Hammer & Claw - Adventures resembling Writer's Block (WriteBlog #16)

I believe these WriteBlogs were meant to be weekly, but obviously that hasn't happened. Upsetting, because it means I hit that old blog cliche - a post opening with an apology for not blogging recently. (Still been doing my fiction and TV review posts though, so hopefully no-one cried.)

Shame I picked this time to drop off the WriteBlog schedule, as I was chuffed with the last one about comic scripting - nice balance between self-indulgent me-talk and links to worthwhile resources. Anyway, let's move on. What's been going down? Well, there was the Hobson & Choi birthday...

Hobson & Choi #56 - "Dog House"

Everyone is angry with Hobson because of a dog. For this basic reason, H&C #56 is called "Dog House". One of my better chapter names, clearly.

We're hopefully coming to the end of a very very busy few weeks, both in real life and on Hobson & Choi. There is a small chance I may even get the WriteBlogs going again, not to mention go to bed before 1AM.

Hard to tell which one excites me more.

Anyway. #56 is pretty fun, I think, and next week we get to do a classic trope which I always enjoy.

The Walking Dead review time!

New Walking Dead review on Dork Adore! Death and male grooming!

Hectic times at the moment, I'm aware the WriteBlog schedule has somewhat fallen apart. Hopefully a return is coming.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #26 - "The Worst Possible Stand-Off"

The tension mounts as Hobson & Choi close in on the killer. But is it anyone they suspected in the first place? Meanwhile, an important message about the future of the show. Straight-up, no foolin'.

You can play the episode in the player below, download the MP3 here or subscribe on iTunes to have it thrown at you every week. Or if you hate iTunes on principle, you can point your RSS reader at our Libsyn page to get every episode.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #26 - The Worst Possible Stand-Off by Nick Bryan on Mixcloud

Hobson & Choi #55 - "S.O.S."

Back for the second time this week, and this time it's Choi taking the spotlight. The mess has piled up pretty high - can she take control of the situation?

Yes, it's the second of our two updates this week. Happy birthday us! And after this, frankly, I'm going to have a nap. This has been far more of a battle than I anticipated.

Still, we made it, I'm fairly happy with both chapters, and I hope you are too. If you've enjoyed any of this, then as ever, consider leaving a review on Web Fiction Guide so others can do the same.

Now, I believe I have time for a brief lunch before writing something else. Good day to you all.

Walking Dead review on Dork Adore

The TV people, they are sad, in the forest. Poor TV people, sad, in the forest. (New Walking Dead review on Dork Adore.)

A bit of a comedown after the amazing H&C birthday festivities, but: Walking Dead review time again! Don't worry, there's another Hobson & Choi chapter in about two days.

Hobson & Choi #54 - "John Hobson: Dog Walker"

Birthday bonus chapter time! Our first ever Monday update, to celebrate a whole year since we started. #54 is up on Jukepop now.

If you want a few authorial thoughts as we move into our second year, I did a retrospective kinda blog post here to mark the 50th chapter.

And elsewhere, if you fancy getting us a present, a lovely review on our Web Fiction Guide page here would never go amiss.

But just keep reading and that's probably reward enough. #55 as usual on Thursday!

Hobson & Choi Podcast #25 - Head To Head

It's our birthday! So the bulk of the after-chat this week is taken up with a brief celebratory speech, but all our usual features are still there - including the main story, as Hobson has an ominous chat with Edward Lyne.

You can play the episode in the player below, download the MP3 here or subscribe on iTunes to have it thrown at you every week. Or if you hate iTunes on principle, you can point your RSS reader at our Libsyn page to get every episode.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #25 - Head To Head by Nick Bryan on Mixcloud

Hobson & Choi #53 - "That Morning"

This week, it's an entirely coincidental Hobson & Choi Valentine's Day special! I just happened to find myself publishing our most romance-angsty episode the day before V-Day. Fate is a funny thing.

Also includes details of what's happening for our upcoming first birthday. It's on Monday, just in case you wanted to buy us a cake.

More seriously: if you want to blog about H&C or have me guest post on your blog to write about the serial or any aspect of it, let me know. Emailing me at nick@nickbryan.com probably quickest.

And that really is that. I shall now return to fretting about actually meeting the schedule I've set myself.

New Walking Dead review!

I'm back on the TV reviewing, with a piece about the return of Walking Dead on Dork Adore! Carl is lonely!

I haven't done many of these reviews lately, mostly because I burnt myself out on them quite badly during 2012-13, and since the fiction seemed to be progressing a little better and hadn't become quite as dull to me, I decided to focus on that. But after a month or so off, I kinda missed them, so I figure I can handle one review a week. Hooray!

Comic Scripting - Useful links, tools and thought balloons (WriteBlog #15)

First and foremost, before I get into this week's actual topic: the Seventh Star Press anthologies containing my two new stories are available for e-readers now! Click this link here to see purchase links from various online places. Not to influence your decision, but they're good fun. The Unseelie Court piece, in particular, is one of my favourite short works.

But that isn't what I'm here to blog about. After a short break to get the novel editing underway, I returned to comic scripting in the last few days, as I still owe a script to GreyHaven Comics. My last effort was chronicled here, and that got through editorial with only minor changes, so how'd it go this time?

Hobson & Choi Podcast #24 - The Quiet Ones

Can Hobson prove Jacq's sweet exterior is all a front? Which Social Awesome employee is next up for a grilling? Have you bought my new stories yet? All this and more!

You can play the episode in the player below, download the MP3 here or subscribe on iTunes to have it thrown at you every week. Or if you hate iTunes on principle, you can point your RSS reader at our Libsyn page to get every episode.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #24 - The Quiet Ones by Nick Bryan on Mixcloud

Hobson & Choi #52 - "That Night"

At long last, it's time to get the characters drunk and see what happens! Exciting times in this epic fifty-second chapter!

Probably not the first time I'll pull this stunt, but it's always exciting to get it out there for the first time. What mess will ensue? Find out over on Jukepop now!

And no, it isn't quite our first birthday yet,  but the day is coming pretty soon. I have plans, such plans.

Also, shouldn't be too long until you can buy the Seventh Star anthologies containing my stories in ebook form, that'll be fun. Links up here whenever possible.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #23 - "Our Awesome Enquiries"

From Lettie to Emily to Jacq, loads of suspects get a good probing this week. But did any of them do it? Meanwhile, I've been watching House of Cards and starting a mailing list. Sign up now!

You can play the episode in the player below, download the MP3 here or subscribe on iTunes to have it thrown at you every week. Or if you hate iTunes on principle, you can point your RSS reader at our Libsyn page to get every episode.

Hobson & Choi Podcast #23 - Our Awesome Enquiries by Nick Bryan on Mixcloud

TWO new stories by me in Seventh Star Press anthologies!

It's been a while since I had any new fiction out there except for regular Hobson & Choi updates, but the wait is over. Pleasant genre-merchants Seventh Star Press have included my stories in two (yes, two) of their upcoming anthologies. They've done cover reveals at their own blog in the last few days, we're definitely all public now, so let's talk about it a bit.

First up, in the Hero's Best Friend anthology, I have a story called The Violet Curse. The theme of the book is animal companions - all manner of hero-helping creatures from cute internet-ready cats to that armoured lion thingy on the cover. Find out more here.

My specific piece is about a loyal dog who wants nothing more than to help its owner - the resident fantasy hero - but discovers she might be a crucial part of his undoing instead, thanks to a pesky purple magic spell. Bummer, right?

And you can now buy Hero's Best Friend in electronic format in the following places by clicking on their respective links:

Amazon US - Amazon UK - Nook US - Nook UK

Elsewhere, in A Chimerical World: Tales Of The Unseelie Court, there are some evil fairies about. Note that this is a two-book set of anthologies, with the good section of the fey appearing in Tales Of The Seelie Court, but I am only in the Unseelie volume. This is because I am a terrible person. Full details of both books right over here.

My story is called The Fool And His Money and is thoroughly contemporary. You know how that economic crash happened recently, and everyone explained it as "Well, they thought there was all this money, but it didn't really exist"? It turns out there's a fairy-based explanation for that...

And you can now buy A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court in electronic format in the following places by clicking on their respective links:

Amazon US - Amazon UK - Nook US - Nook UK

Both books should be available for print ordering a week after that - rest assured I will be posting the links up when that happens. In the meantime, if you want a brief preview from the actual text of both stories, I intend to put out such a thing on the new mailing list soon, so definitely subscribe to that, either in the blog sidebar or by clicking on this link right here.

Woo! Publication again! Twice! Pretty excited by this, guys. Now, back to angsting over my editing/synopsis/choice of socks...