps the moment I was asked to change The Hoard of Mhorrer, or perhaps earlier than that. Maybe it was the moment I was asked what I would follow The Secret War with and I gabbled out that it would be a story set five years later. Maybe that was the moment my relationship with Macmillan was doomed.

Six years on, and I have a chance to rectify the mistake. Two weeks ago I started writing the first draft of The Blood on the Seine. It's the book I should have written in 2007, and is - chronologically - book 2 of the Secret War series. It takes place mere months after the events of the first book, is set in occupied Paris in 1815, and is very much a Gothic piece, but with the similar action and adventure of the first book.

But it is a pebble being tossed into a pond with regards the rest of the series. With The Blood on the Seine becoming book 2 - and there will now be at least three books after that - The Hoard of Mhorrer becomes book 6 with The Traitor of Light and The Fortress of Black Glass  becoming book 7 and 8 respectively.

This doesn't mean the whole series is being changed. Readers of The Hoard of Mhorrer aren't missing out, they're just being treated to the previous five years of adventure concerning William Saxon and co. These five books will set up the events in The Hoard of Mhorrer nicely (for example, there's more about the Rassis Cult) and will explain events in The Traitor of Light and finally The Fortress of Black Glass. It's a longer series, yes, but one that will be worthwhile to write, and I hope, read.

~

This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't regained the freedom to write. The Secret War books have a new home - Thirst eDition Fiction, a self-publishing venture that was started by several like-minded commercial authors. Book 1 - The Secret War - is being reissued by them later this month as a revised edition with a few tweaks to the writing.

It kicks off a renewed interest in a project that I thought might die because of the problems I've had along the way. It felt like leaving a folly half-completed, to lay in ruins; now I get to tear down some of the walls and build a better story, the decision-making driven by the architect rather than an accountant.

As with other self-published books - the Secret War series might be picked up by a commercial publisher in the future, but if it does, then the publisher will have a series that has been better thought out; by a writer who will be more bullish with regard his vision; a writer who has more experience about dealing with publishers and will not be swayed so easily by promises.

After all, it's the books that come first. That and the people who read them.

#Ourwritingworld

Well, considering this was an experiment pulled out of thin air, it's been quite a lot of fun. There's been a few responses to this so big thanks to everyone who has taken part. I'll update the blog as more roll in, but here's what a few of you have been writing today for "Our Writing World":


"I had begged Mum to give this man a job and now I needed to do all I could to rid ourselves of him." - @eliza_graham (Eliza Graham)


"Night. The tap of the branches on the window was broken only by the mournful hoot of an owl. A creak from the other bed..." - @swiftstory (Deborah Swift)


"Dorin appeared from behind a stove, wearing a grease-smeared apron over his fine shirt. He looked quite odd." - @mfwc (MFW Curran)


"Annais looked to her father. 'This man gave me hope when I needed it. He can be trusted,' she said." - @SirReadalotUK (Stuart McAllister)


"Carefully, I straightened up. Now that I knew it was her, I wasn’t sure what to do for the best. Williams would be expecting me ..." - Alis Hawkins


"....rapid loss of consciousness and death. There would be no post mortem; no-one would ever find out." - Frances Garood


"...special in me. My tenacity, my ability to do the worst jobs, make the tough decisions. My gullibility." - Aliya Whiteley


"An icy gust tugged at my cashmere scarf. OK, that wasn't, strictly speaking, Goldfarb's fault." - Len C Tyler


"My name is Saskia Maria Brandt. Repeat it, please, so that I know you heard it." - @ian_hocking (Ian Hocking)


"Linda's husband had left her the previous year and she had been struggling to cope on her own ever since." - David Budd

(#) Our Writing World is today

Just a quick updated blog entry for this little experiment of ours...


...And a reminder, that on the 5th July, those of us who are #amwriting can tweet the latest 100 characters of their work under the hashtag #ourwritingworld for all of Twitterdom to read. 
But as there's also quite a few writers out there who don't use Twitter, you can still post the last 100 chars here as a comment to this post, or you can e-mail me at mfwcurran@talktalk.net.


My deal to you all, is that I will copy and paste these entries into a blog post along with your twitter names. It will be a very fractured narrative, possibly poetic, possibly chaotic, but if it works - if it gets enough publicity and enough people do it - we could have ourselves a world snapshot of writers doing what they love and telling everyone about it.


We've had a few writers publicly (and privately) saying they're up for this so it should be fun.

(Oh yeah, PLS RT!)