Nick Kyme

Yes folks, your eyes do not deceive you – the first draft of Firedrake is finished!

It’s been a while coming but sequels, as I’ve come to learn, are tough. I had hoped to get the second book in the Tome of Fire trilogy completed much sooner than I have, and there’s still the possibility of editorial changes, but it’s in now and I’m very happy with how it all turned out.

I’d say this is a different tone to Salamander. The viewpoint is a little smaller in scope. You’ll get several of the key plotlines established in book one moved forward as well as some new ones to ponder for the grand finale in Nocturne (which is book three).

Not sure there’s a lot more to add, save that I may tweak the ending just a little bit and that I still haven’t decided what Dak’ir’s fate will be at the end of the trilogy (I have three options in mind – none of which I’ve settled on yet).

It’s a relief to have it all done. I’m going to take a few days off now (think I’ve earned it). As Firedrake is now done, it should be available for pre-release at Games Day. I hope I see a bunch of you there to get it signed.

Next up for me is ‘Forgotten Sons’, my short story for the Horus Heresy anthology Age of Darkness and then Fall of Damnos in the Space Marine Battles series.

Oh, and please don’t forget that Fireborn has been recently released and fills in the gap nicely between Salamander and Firedrake. If you want the full story between the two books (or as full as I’ve written it) then read ‘The Burning’ (BL Live chapbook) and ‘Prometheus Requiem’ (from Fear the Alien, which is released very soon).

If you’re a Warhammer fantasy fan then Grimblades is the Nick Kyme book for you. That’s on the horizon, late July/early August I believe. I hope lots of folks decide to check it out, as I’m rather proud of my achievement with that one, too. You don’t need to have read the other Empire Army books – far from it – this stands alone very nicely (it’s actually set during a completely different time period).

Anywho, shameless plugging aside, rejoice! Firedrake is in the can and the Salamanders march on…

Figured it was high time for an update as to the status of Kyme.

So, I guess limbo would describe it pretty well at the mo but at least it’s limbo with a rudder and paddle (and at least the creek isn’t full of smelly brown stuff anymore, so that’s good).

Seriously, it has been the maddest six months in my life. Bonkers. Utter bollocks, most it, too.

As I sit here in a towel (sorry, bad mental image I’m sure but it’s my blog so I’ll say what I like, plus I’ve just got out of the shower and I usually find I’m more creative and prone to want to write something after having just emerged – must be the water flow or something; I’ve heard Graham say he’s more creative after having been swimming. Water = Creativity – is that a scientific fact? Calling all those with writer’s block or some such malady, get yourselves in the tub, pronto!), I’m pondering where I’m at right now with life, the universe and writing.

First up, can I say: thank you to all the blog fans who have supported me during this time of bloggage and writing paucity. You have my sincere apologies for my lack of interaction with you through the medium of my site. I hope that will change in the coming weeks. Also, dear friends, I have noted the absence from the blog (and I’m thinking comments here, people – is anybody listening… I mean anybody? Show me your love by posting comments, peeps) of certain folks who used to be regulars. I shall do my best, crestfallen and dejected once-believers, to drag you back into the fold. It’s nice and warm and cosy here, the cold winds are receding and summer is poking through the grey clouds (sort of reminds me of the opening lyrics to the theme tune to Happy Days…).

Randomness aside, there’s a lot to be cheerful about of late. Number one (but not necessarily the most important thing, and understand that the following list has no order as such, it’s just a list that has to come in some sort of order, usually as I think of the thing going into the list…), my laptop has been returned to me! Yes, that’s right, after a dodgy motherboard and £200 later, my beast is back and all-singing, all-dancing again. Crap excuse though it is, I actually blogged a lot less because I was on my tiny, ‘ickle netbook and that little fella, despite being awesome for train, plane and automobile journeys, just couldn’t cut the mustard (or the cheese) in the blog stakes – too slow, you see and with a screen too small. Pah!

Still, with the return of my 17″ beauty, I’m back in the blogging business… and how.

The lack of ‘puter didn’t impact on my writing too much, which brings me neatly to number two on the list of all things cheerful on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Yup, it seems after several weeks (nay, months) of wading through a mire of ineffectual writing and simple work lackage (and I’m coining that term, along with Bowdenian – i.e. something having the characteristics or manner of a certain Aaron Dembski-Bowden – and crimminy – say it with me people, ‘crimminy’ – thanks!), I have finally got back – or least ways am approaching a place where it’ll be back – my mojo.

Sweet baby Moses, it has taken its time but I can start to think again, whereas before I was merely acting. Going through the motions sucks in almost every circumstance (there are, of course, notable exceptions that I shan’t delve into here…), and this was no different. As a result of my newfound ‘writerlyness’, I have reached the midway point of Firedrake. Yeah, yeah, I know, I was pretty damn close to that a few weeks back. Shut it. This is different. I have got to the 50,000 word mark and I can now see forward to the other 50,000 words. This, dear readers, is nothing short of miraculous for me.

I’ve now started to have some fun with the story again and am adding little bits of character development here and there, weaving in new plot threads (only little ones, oh mighty editor of mine – nothing that’s going to make you cry or shout or… twist, I guess). The dark eldar are the antagonists for this one and it struck me as I was writing a scene with Tsu’gan in that I needed to show exactly who these guys were – what makes them tick (nasty, perverse and debased stuff, actually). After adding a few scenes to inject a bit of much needed personality into the dark eldar, as well as establish – or suggest – a relationship that exists between them and the Salamanders, I felt a lot more connected to them and it even resulted in a spinning story thread that won’t get resolved until Nocturne. Coo!

Looking to write another couple of thousand words today for Firedrake too and while I’m going to miss my deadline, it won’t be by a country mile as I had originally feared. Phew!

Just as well, really, as I’ve got a lot of work that’s recently landed on my slightly over-sized plate.

I’ll keep disclosure brief as some of this has yet to be ratified and should be considered speculative, but I’ve been commissioned to write a short story for a forthcoming Horus Heresy anthology. At present, it’s called ‘Forgotten Sons’ (the short story, NOT the anthology) and features an Ultramarine and a Salamander who are on a special mission as the two protagonists. It’s also set post-Dropsite Massacre. Let the speculation begin!

I’m trying out for Dan Abnett’s Sabbat Worlds anthology, too. I have a few ideas for this but haven’t exactly settled on one just yet. In any case, I need to float it by the great man himself first, but I will say that it’s very flattening and humbling to potentially be a part of this book. I’ve been a fan of the Ghosts for years (every since Gaunt said the word ‘balls’ in First and Only, I’ve been hooked) and to add to that world in some small way is a great thing indeed. Now I just need to come up with something awesome (already feeling the pressure…).

It’s really nice to be thinking about some short stories again. I honestly love writing them, and I guess that’s why there’s so many for the Tome of Fire saga and the Salamanders. Fresh, or should that really be ‘hot’, on the heels of Fireborn I also have a hankering to write another Salamanders audio. This one, I think, will be slightly out of time, but shall feature none-other than Forgemaster Argos, possibly when Kadai was still captain. Details yet to be worked out but I have the central story conceit in mind and it’s very cool.

Moving swiftly back to the realm of novels, I have my eye on the book between Firedrake and Nocturne to be a Space Marine Battles novel. Again, nothing has been ratified yet, but if it comes off (i.e. I’m allowed to write it), it’ll signal a return for the Ultramarines of 2nd Company – a sort of unofficial sequel to Assault on Black Reach. Watch this space for more in due course.

The upshot of all that is, the pipe is pretty full at the moment, which is great. I’ll definitely need to apply myself over the next few weeks and months, especially concerning getting Firedrake in the bag but it’s nice to be busy and in demand.

Oh, as far as my upcoming releases go, I have a short story in an anthology, an audio book and a new Warhammer novel all recently released or coming soon. Here are the linkys, which will take you to the spanky new Black Library website – can I get a woot!?

Legends of the Space Marines (anthology – May)

Fireborn (audio CD – June)

Grimblades (novel – August)

Ooh, and I almost forget, another short in another anthology…

Fear the Alien (anthology – September)

Shameless plug over, but as folks do ask about my upcoming releases I thought I’d oblige.

Right, that’s it for the mo. I’m off to clean the bathroom, put on some pants and get a cup of coffee (and in that order).

Exeunt!

Greetings, Salamander fans!

Guess what showed up in the office a few days ago?

Any takers?

Any?

All right, all right – check out the image below…

Yup, that’s right. The audio CD of Fireborn dropped in my lap that a fire-wreathed comet!

This was actually the first opportunity I had to listen to the final produced piece. I’d heard some rushes and even an edit or two with sound fx, but not until a few days ago had I sampled the glory of music, fx and a final editorial pass. Cowabunga dudes – it sounds great. Even the funky effect over the Salamanders’ voices comes across cool.

Here’s a sneaky peak of the innards, so to speak…

Juicy biscuits indeed. I’m seriously chuffed about the production on this CD, yet a further instalment in the Tome of Fire saga.

To summary then, this story features Tsu’gan and Praetor as it’s principle characters (okay, tangent alert! Something interesting that’s come out through talking to folks about Salamander and the various shorts and so on that have been released to add some extra ballast to the series is the divide that seems to exist for some fans between Tsu’gan and Dak’ir. Fact! Aaron Dembski-Bowden – also known as ADB, which just sounds contagious - is a self-confessed Tsu’gan fan. I’ve talked to other folks that prefer Dak’ir. Weird, huh? I wonder if it says something about a reader’s inner psyche depending on which character they favour? Intriguing… Certainly, it was always the plan to introduced two very different focal characters for the series. In Firedrake they literally diverge – Tsu’gan goes off and joins the First Company, fighting alongside the likes of Vulkan He’stan no less; whereas Dak’ir is training to become a Librarian and joins Pyriel on a quest of his very own. Funny, though, that the split between the characters and the narrative has manifest itself in the readership, too. Spooky… End of tangent)… now, where was I? Oh yes, the story in Fireborn…

Right. Yes. Tsu’gan and Praetor are the central characters. They’re sent to a shrine world that’s besieged by Chaos to retrieve a holy relic and save it from destruction. It’s not quite as simple as the Firedrakes first think, though. When a deadly daemon-engine is unleashed against them by the Chaos renegades, matters only get more complicated. Expect carnage by the bucket load, but also a development of Tsu’gan’s character arc and more than one twist in the tale.

Fireborn sits inbetween the first two novels and recounts one of Tsu’gan’s missions before we meet him again in Firedrake. Chronologically speaking, it takes place before ‘Prometheus Requiem’, which appears in Fear the Alien and describes another of the angry Salamander’s missions.

Last but not least then. Here’s a picture of the art work bereft of CD cases and my dodgy digital photogrpahy, since folks have been asking for it…

Look out for Fireborn in June on the BL Website and the GW Webstore , too.

Have to say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my forays into audio land. Both Thunder from Fenris and Fireborn were fascinating and illuminating experiences. I have an idea for another audio, but it’ll have to wait in line behind Firedrake, an as-of-yet undisclosed project, Nocturne and a HH short story. Phew!

It has to be said, it’s taking me an age to get to the halfway point of Firedrake. I think, occasionally, ever author has a project that just won’t go down easy. 

This is that project for me.

I can’t really put my finger on what the problem is. I don’t think it’s writer’s block or anything as cliched as that. It’s probably a confluence of a lot of different things that are just making this book a bit of beast to wrestle under my control.

It’s annoying because  I know what I want to do and how the story will be told. All the characters are where they need to be and I’ve set up the various plot points and done the foregrounding that I need to do, but for some bloody reason I just can’t seem to get the cogs working properly.

I’m close, I’m definitely close and certain scenes are frankly a piece of piss to get down on the page and I’m really pleased with them, but I keep hitting little speedbumps that either slow me right down or force me to an undignified halt.

The fact the book has been hanging around (at least in my mind) for a while doesn’t help. I started late, under something of a sticky cloud (which, thankfully, has passed), and I’ve not yet been able to shake that completely.

Once I get going again I think it’ll be fine but right now it’s a laborious process. I totally sympathise with other authors who’ve suffered with this sort of thing.

Still, fear not Salamander fans as I will get this one nailed. 

Regarding the saga, I have to say it’s very gratifying to think about the sheer volume of stories associated with the Tome of Fire trilogy, despite the fact that I’m only actually one book into it!

I was chatting with my boss, George, the other day over a brew and he’s been reading the Salamander short stories. It seems there’s a real attraction to having a main body of work (i.e. a novel trilogy) supported by various satellite stories and projects. Certainly that’s true of the Salamander stuff that I’m doing.

Honestly, it was never something I actually intended. I always knew I wanted to write a trilogy. Even when I was planning ‘Fires of War’, I knew there were three more books to write these characters’ story, but it’s funny how it’s grown in the telling.

Truth be told, ‘Fires of War’ is sort of the prologue (albeit a very large one) to the Tome of Fire trilogy. I remember chatting to Steve Parker about the story when I was writing it. He picked up straight away (quite rightly) that in writing ‘Fires of War’ I really wanted to be writing the novel. I think that’s why it’s such an integral part of the story. In fact, there’s probably only really this one that you really need to read if you’re delving into the novel trilogy.

However, the other stories really add to the saga and have allowed me to develop characters and add in backstory that I can refer to later in the books. But I never expected it to morph into the saga it is.

Not including ‘Fires of War’, there’s actually five addiitonal Salamander short stories I’ve written as part of the Tome of Fire saga. It’s interesting to think about them (from a creator’s view), how they came about and their significance. Of all of them, probably ‘Vulkan’s Shield’ is the least directly linked. It’s a story of Ko’tan Kadai after all (a character that I want to come back to in another novel series), but one that I enjoyed penning immensely. ‘Hell Night’, too, due to its place in the chronology, is fairly stand-alone. Of the others, though, ‘Prometheus Requiem’, ‘Fireborn’ (which is actually an audio book but one of short story length) and ‘The Burning’, because of the fact that they sit, chronologically speaking, between Salamander and Firedrake are pretty pertinent to the next novel installment.    

It’s been a surprise, it has to be said, that the series has taken this route but a pleasant one. Despite my issues with Firedrake, I am totally loving writing about the Salamanders and I have aspirations to do more with them for both Space Marine Battles and Horus Heresy but it remains to be seen if I’ll get the opportunity to do so (I really hope I will, as I’ve got some kickass ideas for both series).

Thinking back to the start of the project, way back when I was pitching for Heroes of the Space Marines, I never expected to be writing this sort of saga and making a little niche for myself. Originally, I was going to do three books and that was it – story told, nothing more to see here. I’ve since revised that opinion and think there’s more legs in the Salamanders and the cast of characters I’ve created for the Tome of Fire trilogy.

One route, of course, is to explore the career of Ko’tan Kadai, as intimated in ‘Vulkan’s Shield’. Lots of half-formed ideas are knocking around my shelllike regarding this at the moment (because, if your writing mojo is on the fritz then you might as well get some solid thinking done and ideas down for when the creative wheels are turning again). I’d like to do more with the relationship of the Chapter with the Adeptus Mechanicus (though, you’ll see some of that in Nocturne - oh, incidentally, that’s what I want to call the third book) and also explore how the Salamanders get on with the Raven Guard. I think a duel campaign with the Raven Guard would be cool, maybe involving the Black Dragons too, as this was Ushorak’s Chapter and there might be opportunity for foreshadowing here. Could have a lot of fun with that.

Something else that’s been on my mind of late are the Marines Malevolent. I keep reading little snatches of stuff on forums about how folks seemed to have liked the way I presented them in Salamander and would like to see more.

Well, I have good news for MM fans – they will definitely make an appearance again in both Firedrake and Nocturne, and I would also entertain the idea of doing a one-off novel with them as the protagonists.

It’d be interesting to think about how to pitch them, though. I really think of the MMs as total war-mongering sociopaths – hard to imagine them as anything but villainous, really. It would certainly present an interesting challenge and could also add to the depth and texture of the saga in much the same way as Graham McNeill’s excellent Storm of Ironadds to his Ultramarines series.

Of course, another option could be to give them some air time in an Armageddon-based Space Marine Battles book. The reason I put the MMs in Salamander was because of the documented antipathy during that particular conflict between the two Chapters.  I do feel that there’s more life in Vinyar, Lorkar and the rest of those bastards. They are a hoot to write, so who knows…

Something else I’d like to do in the not-too-distant future is tell the story of the Dragon Warriors i.e. how they came to be and just what did happen at Moribar to send them over the edge. Not sure what form it would take yet, possibly a novella. Much like the MMs, though, it’d be a lot of fun to write a Salamander story from the PoV of their enemies.

Lot’s to chew over there and all this talk of the series is slowly getting me fired up for the novel. Perhaps that’s the key to it? If I keep up the bloggage (which has been lax of late – sorry about that) and the lyrical waxing about the Sallies, maybe it’ll translate into some hard and fast words on the page.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for that shall we folks…

Coming soon: I hope to bring you a cover image for Fireborn. I’ve got it, but not sure I can release it into the wide world yet. It’s on the chapbook ad page but only small and in black and white. I shall ask the powers that be. Watch this space.

Well, a belated Happy New Year to everyone!

Got to say I am pretty happy to see the back on 2009 for various, fairly tedious, reasons. There was some good stuff, don’t get me wrong, but the latter end of the year left a bitter taste in my mouth that was tough to shift.

Still, a new year is all about the future, right? So, what does it have in store for you my intrepid readers?

That’s easy.

After a mutha crusher of a mental block, I have finally started work on Firedrake. Seriously, it took me bloody ages to get around to this and, I don’t mind admitting, that for a time I wondered if I’d be able to write the book at all. Glad to report then that my mojo has returned and going, while not phenomenal, is steady.

There were lots of reasons for this. Some of it was down to the fact that I had a few lingering edits to sort out on Grimblades (my Empire novel, coming in July/August folks! – shameless plug over), then I took on the Fireborn audio and another short story for Fear the Alien. This was also on top of the fact I agreed to write a 5,000 word story for the BL Live! chapbook. This one’s called ‘The Burning’ and will be available at the event in a swanky looking booklet . Nice.

Truth be told, I still have a few edits to do on ‘Prometheus Requiem’ (that’s the one for Fear the Alien) but nothing major-doodle. Despite that, I’ve ‘gone in’, as it were, as far as Firedrake goes. I’m hoping to write a 1,000 words or so tonight and then do a big session at an unnamed coffee shop tomorrow (for some reason, I’m having difficulty focusing at home in my study right now).

You know, I could pour my heart out on this blog. I could bang on about emotional upheaval and soul searching and all that stuff, but that’s not what it’s here for. Those close to me know the score and they’ve been awesome, seriously awesome – I would have been royally screwed, I think, without their support – so I thank them, profusely, from the bottom of my still beating if bruised heart, for that. This blog is about writing, mad stuff, things that make me laugh, things that make me angry, confuse me or just make me go – ‘hell yeah!’

So, let’s stick to that shall we?

I touched on a couple of points earlier in my ramblings, and I’d like to go back to those now. The first one concerns location.

A lot of writers I know will actually put fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, stylus to PDA (or whatever) in a variety of locations. Most folks I speak to have a study. It’s their sanctum, the place that houses all of their books and… well, stuff, for want of a better word. I too have a study. Is a, now slightly less cramped, little room with books and DVDs and all manner of goofy stuff. Up until recently, it was the place where I went to create, I guess. I know it won’t always be like this, but it feels kind of like a prison to me now. I struggle to express myself in these confines, a strange sense of claustrophobia asserting itself on me, a desire to get out and meet people, see the world, interact. Yes, actually connect with the realm beyond the walls of this room and my house.

It’s important. Reaching out. It is all too easy to get inside your writer’s bubble and forget that life goes on outside of it. And, let’s face it, it’s pretty important to connect with it (even if that’s limited to a table at a coffee shop strapped into your ipod). Every writer needs a frame of reference, a line to the real world. Donning the 40K/Warhammer cap might mean a sortie into a very unreal, fantastical world but they are still populated what you are trying to make into ‘real’ characters. How can you do that if you don’t know what real people are actually like? What have you got to compare it too? Plus, peeps, it’s just not healthy to lock yourself away in a dingy cupboard. Don’t do it!

So, in spite of the fact that my study has become a prison for my mind (slightly melodramatic, I know but indulge a creative soul will ya), I’ll venture forth from the pit anyway. When I’m struggling to find the words and the inspiration, a trip to somewhere new often helps get the juices flowing again. Changing locale is something I do frequently and, for now at least, I’ll be doing most of my novel writing in the office or in some heavily commercialised coffee emporium – ooh, capitalism baby.

Point two I want to make concerns a word that sends a thrill of excitement and dread down my spine: sequel. Eek! Run for the hills! Save yourselves! Sequels are notoriously tricky beasts to get right. They suffer from that ’second album syndrome’ malaise. They have a long history of never being as good as the original. They will always be compared to something that came before, something that dare we even whisper it was… better.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a moment. That’s not entirely true, though, is it. Well, is it?

No, of course it ain’t. As a movie fan I point you towards the following evidence in the case of the sequel versus the original: The Dark Knight, Spider-man 2, X-Men 2, Aliens, Superman 2, The Empire Strikes Back. The prosecution rests, your honour.

Fact is, there are a lot of really good, superior sequels out there. So it is then that I head into Firedrake with the notion fixed in my mind that it will be my Empire Strikes Back (no furry little critters in the third instalment, though – nope, nope, nope).

Writing a sequel does present some new challenges, though. Most of these, besides the desire to make it better than the original, are pretty fundamental concerns. I really need to make sure I get the details right that I’ve established in the earlier books/stories. It wouldn’t do to describe a character wielding some kick-ass weapon because I think it’s cool, only to discover that he had an entirely different kick-ass weapon in the original. Or that a character who was bald now had a funky haircut in the shape of a dragon or something. The devil’s in the details, as cliched as that sounds, it really is.

Go back. Read your original source material again. Reconnect with your original text. These are the only ways to ensure you don’t make any continuity screw-ups. Still, it’s a lot to remember, homes.

2010 then. A universally good year? I hope so. It’s looking up, so I’m down with that. Firedrake will be my first book of the New Year. This is the one that’ll prove to me that I can write this trilogy and make the best I can make it, something worthy, something that outstrips its predecessor. Watch this space to find out how I do.