Chris Wooding

Squee!

And better still, the whole graphic novel is full colour like this. I’ve seen some of Cassandra’s finished interior art and it’s utterly brilliant. It’s due to be released IN THE US ONLY on New Year’s Day. Contrary to the usual way of things with my books, the States will be getting it first, as this is a project done with the American arm of Scholastic. Other countries (including Britain) will get it later as individual publishers make their own arrangements. I’ll let you know about release dates when I do. Meantime, you can preorder it from Amazon US here.

Also, I’ve finally delivered the final final copyedited final version of The Iron Jackal, finally. It’s in the bag and set for Oct 20th in the UK. Don’t know for the States or other countries yet, as they have to cut their own deals: again, I’ll let you know when I do.

My next book is going to be another YA one before I do the 4th Ketty Jay. I’ll be able to tell you a bit about it very soon, am just waiting on the okay from Scholastic before I get into it; but I am fairly jigging with excitement. It WON’T be another Malice book, however: it’ll be a standalone. The will-he-won’t-he saga of Malice 3 has dragged on a long time now, for which I apologise. The delay was because of business decisions between the various arms of Scholastic that I can’t really go into, and all that took ages to sort out, and it’s still not entirely done. There still may or may not be another one further down the line, but it probably won’t be for a while if so.

More soon…

Just a couple of quick reminders, since my appearances in the world of mortals are rare and few:

I’ll be at Forbidden Planet, Thurs 23rd from 6pm-7pm for their Ten Author Signing. From 7pm – midnight said Ten Authors will presumably be in a nearby pub, drinking away the demons of their ruined lives and shattered pasts.

I’ll be at Alt Fiction in Derby doing a bunch of panels and readings and stuff on Sat 25th. I’ll still be around on the Sunday, but I’m not doing any panels that day so I’ll just be generally shiftless.

Speaking of Derby, while randomly googling my own books in a narcissistic frenzy, I discovered that there’s a band called Alaizabel Cray that hails from there. Now, frankly, her name is too hard to spell for it to be a coincidence, so I shall take it as a ‘Yay’ moment. They may not be threatening The X-Factor any time soon but I used to listen to a bunch of Morbid Angel, Carcass and Obituary back in the day so I’m down with this 😉 Give ’em a listen!

Hey all,

First a reminder that The Black Lung Captain is now available in the UK in mass market paperback (ie the handy, cheap and pocket-sized paperbacks we all know and love instead of the big fat trade editions). It will get its first release July 26th in the US.

Second, Alaizabel made the Total Film ‘30 Books That Could Be The Next Harry Potter‘ list! Woo! Yes, I’ll take Fincher & McAvoy, thank you 😉 Before anyone asks, I have no news on the movie. We’ve only just got through all the contract bumph with Trademark Films, but all is now signed and done so they will presumably (hopefully) be getting to work on it very soon. News when I have it.

Title says it all, really. I’ll be doing another book signing at Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue in London on the 23rd of the month, which is a Thursday.  Other eminent SF/Fantasy authors who may want to scratch you with their pens on the day will include, but are not limited to, Tom Lloyd, Jaine Fenn, Mark Barrowcliffe and (99% certainty and rising) James Barclay. I’ll give you the full cast list when I’ve got it.

Come one, come all! I’m only moderately tiresome and almost completely non-lethal.

So I’ve been writing all kinds of secret little projects while waiting for my editor to get back to me with The Iron Jackal edits, which you may hear about in time if anything comes of them 😉

Meantime, let me tell you about another convention at which I shall be doing some general panel-bothering and gobbing off about all and sundry: Alt Fiction, which is held in Derby on the 25th and 26th of June. This will be my first year at Alt Fiction, but I’m assured by all and sundry that it’s very good fun, so if you’re lucky enough to come from the Midlands like I am, get yerself down there. Or just, y’know, get in a car or something if you’re from further afield…

More news when I have it!

Yesss!

I know, I know, some people out there have a problem with the recent trend of hooded dudes on the covers of fantasy books. Well, I’ve never had a hooded dude on one of mine, and it’s about time I did. Plus the Weavers look way badass. So there 😛

Just a quickie: I’m guest blogging with Kevin Hearne over at Babel Clash for the next 10 days or so. If you’re starved of blog posts here, go have a look 😉

Actually, those first two words were a lie. It was neither signed, nor sealed, unless you mean by the cosy electronic non-security of cyberspace. But The Iron Jackal is now in the paws of my editor, and I’m about to head off to Eastercon, and it’s April and somehow the sun is shining. I feel like I’m about to burst into song, Heidi-style. Tra-la!

Gotta go. Somebody, somewhere, owes me a beer… 😉

Publishing books is a complicated affair, involving lots of departments all trying to get their ducks in a row, so it’s a writer’s lot to see their books delayed from time to time. I’ve just got the news that the Braided Path reissue – a shiny shiny gorgeous hardcover edition – has been bumped back two months to July 21st. Possibly this uncertainty was why Amazon cancelled the pre-orders of some people. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks Amazon will sort itself out and allow preorders of this new edition.

Anyway, it’s a small delay and it’s for a good reason, and now you get to read it in the sun instead of the rain 😀

As part of Suvudu.com‘s 50 page Friday promotion, you may now read the first FIVE CHAPTERS of Retribution Falls free, in celebration of its imminent release in the US. Oh yes. If you haven’t bought it already (why not? hmm?), check it out here.

The Iron Jackal will be delivered to my editor in the next few days. Praise be. I’m gonna be a happy bunny at Eastercon.