Last year, on my birthday, I released a book. Maybe you read it? It was called WINDBURN WHIPLASH, the first full-length installment in the Streets of Flame series.
The next book is called HEATSTROKE HEARTBEAT. It covers, as one does, the next part of the story: Now that Zaya’s figured out how to win again, now that she’s resolved to help not just her son but everyone in Yemareir who’s hunted by a ker, what does she do?
That book is not out yet. I’ve still got major edits to do. But I wanted to release something on my birthday. Not least to remind myself how to do online publishing; but also because this part of the story has been done for a while, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t read it now rather than later.
So I’ve taken a page from the marketing of GIDEON THE NINTH and released the prologue and first chapter of HEATSTROKE HEARTBEAT as a digital-only preview, which you can read for the same price as BRIMSTONE SLIPSTREAM, i.e. nothing dollars.
The prologue takes the form of more long-form dragon journalism, which was always the intention; I like Shenireen Agama’s voice, and I have plans for her. The first chapter takes you into the main story of HEATSTROKE HEARTBEAT. There’ll be a preorder in due course, and I plan to publish the full novel on July 1.
Small side note: One of the most fun things about the publishing side of all this is working with artists, and one of the most fun things about working with artists is seeing their roughs — which I invariably love as much as the finished product. I always feel faintly guilty about this, because if someone told me they liked my drafts as much as my finished work, it’d feel like they were telling me the hours of editing weren’t worth it. But what it’s really about is the sense of a glance behind the curtain, a look into the process of an art form I don’t really understand; and also, a bit, the sense of possibility, all the different ways a rough could transform into something finished. This is all a long way of saying that Thea Magerand, who does my covers, was kind enough to let me use one of her roughs as a cover for the preview, which is the kind of thing I’d have trouble finding the bravery to do if the shoe was on the other foot. Artists: They’re fantastic.
ANYWAY. Enjoy the first few words of HEATSTROKE HEARTBEAT! And please let me know what you think.
If you’re enjoying my writing, you can get some of my short fiction on your e-reader for the low, low cost of $0. Remembered Air is a collection of six poems and short stories not available anywhere else. Download it here.