Book Review: 'Emperor of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence

My world has ended.

And it’s all because of Mark Lawrence.

‘Emperor of Thorns’ was released yesterday in the UK, and even at a hefty 592 pages I finished it this morning…Rome might not have been built in a day, but like I said at the beginning of this review, Mark Lawrence has ended my world in less than 24 hours.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lawrence’s ‘Broken Empire’ trilogy, then you must have been sleeping under a rock for the past few years because its gathered so much attention from reviewer and reader alike that Jorg has all but become a household name. People have at once flocked to Lawrence’s banner, showering praise and pleasantries for his talents, whilst others have been up in arms, accusing him of ‘needless animal cruelty’ or ‘over indulging in the rapey-ness’ within fantasy.

Me? I’ve got my pitchfork out, not to join the mob of naysayers, but to rally to Lawrence’s cause.

I like ‘The Broken Empire’ trilogy.

No.

I FREAKING love it.

To a reader, the main character Jorg Ancrath, is like that kid at school your parents warn you to stay away from. He doesn’t listen in class, he’s never on time, never tucks his shirt in, can never keep himself out of trouble…locks the janitor in the closet, shaves the school cat, sets fire to the science lab because it’s funny to wedge magnesium strips in the top of teacher’s lighter. Jorg is dangerous – and he knows it.

That’s the sheer beauty of it.

If you thought Geoffrey Lannister was a loathsome, wicked, evil, decrepit, malignant, hateful, blasphemous…how do I put this…fucker, then you haven’t met Jorg yet. Jorg is worse, for one simple reason. He’s aware of what he’s doing, which is also the reason why you fall in love with him.

Like that kid at school, you can’t stay away. It’s impossible. You’re intrigued, you want to know more. And, after all, it’s better to have him as a friend than an enemy.

In ‘Emperor of Thorns’ Jorg sets out to do what his creator, Lawrence, has so successfully done. Get people to flock to his banner. Namely the kingdoms of the Hundred. But it’s not the living that Jorg has to worry about, it’s the Dead King and his army…

So, in a story where existence as we know it has been totally and utterly destroyed after nuclear war, where the Dead rise…you can see why I say my world has ended.

You’d be wrong.

My world ended when the story did. Lawrence is a master of weaving – dropping plot devices here and there, scattering them far and wide. Through split time narratives, at first, the reader debates whether these little additions have purpose other than to add colour. It’s safe to say that NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM is wasted. Forgive me for using the tapestry example, but Lawrence weaves thread after thread into a grand masterpiece, and when it’s done he lays it at your feet for your admiration. It’s beautiful, one of a kind. You take a step closer to get a better look...

…Then he rips it right out from underneath you, leaving you flat on your ass, bewildered, shocked.

And then you smile. With an ending like that what else can you do but smile? There’s no other fitting way to finish Jorg’s story other than that. It’s perfect. For readers it’ll definitely have a Marmite effect – you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. In ‘Emperor of Thorns’s case, however, I reckon you’ll either ram it into every available orifice you crave it so much, or you’ll poison yourself with it.

Because this trilogy was that good, because it came to life on the pages, because I wanted it to go on forever…when I finished it, my world came to an end.

Touché, Mark Lawrence, Tou-bloody-ché.

Can There Be TOO MUCH Fantasy?

EDIT: Update as of 20:20hrs (GMT) 17/02/2013 - after feedback, I've only just noticed that the original fantasy authors featured here were all male. This post has been updated to include females. Upon scanning my book shelf, I realised that many of the stories I own are written by male authors. The original observations were in no way meant to intentionally dis-include the female authors of the fantasy genre.

Is the fantasy world over-populated? It’s a valid question and one that keeps raising its ugly head in the current era of ‘Lord of the Authors: The Fellowship of the Fantasy’.

Without battling out the topic of Indie vs Traditional, I want to take a moment and talk about fantasy worlds. A simple blog post can’t cover every single fantasy tome to have ever graced a book shelf (or a digital market place like Amazon, for all you e-publishing gurus), but we can highlight a few.

J.R.R. Tolkien with his elves, and his dwarves, his hobbits with their hairy feet, and his trolls. Ringwraiths, a dark lord, and a powerful artefact that is a curse to all those who bear it.

George R.R. Martin with his thrones, and his games, the squabbles of men, and the treachery, futility and thick-fast plots (oh, and if you’ve watched the tv adaptation, there’s a fair share of boobage, too).

Peter V Brett – demons galore! How ‘man’ (and woman!) can overcome their fears for what they believe is right.

Mark Lawrence explores the moral depravity of a Prince who won’t let anything – or anyone – stand in his way, even if that involves burning the world just to keep warm.

Michael J Sullivan brings bromance to the fold (Webster’s unofficial definition of bromance: bro-mance, a combination of brother and romance, meaning ‘a brotherly romance’ between two males. Often seen sharing large quantities of bruises, beauties, and beatings) with a healthy dose of death-defying escapades and swashbuckling adventures.

John Gwynne breaths fresh life into the folklore and legend side of fantasy, giving Giants, Wyrms and even Angels a gritty new lease with a Nordic/Celtic feel.

Brent Weeks forefronts assassins in one, and mages in another, but above all else they struggle with their own powers for further means.

Brandon Sanderson…magic, need I say more? But then again, his world-building is second to none.

Joe Abercrombie touts more knives than any sane man should ever need, but lucky for us not all of his characters can be deemed sane enough to count or care for that matter. But when all is said and done, it’s down to being what you’re meant to be, and (as he often states by way of infamous barbarian Logen NineFingers) once you've got a task to do, it's better to do it than live with the fear of it.

Ursula K Le Guin, if there was a Big Momma of fantasy, UKLG would be her. Her stories are folklore brought to life, magic and mysticism intoned with a rich world building.

Karen Miller strives to break down the old fantasy cliches, using them where she will, but bending and twisting them into something new, pushing 'fantasy' into a more 'fantastical' realm.

Robin Hobb, who's back catalogue boasts more tomes than the knives of Joe Abercrombie's cast - claimed by Orson Scott Card to have 'set the standard for the most serious fantasy novel'.

Helen Lowe, a newcomer to the fold, but with her fresh blood added to the mix the 2012 Gemmell Award winner (Morningstar category) weighs in with a hefty dose of darker, grittier fantasy and a deeper meaning of how we treat each other.

I’ve barely even touched the surface here. I could go on for hours. James Barclay, David Gemmell (big daddy of British heroic-fantasy), Robert E Howard, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan, Tamora Pierce, David Dalglish, Mazarkis Williams, Moses Sirergar III, Ben Galley, Steven Erikson, Christopher Paolini…ok, ok – I’ll stop.

So, fantasy is a busy world(s). But each and every one of them is different. Yes, a lot of them share themes or creatures (elves, dragons, hobbits, dwarves, damsels in distress…hobbits, or other creatures with hairy feet?), but would you really say: ‘No more’! Heck, I’m sure if you asked a lot of these authors they’d admit to being inspired by one another. Of course they would.

Ok, let’s imagine if someone said ‘No more’ to Robert Jordan. Would we have the Peter V Brett’s, and Christopher Paolini’s of today? ‘Put that pen down’ David Gemmell…and voila, no John Gwynne’s or James Barclay. How many would we lose if Robert E. Howard had run out of ink on the first page, and Conan had been lost to an unfinished sentence?

IMAGINE THE CHAOS if someone told J.R.R. Tolkien to shave his hobbit and write a romcom. Think of the children, pray for their futures!

Publishing is an ever changing industry, and fantasy is an ever changing realm of possibilities. If you’re Indie or Traditional, reader or writer…could you really say NO to one last fantasy? And before you start culling dwarves, shaving hobbit feet, or cashing in dragon fangs for the last copy of ’50 Shades of Grey’ from Amazon…just remember:

A Fantasy author isn’t just for Christmas. They’re for life.

(And even then, they’ll think of a way to come back and haunt you from the afterlife – they’re fantasy authors after all).

D. E. M. Emrys. Author. Soldier by day, Soldier by night - Writer in Between. 

Author of Heroic Fantasies:

From Man to Man - Currently FREE from Amazon.

Amazon US

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It Began With Ashes.
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Creative Writing 101: The Importance of Setting Goals

Just a little something that I'd like to share with you all. This was brought to my attention by Allison Morris, who created this graphic which illustrates the benefits of goal setting and why, in light of the New Year, it’s important to commit to our goals.

Originally hosted on the Online Education Database blog.

Creative Writing 101: Writer's Doubts aka Terminal Terminitus

Today is a very important day. It's no less important than yesterday, but it's no more important than tomorrow - neither is it in between the two. But, it's still important. I could ramble on with justifications all day, each no less important than the last...but I'm procrastinating.

Procrastination (DON'T SAY DIRTY WORDS!) is one of many enemies to a writer, another being lack of time. But for many, the title of arch rival belongs to doubt.

Writer's doubt a.k.a. Terminal Teminitus. If Webster was to define it, the following would be noted in the dictionary:

Writer's Doubt (latin: Terminal Terminitus, Scribblius Maximus Gettius Nowhereius). A condition effecting writer's in which they deem their work of too low a value to continue or start. Symptoms include cold sweats, tummy aches, head pains, nausea, nose bleeds, broken pens, smashed laptops, frayed wits, and sometimes death (by stray paperclip).

Have you ever thought that you writing was not good enough to share? Have you given up on a story because it was 'just not good enough'? Have you ever put down the pen before picking it up because you were scared of what might come out? Then this blog entry is for you!

Look, I get writers doubt, so do thousands of others. Best selling authors are struck dumb with it all the time. It's like a personal version of writer's block, but arguably it can be harder to overcome. You aren't just questioning the writing, you're questioning yourself. 

Points to consider.

Play the field.

Don't just stick to one genre. Mix it up. Discover new things with other works. Find a new audience. This will help prevent you from typecasting yourself to a single genre. Just write whatever. Me? I'm a heroic-fantasy writer at heart, but I dabble in Sci-fi to clear the cobwebs (and trust me, these cobwebs are spun by writers doubt, and they smell suspiciously of a toilet!), and 'adult' themes for my fiance (secret's out now!).

Don't Fall In Love With Your Manuscript.

No, it's not a genre breaker. No, it'll never outsell the bible. No, it'll never be bigger than 'The Hobbit' (not literally...well, depending on how thick the book is, and how tall your average hobbit is). You have literally NO chance of writing 'the next big thing'. But, you might just sneak in a sunday stroll of a book - anything more than that is thumb's up worthy. Don't set out to top the pile, set out to WRITE A GOOD STORY.

Enjoy what you write.

It's your thoughts and ideas. If you aren't enjoying it, change it. Who can tell you otherwise?

You're not the only one.

As above, everyone suffers with it at one point or another.

Listen to lovers, not haters.

Ignore those that you have no hope of winning over - if you fight for their approval, you might end up losing your current readers/friends/fans. Write to please, not appease.

Write, don't publish.

Be a writer, NOT an author. Think about it.

REMEMBER: you can always go back and change it (unless you've just hit the 'publish' button on Amazon, at which point you're boned...well, not really, you can go back and change it, but it's a b****!)

The best way to get over Writer's doubt? Allow yourself to write badly once in awhile. Have a guilty pleasure folder where you stow your abominations. Heck, the monstrosities might pull a Frankenstein and lumber into greatness one day! (Nuts and bolts not included, take precautions whilst handling electricity).

And that, as they say, is that! 

D.

((On a sidenote: no writers were harmed in the making of this blog entry - though there was a close call involving a stray paperclip.))

D. E. M. Emrys. Author. Soldier by day, Soldier by night - Writer in Between. 
Author of Heroic Fantasies:

From Man to Man - Currently FREE from Amazon

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Creative Writing 101: Critique aka Swallowing Fire.

    Be it a pat on the back or a 'smack upside your head', critique can leave you shell-shocked. Ah, critique, critical thinking and delivery of a response warranted by the impact of a subject's work. Layman's terms: opinion and advice on how to take your work to the next level, in the critique's opinion.

     Now, good critique is different for everyone. Some people need an extra spoon full of sugar with their review-brew, whilst others don't mind having their work torn to shreds for the sake of improvement. 'Good critique' has to be tailored to an individual, but seeing as I can't tell you how to submit or receive critique for each writer/artist, I'm going to give you a broad brush approach that won't get you hung, drawn and quartered.

How to Give Good Critique:

     Hope. Give a writer hope that there is promise in their work. No matter how had a piece is, it has potential. But, if you trash the creator and rip them a proverbial 'new one', how are they going to realise their hopes and dreams?

     Hope:
Honest – don't sugar coat everything, but don't poison a perfectly good mouthful. Be honest, be fair.
Opinion – remember, the work you are critiquing has stemmed from an idea, and opinions clash. What might be right for you might not be right for everyone.
Purpose – give your review direction. Either critique chronologically (start to finish) or by means of headings (characters, technique, plot etc.). Make sure its constructive yet critical - that's the purpose of critique after all, right?
Evaluation – have you weighed up the goods and the bads at the end? Not everything is bad, point out the strengths, consider the weaknesses.

     Bad critique is horrible. It's when someone smashes a writer to smithereens just for the sake of it. Yes, some may want to watch the world burn, but be fair…only go so far as to push them onto hot coals and make them dance for their money's worth! Good critique will give a writer the helping hand to the next stage. Don't forget: one man's story is another's life. What you say might directly offend or upset someone.

How to Accept Critique…Good?

     Thank your critiquer. Sounds odd trying to tell someone how to accept critique. But, you'd be surprised how many writers and artists react poorly to critique. Yes, it can be hard when you've got a rabid pit bull of a reviewer gnawing at the very bones of your greatest masterpiece (TO DATE!), but shaking it off is only to making the bleed worse. Don't be a sore loser if you're shortfalls are laid bare to you. But, then again, don't be a sore winner if you're heaped with praise! 

     Thank:
Timeliness – look, think of it this way: there are thousands of stories/pieces out there and someone took the time to discover, inspect and review yours. The least you can do is offer them a timely response…not three months down the line when they've moved on.
Humility – you're not god's gift to life, the Adonis of art, the Perseus of poetry, and so on. Take praise in your stride, as you would critique. Don't let it go to your head, as you'll take a fall when someone rips the carpet out from underneath you, and it'll hurt all the more with a swollen brainbox!
Acceptance – you're not the greatest for everyone. You never will be. You CAN NOT please everyone. So when someone points out a fault, or something that they don't like…fix it or move on.
Never argue back – if someone has ruined you in a critique, thank them and move on. Don't argue. You're lowering yourself to their level, and you're about to upset them (and possibly others) as much as they have upset you.
Know when to change – Sure, spelling mistakes and grammar need to be dealt with, but if it's a question of style…ask yourself, do you want to change your work to please someone else, or would you rather keep doing what you enjoy?

     Wow, now don't I feel like some sort of agony aunt? I hope that this has been an eye opener, and you'll keep my points in mind when you next turn to receiving or submitting critique. Remember, we're all part of a wider community, an artist community, and we don't just have an audience, we have peers!

     Anyhow, I'm off to go sharpen a few wooden stakes and dig a few holes, before any of you miscreants come charging over to give me a piece of your mind!

Creative Writing 101: Tools of the Trade aka Rome wasn't built in a day!

     Rome wasn’t built in a day. Heck, it would’ve have been built at all without the rights tools and materials. Minus the stone, wood, manpower and hammers, what would have been made? A rough circle in the dirt?

     Writing is very much the same. You’re going to need plot lines, characters, scenes, landscapes, etc. etc. But today’s journal is going back to the foundation of writing. Imagine settling down to write…you pick up your pen – it’s run out of ink. You fetch a new pen, but the clicker is broken on this one. Fine, settle for a pencil, but there’s no paper and the lead is broken anyway. You’re reduced to scratching chalk on slate until it rains and washes away your epic, bestselling, genre-breaking novel.

     Take your seats class. Today we’re going back to basics. We’re going to discuss what a writer needs in this day and age to craft his/her masterpiece. Now, you might have differing opinions to mine here, and please feel free to share them below, but this is more of an ‘ingredients list’ for the writer, rather than the story.

     Firstly, you’re going to need a way of ‘rough writing’. This to me is first drafting, word-for-word, raw and unedited story-goodness. I prefer to write this in a notebook as I like the feel of paper and pen, but feel free to use whatever you life. Some write straight onto PC/Laptop, others use sheets of paper – whatever your fancy!

     I’ve just mentioned the old pc/laptop – and you’re going to need it. With it, you’ll need a good word processing program (MS word being the most popular). It may seem like I’m teaching you to suck eggs here, but, it’ll spot typos for you, and it’s a MUST for ease of editing. Try to type up your work as often and as soon as possible, as hard copies (stuff written in notepads) have a habit of getting lost, damaged, or in my case used as kindling when out on exercise with the Army.

     Now, you’ve got the materials to record your story, but what about the little ideas that pop up here and there? I carry a small notebook on me at all times. AND if all else fails? I use my phone. The iPhone has a handy ‘Notepad’ app that I populate with more story ideas than contacts in my phone. Back in the day, when all I had was one of those trusty Nokia’s that would’ve sustained a gunshot, I was known to text myself to save ideas for later.

     Right, it’s all falling into place! You’ve got hard and soft copies of your work, and a collection of notebooks strewn about the place to keep your writing going. Last, but definitely not least, you’re going to need a BACK UP! HUGELY important. I have several, and I implore you to do the same.

     Personally, for my backups I have: multiple folder structures on my laptop, emailed documents on several accounts, and a ‘Cloud’ (online storage – a must have). I also have a USB, which may not be all that reliable because I leave it in my pocket at all times (and it’s not as if I have a regular office job), but I do plan to invest in an external Hard Drive to keep the rest of the digitals safe. As with copying up from rough to good, your backups should be kept up to date.

     Other things that are useful to have to hand:
A pen…ok, I’ll take this more seriously!
Sketch paper – I find drawing diagrams helps me picture certain scenes, or the layout of a room.
Squared paper – for maps (oh, and for playing noughts and crosses with whoever’s about).
Music – for me it helps get the creative mindset in gear.
Internet connection – don’t let it distract you, but this is crucial for research.

     There we go. Very billy basics, but I thought this would be a fitting return to my ‘Creative Writing 101’ journal entries after a short break. If you have anything to add to this list, feel free to do so below in the comments section. Thank you all for stopping by, and next week we’ll continue as per usual.

Ebook Debut & Exclusive Sneak Preview!

     A big thank you to you all. Yesterday 'From Man to Man' went live on both Smashwords and Amazon. I couldn't have done it without you - readers, watchers, followers and friends. Your support and advice has helped me to this stage, and I'm glad to boast myself as a Self Published Author. I hope you've enjoyed my stories thus far, and I can promise to do my utmost not to disappoint from here on in. As a big thank you, I've included the first chapter from 'It Began With Ashes' as a SNEAK PREVIEW in the ebook.

If you're able to, I ask you to support me one last time by downloading 'From Man to Man' on Smashwords and Amazon, and leaving an honest review.

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Author Interview & Feature: MARK LAWRENCE!

     It’s one thing to make your readers smile, laugh or even cry. But, to inspire revulsion, abhorrence, outrage…that’s a whole other story. It’s a morbid fascination that keeps the pages turning, word a blur as you descend into the depths of depravity. Good and evil, black and white. But, when there’s little good and a hell of a lot of black, that sick obsession needs its fix.

     Mark Lawrence is a dealer to this addiction. He writes with a dark intellect; witty to the macabre, each line laced with a bittersweet poison. What makes his stories so delightfully compulsive is that he dares to tread the thin line between what can be said, and what should never, ever, ever, even be thought. At the reins of a first person Point-of-View, the reader is not just invited to the blood written tales of his creation, but dragged along, kicking and screaming. Combine a poetic psychopath with a power-hungry philosopher, and you have Mark Lawrence’s leading man.

     Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath…The Prince of Thorns.

     Mark has so far released two novels from the ‘Broken Empire’ Trilogy, these being ‘Prince of Thorns’ and ‘King of Thorns’. I’ve reviewed them both at earlier points (check back over my blog for the full features) but here’s a snippet of both reviews:

     ‘Is it true that we need to be broken before we can be reborn? No. But bleeding can sure do the trick.

     Thorns can bleed you better than a knife. Briar thorns so deep they hook to the bone. Where a knife goes in and out, you go in and out of a thicket. The knife goes in, blood comes out. You go in…who knows what comes out? But, I did.

     Before the thorns, before the person that I am now, I was a son and a brother. I’m still a Prince, but I gave that up for the road. Being a son and a brother was taken from me. The thorns gave me a new family. Brothers, though not by blood, but they’ve spilled enough of it for me. Yet there’s more blood to run, and though I lost my old family, I still have a claim to the family fortune.

     And that fortune is a throne…’

     ‘In chess, there are pawns, knights, queens, bishops, and more. But, there are no Princes, so in this Game I have become a king. Chess is black and white, which suits me rather well. A black king. But where's the read? There should be red, a lot of it. A lot of red, a lot of blood. Because, I've played all my pawns for check mate.

     I've got one castle, one knight, a queen and a king on my side of the board. But, there's six boards against my one side. Surely that's against the rules? Why am I complaining, I've never been one for rules, or played nicely with others.

     Maybe being the king isn't all it's cracked up to be?

     ...But being a player is.’

     Despite the darker than dried-blood saga, Mark Lawrence is a genuinely nice guy. If I sound surprised, then I guess I am a little. It’s like when you’re a kid and you look up to Superman only to realise he’s just an actor (personally, I never looked up to Superman. Dude couldn’t even dress himself in the right order – I mean, pants…on the outside? Please! Wolverine was my personal favourite). Now, I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing that when I spoke to Mark Lawrence he didn’t immediately slaughter me (unless I’m being unwittingly groomed for that eventuality!), but I’d built him up to be a big nasty. Boy was I shocked when I found out that he was an awesome bloke, more than happy to chat with a star-struck fan! Mark is a father of four, one of whom is severely disabled. On his ‘About the Author’ he mentions himself as an allotment tender….scary stuff?!?

     So what makes a nicer than nice do-gooder turned to the dark side, besides for the cookies? Well, I was lucky enough to ask Mark a few questions!

     As a research scientist, your job is very much fact. Why then did you decide to write a fiction book, particularly fantasy?
Not an uncommon question but still one that strikes me as peculiar. Most people’s jobs involve fact. Who gets to sit around making stuff up for a living or not obeying the laws of physics? Absolutely no reason a research scientist shouldn’t write fiction, any more or less than a bus driver or hairdresser. A scientist is called on to be far more creative than most people are in their day job.
Fantasy was an early love of mine – I was read Tolkien at an early age.

     How did you get into writing, and how long have you been writing for?
I started writing scenarios for dungeons and dragons games when I was eleven. I ran a fantasy play-by-mail game for a year between my physics degree and my Ph.D and continued to run it in my spare time for the next ten years.
When I moved to the States and stopped running the PBM game I started writing short stories for fun. Short stories grew into longer stories.

     What(who?) inspires and influences your writing?
Everything and nothing.

     Is fantasy your first love, in regards to writing?
It was my first love as a reader and as a writer but I write sci-fi, horror, literary fiction as the mood takes me.

     Now, tell us a little bit about your debut novel, 'Prince of Thorns'?
A violent sword and sorcery romp with deeper under-currents and a lyrical edge, inspired by Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.

     Did it live up to your expectations?
It wholly exceeded them. I just wrote it for fun with no plans to try for publication.

     Why so dark, why all the blood?
Why anything? It’s like me rolling a die and you asking ‘why 5?’. I just started typing and that’s what came up. My writing process is rather like rolling dice. The inspiration for this particular tale always meant there was going to be more than a touch of ultra violence.

     Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath...where he did come from? What spawned him in your mind?
Burgess’ protagonist in A Clockwork Orange is violent and amoral and does terrible things, and yet we find ourselves drawn to him because of his charm. I wanted to try that in a fantasy setting.

     Jorg philosophizes, and quotes many of the greats (Plato, Aristotle). Is this a reflection on yourself?
Well clearly I know a little about philosophy or I couldn’t have written about it. And clearly I quote philosophers (I did it in the book). But no, if you find yourself in conversation with me I am highly unlikely to start throwing in philosophical references.

     Can you reveal anything about the third and final book in the Broken Empire series?
Not a lot! It fills in some of the gaps between the two threads in King of Thorns as well as moving forward from the latter thread toward what’s hopefully an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

     Do you plan to revisit the world set out in the Broken Empire, or will the end of trilogy close the door?
I would like to return to the setting – though not to Jorg. There’s a power in knowing when to stop. I don’t plan to revisit Jorg. I want people to put down the last book of the trilogy wanting more, not to put down book 9 of an endless series thoroughly bored of him.

     What's next after the third novel?
What’s next is seeing if anyone will ever publish me again. And if not, then going back to writing for myself on the weekends.

     Any advice to would-be writers out there?
There’s no would-be about it. Start writing and you’re doing it. If you enjoy it then that’s reward enough in itself and everything else is a bonus. If you don’t ... then stop.

     Lastly, do you have anything that you'd like to say, anyone you'd like to thank? Any pearls of wisdom? (Or threats, in Jorg's case!)
Nope, I’m good. I make my thanks along the way. I’ll leave you with a Jorgism.
You’re either part of the solution or small and bloody chunks of the problem.

     And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that! Thank you Mark for taking the time to answer my questions, and thank you readers for stopping by! Both ‘Prince of Thorns’ and ‘King of Thorns’ are available to buy as ebooks and paper/hard backs in all major book stores! If you want a book to get you hooked, then be sure not to miss out!

Writing Update 4: Busy Times

     Time flies. I obviously missed the boarding call as I’m stick stuck in customs, snowed under by duty free sunglasses and Toblerone, trying to recover my ticket from the Haribo-High pre-teen who stole it from the not-so-legal frequent flyer hiding in the flower pot. Time is not a luxury that any of us can afford. First class is a king’s ransom on the clock, business class would be welcomed for the trade of minutes and seconds…if only we could get on the ruddy plane to ‘More Hours in the Day’ in the first place!

     Busy isn’t the half of it.

     But excitement is.

     Before I start, let me just tease you with a tid-bit of titillating trivia. Mark Lawrence, yes THE MARK LAWRENCE, published author of both ‘Prince of Thorns’ and ‘King of Thorns’ was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few of my questions. The interview (via email) will take up the feature slot on my blog, tomorrow. Be sure to check back for it.

     In regards to my own writing, it’s not going too badly. Work on ‘From Man to Man’ is almost complete, and I am um’ing and ah’ing whether to release the complete short story as a ‘free forever’ download across the web e.g. Smashwords, Amazon, Lulu etc. ‘It Began With Ashes’ is now in its final stages, the front cover is all but complete, I’m due to order the ISBN numbers, format the galley to ‘ebook friendly’, somehow plot a map, and complete a final test read. Sounds a lot, but things are looking positive for an October release. Work on ‘It Began With Ashes’s sequel has been stalled in the events of current, but at 35,000/50,000 words (approx. total) it shouldn’t take long to complete the first draft once I sit down with it again.

     All of my future titles, though self published, are due to be released under the publishing house ‘Four Branches’ – a company run solely by myself at this time. Long term, one of my dreams is to establish a publishing house to publish other authors, and if this is the first step towards that goal, then I’m psyched!

     Next week’s book review will close the door on David Gemmell’s ‘trilogy’ featuring the legendary Waylander. ‘Hero In Shadows’ is the final instalment featuring the assassin, and it’s kept me turning pages since I opened the book less than a week ago.

     All in all, it’s busy times, but business is good. You’ll all hear from me tomorrow, and be sure not to miss it as Mark Lawrence’s feature and exclusive interview will be on the headlines!

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