It's getting harder and harder to find time to blog at the moment but here we are again all the same. I finished putting together The Language of Thieves and Vagabonds late last night, so at the end of the week when I'm done with the covers (hardback and paperback), it's off for a first draft proof which means I'm actually ahead of schedule for an August release. That should give me a good two to three months to put together the spoken word part of the package - The Company of Liars - and then I'll take stock of it again a bit closer to the time.
Being ahead of schedule on that means I can concentrate a little bit harder on The Ballad Of The Goat Faced Boy and finish the second Inspector Kang short story Roll Away The Stone. To plan any more than that this month when I have a workload from hell to complete would be foolish, but I've planned it anyway... you know how these things go.
The most exciting news I've had for a long time though is that after months of planning in my head (though it may even extend to years in the research department), I've finally found a great tattoo artist to ink my half sleeve (bottom half - wrist to elbow) at Tattoo Jam this year. His name is Henrik Gallon and his work is incredible - you may have to enlist the help of google to translate it, but there's no real need to. I think his work speaks for itself. Even though I know the basics of the piece, I've handed over total artistic control on it and I'm really looking forward to getting it done.
This week, he sent me over this extremely cool picture as a present. Forgive my not so good photography, I think I need to get the big Canon out - I don't think I've taken one good picture on the iphone since I've had it. Anyway, that's going up on the wall with the cool stuff I've collected from days gone by from Alice Cooper and co.
That woodcut style of his just knocks me out every time I see it. If I had any time between now and August, I swear I'd fly the hell out to Stockholm and get the damn thing started as soon as possible. Anyway. I have to wait and so will you. I'm not even sure that I'll actually post it here for a while either. It's not often I get something that's just mine these days.
Talking of cool people and cool stuff - the equally awesome, but in a totally different way, Terry Bradley shipped me over a couple of fine, fine limited edition prints that I am totally smitten with. For a start they're so fucking big and pristine, I'm going to have to get them professionally framed, so at the moment they remain in their travelling tube for safe keeping until I can get into Canterbury and visit a serious picture framer.
It's not often I really fall for anything that I work with on a grand scale - and I do try to be as professional as possible at all times - but these two have really knocked me out. The fact that they came in quick succession of each other is a nice coincidence. I should point out here that these are not the only two gifts I have ever received, but they are the only two that I am going to keep. All others I have given away to either the guys that work on the mags with me or readers who have gotten the point of what was going on. You have to keep that machine moving properly otherwise it will just fall apart. (Life lesson No. 364).
Nearly there now - I'm making the most of actually some blog time!
I came across some pictures of The Silence today (shown here). As far as I can make out, the Doctor Who crew gave them to the Daily Express - which is an odd thing to do as they were pretty well under wraps until that point. I haven't seen any leaked pics anywhere but maybe it's all part of the controlled build up to the launch.
The fact that there's so much emphasis on The Silence this early makes me start to doubt my initial predictions for the show - which, for those who got left behind with my crazy ideas are as follows:
1. The big story arc this series has to be Omega 2. River Song is the returning Valeyard 3. River Song is also Omega's wife 4. Amy is a Tardis of some description 5. There will be Cybermen this series 6. and Daleks 7. And a Yeti
er.. that will do for now. I've gone all old school...
Also unleashed this week was the Torchwood trailer for this summer's Miracle Day series. It has to be said, the trailer sucks (and the posters were even worse), but that's what you get for inviting in American co-funding for a British show. Then Starz went and blocked anybody watching it, quite likely on the grounds that the thousands of UK fans that watched it on facebook, let them know what they really thought of it.
I'll still be there though. Children of Earth slayed! If you've never seen it or worse still, have no idea at all what I'm talking about, here's a treat:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/external/player.swf
Phew!
Currently reading: Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill and The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (that one on an audiobook) Currently listening to: The Parlor Mob: And You Were A Crow Currently considering: shutting down Mac and watching an old episode of Starsky and Hutch But will probably: Read
