Update Number Something Or Other

And lo, it’s been over two weeks since the last update. I’m really rubbish at this, aren’t I? Well then, let’s cut to the chase and update y’all.

I’ve been hard at work on Project Hush-Hush, primarily with chapter eleven of The Forgotten Son which has been a very hard chapter to break. Writing a narrative that’s set in the late ’60s has its share of difficulties since it was a time of great change and a time before I was born — only just, though, but still, we’re talking at least seven years before any real memories of mine. It’s kind of like writing an historical, with lots of research to get the small details right. In some ways not a whole lot has changed, but in others everything has changed. People are people, and basically the same throughout history, all struggling with the same emotional issues and relationship complexities no matter what era you’re writing for, but it’s the small details that create the era. And this is why chapter eleven has been so difficult. The setting for that chapter is 1937/’38, a time when the political climate of the world was undergoing a massive upheaval, where Germany was making itself known is no uncertain way, a time when Britain believed it was finally escaping the depression that had claimed it after the Great War, not knowing they were on a brink of another world war that would do more damage to British economy than ever before and change the face of the world forever. And all this is important background stuff which informs the characters in chapter eleven, although it had no actual bearing on the story told in that chapter. The hardest part was trying to find the voice of the child characters who dominate that chapter, especially children living in the late ’30s. A very different time to be a child, but not so different as all that, as I discovered when I was writing it. How well I’ve succeeded is something which the readers will have to judge, but after two weeks I believe I’ve broken it well and made it work. Certainly my first draft editor (fellow author and unbiased voice, Jonathan Cooper) thinks I did a good job of it — although, of course, he had some useful advice and suggestions. My intention was to capture the Chocky vibe, and I hope I’ve done that.

Beyond the actual writing, I’ve been in important meetings about the series, which is ever near being announced now. We’ve got our cover artist, the maestro himself, Marvel UK’s very own Simon Williams, and some exciting ideas about what direction we’re taking the cover design. I’ll be getting to see some cover images within the next two days, which is VERY exciting indeed!

In other news I’ve been posting some fun stuff over at Type 40, most notably an interview with Hannah Haisman, granddaughter of Mervyn Haisman, co-creator of the Brigadier, the Great Intelligence and the Dominators from seasons five and six of Doctor Who, plus a top ten of my favourite stories to feature the Brigadier. Pop over and have a butcher’s.

So, that’s me these last two weeks. Now I need to get back on with The Forgotten Son — only got another three chapters left, so I hope to have the first draft finished within a week. It’s all exciting times, with the other authors working on Horror, The Schizoid Earth and MAD while I finish work on my book. Four books coming next year — watch out for the announcement VERY soon!

Incredible Hulk art © Simon Williams 2014

Project Hush-Hush – Titles

Yeah, the name of this blog entry is a little misleading. I’m not going to reveal the titles for all four books of Project Hush-Hush, I’m afraid, but this is a little post to say that the authors and I have been discussing titles most of the day. It’s quite fun, since we’re looking to create a brand here, and that’s as much about stylistic choices as anything else, and one of the issues discussed is dropping ‘the’ from titles, eg. The Forgotten Son will be printed as Forgotten Son and so on. It gives the titles more of a punch I feel, plus using ‘the’ often stifles creativity in titles. Book two, though, is the only other title that doesn’t give away anything of the ‘hush’ in Project Hush-Hush, so it won’t do any harm is telling y’all that it’s called (The) Schizoid Earth.

Oh yes, and you might have noticed I’ve played around with the style of this blog. This is to more accurately reflect Project Hush-Hush and the retro-pop art style we’ll be aiming for with the cover design. It’s all getting very exciting!

I want to tell you a little about all the books, but I have to be very careful, so here’s what I can say. Book one, well, just keep reading this blog for info on Forgotten Son  (there’s plenty of information in previous posts). What can I say about Schizoid Earth…? Not a great deal as it’s pretty intricately planned and any information given would be too much. But it’s an interesting title, eh? Whatever can it mean? 😉 Book three is equally mysterious, and will have to remain so for a while yet, but it does have strong links with Forgotten Son. Book four is going to be a MAD one, and I’m expecting something with a dark sense of humour, judging by the background notes the author sent me yesterday. Some of the details had me in stitches (laughing, that is, for the non-British among you), and yet it’s also going to be rather a serious tale with a lot of scope. Each of the books tap into something different from the late ’60s, each delve into the psyche of our main cast who will be introduced book by book, so that by the end of book four our lead characters will be in place to go forth and create havoc in the fictional world we’re creating. As I said, it’s all getting very exciting. You know, in case I wasn’t clear about that.

Isn’t it December yet?