Nick Bryan Dot Com: August 2014

Hobson & Choi #84: "Truth Merchants"

The dark truth behind the underworld car park thingy starts to emerge in our landmark eighty-forth episode!

And yes, as attentive readers will note, I even managed to throw up an unrelated book-blog post in the last few days. Well done me.

More importantly, though, the end of the month is nigh, we're doing rather well in the charts, so if you have time to slip over to the Jukepop Hobson & Choi serial, catch up and vote for a few chapters, it'd be rather lovely. Cheers.

Oh, and in related work updates, I sent an edited draft of the second H&C book off to the editor last night, so that's coming soon too.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) - Thoughts On A Book

Just finished reading The Cuckoo's Calling, the first crime effort by J.K. Rowling, best known for being written under the pen name of Robert Galbraith and concealed for a short period. Eventually, of course, the truth emerged, and although the fun ended, sales went through the roof.

But plenty already written about that, and sequel The Silkworm was released recently with the unsecret identity still in place. I read The Cuckoo's Calling as if it were a story (and in many ways, it is), how did it hold up? What thoughts did I have? (Some mild spoilers, though nothing explicit really.)

Hobson & Choi #83 - "Underground Shopping"

Hobson & Choi explore a whole new world in our untopical Bank Holiday Special!

Yeah, we'd definitely have updated today anyway, but you know. It's a public holiday in the UK, you might have some time to kill, why not read some H&C? Especially because we are within real reach of the #1 spot for August, so if you've got time to vote for some chapters, that'd be massively helpful to us. Ta.

And in wider blog admin - yes, I'm aware this is the third consecutive post which is just a link to a H&C chapter, I do feel kinda bad about that. I will try to return to my previous bare minimum of at least one proper blog a week soon. Fingers crossed.

But in the meantime, as I say, any H&C votes on Jukepop appreciated. Ta very much.

Hobson & Choi #82: "Gateway Products"

Next chapter already! Our heroes venture into a mysterious underworld and discover some weird shit. Which will get weirder.

Yeah, I was intending to get a blog post up yesterday so this blog isn't wall-to-wall H&C chapters, but didn't quite succeed. Maybe tomorrow, though - I do have an idea.

But regardless, hope you enjoy the new accelerated schedule. More to follow. Plus am furiously editing Book Two as well...

Hobson & Choi #81 - "Going Down"

And now, for (I think) the first time ever on a Monday, it's new Hobson & Choi! Yes, we're twice weekly for the foreseeable future. Try to contain your excitement.

Sadly, I don't have time to wax lyrical about this right now, but at least I got the story up, eh? Don't forget to tell your friends and such.

Next chapter on Thursday!

Work After Work - A Work Update Working 2014 Over With Work

Due to the combined impact of my book coming out, my first ever trip to a convention and the heat and humidity fucking with my motivation, I have not done one of these ramble-about-my-process blog posts for a while.

I miss them, I have a few minutes spare, I've recently changed my writing routine a little and solidified my future plans, so let's talk about that. Why would you work after work? Is it because you like work, or at least need to work on your work? What is work? What is my work? How is your work?

The landmark 80th chapter of Hobson & Choi! Includes news on a minor format change! And also some shouting and chasing!

Actually, what the hell, as a reward for those who actually read this blog, I'll spoil the format change update: it's now twice weekly. Yes, we're going out twice a week for a bit, as this storyline moves into its big actiony part.

Hopefully this will be fun. It's been hard graft getting fair enough ahead, but I'm enjoying the story. And, you know, do vote for us on Jukepop, if you enjoy stuff.

Nick Vs Nine Worlds - Convention Conclusions

This weekend just gone, I was at the Nine Worlds convention in Heathrow. Regular and well-behaved blog readers will have read my pre-game post last week, in which I revealed that this is my first convention, despite having wallowed in nerdy interests from the age of about ten.

So, how did it go? Well, I didn't achieve my goal of taking interesting photographs, for sure. To my right is the view from our hotel window, which was one of only two pictures captured during the con. For the second photo, as well as opinion of the actual event, continue reading...

Detectives vs authority in Hobson & Choi #79! Yes, we're nearly at #80. Wow.

And there's news next week about the very format of the serial. Yes, after weeks of the same, we're making a slight change. Exciting.

Oh, there's also a H&C book out, I don't know if you've heard. If you're on this website, you probably have. Still, details here if the purchasing mood suddenly strikes you.

Nine Worlds tomorrow. Yikes.

Conventional Weaponry - Nine Worlds Prep Time

This weekend, for the first time in my about-twenty-five years of geeky interests, I am off to a convention. I could make excuses for this, but no-one wants to read those. The main upshot is: I am going to Nine Worlds, a convention that takes place at Heathrow Airport but is not about air travel.

Although, to be honest, there are so many sub-genres of geekery represented at Nine Worlds, I wouldn't be surprised to discover there are multiple panel discussions about 747s, but my eyes just skipped over them.

Point being: first con! Big deal, potentially. How am I feeling/preparing/occupying myself?

Today, possibly a first for this blog, we have a guest: Chele Cooke, excellent independent sci-fi author.

I met Chele at the Big Green Bookshop writing group (also pretty cool), she's been a great source of advice during this whole self-publishing process. Not to mention, she hosted a guest-shot from me around the launch of The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf - so really, this is the least I could do.

Coming up below is an extract from the prologue to Fight Or Flight, the second book in Chele's Out Of Orbit sci-fi series. I've read them both, they're great fun, and the first one - Dead And Buryd - is currently free.

The Out Of Orbit covers are also designed by Design For Writers, the same crew who did mine, so naturally they're excellent.

Anyway, let's get the prologue going.

So, after a few weeks of slow roll-out, the final step of publication is here: my first book The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf is now in print! Next time, I may try and do it all at once for maximum impact, but this time, here it is a week later.

Basically: it's a darkly comic London crime novel, the first in the Hobson & Choi series. More details about the book, along with enthusiastic review quotes and such, on our very own official Hobson & Choi homepage.

But let's cut to business in this post. Here are the buttons to buy the print book: