Trent Jamieson, one of the last romantics and all-round-nice-guy has the cover for his new trilogy. It’s real, it’s up on Amazon!
This book is a particularly thrilling for me because Trent has been part of my writing group for ages and I’ve seen this book develop over various rewrites. In fact, I remember dropping him at the ferry after one of our critique meetings and telling him, this premise is so inventive and interesting, I just know it is going to sell.
So, YAY for Trent!
Come to Victoria Point Angus and Robertson bookstore this Saturday, 11 am. (This is Brisbane, Queensland, Australia).
I’ll be there along with the cute, but canny Kylie Chan.
One of life’s true romantics, Trent Jamieson.
And the effervescent Marianne de Pierres (who moonlights as Marianne Delacourt).
Marianne, Trent, Kylie and I will be at the Victoria Point Angus and Robertson Bookstore on Saturday the 13th of November. Here’s the link.
It’ll be an informal chat about books and writing. Drop by and say Hi!
On Saturday the 28th of August, I’m going to be at Logan North Library so drop by and say Hi.
I’ll be with the romantic by cynical Trent Jamieson, author of Death Most Definite, the pocket rocket Kylie Chan, author of the Dark Heaven series, the lovely Louise Cusack author and mentor, and Anthony Puttee author of the Johnny Marsh books.
We’ll be talking about promoting your books and this is all part of Logan North Library’s month of Speculative Fiction. So you are sure to see Darth Vader and a Storm Trouper or two!
Here we are at Trent’s book launch. That’s Marianne de Pierres on the left, Trent with his books, then I’m behind him in the pink beret (was having a bad hair day, the curls would not behave) and Kylie Chan.
It was a great evening over at Avid Reader in West End. The previous two days we’d have pouring rain then gale force winds. Everything settled down so the garden terrace was still and the night was clear. There was standing room only as Trent’s friends and family came to support him. Marianne and I have known Trent for fifteen years since the Vision Writers group started and he’s been part of ROR for the last 9.
Books and writers aren’t made over night. You put in a long apprenticeship and then once you are published the work gets harder!
Feeling very proud and happy for Trent.
Today I’m celebrating the launch of Trent Jamieson’s book Death Most Definite, published by Orbit, part of the Death Works trilogy.
Here is the trailer.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQtI__Zc5bY]
Tren’t s book is set in Brisbane with a quirky hero and an off beat premise. It’s a refreshing take on Dark Urban Fantasy.
Go Trent!
My good friend Trent Jamieson has been interviewed over at The Australian Literature Review.
He talks about how he writes:
‘Well, I’m not much of a planner, so first drafts are generally me trying things out and trying to make sense of stuff. Most of this book was written at the Toowong Library (in the local history section) in longhand. I’d walk down there every weekday, that I wasn’t working, listening to the same music to get me in the right frame of mind (mainly, for the first book Okkervil River, Gotye, and Spoon) and write until I’d filled about eight pages or so of my notebook. Then I’d go home and type them into my computer.’
Having read Trent’s book in its final form before it went off to the publisher (and loving it then) I’m really looking forward to getting a copy of it when it released.
And over at the Galaxy blog, Trent has done a guest post on his new series and writing in general.
For more on Trent and his weird and wondferful world view, drop by his blog.
For those of you who like Dark Urban Fantasy, here is a review of Trent Jamieson’s book. Death Most Definite. They say:
‘The fascinating central premise of Death as a corporate interest is handled in a serious and frighteningly credible manner, allowing for some engrossing and inventive world-building on the author’s part; the twist-laden plot belts along at breathtaking pace from page one (‘unputdownable’ is a fair description)’
Naturally, I’m delighted with this. I got to read Trent’s book in the final draft at ROR in March 2009 when we stayed in Maleny. Lots of delicious cooking, thanks to Dirk Flinthart, lots of wine and lots of talk about the craft of writing, while analysing my friends’ wonderful books. What could be better?
And here is the bookplate I designed for Trent. Look out for book one of his Death Works trilogy in the bookstores in August.
Having offered to do a bookplate for Tansy, I had to offer to do a book plate for Trent.
Death most Definite’ is the first of Trent Jamieson’s three books to be published by Orbit in the Death Works series. Like Tansy’s series, I feel particularly proud of book one because we critiqued the manuscript at the last ROR. Meanwhile, Trent’s editor was taking it to an acquisitions meeting to see if Orbit would buy it. Everytime Trent’s mobile rang we thought it might be his editor reporting in. So you can imagine how exciting that was.
Trent’s series is also urban fantasy but very different from Tansy’s. Set in a Brisbane and south East Queensland, much like the one we know, only Death is a business and, what with corporate take overs and mergers, it can be dangerous. Steve is just a lowly employee, whose job it is to help the recently departed through to the after life, when he gets involved in a take over.
I have to admire the way Trent handles drama, death and danger with his trademark certain dry humour. Seems like everyone is writing DUF ( Dark Urban Fantasy). It’s accessible. It’s fun.
I can recommend both Trent and Tansy’s books. What have you read in this genre recently that you’d recommend?
It is time for me to ‘Nourish the Inner Writer’. I had to take myself aside the other day and tell myself, ‘You can’t do everything, Grasshopper. Take a step back and have some quiet time’.
I feel like I have been running on the spot since I went back to work in February. Teaching three subjects was fun, I enjoyed the students and I learnt so much, you always do when you teach. This time it was Academic Essay Writing, Interactive Narrative (for computer games) and Script writing & Storyboards. But this meant there were assignments to mark every three weeks or so, because we run an accelerated course and it was the marking that got to me. I’ve just finished a week of marking to get everything done in time for moderation.
All this wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t had to edit my three books in the same 12 weeks. The books come out a month apart starting in June. Over here at the ROR blog I’ve done a post about the editing process. The short version is that each book has to be edited 3-4 times before it goes to the printer and each book is over 100,000 words. I’m up to the page proofs of book two (that’s the last one before it goes to the printer) and I just sent back the copy edits (that’s the second last one) of book three. So I’m nearly done.
On top of this I’ve been trying to write the first book of my Australindia series, which is really exciting, but completely new — new world, new characters etc. I find writing a first draft requires dedicated time at the computer because I have to get into the headspace where the characters and the world come to life. And I just haven’t had blocks of time to do this. It’s made me feel guilty and slightly edgy, because the story keeps calling me back. The characters are getting ‘ansty’. (That’s Australian slang for a bit ‘aggro’, sorry another bit of Australian slang, but I’m sure you can work out what it means).
Feeling guilty because your book characters are getting neglected must be a specifically writerly phenomenon. Trent Jamieson’s done a post about it here. You have to give yourself permission to take time off to recharge the batteries.
So that’s what I’ve done. I’m going to take time off. The next term starts on the last day of May. I have a very small window of opportunity. Daryl and I are going to run away to Tasmania for a driving holiday. It’s not quite as romantic as it sounds because we have to take our youngest son (15) with us. But I am really looking forward to being visually stimulated. Tasmania is lovely. And I’m taking my laptop with me. I plan to write in the evenings. No marking, no deadlines, no large family to run about. Heaven!
So that is how I plan to nourish the Inner Writer. How do you Nourish your Inner whatever it may be?
Filed under creativity, Fun Stuff, Nourish the Writer, Publishing Industry
