Richard Wright

Here you go, the finished cover.  My name’s on it, and everything.  You may have seen this already elsewhere, but I thought I’d wait a while before posting it myself.  Malcolm McClinton’s work, of course, with design by Danny Evarts.  Talented men.

If you imagine a writing life, you may well be under the impression that the last few weeks before your new book is released might be a joyous, celebratory occasion.  A little more thought, and you’ll appreciate it’s the most nerve-wracking moments of the job.  Gone are the sparks of creativity that put words on the page in dimly lit rooms.  The work is more or less done.  All that’s left is the countdown to D-Day.  Perhaps you are so confident in your own ability that you really can sit back and think “Aha!  I can’t wait!  This will show them!”.  If this is the case, you are possibly also on medication.

The experience for me is one of pacing, and wondering.  All the people who have read it prior to release (publisher, editor, perhaps some friends or family, me) all have a vested interest in finding things about the book to like.  What if those not vested with the same interest, such as you, don’t enjoy it at all?  What if nobody even reads it?  What if I’ve been kidding myself about this writing lark, and should crawl back in my box and spend my time learning how to knit socks or cultivate bonsai trees instead?

So when when two successful, acclaimed, and incredibly busy authors take time out of insane writing schedules to not only read the book and tell me they liked it, but let me tell other people they give it the thumbs up too, it’s not only flattering, it’s the cause of shuddering relief.

“Twisted, shocking and full of pitch-black humor and darkly original twists. One of the best books I’ve read this year.” - Brian Keene, the Bram Stoker winning author of Darkness on the Edge of Town and Dead Sea.

“Richard Wright is one of the best kept secrets in horror, which is a crying shame because a guy this good shouldn’t be a secret at all. And best of all, he just keeps getting better. Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow is a good old fashioned rollicking tale of mysticism and mayhem. The pages turn themselves, it’s that good.” - Steven Savile, International Bestselling author of Silver, Primeval: Shadow of the Jaguar and Stargate SG-1: The Power Behind the Throne.

Enormous thanks to Brian and Steve for finding the time.  Gentlemen and scholars, both.

Not content with that, this week also brought me the first advance review of the book, from Rebecca Baumann at Dirty Sexy Books.  It says many wonderful, quotable things, such as: “Gritty and sexy balls-to-the-walls adventure.  If you’re a fan of dark urban fantasy like me, then you’ll rejoice upon finding this treasure trove.” Go read the whole thing, why don’t you?

All of which goes some way to turning that exhausting anxiety into a better kind of giddiness, though it be early days yet.  In the end, the only person whose opinion really matters is yours, and I look forward to hearing it.

Pre-orders coming very soon indeed…

And to finish the week off, a final peek at the events of Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow, courtesy of Malcolm McClinton.  It’s the finale of the book.  A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about how one of Malcolm’s sample images of Hiram, produced as a sort of audition piece to see whether the writer’s thought he was the right artist for the project, directly inspired the conclusion of my novella.  This is not that image.  It’s the second draft.  The first was slightly different, but now Malcolm has modified the image based on the climax of the book it inspired, making it more relevant.  Art inspiring art inspiring art, in a weird but rewarding feedback loop.

That’s it for your McClinton previews, but forgive me, there will be more Hiram witterings to come.

Another peek at art by Malcolm McClinton, from my forthcoming Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow.  It’s very likely going to be the cover, and I thought you might like a peek before the text goes on.

The scene is from later in the book, on the streets of Krakow (that’s St. Mary’s Basilica in the background, fact fans).  The lady’s name is Gabrysia Kedra, and whether she’s Hiram’s friend, foe, or something else entirely is in the balance.  Whichever it is, I loved writing her almost as much as I did Hiram himself.  Seeing Malcolm give her a face is exhilarating.

Art by the amazing Malcolm McClinton, from the forthcoming Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow.  A scene from the book’s opening, as those who read the preview in issue five of Shroud magazine will know…

Good, isn’t it?

Poor Belfast.  If you think the city’s been through the ringer in the last forty years, you haven’t seen what Hiram’s going to do with it when he lands.

Yep, Kevin Lucia’s Hiram Grange and the Chosen One has now been released from Shroud Publishing, and is available from the publisher and Amazon (in the US – I’ll throw some links up when it appears on international sites).  Taking the opportunity to get Hiram out of America for a spell, Kev keeps up the action from the previous book, but spices it a little differently.  Where Rob delivered a techno-supernatural thriller, Chosen One serves up a tentacled extravaganza of old school horror.  Faeries (not your mother’s), damsels, possessions, shadowy figures in white playing manipulative games behind the scenes – and everyone, it seems, wants a piece of Hiram.  Illustrated by Malcolm McClinton, with woodcuts throughout from Danny Evarts.  It’s all here, so roll on up.

Which means, fact fans, that the next book in the series is mine, the series finale.  Coming soon, and all that.  This is probably a good time to point out that we’ve all worked very hard to make sure that each of the books stands alone.  You don’t have to start at book one and work your way through.  Obviously, we hope you do, and there are extra rewards if that’s how you play it, but you should also be able to jump into any book in the series and have yourself a very good time indeed.

And if you haven’t got them yet…

Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned, by Jake Burrows.  Something wicked walks the streets of the picturesque New Hampshire village of Great Bay–something that has inexplicably risen from the grave to wreak a horrifying vengeance. Only one man can stop it–provided he can stay sober long enough to answer the call!

Grab a copy from the publisher, Horror Mall, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and other Amazon sites internationally.

Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers, by Scott Christian Carr.  Hitler has escaped. Twelve of them, to be precise, each cloned from the original and hiding in the bizarre American underground. Hiram Grange has been tasked with hunting them down. The only problem: he’s hit rock bottom. His worst binge ever — a mad dance with absinthe, opium and depression…

Grab a copy from the publisher, Horror Mall, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and other Amazon sites internationally.

Hiram Grange and the Digital Eucharist, by Robert Davies.  From its global headquarters in Boston, the mysterious Occlusionist Movement is preparing to control the world with its Digital Eucharist, while in the serpentine bowels of the city an ancient demon is unleashed, eager for revenge against the man who imprisoned it years ago – Hiram Grange!

Grab a copy from the publisher, Horror Mall, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and other sites internationally.

Top tip of the day – if you go and check out the publisher, you can get three of these for the price of two…