Well well well.
The Zombie Ocean/Last Mayor series is finished, and now it is Spring. The old things are dead and it’s time for some new growth to creep in – and what better way to keep the zombie theme alive than with a zombie book…
But not about zombies. Though actually there are zombies in this book, just in an epic fantasy setting, but the point is the book itself is sort of a zombie.
What am I blathering on about?
The Rot’s War, book 2 of the Ignifer Cycle – more below. Also I have epic news about coming audiobooks, several books on special offer, and some adorkable photos of my cats Churchill and Lincoln, because why not 🙂
The Light
I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who bought The Light, shared it, reviewed it, and/or emailed to let me know what you think. The response has been so incredibly heartening! The journey Amo and pals went on was immense, and spanned some big changes in the last 4 years in my life:
– Moving country back to the UK
– Buying our first house
– Getting a new job
– Getting kittens
Amo et al were with me throughout – and now they are off on their own, trying to make something of the world that’s left to them.
Numerous readers have told me the book made them cry. Someone described it as one giant fight scene from start to finish. Most of all in these books I think I’m aiming at a kind of inspiration. Happy tears, we might call it, or even awed tears.
I love that feeling myself. I get it in movies like Interstellar, Gravity, Forrest Gump – where the human spirit just shines through in faith and self-sacrifice. If I can make you feel that in my stories, then I’ve succeeded :).
Audiobooks!!
I was contacted by a big audiobook publisher for audio rights to The Saint’s Rise and subsequent books in the Ignifer Cycle series.
This was extremely exciting news. This publisher produces some of the best epic fantasy in audio out there right now, as well as all-round huge books like The Martian.
To that end I’m working hard now on The Rot’s War, sequel to The Saint’s Rise, which will be out June 8.
Is it a zombie book? Well, it and The Saint’s Rise both are really. I wrote them something like 8 years ago, put them out and sold one or two hundred all told.
Then last year I re-wrote The Saint’s Rise and it took off – since December 2017 it has become easily my biggest seller! The Rot’s War is the follow-up. It’s a zombie book that won’t die, and is now re-animated.
I’m excited. It’s taking epic fantasy to places I’ve never seen before. Imagine The Neverending Story crossed with Back to the Future.
Yeah. Watch this space for audio updates, and look out for the June 8 launch!
Now some cat pictures:
Churchill presides over the TV.
Lincoln stalks twigs in the garden.
And that is it for this update.
In a month’s time we’ll be in the run-up to The Rot’s War release, so I’ll have news on that, along with some more special book offers for you. At some point soon you’re also going to see the gorgeous new covers for my cyberpunk trilogy!
In the meantime keep it real and enjoy the spring,
Michael.