Author Archives: Michael

Writing For Traveller – David Guymer Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words, where today I’m pleased to welcome back the always-excellent David Guymer with a fantastic guest post talking about something of a new venture for him! Chances are you’re familiar with David’s writing from his many Black Library stories, or his great work with Aconyte Books, but now he’s venturing into new SF territory with a series of short stories set in the world of Mongoose Publishing’s Traveller. Whether you’re a long-time Traveller fan or this is the first you’ve heard of it, David’s got you covered with this guest post – so read on to find out how this new venture came to be, and what you can expect from this new short story series, Sindal Sunrise.

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Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch – Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent

Eight years after the publication of Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Sir Terry) and Gabrielle Kent bring us Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch, a brilliantly written and beautifully presented companion piece to not just the five Tiffany Aching novels but the Discworld series as a whole. Presented as an in-universe book written by Tiffany herself, it offers a wealth of advice and insight for anyone interested in the life of a witch, all based on Tiffany’s experience…along with some (mostly) useful comments from other notable witches (and Rob Anybody). Accompanying the text is a plethora of gorgeous illustrations from Paul Kidby, and the end result is a fabulous book that covers everything from what magic really is to the importance of not actually using it, and from witchy attire and abodes to some of the many and varied perils of being a witch.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Bradley P. Beaulieu Talks The Dragons of Deepwood Fen

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m delighted to welcome Bradley P. Beaulieu to the site to talk about his brand new fantasy novel The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (out on the 4th January from Head of Zeus). I’ve featured one of Bradley’s books on the site before (Absynthe, written under his alternative guise as Brendan P. Bellecourt) but where that was retrofuturistic science fiction this time we’re very much in the fantasy setting – dragons and all! If you like a good dragon story (and what fantasy fan doesn’t?) then this is going to be right up your street; so read on, and let’s get straight into the interview.

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Eight Books I Rate – Eliza Chan Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post where today I’m joined by the brilliant Eliza Chan, author of the upcoming Fathomfolk (coming early 2024 from Orbit), who’s here to share her excitement about a whole host of great fantasy books! I’m delighted to have Eliza on the site – I’ve been a fan ever since reading her short story Knowing Your Type (creepy teddy bears…really creepy teddy bears) in 2019, and I’m really looking forward to her debut novel. If you’re on the lookout for some new additions to your TBR, whether recent releases or upcoming titles, you’ve come to the right place. I know I’m going to be picking some of these up based on Eliza’s recommendations!

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Behind The Scene: Exclusive Excerpt from Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

Hello and welcome to this Behind the Scene post, where today I’m delighted to present an exclusive excerpt from Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell – the first novel in a new series set in the world of the Greatcoats! I’ve included the publisher’s synopsis at the end of the post, but before then there’s loads to enjoy – first a quick note from Sebastien setting the scene for the start of the novel, and then the excerpt from the (brilliant) first chapter of the book. Play of Shadows is due out from Jo Fletcher Books on the 28th March 2024, so read on to get a taste of what to expect, then get your pre-orders in!

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Track of Words Advent Calendar 2023

Hello and welcome to the Track of Words Advent Calendar 2023! Over the course of the next 25 days I’ll be posting author interviews, articles, guest posts and more celebrating the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, some posts written by me and others contributed by a host of fantastic authors. Make sure you keep checking back each day to see what’s what – there’s loads of great content coming up, some looking back over the last 12 months and some looking ahead to next year and onwards.

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Monthly Roundup – November 2023

Hello, and welcome to my November Monthly Roundup post – I can’t quite believe it’s almost December, and therefore almost the end of 2023, but here we are! It’s been a strange month, as I’ve tried to put together some interesting posts for November while spending a lot of time behind the scenes working on the Track of Words Advent Calendar for December. Hopefully this month’s posts have been fun, and I really hope you enjoy what I’ve got planned for next month! In the meantime, for this article I’ve compiled my usual roundup of recent posts along with a bit of an update on the month’s reading. I haven’t spent a lot of time in November looking at what’s going on in the world of SFF publishing so I’ve skipped my usual news section, which means this is a slightly shorter post than usual.

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Short and Sweet – November 2023

Hello and welcome to my Short and Sweet review roundup for November 2023, where as usual I’ve picked out a trio of books that I’ve recently read to talk a little about, in lieu of my usual longer reviews. For this month’s roundup I’ve gone for books with quite a range of page counts, from a novella all the way up to a 750+ page doorstopper! Across these three books you’ve got magic, demons, demigods, transhuman soldiers, immortal hunters, wizarding bureaucracy, mystical prophecies and loads more. There’s plenty to enjoy in all of them, although if I’m honest none of them entirely worked for me, personally.

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The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer

The debut novel from Meg Shaffer, The Wishing Game blends adult and children’s fiction in a warm, delightful tale of hope, heartache, family and the importance of remembering what it was like to be a child. When reclusive children’s author Jack Masterson resumes writing after years away, the eccentric writer announces an unusual competition, inviting four adults to return to his home on Clock Island, where they once visited as children. The prize? The one and only copy of his latest, long-awaited book, to do with as they please. For Lucy Hart, winning the competition would mean more than just the opportunity to read the new Clock Island book – it would give her the one thing she truly wants: a chance to adopt seven year-old orphan Christopher.

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Exclusive Excerpt From In The Shadow Of Their Dying by Anna Smith Spark & Michael R. Fletcher

Hello and welcome to Track of Words, where today I have an exclusive excerpt for you from the upcoming novella In The Shadow of Their Dying by Anna Smith Spark and Michael R. Fletcher, coming in March 2024 from Grimdark Magazine. Featuring two big names from the Grimdark fantasy scene, and excellent cover art by Carlos Diaz (design by Shawn T. King), this looks like one to watch for all you Grimdark fans out there. Read on for the cover and official synopsis for In The Shadow of Their Dying, and then an exclusive excerpt to give you just a little taste of what to expect.

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