Thursday 14 January 2016

Passings


It seems we're having another one of those spates of deaths recently, where seemingly out of the blue people we've grown up admiring simply aren't there any more. Not so long ago it was Lemmy, then the other day David Bowie. Today it's Alan Rickman. Some of these people seem so ingrained in the fabric of our realities that for them to no longer be around just doesn't seem to fit. Every now and then I wake up and wonder what the next Discworld novel will be, before my brain catches up and reminds me that there won't be one. I'm sure part of some people still wonders what Hendrix is working on or expects a new Bruce Lee movie. One day, I'll probably have to wrap my head around the idea that there's no more Iron Maiden, but not yet, fortunately.

Where am I going with this? Well, it seems to me that for a lot of people, they don't so much die once, as twice. The first one, the one people don't really notice or talk about, is the one where they stop being them. They retire, and lose purpose- they stop being Bill the Publican and become just Bill. That's the one you can do something about, and it's the one a lot of the greats, like Lemmy, Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and many others fought off successfully. Right up to the end, they were doing what it was that they did that made them them, even if in some cases it brought the second death, the one no-one can avoid, that much sooner.

There's a sting in this tail, of course. If you've read "The Shepherd's Crown", the last Pratchett, you'll know Terry had many other books still waiting to be written, which now we will never get to read. There might be something to be said for an artist drawing a line under a career and saying there, it's done, I've finished. I know plenty of people hoping a certain Mr Martin manages to draw that particular line before the Reaper taps him on the shoulder. Personally, I'm just grateful that these legends managed to pack so much in to the time they had. I hope they had fun doing it.

I think I might watch Galaxy Quest tonight.

Tuesday 12 January 2016

The Champion


I've (finally) uploaded my new 40k short, "The Champion". A Sister of Battle awakes, memory shattered, in the arenas of Commoragh. The picture is... sort of relevant, though I'd like to commission or draw a more accurate one at some point.

I know I belabor the point that I have a book out, but whilst "The Oath of Sherenith" showcases the world of the Thelenic Curriculum and introduces some of the concepts, "The Champion" probably gives you a better idea of how I write action. Be warned, whilst not especially graphic it is quite violent, so reader discretion is advised if that sort of thing upsets you.

Tuesday 5 January 2016

The Fall of the Third Trojan Regiment


I've added a background piece for my Slaanesh Traitor Guard, the Third Trojan Regiment, which you can read here. The latest modelling additions are the new Chimera above, Hellion, and a squad of Disciples, both of which are over on my Deviantart.

I promised a bit more 40k fiction a while back- this is incoming, but the Christmas/ New Year period has been more disruptive and distracting than I'd hoped. My book, The Wake of Manadar, is trundling along on Kindle but not doing big numbers (to put it kindly!) so if you feel like a bit of fantasy/ sci-fi collision with lots of strong female characters (according to actual women!) then please give it a look to support me- it really does mean a lot. I'm going to be doing a bit more of a marketing push on that front soon.

Also, Happy New Year, and many thanks to my readers and especially Faeit 212, whose blogroll is responsible for the vast majority of my traffic. My (rubbish) New Year's Resolution is that this blog will remain completely ad-free, with the honorable exception of plugs for that book which I mention from time-to-time...