May 2013 Archive

The Blade Itself in Taiwan

Fantasy Foundation Publications are putting out The First Law in Taiwan:

The First Law1_the blade itself_cover.jpg

Always fascinating how different publishers with different markets choose to present the same book.  I believe this is the 26th translation deal for The Blade Itself, if you can credit that.  It’s rather wonderful to think of such diverse people thrilling, thrilling I say, to stuff that I basically dreamed up in the middle of the night for my own amusement.  So my thanks to the wonderful editors and rights agents at Orion who’ve put all these deals together over the last seven or eight years, and my thanks to all the far-flung publishers who’ve taken a chance on the books.  I won’t thank the readers.  MY FANTASTIC WORK IS THANKS ENOUGH.

Thanks, readers.

Should you have considerably better command of traditional Chinese than I, you can order a copy at one of these online retailers.

And while we’re about it, here’s their forthcoming Before They are Hanged:

The First Law2_Before They Are Hanged_cover

Read more | 13 comments | Posted in artwork, news

Just How Bad Was Your First Draft?

The Inquisition should be uprooting treasons and bringing dangerous criminals to book, but they just won’t leave me alone, and it seems they’re fixated on the process of writing, or at least what passes for it in my case.  Today a question via email from Practical George Allen, who describes himself as, “a cringing, neurotic, self-deprecating […]

Read more | 15 comments | Posted in process, The Inquisition

From Script to Coloured Page 4

Andie Tong’s finished inks are coloured by Pete Pantazis and end up like this: I guess before starting on this project I was vaguely aware that you usually had a guy who drew the pages and a guy who coloured them, but if I’d thought about it at all I’d supposed that colouring was a […]

Read more | 2 comments | Posted in artwork, Graphic Novel

From Script to Coloured Page 3

And now Page 5 inks: With the ink (digital ink, I would assume) comes texture, shadow, detail, realism and weight.  I usually don’t see the pencils, just comment on the inked pages, and more often than not I’ve got very little to say.  They then go straight on to Pete Pantazis for colouring…

Read more | 2 comments | Posted in artwork, Graphic Novel

From Script to Coloured Page 2

And now the pencilled page 5: When I think about the amount of work that goes into each page, I get a bit scared.  There’s the design of the costumes, the characters, the architecture, a huge task which is akin to asking the artist to act as costume designer, set designer, and casting agent on […]

Read more | 3 comments | Posted in artwork, Graphic Novel

From Script to Coloured Page 1

Now that The First Law Graphic Novel is chugging away, I thought I might share some of the process, looking at the script, pencils, inks, and colours on a few pages from issue two I particularly like.  First up is the forthcoming page 5, which will be going up on the site this coming monday. […]

Read more | 3 comments | Posted in artwork, Graphic Novel

Going Rogues

GRRM has announced he and Gardner Dozois’ latest multi-genre anthology, Rogues, and look who wrote the very first story, why it’s only that nice Joe Abercrombie fellow.  Mine’s quite a hefty 12,000 worder, set in Sipani, City of Mists, City of Whispers, and featuring all manner of thievery, roguery, skullduggery, tomfoolery, and unpleasantness, with a […]

Read more | 19 comments | Posted in announcements, news

Whisky Deathmatch: Islay Blood Feud

Well, I’m not totally sure Whisky Deathmatch has been particularly useful to my career, but I certainly enjoyed the tastings and, ignorant though I remain, I feel I’ve learned a great deal from the experience of comparing whiskies against each other.  Plus I’m a massive fan of colons in titles, so coming your way over […]

Read more | 13 comments | Posted in whisky deathmatch

Major West Needs YOU!

As of today, the whole 24 page first issue of The First Law Graphic Novel is up at www.firstlawcomic.com.  You can go check it out, entirely free of charge.  It is our GIFT to you ungrateful lot, and new pages will carry on being posted every monday, wednesday, and friday. For those who’d rather not […]

Read more | 18 comments | Posted in artwork, Graphic Novel, interviews

Ardbeg Corryvreckan vs Balvenie Single Barrel

Welcome to the Whisky Deathmatch grand final! Can you smell the excitement? Smells like whisky, doesn’t it? That’s because it is! 12 Whiskys entered, and via a tortuous process of elimination, only two remain.  Bladnoch 20, An Cnoc 16, Dalmore 15, and Aberlour 18 went down in our first round.  No disrespect to them, the […]

Read more | 22 comments | Posted in whisky deathmatch