Tommy Garret at the Beverly Hills-based boulevard magazine, Highlight Hollywood has posted a nice write-up about myself, and the prologue of my new book, Sisterhood of the Serpent.
Have a read here: Sisterhood of the Serpent.
Okay, as you were.
Reggie ;)
Samstag, 22. August 2015
Dienstag, 2. Juni 2015
The Gift.
Family and friends make my world go around.
I was sent an email yesterday from a very good friend. We were together briefly at Night Publishing, and then she was my boss at Thorstruck. With over fifty books to her name and a following larger than the entire Welsh speaking community of Wales, it's fair to say Poppet has a bit of knowledge about the "Industry". She's definitely someone to have in your corner when you're a fledgling publisher.
Which is why I was really happy when she contacted me out of the blue yesterday and wrote:
"I love the idea for your cover, but you can do far better. Here, I made one for you..."
If that doesn't ROCK, then nothing does.
Many thanks, Poppet.
I LOVE it.
I just hope the book lives up to its cover...
As you were.
Reggie.
Montag, 1. Juni 2015
Decisions...
Sisterhood is now finished.
I'll obviously have to go through it again, but first reactions to the initial draft have been better than favorable.
I've made a cover and have decided to release it with Ravenous Roadkill, the publishers set up by myself and my good mate Paul Rudd, (no, not the actor).
The reasoning behind this is:
1.) My initial idea of submitting it to Wild Wolf had too many question marks over it. Firstly, would they even want it, seeing as Division and House have done so spectacularly badly there? They've run their course now, and though I think it's great they kept them on their books, I haven't exactly set the place on fire with my sales. Wild Wolf are a mega cool set up, with some really laid back, yet forward thinking people running it, but it's still a serious business. Do I really want to wait a couple of months for a yay or a nay, which will probably be a "naaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" if I'm honest, when I can decide for myself?
2.) I've decided to make a go of it with Rudders and Ravenous, but not in the Biblical sense I hasten to add. I've been lucky up to now in that I've always landed with great publishers, people who have helped me along the way. Perhaps it's now the right time to step up and "have a go" myself? We're only going to be a small set up, but that's all I want. Rudders is doing his bit, looking into marketing, the best way to use Amazon, (sounds drug related, doesn't it?) etc. etc. so I reckon I should do my bit for the cause. That means releasing my work on the label I helped start. If it fails, then so be it. However, trying and failing is better than to have never tried at all... unless it's bestiality we're talking about. Best to leave that one alone... amongst other practices I'll refrain from listing here.
3.) I want to start on Division of the Damned part 2, and I know that if I'm waiting for a yes or no, I won't be writing anything. The waiting game sort of puts me on hold, so nothing happens. I'll go through Sisterhood again, see where Paul's at with our website, and then start on "Gulag", the proposed name for Division part 2. I think it would only be right and proper to send that to Wild Wolf first as they have the first part on their books, and they might finally make a bit of money on my name... IF they want it, of course. If they don't want it, well I'll cross that bridge when I reach it.
So, anyway, here's the proposed cover for The Sisterhood of the Serpent, (I KNEW that title would stick, they always do with me... sighs).
So now you know, peeps.
Wish us luck.
As you were...
Reg.
Just a quick post-script, here's a link with our books, check it out: Ravenous Roadkill Library.
I'll obviously have to go through it again, but first reactions to the initial draft have been better than favorable.
I've made a cover and have decided to release it with Ravenous Roadkill, the publishers set up by myself and my good mate Paul Rudd, (no, not the actor).
The reasoning behind this is:
1.) My initial idea of submitting it to Wild Wolf had too many question marks over it. Firstly, would they even want it, seeing as Division and House have done so spectacularly badly there? They've run their course now, and though I think it's great they kept them on their books, I haven't exactly set the place on fire with my sales. Wild Wolf are a mega cool set up, with some really laid back, yet forward thinking people running it, but it's still a serious business. Do I really want to wait a couple of months for a yay or a nay, which will probably be a "naaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" if I'm honest, when I can decide for myself?
2.) I've decided to make a go of it with Rudders and Ravenous, but not in the Biblical sense I hasten to add. I've been lucky up to now in that I've always landed with great publishers, people who have helped me along the way. Perhaps it's now the right time to step up and "have a go" myself? We're only going to be a small set up, but that's all I want. Rudders is doing his bit, looking into marketing, the best way to use Amazon, (sounds drug related, doesn't it?) etc. etc. so I reckon I should do my bit for the cause. That means releasing my work on the label I helped start. If it fails, then so be it. However, trying and failing is better than to have never tried at all... unless it's bestiality we're talking about. Best to leave that one alone... amongst other practices I'll refrain from listing here.
3.) I want to start on Division of the Damned part 2, and I know that if I'm waiting for a yes or no, I won't be writing anything. The waiting game sort of puts me on hold, so nothing happens. I'll go through Sisterhood again, see where Paul's at with our website, and then start on "Gulag", the proposed name for Division part 2. I think it would only be right and proper to send that to Wild Wolf first as they have the first part on their books, and they might finally make a bit of money on my name... IF they want it, of course. If they don't want it, well I'll cross that bridge when I reach it.
So, anyway, here's the proposed cover for The Sisterhood of the Serpent, (I KNEW that title would stick, they always do with me... sighs).
Wish us luck.
As you were...
Reg.
Just a quick post-script, here's a link with our books, check it out: Ravenous Roadkill Library.
Mittwoch, 22. April 2015
The Sisterhood of the Serpent
It took me just over two years to write, and it shows!
The Sisterhood of the Serpent was written in stops and starts, between short stories for competitions and anthologies, and so consequently it suffered in continuity... horribly!
Going through the story I'm finding forgotten characters and artifacts that colour the story... and I'm finding them ALL THE TIME!!
It seems that nigh on every chapter has a new weapon, situation, scar or character trait that I've forgotten.
What do we learn from this kids?
If we're going to start a book, stick to the plot and do not deviate until it's finished, or at least note the differences for future reference. It saves an awful lot of cleaning up afterward.
Wild Wolf have been good to their word, House and Division are on their books, but unless they start selling I don't see them being in paper anytime soon. Paper really is where the kudos lies, but the reality is that nobody wants to invest effort in something that isn't bringing in the readies. I recently bought a paperback book of Division, (second hand) and paid €17 for it, and felt mildly ripped off if I'm honest.
Americymru have released Eto 2, which is a collection of short stories by Welsh authors. My short, The Left Eye, is in there too. Americymru have said it'll be put into print as well in the near future.
Ravenous Roadkill is ticking along. The Fiddler's Soul sold a few at the beginning of the month and Chronicles has as well. Nothing breath-taking, but puttering along.
The €17 second-hand book was for a mate of mine. We've decided to have a go at translating Division into German. We regularly meet up in our fave pub, (the Jever Klause in Salzgitter) to drink a few beers and talk rubbish, and on one of these relaxed little sessions he brought the subject of translating one of my books up. It'll be a slow process, but I'm not going anywhere, neither is Sven, and I'm really up for the idea. See what happens, eh?
Instead of beer and talking bollocks, it'll be beer and work... Mmmmm, anyone else feel like they're watching a trainwreck in slow motion here?
And that's it peeps. That's all my book linked news for now.
As you were.
Reggie.
The Sisterhood of the Serpent was written in stops and starts, between short stories for competitions and anthologies, and so consequently it suffered in continuity... horribly!
Going through the story I'm finding forgotten characters and artifacts that colour the story... and I'm finding them ALL THE TIME!!
It seems that nigh on every chapter has a new weapon, situation, scar or character trait that I've forgotten.
What do we learn from this kids?
If we're going to start a book, stick to the plot and do not deviate until it's finished, or at least note the differences for future reference. It saves an awful lot of cleaning up afterward.
Wild Wolf have been good to their word, House and Division are on their books, but unless they start selling I don't see them being in paper anytime soon. Paper really is where the kudos lies, but the reality is that nobody wants to invest effort in something that isn't bringing in the readies. I recently bought a paperback book of Division, (second hand) and paid €17 for it, and felt mildly ripped off if I'm honest.
Americymru have released Eto 2, which is a collection of short stories by Welsh authors. My short, The Left Eye, is in there too. Americymru have said it'll be put into print as well in the near future.
Ravenous Roadkill is ticking along. The Fiddler's Soul sold a few at the beginning of the month and Chronicles has as well. Nothing breath-taking, but puttering along.
The €17 second-hand book was for a mate of mine. We've decided to have a go at translating Division into German. We regularly meet up in our fave pub, (the Jever Klause in Salzgitter) to drink a few beers and talk rubbish, and on one of these relaxed little sessions he brought the subject of translating one of my books up. It'll be a slow process, but I'm not going anywhere, neither is Sven, and I'm really up for the idea. See what happens, eh?
Instead of beer and talking bollocks, it'll be beer and work... Mmmmm, anyone else feel like they're watching a trainwreck in slow motion here?
And that's it peeps. That's all my book linked news for now.
As you were.
Reggie.
Donnerstag, 5. März 2015
Fate deals me blow after blow...
I have to smile to myself when I think back to yesterday. As I sat down to read my emails I was so blissfully unaware of the hammer blow that was about to be befall me, it almost seems comical. This happy ignorance lasted approximately three minutes before the sledge fell when I opened up that first email. It was from Chic McSherry, the head honcho at Thorstruck Press.
Basically, in his honest and very direct way, he wrote that as of March 31st , Thorstruck Press, my literary home for just under a year, will stop trading.
I won't lie, I was gutted.
I'd found a publisher I liked and felt at home with, and now they were closing. It took me a while to digest this information properly. However, from a business point of view, they were doing the right thing. They'd also been very upfront about everything, and basically there was nothing I could do to influence the decision anyway, so it wasn't really worth me slashing my wrists about it. Shit happens, as they say in Angola.
It seemed like my luck had finally run out.
You see, I've always been lucky in my dealings with other authors and publishing houses. I stumbled into Struggling Authors at just the right time and made some great friends there. We had no real clue as to how the business worked, we simply learned as we went along; sharing articles among ourselves about the process of writing, marketing, the unwritten laws of submissions, everything. We were avid amateurs, contributing new knowledge to the pool like conspiracy theorists after 9/11, and we loved it. Writing on your own is good, but being spurned on by friends who themselves are in the same process is the best.
Like a grazing herd, we sort of drifted over to Night publishing at the same time. I was sceptical, (for a change) but Tee and Richard dragged me there kicking and screaming, and that led on to my first deal. Night publishing was brilliant. Every month they held a vote to see who would be published. It was like a marketing test. If you made the list, (you had to make the list first), then the onus was on you to garner as many votes as possible. I set up an FB page, "Vote for me", (which despite my efforts to close is still going strong, bloody Facebook), and I canvassed everywhere. I walked the vote and was rewarded a year later with my first book in print.
Next came Taylor Street, which sadly imploded in on itself, and yet I managed to leave there unscarred and without recriminations. It's a long and tragic story, but as things went pear shaped, due to illness and some bad business decisions, the owners became more and more secretive. The FB page became a boiling pot of anger and accusation which was sad as I really liked them.
Then Thorstruck came along. Taylor had shut up shop and Thorstruck offered me a deal. They promised complete transparency, and because I was au fait with most of the other authors already I knew there'd be a great community spirit. I joined Thorstruck gladly and am grateful to them for their support and endeavors on my behalf. Thorstruck released an audiobook of Division, they had merchandise for sale with my work on and were exploring film rights and television productions. The world really seemed to be moving in the right direction, and then it hit a brick wall. The cold financial reality was that targets weren't being met, so the plug was pulled before it went badly wrong. Such is life in an Independent Press.
So peeps, this is the last month of my books being published by Thorstruck Press.
So what's happening now?
Well, a very cool publishing house called Wild Wolf are willing to take my books on when Thorstruck close down. I know quite a few people there and they have a great name, so despite my sadness at Thorstrucks closure, (I even loved the name, FFS. Thorstruck sounds so Viking!), I am chuffed to be going to a publisher run by people who I know are of my ilk. You've probably seen my links on Facebook for a wad of their authors, and so hopefully they'll be sharing my links now as well.
Wild Wolf publish crime, fantasy, horror and sci fi, so I think it's safe to say my work will find a home on their shelves. Here's their website, please have a look:
wildwolfpublishing.com/
So now it only leaves me to say thank you to Thorstruck for their belief in me when the chips were down, and to Poppet and Elaina, the two ladies who worked tirelessly to sort Thorstruck out. There were others running the show, but Poppet and Elaina were the driving force, the bodies who kept it ticking, and I have nothing but love and respect for the pair of them.
And thank you to Rod at Wild Wolf for taking my work on, I hope you won't be disappointed :D
The king is dead, long live the king, as the saying goes.
As you were.
Reggie.
Basically, in his honest and very direct way, he wrote that as of March 31st , Thorstruck Press, my literary home for just under a year, will stop trading.
I won't lie, I was gutted.
I'd found a publisher I liked and felt at home with, and now they were closing. It took me a while to digest this information properly. However, from a business point of view, they were doing the right thing. They'd also been very upfront about everything, and basically there was nothing I could do to influence the decision anyway, so it wasn't really worth me slashing my wrists about it. Shit happens, as they say in Angola.
It seemed like my luck had finally run out.
You see, I've always been lucky in my dealings with other authors and publishing houses. I stumbled into Struggling Authors at just the right time and made some great friends there. We had no real clue as to how the business worked, we simply learned as we went along; sharing articles among ourselves about the process of writing, marketing, the unwritten laws of submissions, everything. We were avid amateurs, contributing new knowledge to the pool like conspiracy theorists after 9/11, and we loved it. Writing on your own is good, but being spurned on by friends who themselves are in the same process is the best.
Like a grazing herd, we sort of drifted over to Night publishing at the same time. I was sceptical, (for a change) but Tee and Richard dragged me there kicking and screaming, and that led on to my first deal. Night publishing was brilliant. Every month they held a vote to see who would be published. It was like a marketing test. If you made the list, (you had to make the list first), then the onus was on you to garner as many votes as possible. I set up an FB page, "Vote for me", (which despite my efforts to close is still going strong, bloody Facebook), and I canvassed everywhere. I walked the vote and was rewarded a year later with my first book in print.
Next came Taylor Street, which sadly imploded in on itself, and yet I managed to leave there unscarred and without recriminations. It's a long and tragic story, but as things went pear shaped, due to illness and some bad business decisions, the owners became more and more secretive. The FB page became a boiling pot of anger and accusation which was sad as I really liked them.
Then Thorstruck came along. Taylor had shut up shop and Thorstruck offered me a deal. They promised complete transparency, and because I was au fait with most of the other authors already I knew there'd be a great community spirit. I joined Thorstruck gladly and am grateful to them for their support and endeavors on my behalf. Thorstruck released an audiobook of Division, they had merchandise for sale with my work on and were exploring film rights and television productions. The world really seemed to be moving in the right direction, and then it hit a brick wall. The cold financial reality was that targets weren't being met, so the plug was pulled before it went badly wrong. Such is life in an Independent Press.
So peeps, this is the last month of my books being published by Thorstruck Press.
So what's happening now?
Well, a very cool publishing house called Wild Wolf are willing to take my books on when Thorstruck close down. I know quite a few people there and they have a great name, so despite my sadness at Thorstrucks closure, (I even loved the name, FFS. Thorstruck sounds so Viking!), I am chuffed to be going to a publisher run by people who I know are of my ilk. You've probably seen my links on Facebook for a wad of their authors, and so hopefully they'll be sharing my links now as well.
Wild Wolf publish crime, fantasy, horror and sci fi, so I think it's safe to say my work will find a home on their shelves. Here's their website, please have a look:
wildwolfpublishing.com/
So now it only leaves me to say thank you to Thorstruck for their belief in me when the chips were down, and to Poppet and Elaina, the two ladies who worked tirelessly to sort Thorstruck out. There were others running the show, but Poppet and Elaina were the driving force, the bodies who kept it ticking, and I have nothing but love and respect for the pair of them.
And thank you to Rod at Wild Wolf for taking my work on, I hope you won't be disappointed :D
The king is dead, long live the king, as the saying goes.
As you were.
Reggie.
Abonnieren
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