Category Archives: Guest Post

The Spy Novels That Inspired Assassinorum: Kingmaker – Robert Rath Guest Post

Welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where today I’m welcoming the brilliant Robert Rath to the site to discuss the inspiration for his upcoming Black Library novel Assassinorum: Kingmaker. I’ve been a big fan of Rob’s writing since reading his debut BL short story, The Garden of Mortal Delights, and like a lot of people I was blown away by his novel The Infinite and the Divine! All three of his Assassinorum short stories have been fantastic, so I can’t wait to read Kingmaker and see more of the assassins in action. In this article Rob talks first about his early introduction to Imperial Assassins and then the spy novels that have particularly influenced Kingmaker, so read on and let’s start the hype building for the novel when it’s released sometime in 2022!

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When Life Gives You Bushfires – Nate Crowley Guest Post

Hello and welcome to Track of Words, where today I’m handing things over to the wonderful Nate Crowley for a fascinating guest post discussing disaster-driven winemaking, Black Library novels about (among other things) “gigantic, roaring green killing machines”, and the difficulties of writing during 2020 and 2021! If that sounds like an unusual combination, well…it is, but it really works – I think this is a fantastic article with a compelling mixture of dark humour and brutal honesty, touching upon themes that a lot of us can relate to. Author of my favourite Black Library novel of 2021 – Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! – and some of the best, most entertaining books I’ve read over the last couple of years, if you haven’t yet checked out any of Nate’s work then I strongly recommend you remedy that very soon.

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Things I Read & Loved in 2021 – Lora Gray Guest Post

For today’s Track of Words guest post, please welcome author Lora Gray who’s here to look back at some of the best novels, short fiction and poetry they’ve read in 2021, all of which was published this year. Lora may be familiar to Track of Words readers from my reviews of their Warhammer Horror short stories – including He Feasts Forever, which is still one of my absolute favourites – but if you haven’t checked out any of their work I would strongly recommend it! If you’re on the lookout for some great speculative fiction recommendations as well though, you’ve come to the right place with this article! I know I can’t wait to make a start on some of these.

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Don’t Give Up: 2021 as a Debut Author – Marc Collins Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where today I’m handing the reins over to the brilliant Marc Collins to talk about what 2021 has been like as a debut author. Marc’s debut novel Grim Repast was published this year as part of Black Library’s Warhammer Crime range, and it’s an absolute belter of a book – and likewise all of Marc’s short stories I’ve read have been fantastic. It’s been great to watch Marc’s authorial journey from the outside, but in this article he’s kindly offered some fascinating insight into what it’s been like from his perspective, including his path through the Black Library Open Submissions process. It’s very much a tale of perseverance and determination, and I’ve no doubt these are only the first steps in a long and prosperous career.

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Mischief, Power and Tricksters – Gabriela Houston Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where today I’m thrilled to welcome author Gabriela Houston to the site to talk about the fascinating concept of tricksters in fiction! I read Gabriela’s debut novel The Second Bell earlier in the year and loved its Slavic mythology-inspired magic, and themes of family and community. With Gabriela’s second novel (and her Middle Grade debut) The Wind Child due out in February 2022, this fantastic guest post is a great opportunity to see how the familiar figue of the trickster relates to The Wind Child. Check out the publisher’s synopsis for this brilliant-sounding story of friendship, gods and monsters, then read on to enjoy Gabriela’s article on tricksters and the balance of power.

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Prologues & Premonitions – Peter McLean Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where I’m delighted to welcome fantasy author Peter McLean to the site. Author of the incredible War for the Rose Throne series (one of my absolute favourites of recent years), not to mention the brilliant Burned Man trilogy and a bunch of excellent Warhammer 40k short stories, Peter is here today to talk a bit about the current state of play for fantasy authors and the changes that 2022 might bring when it comes to fantasy fiction of the darker variety. This is a fascinating examination of what it’s like to be a fantasy author right now, along with some intriguing recommendations for fantasy books and series (and I should point out that Peter’s recommendations have never let me down)!

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The End of an Era – Matthew Ward Guest Post

Hello and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Matthew Ward’s new novel Legacy of Light, the third and final volume in the Legacy Trilogy, which is published today by Orbit. For this post, Matthew has written a fantastic guest blog in which he talks about the experience of finishing this epic fantasy trilogy, and offers up some interesting (and spoiler-free) facts about the brand new Legacy of Light. If you haven’t already, make sure you also check out all the other stops on this great blog tour for reviews, interviews and more guest blogs from Matthew – I’ll include details of where to find these at the end of this article – but for now I’m delighted to hand Track of Words over to Matthew…

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Found Family and the Characters of First Team – Robbie MacNiven Guest Post

Hello and welcome to the latest guest post here on Track of Words, where today I’ve got the fantastic Robbie MacNiven on board to talk about the characters and one of the main themes in his new X-Men novel First Team. The second instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series from Aconyte Books, First Team is due to be published in global ebook and US paperback on the 2nd March, with the UK paperback following on the 15th April. To start things off, check out the cool cover art for First Team – by the talented Anastasia Bulgakova – and then take a look at the book’s synopsis.

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Legacies: The Power of the Past – Matthew Ward Guest Post

Hello and welcome to the first ever Track of Words guest post – The Power of the Past – in which the fantastic Matthew Ward discusses the importance of legacies in storytelling. With the second novel in Matthew’s Legacy Trilogy just released via Orbit, I’m delighted to present this guest post as part of the Legacy of Steel blog tour, alongside some fantastic bloggers and SFF websites. I’ll link out to all the other stops on the tour at the end of this article, and I would highly recommend you check out all the reviews, interviews and guest posts that make up the tour.

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