A WRITER, HE MUTTERED

Presenting "CRASH BANG MONEY and Other Stories"

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:42:00 +0000

I have a new book out on April 19th - hey, that's less than 2 weeks away! It's a comprehensive collection of (almost) all of my short work to date, presented together in one volume for the first time ever. It amounts to 25 of my short pieces, each about 1000-1500 words in length. A few of them come from the now-unavailable collection We Are Now, others from Deadly Sins (also no longer available) and still others from various different places that are too numerous to mention. Also featured are a couple of brand new stories that, no matter how exhaustively you've been monitoring my output, you'll never have read anywhere before.

I'm proud of Crash Bang Money and Other Stories, but it took a long time to put together. When you're compiling a collection like this one, that features stories with a broad range of subject matter, style and tone, you have to try and figure out how best to present them, and most importantly what kind of order to put them in. So I struggled for some time with best order for the stories to go in. I'm happy with how things ended up, though. There's a pathway from one end of the collection to the other. It's a twisted, winding, peculiar pathway full of digressions and distractions, but it's there!

So, here's a summary of what to expect:

25 short stories from the bizarre and compelling mind of author Neil Vogler, gathered together for the first time in one volume...

Some of these stories have a sci-fi flavour, some are set in the here and now... and all of them are unique, weird, and darkly funny.

Meet the pill-popping insomniac who believes the voice of his city is telling him who to save from harm; the former child actor who's now a desperate fame-seeker and is considering using a gun to get attention; the psychic employed by the police who may be more powerful than anyone imagined; the would-be victim of a serial killer who just won't die; the man with a taste for making love to scrap metal; and the TV worker who receives a very compromising video of his boss, and makes an extremely dangerous decision. All of them and many more are here in CRASH BANG MONEY and Other Stories.

I'm currently waiting on the first early reviews to hit, but I am lucky enough to have had Tom Vowler, editor of the prestigious Short Fiction journal and Scott Prize-winning author of the short story collection The Method, add his endorsement to the book, with this quote:

"Vogler's stories revel in scalpel-sharp wit and flair. Wonderfully imaginative and at times unsettling tales, which occupy a future that may already be upon us."

You can see the Goodreads page for Crash Bang Money and Other Stories here. The book will be available to buy on April 19th.

I should also add that the cover was created by the excellent Susan Omand over at Omandoriginal.com. I urge you to explore her stuff, because she's a brilliant artist.

Happy reading...

NEW WRITING - SHORT STORY 'THEY ARE EVERYWHERE' - READ IT FOR FREE

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 14:18:00 +0000

My local paper here in the UK, The Plymouth Herald, is admirably and pleasingly throwing its weight behind a campaign to celebrate the work of local authors and poets, and devoting numerous pages week on week to promoting the talent on its doorstep. I couldn't be happier with this development -- I used to work for the paper as a freelancer half a lifetime ago, and I know how hard it is to get anything non-news related a few column inches -- so I'm delighted to say that they're printing a brand new story of mine, They Are Everywhere, in the physical paper tomorrow.

However, should you be curious and yet not local, don't fret. The story has gone live on their website today, and you can read it for free here.

In keeping with my usual highbrow subject matter, this story is about a man who thinks he's seeing tomato sauce bottles everywhere, and is terrified by the implications...

In other news that is mostly unrelated, Virulent Blurb author and fellow Garbage-File contributor Kneel Downe is putting together a new anthology of art and short stories to raise money for a children's charity, and I'm fully intending to contribute a story. I like Downe's attitude and it's for a great cause - but if you're someone who fancies writing something or creating some art around the theme "Stolen", you should definitely think about entering the competition at this link, because it could provide a nice bit of exposure to any of you out there in need of a little bit of light shone on your artistic output.

Finally, in case you missed it, I recently posted a new 'Underappreciated' column over at Albie Media telling you why I think you should check out Blockhead's latest album Bells & Whistles.

Until next time...

DAVID BOWIE 1947 - 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 10:06:00 +0000

In the wake of the death of David Bowie, I wrote a piece for music and arts site Albiemedia.com this week, in praise of the great man's unique creative mindset. Anyone who knows me or my written work will know how influential a figure Bowie was in my own life. You can read the piece here.

I'll be back soon with another 'Underappreciated' column, an album recommendation this time. Stay tuned.

I GET MY COMIC GEEK ON WITH MY LATEST PIECE OF WRITING

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 09:53:00 +0000

I'm over at movie/TV/books/comics site Garbage-File today, where my latest "Underappreciated" column is a ridiculously geeky post about the Marvel comic character Death's Head, who has been a favourite of mine for many years. Not only do I give you a bit of history about the character, but I also go right ahead and pitch a Death's Head movie ... and even fancast the main roles. Because I apparently that nerdy.

You can read the post here.

OH VOGLER, WHERE ART THOU? or NEW WRITING AND WHAT'S AFOOT

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 08:44:00 +0000

You may have noticed it's been quiet around these parts lately! It's not that I haven't been writing -- only that I haven't been writing blog posts.

I'm working hard on the Tripler sequel at the moment (currently titled Tripler: Ruination) -- it's going to be suitably crazy, by the way -- and I'm also in the process of getting a brand new collection of short stories together, the central theme of which may surprise you if you only know me as a writer of SF. More on that particular project somewhere down the road...

In terms of what's coming down the pipe, then -- firstly, my short stories from both the Flash Fiction Fest books (that would be 2012's We Are Now and 2013's Deadly Sins) are due to be collected together soon into one volume, and I'm going to throw a couple of bonus stories in there too I've had lying around for a while. I'd say that's probably going to come out early in the New Year, depending on my publisher's yet-to-be-finalised schedule. Then, in late spring, my next short story collection of all brand new material should be out (title TBC). Hopefully, about November 2016 you'll see book 2 of the Tripler Trilogy.

Elsewhere, I've become a regular contributor to UK-based movie/TV/books/geekery site Garbage-File, where they've kindly (foolishly?) given me my own column. It's called Neil Vogler's Underappreciated, and it's basically giving me free reign to champion and celebrate works that I think have been unjustly overlooked or undervalued in our collective cultural memories. So far, the column's proving to be enormous fun.

There have been two columns so far - in my first one I tackled Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and you can read the whole piece here.

The second column hit today, and in it I tell you why I think you should watch Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly.

Finally, as ever you can find me on Twitter, where I am probably spending whatever energy I should have used blogging on tweeting nonsense instead. If you haven't already, by all means say hello.

Finally finally, a great big thank you to any interested parties out there who have supported me by reading / reviewing / sharing my stuff over these past few years. You are all top people and I'm deeply appreciative!

I am still lurking in other people's blog spaces, by the way, even if I'm not a big commenter these days.

Until next time, then...

A BUNCH OF ALBUMS I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:50:00 +0000

Here we go, entry number #5 of my irregular series, "What Neil has been listening to lately". Now, anyone paying attention will note that these are quite singer-songwritery records, in sharp contrast to my normally more eclectic selection of genre-hopping, whacked-out audio fare. If you're wondering if there's a reason, some lurking existential crisis perhaps, then all I have to say on that is, Um... nah.

On a sidenote: I am one of those people who prefer to listen to whole albums, not just single tracks. I'm always looking for albums that can be enjoyed all the way through, from beginning to end, and that's what I think all of the titles on this list give you: an excellent, complete, enjoyable and layered full album experience.

So, to the list:

1. BEN OTTEWELL - RATTLEBAG

This came out in December and, as a fan of Gomez who was somehow unaware of Ben's solo output, it came as a genuinely great surprise to find out he's been putting out his own stuff. Hearing his voice again was like getting reacquainted with an old friend I didn't even realise I was missing. Ben's voice is huge, distinctive and weathered -- he fucking barks at you sometimes -- and he's never less than totally compelling all the way through this record. Broadly speaking it's acoustica, heavily influenced by Americana, but I urge a listen, because there are some beautiful songs on this album that gently work their way under your skin.

2. DAVID GRAY - MUTINEERS

I've a long history with David Gray's output, and also I've seen him live. My favourite album of his is Flesh, which is an early entry into his discography, because it's so angry and raw and vivid. A surprising amount of people seem to think his noteworthy work begins and ends with White Ladder, the singles from which defined a whole era of turn-of-the-century lo-fi acoustica for a certain portion of the UK populace. But he's put out a lot of records before and since, and some of them are truly excellent pieces of work. Draw The Line, a recent album, was a bit of a return to form in my opinion, although Foundling, which followed it, puzzlingly made almost no impression on me whatsoever. Mutineers took me by surprise, because here Gray sounds reinvigorated, alive, willing to experiment, and somehow re-committed to his craft. You can feel him enjoying himself again on this album, and it's great to hear. One of the things I love about him as a songwriter are that he very obviously works things out through his songs. You can hear him thinking, reasoning, arguing with himself, coming full circle on some things, landing in surprising places on others. It's good shit, basically, and if you wrote him off a long time ago, now's the time to come back into the fold.

3. GAZ COOMBES - MATADOR

I liked Supergrass, but I didn't love them. Their first album, I Should Coco, fun as it was, felt a little too lightweight and juvenile to me when it came out. The second album, however, was a real favourite of mine, and I played the hell out of tracks like Going Out and the track that gave the album its title, In It For The Money. After that they kind of fell off my "must listen" list, and their third album, Supergrass, for whatever reason, didn't get a lot of play in my house. They moved off my radar and I missed a couple of their releases, then I picked up Road to Rouen in 2005, which I felt was an interesting and thoughtful acoustic departure, but sounded a lot to me like a band who'd burned out and were trying to figure out where to go next. Supergrass faded away, and I'll admit my interest in them waned.

As it turned out, the end of Supergrass turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Gaz Coombes' music. Matador is amazing, a layered, beautiful, dazzling, buzzing record that I could not stop listening to for weeks on end. Much like Ben Ottewell, I had no idea Coombes had gone solo, and it's a real delight to find out that not only has he been making music, he's been making astonishingly good music.In Gaz's case, what's on this record far surpasses anything he ever did with Supergrass. It's a pulsing, thrilling record that also somehow manages to come across as thoughtful, considered and mature all at the same time. This is a guy at the top of his game. Off the back of this I also picked up his first solo effort, Here Come The Bombs, which is really good too, but not quite as exquisitely crafted as this one. You should buy Matador immediately.

4. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB - SO LONG, SEE YOU TOMORROW

Not exactly a new release, as it's been out for almost a year, but seriously, where the hell did this album come from? I'd flirted with BBC's music previously, but never really got into it. I bought Flaws when it came out a few years ago after hearing a couple of tracks played live at a festival, but I never really connected with the record. Then, in the last months of 2014, I kept hearing a couple of amazing songs getting radio play and thinking, "Who the hell are that band?". Turns out it was Bombay Bicycle Club, who it appears have become masters of the epic-sounding, multi-layered, intelligently-crafted earworm.

This album is a rush from beginning to end, full of weird sounds, unique lyrics, and incredible beats. This, to me, honestly doesn't sound like the same band I'd heard previously. I bought this album and spent two weeks with it on constant replay. It takes a while to appreciate just how glorious this record is - it's joyful and exhilarating without ever being cheesy. The craftsmanship on display on this record - and the musicianship - is staggering. Based on this I will get hold of whatever BBC decide to put out in the future. What an album.

So there you go, a collection of albums I wholeheartedly endorse. In my next post I might talk about a few albums that I've failed to connect with. Maybe we can also analyse why there are no female artists on the above list? That definitely wasn't deliberate - maybe I'll do a post about a whole host of my favourite female artists. Anyway, watch this space. At my current schedule, that particularly blog should be ready in ... oh, about four months.

COVER REVEAL: FUTURE CITY BLUES

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:12:00 +0000

Introducing Future City Blues - three sci-fi investigators, now together in one volume, coming very soon to an e-reader near you...

Meet Charlie Madison, hard-boiled private eye with a heart of gold, and a champion of lost causes in a city controlled by a ruthless kingpin; Simms, a Genehunter paid to track down the DNA of the famous and infamous of history for his clients' private collections; and Harry Allwear, ex-soldier and specialist tracker working for an international organisation dedicated to wiping out "Triplers" -- virus-infected humans who can literally split into three.

Contains the following three stories:

Doppelganger's Curse by Milo James Fowler

A woman stalked by her double. A detective caught in a web of madness and murder...

In a city where the cops are on a mobster's payroll, private investigator Charlie Madison stands in the gap. When a wealthy young socialite asks Madison to help her catch a threatening stalker, he takes the case. But things aren't what they seem, and Madison has to act fast before he's framed for murder.

The Wrong Tom Jacks by Simon Kewin

Simms is employed to locate the genetic code of Tom Jacks. But not the rock star Tom Jacks, just an unknown namesake.

The job bugs Simms. Something about it is wrong. Someone is playing him. Problem is he doesn't know who or why. None of the illegal plug-in tech filling his brain is much damn use. And the one person who can help him is also the one person on the planet who never wants to speak to him again...

Tripler: The Beginning by Neil Vogler

In the near future an impossible virus is giving people the ability to summon two identical physical copies of themselves into existence at any time and in any situation – sending them violently insane as a side-effect. They call the infected 'Triplers'.

Harry Allwear is a specialist tracker, an experienced, highly-trained operative working for an international organisation dedicated to wiping out the Tripler menace. But after his latest mission goes badly wrong and a dangerous target gets the better of him, Harry regains consciousness to find his worst fear realised: he's been deliberately infected with the virus...

Future City Blues: hitting the neon-soaked streets soon, and available FREE as a multi-format ebook.

ACTION!

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 16:07:00 +0000

I’m over at one of my favourite sites on the internet today, SF Signal, where they were kind (and crazy) enough to let me write a very long piece for them all about writing effective action sequences.

I’ll tell you what, that piece could have been 10,000 words long. I, er, have a lot to say about writing action, after devoting fourteen months of my life to writing Tripler (and thinking about it for years beforehand). I love action on the page, and I love analysing action on the page. I had to really trim the piece down to make it a readable length, though – I had to cut quite a lot of chat about numerous other excellent action-based novels I read last year, and I also had to scale back the amount of praise I was heaping on a slew of recent and not-so-recent movies that I believe handle their action scenes amazingly well, and provide superbly illustrative reference material for writers.

In terms of the advice I give, I didn’t even get a chance to explore effective use of language, or subverting expectations, or exploding clichés, or any one of about seventeen other points I’d hoped to make, both obvious and not-so-obvious. But, if you’re the sort of person who’s thinking about writing an action-based novel, and you haven’t yet got a great deal of experience, then I hope at least some of the points I’ve made might come in useful and get your mind working.

One note about SF Signal, too – the guys that run that site, and I’m talking specifically about John DeNardo and Kristin Centorcelli, are fantastic people, really helpful, understanding, approachable and inclusive. (By email, anyway. I haven't had the chance to meet them in real life, what with the Atlantic Ocean and all.) Seriously, I wish more sites could be as enthusiastic and nurturing of genre writers as SF Signal is.

Now, while I’m here – if anyone wants to make any recommendations as regards amazing but overlooked novels / movies from any era that contain incredible or exhilarating action sequences, please feel free to do so in the comments section. And if it ends up becoming an advert for your own piece of work, you know what? That’s fine with me too.

HERE'S TRIPLER: BOOK #1 OF THE TRIPLER TRILOGY

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 15:16:00 +0000

So, Tripler: Book #1 of the Tripler Trilogy is now out across all major ebook formats. I thought it made sense to list some of the most common places where you can obtain a copy in one post, so here it is: the information.

Here are the links! (Please note, if you're a non-UK or non-US Amazon user and don't see the link to your country listed, rest assured the book is available worldwide through your nationality's Amazon platform. Simply search 'Tripler' and it'll come up!)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BOOK ON AMAZON.COM

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BOOK ON AMAZON.CO.UK

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BOOK ON KOBO

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BOOK ON iBOOKS

Many thanks to those people who have already purchased the book - I hope you're enjoying it. And rest assured, I'm hard at work on Book 2!

Finally, a reminder that, in case you haven't seen it and want to try before you buy, a free 34-page prequel to the novel is still available, called Tripler: The Beginning. See this post for details and download links.

Thanks for reading...

SCI-FI NOVEMBER: A MUCH-NEEDED SHOT IN THE ARM

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 23:24:00 +0000

You know what? It's been a hell of a month. In addition to all my family stuff, and the work stuff, I've been hitting the promo trail hard, sending endless emails, setting up all kinds of things, and generally I've been staying up very late and facing the world in the mornings looking like an overworked extra from The Walking Dead. Oh, and I've been writing too, because, uh, that's what I do.

Throughout this past month, however, in amongst all the other things, I have also been enjoying the hell out of Sci-Fi November, courtesy of Rinn at Rinn Reads and Kelley and Asti at Oh The Books!.

You've heard it a million times, but writing is a solitary, necessarily lonely pursuit. It's easy to get lost inside your own head -- in fact, it's essential. I've been neck-deep in Tripler for about eighteen months, and it's only really this month that I've felt able to pull my head out of my own self-generated sand and start to poke my nose back into the world of fandom and other people's output.

And I'll tell you what -- it's been a timely, much-needed shot in the arm for me. I've loved reading about people's favourite sci-fi books of all time, or their movie obsessions, or their quibbles with properties they otherwise enjoy, or their enthusiasm for upcoming genre releases... But what's been most exciting for me is the level of pure, unfiltered, infectious passion for stories that I've seen on display.

I admit, I've been somewhat lazy with my Twitter and blog follows, but that's something I intend to rectify shortly. I'm a drive-by specialist when it comes to reading other people's blogs, and likewise I'm not what you'd call a prolific commenter. I'm your classic lurker, a silent appreciator, but if I like something, I always come back for more. And I've discovered a boatload of great people and viewpoints this month.

It's been quite a month for sci-fi, what with a certain 88-second teaser finally turning up last week and setting the world alight with passionate arguments about the merits of that oft-maligned property again. But I lap up all that stuff, all the debate, the speculation. What I enjoy the most -- and am invigorated by -- is seeing people being passionate about the things they love.

My debut SF novel comes out on Tuesday. It's been a long time coming, and I've worked exceptionally hard on it. My one hope, as it finally lands in people's hands, is that a few people -- no matter how small the number -- find something in it that they love, that they are inspired by, and that they can't stop thinking about. I've got a whole world of (crazy, violent, pulpy) possibilities waiting for you if you'd care to step inside Tripler. In the end, if my novel can inspire just one percent of the same intense passion and devotion in people that I've seen demonstrated by the outspoken fans of other books this month, I'll be a very happy man.

So: thank you. Thank you to Rinn Reads and Oh The Books! for coming up with Sci-Fi November and making me aware of its existence in the first place. Thank you to all the many bloggers and tweeters who have posted content -- you've made this Sci-Fi November an absolute pleasure to be a part of. And, lastly, thank you to those of you that downloaded and read Tripler:The Beginning, and that are planning to get hold of Tripler: Book #1 of the Tripler Trilogy upon its release. I'm excited to have my work out in the world; I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Here's to sci-fi -- and sci-fi fandom -- and all its glorious, passionate, mind-expanding, strangeness-embracing diversity. See you next year!

7 DAYS TO GO - A LITTLE BIT OF TRIPLER PROMO ART

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 14:12:00 +0000

Just seven days to go until Tripler is officially available, and I wanted to share this piece of promo art. I have a few more bits and pieces to come, too, as we build up to the release date. Watch this space and all that...

TRIPLER: BOOK #1 OF THE TRIPLER TRILOGY - NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:03:00 +0000

Hi, friends. This is just a short informative broadcast to tell you that, should you be interested, should you have the inclination, should you have nothing else on or should your curiosity have been piqued by the free novelette Tripler: The Beginning that we put out last week -- well, the real deal, my first novel, Book #1 of the Tripler Trilogy is now available to pre-order via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, priced at 99c or 99p respectively.

Click here to pre-order the novel for 99c on Amazon.com

Click here to pre-order the novel for 99p on Amazon.co.uk

And, should you require a soundtrack for your pre-ordering experience (or something to listen to as you read Tripler: The Beginning), here's the excellent tune 'Last Man Standing' by Hybrid, that provided a lot of inspiration for me when I was writing the novel.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more TRIPLER promo art!

TRIPLER: THE BEGINNING - DEFINITIVE FREE DOWNLOAD LINK POST

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 15:19:00 +0000

Hello! After my raft of posts and tweets about Tripler: The Beginning, the free 24-page prequel to my upcoming novel Tripler, I thought I ought to gather up all the download links in one post for posterity and to save any confusion. There was a whole Amazon-has-it-free no wait Amazon-doesn't-have-it-free wait Amazon-has-it-free-again thing that went on this week, and so I decided it was best to just place all the links in one post and say, "Here you go, here are all the formats, the ebook's here if you want it".

Two things I (and my publisher) learned this week: firstly, my specialist Sci-Fi niche is officially categorised as 'Genetic Engineering' - which is news, because I didn't realise Amazon had a 'Genetic Engineering' niche. I'm happy with that! Secondly, despite being a 24 page book, Amazon has it listed as a 33 page book, and iTunes has it listed as a 38-page book. I can exclusively reveal that neither website is right, and neither is playing host to any extra content. It's 24 pages, folks. Also, bonus fact: the ebook is apparently just the right length to be considerd a 'one hour read'.

Here's the link to the book on Amazon.com

Here's the link to the book on Amazon.co.uk

Here's the link to the book on Kobo

Here's the link to the book on iTunes / iBooks

Here's the link to the book on Tomely (DRM-free .ePub or .mobi)

Here's the link to the book on Google Play

Finally, Tripler: Book One of the Tripler Trilogy has a Facebook page now, and the likes of exclusive promo art and other updates will be debuting over there next week. Should you be a dedicated Facebooker and wish to have a look. here's the link.

I'll be back next week with a genuine, bona fide Sci-Fi November post! Have a good weekend...

TRIPLER: THE BEGINNING - FREE DOWNLOAD - ALL AVAILABLE FORMATS

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 10:22:00 +0000

It's shaping up to be a busy week, folks.

Last week I wrote a post about Tripler: The Beginning, offering sci-fi fans everywhere the chance to get their hands on the 24-page prequel to my upcoming novel Tripler (due out on Dec 02) for free. I also promised I'd update everyone when the book became available on non-Amazon formats. So here we are!

Click here to download Tripler: The Beginning for free on Kobo.

Click here to download Tripler: The Beginning for free on iBooks.

Now, Amazon are (at time of writing this) back to charging a small amount for the book on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com, so until their algorithm catches up with the other platforms, if you want a Kindle-friendly .mobi of the book (or an ePub version, for that matter) you can get it for free via the brilliant Tomely. For those that have never used Tomely, they give you DRM-free versions of ebooks at big discounts in return for a tweet or a Facebook mention. In this case they will give you the book for free if you log in via social media and tweet / Facebook the purchase. Seems fair enough to me!

Click here to get a .mobi or .ePub of Tripler: The Beginning via Tomely.

Hopefully the book will be back to being free on Amazon very shortly.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some promo art for Tripler itself, which was exclusively revealed last week by Lisa over at her excellent blog Over The Effing Rainbow:

TRIPLER: THE BEGINNING IS HERE - AND IT'S FREE TO DOWNLOAD

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 12:01:00 +0000

Hello!

I'm thoroughly enjoying being a part of Sci-Fi Month, and I've been introduced to some amazing book reviewers, book bloggers, startlingly articulate fans, and generally enthusiastic and interesting people. I thought it was about time I posted something, and I decided to tie it in with the launch of a free ebook!

So, how do you fancy a fast-paced, pulpy, near-future sci-fi tale full of weapons and a frightening new disease that's giving people the power to (literally) split into three?

Three versions of the same person all want to kill you...

Some of you may be aware that my debut novel, Tripler, is due out across all major ebook platforms on December 2nd. But before that, my publisher December House is giving readers the chance to download a 24-page prequel story for free via Amazon (multiple other formats will be available for free from next week, too, so don't fret if you're not Kindle-friendly). The short story (or, as it was described to me the other day, 'novelette') in question is called Tripler: The Beginning and will introduce you to the hard-boiled, fast-paced, violent world of Tripler hunter Harry Allwear. The events of this short lead directly into the events of the novel. UPDATE: PLEASE SEE THIS POST FOR INFO ON HOW TO GET THE BOOK VIA KOBO, IBOOKS, OR TOMELY (TOMELY SUPPLY .MOBI FILES IF AMAZON IS CHARGING IN ANY OF THE BELOW LINKS)

Click here to take you straight to the Amazon UK page and the free download.

(Note for Americans - you can download it via Amazon.com here)

And here's the synopsis for those that like to have all the available information:

The ability to Triple comes at a price: insanity, manifesting itself as a murderous rage...

In the near future an impossible virus is giving people the ability to summon two identical physical copies of themselves into existence at any time and in any situation – sending them violently insane as a side-effect. They call the infected 'Triplers'.

Harry Allwear is a specialist tracker, an experienced, highly-trained operative working for an international organisation dedicated to wiping out the Tripler menace. But after his latest mission goes badly wrong and a dangerous target gets the better of him, Harry regains consciousness to find his worst fear realised: he's been deliberately infected with the virus.

As Harry goes on the run from the very organisation he used to work for, fellow operative - and Harry’s ex-wife - Shannon Vanyard is despatched to take him down with extreme prejudice.

But has Harry really become a monster? And is Shannon truly going to have to kill the man she once loved?

_____________________________________________________________________

I couldn't be more excited to offer Tripler: The Beginning to sci-fans everywhere for free, and to introduce everyone to the (twisted) world of Harry Allwear, Shannon Vanyard, and their many and numerous enemies!

Tripler (Book #1 of the Tripler Trilogy) will be out to pre-order from next week. Should you want to, you can view the Goodreads page for it here.

And now, back to reading other people's blogs and tweets. And, because my TBR pile can always be bigger, if you have something amazing that you're reading right now and want to shout about it, feel free to make some recommendations to me in the comments section below!

MY DEBUT NOVEL IS HERE: INTRODUCING 'TRIPLER'

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 09:00:00 +0000

At last!

It's been a long road, folks - it always is - but I'm very pleased to announce my debut novel Tripler is set to be released across all major ebook platforms on Tuesday 02 December.

Tripler is a pulpy, sporadically violent, action-filled sci-fi thriller - with a brain. A somewhat off-kilter, demented, unhinged brain, but a brain nevertheless. Here's the cover I've been raving about in secret for some time:

That's right - this is book one of a trilogy. I'm already hard at work on the second installment. (Pass the bucket of coffee, will you? And try not to trip over my copious notes.)

For those that are unaware, this novel came about after I wrote a few short stories for my publisher's 'Flash Fiction Fest' in 2012, and the resulting tales constructed around the protagonist, Harry Allwear, proved surprisingly popular among Fest readers.

If you want a pitch for this book in one line, it's about psychotic murderers who can split into three versions of themselves, and the organisation that hunts and kills them.

You can read a full synopsis for Tripler and mark it as to-read (if you'd like) on Goodreads via this page right here.

So, December 2nd is the big launch day, but wait. WAIT. That's not all. Before that day dawns, I want to give you something Tripler-related FOR FREE.

Yes folks, prior to the release of the novel proper, we're putting out those pre-novel tales again, this time as a free 24-page prequel ebook under the name Tripler: The Beginning. Here's the cover for that:

Did I mention that this ebook will be free? I think I might have.

The four original Tripler short stories have been tweaked and rewritten and now serve as an extended prologue for the events that take place in the novel. You don't need to have read this prequel to enjoy Tripler, but if you do read it the prologue offers enhanced context for the events taking place in the book. It also sets up the concept, introduces you to the highly dangerous near-future world of Harry Allwear, and acts as a kind of taste test: you'll know by the end whether you want to read more.

I certainly hope you will want to!

Tripler: The Beginning is released on the Tuesday 11 November and, as I believe I mentioned somewhere, will cost you precisely no money.

As you might expect, my publisher and I will be ramping up the promo in the weeks before Tripler comes out, so be forewarned - you're going to see some pretty nice promo stuff in my various feeds as we build up to release.

In the meantime, if you are a book reviewer or book blogger with an interest in reviewing the book, feel free to contact me on the email address listed on this blog in the 'about me' section over on your left.

So, there's your infodump. I'll be back with some other Tripler-related stuff on this blog very soon ...

UPCOMING

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:53:00 +0000

THREE MOVIES THAT WERE BETTER THAN THE BOOKS - IN MY OPINION

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:45:00 +0000

Look, it's me, with a blog entry and everything. Aren't I the king blogger.

I recently became a member of Prime Instant Video and I've had Netflix for quite a while, and I think it's safe to say I've watched a large quantity of films both lately and in general. And it got me thinking about that age-old question: are there any movies that are better than the actual books they're based on?

The short answer is yes. In my humble opinion, there are three that I can think of. Obviously your own mileage will vary, and obviously you are free to disagree because I am not some kind of dictator who will send people to make you disappear if you dare to have a differing viewpoint to my own. Also this is the internet, and registering your disagreement with someone else is kind of what the entire internet is based on. Apart from sex, naturally.

In no particular order of significance, then:

1. FIGHT CLUB (1999)

I am Jack's tired example. But this is a great, subversive movie with blazing visuals and a truly wicked sense of humour. It may even be Fincher's finest two hours, in my opinion. Chuck Palahniuk's novel blew me away when I first read it, but the film version felt so much more brutal and potent when I saw it in the cinema. And the story is enhanced no end by being able to see and hear Tyler Durden delivering his sermons, and you get a much stronger sense of how charismatic and dangerous he is. The twist also plays a lot better because we get to see some of the previous scenes played back to us featuring only Edward Norton and gain a much better sense of just how mad his character is. And the fights and Project Mayhem 'pranks' feel like they have more meaning, because you get to experience them on a much more visceral level.

It's not a perfect movie (weird CGI Marla sex sequence, anyone?) and the book's ending was arguably better, but as an experience? I'll take the movie over the book, just because it feels like it has more - if you'll forgive the pun - punch.

2. YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007)

Longtime readers of this blog (hello, Pat) will know I have an abiding love of this deeply underappreciated movie. The film is lavish, sensuous, fantastical, and crazy in equal measure, and it contains what I think are some of the best visuals Coppola has ever committed to celluloid.

Mircea Eliade's book of the same name was a slim novella, really, and is an interesting and diverting collection of ideas put together within a fictional framework rather than any kind of coherent, satisfying narrative. Eliade throws a lot at the wall and (to my recollection) doesn't really develop many of his brilliant concepts to any great extent. The result feels intriguing, but somehow unedifying. It's a bit like having a genius explaining a long, labyrinthine dream to you - it's undeniably fascinating on a conceptual level, but try as you might you just can't get emotionally invested in the story.

Coppola's film, on the other hand, is completely different. Coppola takes some of the core conceits and builds a rich and wonderful world around them, and he also takes some of the central ideas and runs wild with them. Coppola deserves a lot of credit for the screenplay, which develops Eliade's novel in ways that few people would ever have expected. It's romantic, tragic, beautiful and bizarre. Yep, I love this movie.

3. FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)

Now, I love the book, and Hunter S. Thompson's work in general. He was a one-off. Fear and Loathing the book is undoubtedly something truly special. But I honestly love the film even more.

These days we are all conditioned to believe movies should have coherent plots and characters should have easily-identifiable arcs and ultimately learn valuable lessons about themselves and their world. What I love about the film - quite apart from the Gilliam-at-full-pelt batshit insane visuals and the crazy, never-bettered performances from the two leads - is that the two central characters learn nothing during this journey. They completely refuse to develop or mature. They definitely do not become better people. At the beginning they are two drug-addled, out of control individuals who decide to go to Las Vegas. At the end they are two drug-addled, out of control individuals who leave Las Vegas having taken a shitload of narcotics and run up some gargantuan hotel bills.

But they see some things whilst they're there. Man, do they see some things.

There are insights from Hunter S. Thompson peppered throughout the film, but these arrive mainly via voice-over. The true strength of the film is in the twisted genius of the visuals combined with the incredible soundtrack. I mean, this is a film that has Johnny Depp waking up with a lizard's tail - and doesn't need to explain why. When I saw this in the cinema I knew it was a work of genius, and the passage of time has only increased my appreciation for it.

So there you go: three films that, in my opinion, surpass their source material. Feel free to tell me in the comments if you can think of any more.

By the way, one last Columbo: I've had to pull the trigger on the dreaded KAPTCHA comments system. I didn't want to, but this blog has been getting eaten alive by spammers who all want to direct me to their male potency drugs websites, so I've reluctantly had to introduce it.

See you in my next blog entry for genuine, actual news regarding my debut novel, Tripler.

MUSIC TO DELETE BULK FOLDER EMAILS BY

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 13:01:00 +0000

What is it with blogging? You start out so full of hope, and dreams, and energy. You write such long and involving posts. You delight in engaging an audience.

And then you realise how you read other people's blogs. Basically, you don't read them. You scan-read a few lines and then skip to the end, stopping only if something interests you, which it very rarely does, because basically Twitter and the general nature of the internet has made you astonishingly lazy and blase.

(NOTE: IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, KUDOS TO YOU MY FRIEND, KUDOS TO YOU. YOU ARE EVERYTHING RIGHT WITH THE INTERNET.)

So anyway, in the end you think: oh well. Might as well just post some cool music!

Here's a selection of things I've been listening to lately:

WILLIAM ONYEABOR - BODY AND SOUL

William Onyeabor, Nigerian funk merchant, is great. I appreciate you probably don't think you have the time to listen to a funk tune that is over 10 minutes long right now, but you should. Because groove is good and times are hard, and this is a little bit of salve for your tortured soul. Plus the animation in this video is a lot of fun.

ONDATROPICA - I RON MAN

Ondatropica is the brainchild of WIll Holland, alias Quantic, and Colombian musician Mario Galeano. It brings together some of Columbia's best musicians to basically play great stuff and have fun. Here's their brilliant, mostly instrumental cover of 'Iron Man':

MAZZY STAR - SEASONS OF YOUR DAY

Massive change of pace from the funk and groove here. Mazzy Star's latest album is wonderful, and I'm astonished that more people are not raving about how good it is. There is something about their sound, and in particular Hope Sandoval's voice, that is perfect for when you're feeling jaded and cynical. This is such a good hangover record, or a record that suits being played very late at night, at the tail end of a party. Loss, beauty, desperation, hope, sex, wonder -- it's all there in Sandoval's voice. Intoxicating stuff. I was torn between posting this track or 'California' - but I urge you to check their whole back catalogue out.

ARCADE FIRE - REFLEKTOR

Here's a more mainstream choice for you. I don't understand the detractors - to me, AF have been getting better and better as their albums have gone on. I love the new record, and it's getting a lot of play in my car. Absolutely brilliant.

BOWIE - LOVE IS LOST (HELLO STEVE REICH REMIX) BY JAMES MURPHY

Another mainstream choice. My admiration for Bowie's work is no secret around these parts, but The Next Day really surpassed my expectations, and the recently-released Next Day Extra contained a second disc full of some intriguing B-sides and remixes. I like most of them, but I think this remix of one of the best tracks on the original disc is epic and tremendous.

There you go. The above tunes have been getting heavy rotation in my house.

So, if you've come this far and you feel like commenting, why not tell me: what are you listening to these days?

FOR YOUR (DISTURBING) READING PLEASURE: DEADLY SINS STORIES

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Well, December House's Flash Fiction Fest 2013 is in full swing and, as I write this, is about to head into its last week with some excellent upcoming multi-part offerings from the scarily prolific (and of course, brilliant) minds of PT Dilloway and Simon Kewin.

However, my contribution to this year's Fest is over, so I thought it would be good to do a wrap-up post where I link to the stories and effectively give you, the dear reader, an easy way of reading my own offerings.

So, in keeping with the theme of the 7 Deadly Sins, my stories are:

And Ruru Lies Beneath (Gluttony) - A 74-yr-old PI gets hired by a local council to investigate one of their employees who is claiming sick pay and they suspect has another job. And things get, er, heavy. As of right now, this story is my second-most read on the site. Note: don't read this if you're eating your lunch. (Actually, that pretty much applies to all of these stories.)

The Phunker (Lust) - A man with an insatiable lust for old scrap metal? That sounds disgusting, you say. And you'd be right! This story is the one that most of my friends seem to love the most.

Skullface Pete's Place (Sloth) - An intrepid 10-yr-old boy tells the story of how he once ventured into the crumbling home of an ex-MP. This is probably my own favourite story, for reasons that I can't exactly articulate. Maybe because it simply took ages to craft correctly.

Super Appreciator (Pride) - A superfan goes to great lengths to prove his love for an up-and-coming British movie star, with suitably strange / horrible results.

The Most Ridiculous Man In The World (Wrath) - Twenty-five years after leaving school, a man who was terribly bullied heads back to his class reunion, armed with thoughts of vengeance ... and power tools. This one doesn't necessarily go where you think it will.

Freeing Kelly Framer (Envy) - What happens when a man with GCHQ/NSA-like 'total access' to the internet becomes obsessed with a woman in his apartment building? Answer: he, um, crosses a few lines. This one was directly influenced by the recent Snowden revelations.

Crash Bang Money (Greed) - It's Nigel Ember's job to watch the submitted clips on a TV show that offers people money for footage of them embarrassing or hurting themselves. He's been doing it so long, he's become blase about it all. Then one day he receives horrific footage featuring the TV show's host, and events take a turn for the insane! This story is currently my most popular on the whole site.

But! Wait! It's not just my stories that have been up so far. Here's my pick of the others that have gone up so far:

A Little Fresh Air by Sean Craven
Et Tu Blute by Daryn Guarino
Gluttony Kills by Jess Leather
Glamour by J Freese
Happy by Philip Leslie
The Seven Other Dwarves by Simon Kewin

If you've enjoyed any of these and fancy helping out the authors involved, please consider buying the whole collection. It's only 99p / 99c and will make a big difference to the starving writers involved!

Deadly Sins (UK Amazon Link)

Deadly Sins (US Amazon Link)

As usual, a big thank you to all who have read, enjoyed, or commented. I'll be back again soon with some news about Tripler, my first novel. Have a good weekend!

SEVEN SINS - THE SKINNY

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 12:06:00 +0000

(For those not familiar with British slang, 'the skinny' means the lowdown, the inside information, the full details.)

So, on Friday my publisher December House revealed many of the details about their upcoming Flash Fiction Fest, which is annual event that coincides with Nanowrimo each year. In a nutshell, lots of original flash is made available for free every day throughout the month on a special website. You are invited to read the stories and you can comment on the them if you enjoyed them, and then the whole collection of flash pieces is also made available as a reasonably-priced ebook as well. This year the theme for the flash pieces is the Seven Deadly Sins.

All the details so far can be found here.

One very neat feature that just went live is the ability to access last year's website, which you can do if you're interested here.

What's great this year is that there will be no less than 8 different authors participating, so you'll get to read a wide range of styles and enjoy a taster of each writer's work.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to reveal the titles of my 7 stories right here. They are:

The Phunker (Lust)

And Ruru Lies Beneath (Gluttony)

Crash Bang Money (Greed)

Skullface Pete's Place (Sloth)

The Most Ridiculous Man In The World (Wrath)

Freeing Kelly Framer (Envy)

Super Appreciator (Pride)

I'm really looking forward to the fest this year, and I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what the other authors have cooked up (NB: not all participating authors are listed on that link). Also this year, my understanding is that the collection will be available to purchase from the very first day of the Fest, all for a very reasonable 99p / 99c.

Let the sinning begin...

SEVEN DEADLY UPDATES (OK, THREE UPDATES. NOT DEADLY. BETTER TITLE REQUIRED.)

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:55:00 +0000

Photo of carved fish to make this post more interesting (c) Me.

Well, one obvious update is that I'm finding it harder and harder to slap a blog entry together these days. I blame Twitter, the lazy man's blogging tool, where minimal effort brings maximum interaction. And I also blame myself, of course, because I have at least a modicum of self-awareness.

But hey, my inability to blog aside, I'll have a veritable feast of fiction out in the next few months. First up, November sees my publisher's second annual 'Flash Fiction Fest'. Read all the details here. (Incidentally, if you're unpublished at the moment and wish to be otherwise, there's still a week or so to put three stories together based around this year's subject and who knows, you might end up being included in the anthology and landing a book deal. All the info is at the link.)

Speaking of the subject matter, this year it's all about the seven deadly sins. Hence, there will be seven stories from me featured in the new anthology, each based around a specific sin. I'm putting the finishing touches to my contribution at the moment. Suffice to say: some of these stories will make you feel a bit, uh, icky (at least, they will if I'm doing my job correctly). The two abiding thematic components in each of my stories are voyeurism and technology. It's going to be interesting seeing how these stories are received, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project come together. Mostly, I'm looking forward to seeing what the other bunch of twisted minds on December House's roster come up with.

Then, in 2014, around February / March, December House will be releasing my debut sci-fi novel, Tripler. I'm working hard on a draft right now and I'm extremely excited to get the book out there. Let's just say if you enjoy hard-boiled sci-fi drenched in blood with a strong psychological component, this novel could really work for you. If not, well, maybe you just like the idea of a story narrated by a man who can split into three?

Okay, I've told you what I've got cooking. So, dear reader: what are you working on?

SIMON KEWIN HIJACK: A BIT ABOUT 'ENGN'

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 23:02:00 +0000

Simon Kewin seems to have a bit of a YA ironpunk hit on his hands. Being as he and I share a publisher, I thought I'd let Simon take over the blog today and muse a little on some of the themes featured in his novel. Before that, though, here's a bit about the book, which I am reading at the moment and very much enjoying:

THE BOOK

Finn’s childhood in the valley is idyllic, but across the plains lies a threat. Engn is an ever-growing steam-powered fortress, that needs a never-ending supply of workers. Generation after generation have been taken away, escorted into its depths by the mysterious and terrifying Ironclads, never to return.

The Masters of Engn first take Finn’s sister, then his best friend, Connor. He thinks he, at least, is safe – until the day the Ironclads come to haul him away.

Yet all is not lost, Finn has a plan. In the peace of the valley he and Connor made a pact. A promise to join the mythical Wreckers and end Engn’s tyranny.

But now on his own, lost and thwarted in the vastness of Engn, Finn begins to have doubts. Is Connor really working to destroy Engn?

Or has he become part of the machine?

Purchasing Links:
Amazon
Kobo
iBookStore
Google Play
Nook

And now, ladies and gentleman, here's the King Of The 'Clads himself:

SIMON SAYS

Engn is the story of a boy called Finn, who gets taken to the steam-powered city of Engn. He and his friends Diane and Connor have vowed to destroy the great machine if they are taken there - but when Finn arrives, he soon realises how impossible this plan is. Engn is vast and powerful and confusing and he is weak and insignificant and most of the time he has no idea what is going on. And it soon looks very much like Engn will end up destroying him.

If that brief summary makes Engn sound like an action adventure story (set in a fantasy, steampunkish sort of world), then that's fair enough. Finn certainly has numerous scrapes and encounters many dangers as he works his way through Engn. I tried hard to make the book a thrilling and intriguing read that can be enjoyed as just that. But like any book, most of the interesting action takes place in the characters' heads. That's the wonderful thing about books of course: you get to see what people are thinking and feeling. To my mind, Engn is really a novel about friendship and being true to yourself. Will the three characters stay true to their secret promise, or will one or more of them turn away from it? Will they set aside their childish pact or stay true to their former selves no matter what? That seems to me an interesting question: we change constantly, we meet new people, discover new ideas each day. Are we still the same person as we were yesterday or are we someone new? Or are we, somehow, both? Finn and Diane and Connor are certainly changed by everything that happens to them in Engn. The question is, will they remain loyal to each other?

The setting of Engn was a lot of fun to write, but in one sense it's irrelevant. Engn is the story of people struggling to remain true to themselves in the face of terrible dangers and difficulties. Which, I like to think, is a pretty universal theme...

Simon Kewin – Biography

Simon was born and raised on the misty Isle of Man, but now lives and works deep in rural England. He divides his time between writing SF/fantasy fiction and computer software. He has had around fifty short stories published in a variety of magazines and anthologies, along with a similar number of poems. He has a degree in English Literature from the Open University.

He is currently learning to play the electric guitar. It’s not going that well, frankly. He lives with Alison, their two daughters Eleanor and Rose, and a black cat called Morgan to which he is allergic.

Simon’s Blog: http://www.simonkewin.co.uk/
Simon’s Twitter: @SimonKewin

FLASH FICTION FEST 2013 IS COMING - AND IT'S A CHANCE FOR A NEW UNPUBLISHED WRITER TO GET NOTICED

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:16:00 +0000

Yes, it's true. In November, the Flash Fiction Fest will be back. Every day during November there'll be new fiction from my publisher's stable of 8 authors, including a smattering of pieces from yours truly, appearing on a dedicated website - www.flashfictionfest.com. This year the theme is all around the 7 deadly sins, which is not achingly original, but when you consider that other than this theme there are no restrictions on tone, genre, content, tense, or style, I think I can safely say that readers who follow this thing are going to be in for a good, intriguing, varied time.

You can read about most of the contributors here.

The crucial element for this year, however, is that it's more than just a showcase for December House's existing rogue's gallery of writers. This year they're using the Fest to hunt for new, as yet undiscovered writing talent.

They've partnered with Wattpad to offer one talented, currently unpublished writer the chance to be a part of the Fest and contribute to the e-book that will collect together all of the stories. Most importantly, that writer will then be signed to December House for a development deal, with a view to either a) working on an existing WIP with them to bring it to publication or b) working on a brand new novel with them.

All you have to do is craft 3 pieces of flash fiction of less than 1000 words each on the theme of the 7 deadly sins, and upload them to Wattpad.

The details can be found here, and here, and Wattpad's site for the Fest is here.

If you're as yet unpublished and looking to get noticed, I urge you to seize this opportunity and get involved. This year the Fest will have a pretty large profile, there's going to be lots of media attention, and the winning writer will have a chance to have their work read widely.

Plus, if you happen to have a WIP just about ready for publication, this is going to be a very sweet prize for you.

I'm genuinely excited to be a part of this project again this year, and I look forward to reading the entries. I'm confident we're going to unearth someone really special. Or twisted. Or both.

As for what I've written for the Fest? That's a closely-guarded secret. Let's just say it involves woodpeckers, guns, skinheads, and cake. Maybe.

COVER REVEAL: SIMON KEWIN'S "ENGN"

noreply@blogger.com (Neil Vogler) — Sun, 26 May 2013 23:30:00 +0000

So my publisher December House has signed some interesting writers lately, writers whose works I am genuinely excited to read. One of those writers is the scarily prolific Simon Kewin, and one of those works is his novel Engn.

I'm very pleased to be part of Simon's cover reveal today. December House are doing some nice work with their covers and this one is great (and just begging to be animated). Here it is in all its glory:

Yeah. Pretty nice, huh?

Engn is a steampunk adventure novel (at least, I'm pretty sure it is. I haven't got my ARC yet). If your curiosity is piqued, here's the official blurb:

Finn's childhood in the valley is idyllic, but across the plains lies a threat.

Engn is an ever-growing steam-powered fortress that needs a never-ending supply of workers. Generation after generation have been taken away, escorted into its depths by the mysterious and terrifying Ironclads, never to return.

The Masters of Engn first take Finn's sister, then his best friend, Connor. He thinks he, at least, is safe - until the day the Ironclads come to haul him away too.

Yet all is not lost; Finn has a plan. In the peace of the valley he and Connor made a pact. A promise to join the mythical Wreckers and end Engn's tyranny from within.

But now on his own, lost and thwarted in the vastness of Engn, Finn begins to have doubts. Is Connor really working to destroy Engn?

Or has he become part of the machine?

What I can tell you is that Simon Kewin knows his way around a narrative. I'm currently reading his Genehunter short stories (check all five of them out here, free for a limited time) and they're great, evocative, well-thought out and nicely executed pieces of sci-fi strangeness.

I'm curious to see what Kewin has up his sleeve with Engn. If you want to find out more about my stable-mate here's his info:

Simon Kewin.

web simonkewin.co.uk
twitter @SimonKewin

Finally, December House have a mailing list for news on the book - the link to sign up is here: http://eepurl.com/zH9rT. December House guarantee there will be no spam sent, just updates about the book.

Engn is out in July. Someone better have animated that cover by then, don't you think?