Nick Kyme

Like I said earlier, multiple posts – gadzooks!

Okies, so here’s what I’ve been working on/what’s out and coming out for my goodself at the moment.

Out now – Nocturne has been out since November and kicking celebrated ass as the finale to my Tome of Fire trilogy about the Salamanders. There are some cliffhangers and that’s because I am returning to the Chapter and some of the characters (plus new ones) in a new book around 2013.

Also… Dwarfs. If you can can’t wait for The Great Betrayal then you can always get hold of this omnibus edition by myself and fellow author Gav Thorpe. It contains three stand alone novels about the dwarfs (well, duh…), a short story by Gav and a cut down version of the old hard to find background book Grudgelore. Oh, and both authors have written an intro too.

Coming out soon – The Primarchs in which I have a novella ‘Feat of Iron’, which is about Ferrus Manus of the Iron Hands and really delves into his psyche and how he sees himself ranked up against the other primarchs. It runs concurrently with the storyline of Promethean Sun but is in no way dependent on that story. There some pretty f*!king awesome revelations in it about Ferrus Manus and a hint about what’s to come in the next phase of the Heresy storyline too. It’s previewed at BLL and released ‘officially’ in June 2012.

Perfection is my fourth (ish) audio drama and it’s all about a warband of the Emperor’s Children called the Incarnadine Host. It’s a bit different as it’s kind of a battlefield mystery story but with lots of extremely visceral action, and a killer twist. The read through was done last week and now it’s off to be recorded. Expect it around October 2012.

And what I’m working on right now – The Great Betrayal. My first Time of Legends book set during the War of Vengeance has been a right bast to get into shape. With a six book series, my first experience of working in tandem with another author, and this being the first book has meant I’ve really had to find new levels of dedication and ingenuity to make this work. It’s now well on track, over 70,000 words down (out of a likely 120,000) and slated for a November 2012 release.

And soon to be on my writing desk – Tome of Fire. For all Salamander fans everywhere, this is an anthology of all my short stories for the Salamanders. It also includes the audio drama Fireborn and will contain a brand new novella (which is where the work comes from). Rare gems such as The Burning will also be in there (that was a chapbook story from BLL 2009 – I think) and I might see if Emperor’s Deliverance will fit in too (it’s more focused on Marines Malevolent but does have a rather cool cameo by Tu’Shan).

Scorched Earth is next up. This is a Horus Heresy novella that won’t be limited edition but will be a forerunner to a later novel I have in the works. It’s set in the aftermath of Isstvan V and features two Salamander characters searching for Vulkan’s body amongst the ruins and devastation. Expect a cameo from one of the Iron Hands in ‘Feat of Iron’ too… Oh, and the cover by Neil Roberts is absolutely stunning. Very moody and something rather different for the Horus Heresy, not really seen before.

That’s your lot. Further out is well… top secret at the moment. Updates will filter through BL’s site as usual.

Catch me at BLL2012 on Saturday to get my sig on The Primarchs or anything else you care to bring.

Yesterday was a day of endings. It was the end of my Nocturne signing tour (and many thanks to everyone who came to chat and get their books signed – you’re all very welcome any time) and it was the end of ‘Feat of Iron’.

Woot!

Yup, finally nailed the first draft of my novella for The Primarchs. It came in at just a little over the 30k mark but I am pretty pleased with the result. A bit like the last couple of miles in a half marathon, the last 2,ooo words in the Ferrus Manus novella were the toughest.

Today (well the next hour or so, at least) is going to be spent going back over what I’ve done and honing and tweaking, but the story is in. Beers all round.

No much else going on the moment. Writing-wise, once the novella is in with Christian on Monday, I’ll be working on my synopsis to The Great Betrayal (Time of Legends War of Vengeance book 1), oh and I’ve got a short, short story to write for the Horus Heresy (an ‘ickle 5k one).

Got myself a copy of Gears of War 3 but have yet to play it with any real gusto. I actually need to set it up for HD on my TV as it looks a bit rough otherwise. I paid 30-odd squids for this and I want it to look the business.

In other gaming news, I am very much looking forward to getting hold of Arkham City towards the end of this month. Man alive, this is going to be the game of the year for me. Then I’ll likely shell out some spondooliks for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Yeah! That’s me sorted for the next 6-12 months (it takes me ages to get through games – just because I don’t have a lot of time to play them at length).

Oh, I read that Space Marine is getting a co-op DLC very soon (October 26th or thereabouts). Honestly, can’t believe this wasn’t in the package to begin with but I guess memory budget can be a beast sometimes. I’ll be uploaded to my PS3, o’ho yes.

Thinking about ditching my PS3 Move. I barely use it and even when I do I’d rather play the game on the controller. The only reason I’m thinking about hanging onto it is for Kill Zone 3 and the natty little gun controller I’ve got for it. Otherwise, that gimmick item would be gone.

Okies, I really need to get cracking for the self edits for ‘Feat of Iron’ so I shall see you peeps later.

PS For those who follow my running exploits, my ankle/foot is loads better (convinced it was ligaments) and I’m going to get back in the game on Monday after a three week hiatus. Can’t wait. This year I’d like to do the Great North Run and the Adidas half marathon (I think that’s the correct distance) around Silverstone. Yeah!

PPS Whilst finishing off the novella the other week I was writing in my kitchen with Shakespeare laid next to me. I was sitting on my bar stool at the breakfast bar and when I moved my seat I accidentally snagged the fluff on the little fella’s tail without realising. Deep into the novella, I freaked when I heard this commotion below me, Shakespeare scratching like a mad to get loose. He did, but at the expense of his tail fluff (please note, his actual tail was fine). Here’s the evidence and the little man’s response afterwards…

Think he’s forgiven me… :/

Physically and mentally knackered. That’s pretty much what I’m going with if anyone asks me how I’m feeling right now.

I went on a training course last week. It’s probably the toughest thing, professionally speaking, that I’ve ever had to do. We’re talking sixteen hour days, unrelenting pressure and a constantly changing brief.

Consider then that after said course of doom (which, in retrospect was awesome and I honestly think has changed me as a human fricking being – and I’m usually very cynical about this kind of stuff) I managed to put the finishing touches to Nocturne and I’ve had a pretty good week.

I’m still spellchecking the manuscript on my new netbook (had to fork out for this when bastard, f*!king trojan virus put the kibosh on my old one – I’d love to string that particular little scumbag hacker up by the balls but hey-ho, I’m over it) but it’s pretty much there. I wish I had an extra week to go over it some more but I’ve been reading and honing as I went along and now I just want to hand this mutha in to my editor. Christian will be pleased/relieved I think.

With the completion of Nocturne it brings the Tome of Fire to a triumphant but slightly sad end. These books have been part of my life for well over three years and Salamander (the first book in the series) launched my Black Library career in a way I could never have expected or dreamed (7th printing and counting…). During that time, I’ve seen relationships end (some longer than others) and weathered an emotional storm that threatened to derail the whole thing. I’ve had doubts, the odd crisis of purpose and confidence but I’ve come through and this is the culmination. It may only be a tie-in fiction line but it has meaning for me, this story. It’s the saga that I always wanted to tell and I’ve grown as a writer during the telling of it.

Don’t worry if you’re a fan as I’ll be returning to the Salamanders again. From the Chapter that nobody wanted, they’ve suddenly become the one that everyone wants to read about and that’s extremely gratifying. I want to go back to the Horus Heresy with them next and write a novel to follow up on Promethean Sun. It feels like a natural step and a good fit to do that. I have a plot in mind and signs are positive that I’ll get to write it. More on that at another juncture, though.

For now, I’d like to focus on Nocturne and a collective body of work (including short stories and the like) that spans well over 350,000 words. Pretty good going, I think. When I’ve written a million words on the Salamanders, I might stop then but who knows. Another trilogy is to come for sure, and I have a mind to write a Space Marine Battles novel that ties-in and maybe even a prequel novel if I can convince Christian to let me write it.

I want to say thank you. I want to pass on my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has discussed the novels and the Chapter with me over the years, that has passed on their encouragement and kind wishes, their comments and enthusiasm, their knowledge. You are all part of the reason I finished this trilogy and without wanting to go into Oscar-mode, I just want to say: ”preciate it’.

Nocturne is released at Games Day this year a couple of months before it’s official release in November. I’ll be doing a bunch of signings for it but dates and locations are still tbc.

So, a tiring but productive week.

Easy now.

It’s perhaps poetic irony or a piece of cosmic synergy that I finish reading Infinite Crisis on my Android phone the moment my own ‘crisis’ emerges.

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been wrestling with a crisis of confidence this past few weeks and it all really came to a head this bank holiday weekend. In two days when I should have been knocking out between 2,000 and 3,000 words, I did almost nothing. I just couldn’t get myself motivated and hit one of those appalling moments when everything you read that you’ve written just looks like the most abyssal shit ever.

‘Get some perspective,’ I hear you cry. You’re right of course and after getting back to work today and looking again in the cold light of dawn what I’ve done, I can say that Nocturneis looking fooking great. Naysayers can piss right off; I’m coming out fighting.

It’s funny, the first piece of advice I usually give to wannabe writers is ‘read’ and then ‘write’ (sounds obviously, doesn’t it?), but what I should really say, as a caveat to that sound if slightly useless arrow-pointing, is ‘believe’. You’ve got to believe in yourself and persevere. If you don’t – forget it now; you’re screwed mate. Sorry.

Weathering those slings and arrows is what it’s all about. In a world as big as ours (and yet so infinitesimal in the grander scheme), there are going to be some douche bags. It stands to reason. Don’t listen to them. Keep on moving. Up, up and away!

So, yeah, after some nice comments (thank you, people, from the bottom of my heart – and I really mean that), and a bit of pep talk, I’m back in the game.

I’m slogging through the finale to be honest, but that’s how it always goes. Getting over the finish line and getting started are the two toughest bits, only marginally harder to overcome than the midway slump and the first, second and third act mini-crisis. What can I say? It’s a bloody minefield. You work largely in isolation and don’t get chance to see how your best laid plans have fared against the enemy until it’s too late to change them. Welcome to being an author, baby.

I think the problem I’ve got with Nocturne right now is that I’m over the 100k mark and still don’t quite know when it’s going to end. I said to myself before I started, ‘I’m looking at 110,000 to 120,000 words here’. I still think that’s going to be the case but when you’ve had two deadline extensions and your pushing 105,000 with a bunch of stuff left to do you A) don’t want to rush it and B) will be kind of glad when it’s over.

It’s a question of ‘doing justice’, I think. There are so many characters to get in there, so many storylines I want to provide some kind of closure for as well as building to a fooking big dust-up between Dak’ir and Tsu’gan (those two have got to throw down, haven’t they?).

Considering this ‘work’ as a whole, and I say ‘work’ opposed to trilogy because of the sheer number of integral and interconnected short stories that I’ve written about and around the Tome of Fire, there’s no great surprise that rounding off this chapter, as it were, was going to be a challenge.

I want to do more, that much I do know. Graham has his Ultramarines and their multiple arcs, Dan has Gaunt’s Ghosts, Aaron’s got the Night Lords (still not ruled out an interconnected trilogy with those swines either, if ADB is up for it), I guess I have the Salamanders or at least my little bit of it.

Knowing what I know about the trilogy’s denouement, some thoughts are already starting to populate my brain with potential story strands embedded. Nothing concrete yet, not even an antagonist but some ideas none-the-less. It’ll probably be a while; I have some other books to write first, not least of which is the mainstream crime novel I promised myself. I’m about 10,000 words into that and committed to writing it when I head off into the wilds for another writer’s retreat next month.

So, yeah, rolling with the punches and coming back for another round. I’ve still got a little way to go on Nocturne but if I dig in I know I can put this monster to bed.

Take it easy.

Yo, sorry that it’s been a while. I would make some promises that I’d be a better and more frequent blogger in the future but fact is I’ve said that before and still I lapse. Let’s just say, I’ll blog when I can but when in the midst of a serious bout of writing I just don’t always have the time.

So, some thoughts of Promethean Sun. Well, I’m obviously hugely pleased it has been so popular. I never actually looked at all the Facebook stuff I’d be hearing about bemoaning BL’s decision to make this limited ed, nor will I. I wrote this story knowing that it wouldn’t be read by all the fans, at least not right now (it will be available in a couple of years, which does suck a bit I suppose), so there’s nothing hugely revelatory in it. I’m working on two other ideas that sort of link to the story, at least in so far that they’re Horus Heresy era and have the Salamanders and Vulkan as their main protagonists. So, sorry if you’re miffed that you didn’t get a copy. I reckon all the absolute die-hards must have one, though. Despite initial reports, due to the website kind of breaking, Promethean Sun was available for a few days. It’s great being the one who starts something (i.e. the first ever HH limited ed novella) but you’re also kind of a guinea pig for finding out the wrinkles in the system.

Okay, enough of that. On to Nocturne. I’m about 56,000 words in and finally starting to see how this thing is going to shape up. Wow, third books in trilogies are really hard to write. There was so much to remember, so much time opening old files from the previous two novels and checking things. At times it’s been hellish.

I guess that’s part of the reason I’m sat in my kitchen with Shakespeare chewing my cabinets and causing general carnage, and not out enjoying the holiday time. I booked three extra days off you see. On account of the Royal Wedding malarky, it sort of turns into an eleven day holiday instead of two chunky weekends. I took the three days. I’m planning on reaching 70,000 words by the end of it and having a big fat slice of the novel done; I just needed this blog time as a warm-up.

Oh, I have a short story to write too. That, I promised my editor for the end of this uber-break. Depending on whether or not I get that 70k in the bag will determine the truth of that statement. I figured that if I write 2k a day for the entire break (with time off to watch movies, go out, have a few beers, go tobogganing, train for a half-marathon/triathlon – see how my time is so full?) then I’d get to the golden mark of 70k. If I get ahead and do some bonus words then I’ll get on to the short story too. It’s only 5k but could be a bit of a derailer as far as the novel is concerned, so I need to be careful.

In other writing news, if you’re in and around Leeds next Saturday then get your butts over to Travelling Man for about 1pm. I’ll be there signing Fall of Damnos and anything you put in front of me with my name on it. I’ll also answer questions about Promethean Sun and the Tome of Fire trilogy if you’ve still got any.

Okay, I reckon that’ll do by way of warm-up. Enjoy the time off if you’ve got it; if not, don’t work too hard. Catch you later.