Author Archives: Michael

RAPID FIRE: Jude Reid Talks Creed: Ashes of Cadia

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words author interview, where today I’m delighted to be chatting to the brilliant Jude Reid about her debut novel for Black Library – Creed: Ashes of Cadia. With the paperback edition recently landing, now is a great time to take a look at this excellent addition to Black Library’s ever-growing range of Imperial Guard novels, which introduces the character of Ursula Creed and returns the action to the surface of Cadia itself! Read on to find out more about this great book and its characters, Jude’s writing process, and loads more.

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It’s My Duty, I’m A Missionary – David Niall Wilson Guest Post

Welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where I’m joined by David Niall Wilson – author of the upcoming novella When You Leave I Disappear (coming in August 2024 from Shortwave Publishing). Described as “a literary horror novella in which a bestselling author’s imposter syndrome draws her into a darker and darker world from which she may never escape”, When You Leave I Disappear sounds intriguing, and I was delighted when David agreed to write this guest post exploring the strength of horror fiction as a medium for exploring stories which blur the lines between fiction and reality. Without further ado then, over to David.

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The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands – Sarah Brooks

First things first, I’m unusually biased here, as the author of The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands – Sarah Brooks – is my sister. With that caveat in mind though, I want to talk a bit about this book, which I absolutely, unapologetically loved. Inspired by a real-life passage on the Trans-Siberian Express, The Cautious Traveller… is the story of a perilous journey from Beijing to Moscow on a grand and powerful train, heavily protected against the dangers of a vast, largely unknown expanse – the titular Wastelands. Among the crew and passengers on the train are a trio of viewpoint characters, each with secrets to hide and their own unique perspectives on the train and the Wastelands. As the journey progresses though, the strength and safety of the train are challenged, while passengers and crew alike are confronted with the Wastelands at its most dangerous.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Nadi Reed Perez Talks The Afterlife of Mal Caldera

Welcome to this Track of Words author interview, in which Fabienne chats to Nadi Reed Perez about her fantasy novel The Afterlife of Mal Caldera, which is out now from Titan Books. In The Afterlife of Mal Caldera, debut author Perez introduces us to a potential afterlife which takes the form of a giant party. The story is philosophical and pulpy at the same time, centred around the very real characters, whether alive or dead. The eponymous Mal is selfish, deeply hurt, funny – and charming. Nadi Reed Perez is a voice to watch, and we had the chance to catch up with them to discuss music, writing and debuting.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Matthew Ward Talks The Fire Within Them

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words author interview, where today I’m delighted to welcome back Matthew Ward, whose novel The Fire Within Them – book two in the Soulfire Saga – is out now! I’ve spoken to Matthew about his books multiple times (you can find them all here) and it’s always an intriguing experience, but this time I thought I’d take a slightly different approach. We covered the usual questions about The Fire Within Them, but the main focus of the interview involves the magical elements at the heart of the Soulfire Saga. Having read book one, The Darkness Before Them, I was fascinated by this setting and the magic at its core, so this seemed like the ideal opportunity to ask Matthew to tell us more!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Austin Grossman Talks Fight Me

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words author interview, where today I’m joined by Austin Grossman to talk about his brand new novel Fight Me, which is due out on the 23rd of May from Penguin Michael Joseph. A superhero story unlike any I’ve read before, Fight Me is a fascinating read, exploring unusual perspectives on heroes and villains, power and consequences, and I was thrilled to be able to chat to Austin and delve into some of the themes running throughout the book! So read on to find out more about the cast and themes of Fight Me, along with observations on the appeal of superhero stories, the nature of villains and heroes, the reasons for wanting super powers, and loads more!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Laura R. Samotin Talks The Sins On Their Bones

Thanks for visiting Track of Words, where today I’m delighted to present this exclusive interview with author Laura R. Samotin, discussing her debut novel The Sins On Their Bones (which is out now from Random House Canada)! I jumped at the chance to read this book and chat to Laura, after Genoveva Dimova included it in her ‘12 Debuts To Look Forward To In 2024’ post last December, and I’m so glad I did – it’s a fantastic read, set in a fascinating fantasy world full of dark magic and complex, wounded characters. There’s so much to talk about with this book, so keep reading to find out more about the characters, the magic, Laura’s writing process, and loads more.

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Behind the Scene: Exclusive Author Commentary on Fermi’s Progress by Chris Farnell

Hello and thanks for checking out this Behind the Scene post, where today I hope you’ll join me in welcoming author Chris Farnell – author of the Star Trek: Lower Decks Crew Handbook, among other things – who has kindly contributed an excerpt from his four-part science fiction novel Fermi’s Progress, along with an exclusive commentary discussing this scene. When Chris and I started talking about doing this post, it became clear pretty quickly that with a book about a spaceship that blows up every planet it visits, the only possible scene to choose would be the first time this happens! But fun as blowing up planets must be for a writer, there’s a lot that goes into making a scene like this work, and Chris digs into this really well in his commentary about the scene.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Chris and Jen Sugden Talk High Vaultage

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, this time double the value with two authors – Chris and Jen Sugden, talking about their new novel High Vaultage, which is out now from Gollancz! Set in the same world as their fantastic podcast Victoriocity, High Vaultage is a fun, genuinely funny blend of retrofuturism and historical science fiction set in a wildly inventive version of Victorian Britain complete with a sprawling London, oddly cheerful automatons, a vast horde of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s engineer followers, and an assassination-immune, mostly-machine Queen Victoria. Whether you’re a fan of Victoriocity or (like me) High Vaultage is your introduction to this wild new world, read on to find out more about how this novel came about, what it’s like writing a novel in the same world as a podcast, and loads more.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: James Logan Talks The Silverblood Promise

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words author interview, where today I’m very pleased to welcome James Logan to talk about his debut fantasy novel The Silverblood Promise, which is out now from Arcadia Books! Like many readers I love a good Epic Fantasy series, and The Silverblood Promise kicks off The Last Legacy in style – it has everything I want in this sort of story, and I absolutely loved it. Given that, I jumped at the chance to chat to James for this interview – so read on to find out all about this brilliant book from characters, world building and influences to magic, themes and the writing process.

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