Ghosts in Italy

I just found out yesterday that Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon was translated into Italian and released into the wild as I Fantasmi di Ascalon sometime last year. For me, that’s particularly cool because my sister Jody spent a dozen or so years in Italy and married a wonderful Italian man who’s now the father of their two beautiful sons. I’ve been to Italy three times myself, and I absolutely love the country and hope to get back someday and explore even more of it.

According to the Ghosts of Ascalon FAQ on the Guild Wars 2 website, other translations are still in the works too. The German edition has been out since last fall, and I have a copy of it on my shelves. The French version is due out from Bibliotheque Interdite (which also publishes translations of my Blood Bowl novels) in June, and a Russian edition is due out from EXMO at some future date.

If you parla Italiano, check out the book’s page at the Multiplayer website. It includes a flip-through preview of a good chunk of the book’s first chapter to get you started. Read it and let me know what you think.

Fantasy Literature on Vegas Knights

Over at FantasyLiterature.com, Stefan Raets gives Vegas Knights a solid review. While the book went off the rails for him later in the story, he raves about the better part of it, saying such kind things as:

Vegas Knights is a fun, entertaining urban fantasy novel that starts off with a bang and rarely slows down. A large part of the first half of Vegas Knights is one long and excellent action scene that’s genuinely exciting and impossible to put down… The pacing is so hectic that it occasionally feels as if this could have been turned into a much longer novel, but on the plus side, this also means there’s not a dull moment to be found. (And how rare is it nowadays to find a fantasy novel that could have used more padding?)

One of the biggest challenges of writing a novel is devising an ending that fits well, and I’ll admit that’s the time I often feel like I’m skittering along the edge of a mountain road, riding on the guard rail on two wheels. That’s where the thrills are after all. I don’t mind being called on it if it’s not working for a reader, as it’s often a matter of taste, but I’m glad that Stefan enjoyed the book as much as he did. He wraps up saying:

[I]f you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll have a blast with this novel. Vegas Knights is far from perfect… but it’s hard to imagine a more appropriate book to bring along and read by the pool if you’re planning a Vegas trip.

Two Origins Awards Nods

The nominations for the Origins Awards – which honor the best in tabletop gaming every year – were just released. The list shows a strong slate of products, and I’m happy to say I’ve played/read a number of them. Congratulations to all my friends who picked up nods!

Two projects I chipped in on picked up nominations: Family Games: The 100 Best, edited by Jim Lowder, and Shadowrun: Spells and Chrome, edited by John Helfer. For Family Games: The 100 Best, I wrote an essay extolling the Pokémon CCG, and for Spells and Chrome I wrote a sharp little short story about the weaponization of cursed magic items entitled “No Such Luck.”

Of course, they’re both in the same category – Best Game-Related Publication – and up against some stiff competition from Hamlet’s Hit Points by Robin Laws; No Quarter Magazine edited by Matt Wilson, Aeryn Redel, and Privateer Press; and World at War: Revelation by Mark H. Walker. I’d feel no shame in losing out to any of them. In the meantime, I’ll happily add these two to my total for Origins Award nominations, which now stands at, um, 26, I think.

The Book of Extreme Facts

I see that IDW has announced my next book for them: Book of Extreme Facts. This is a tome of wild and amazing trivia that I co-wrote with one of IDW’s founders, my old pal Kris Oprisko, and it comes jam-packed with gorgeous illustrations by Brian Miroglio and a snazzy cover by Gabriel Rodriguez, who recently garnered three Eisner nominations for his work with Joe Hill on Locke & Key.

I had an absolute blast doing the research for this book. We live in such a wild and strange world, filled with all sorts of stuff that would be literally too weird for fiction, and it’s fun to be able to explore that in a bright and exciting format like this.

I haven’t seen the final proofs myself yet, but I cannot wait. The book should hit shelves on June 21, just in time for some summer reading fun.

Vegas Knights Interview and Review

Vegas Knights came out in the US while I was hard at work at Ubisoft Singapore, which meant I didn’t have much time to plug it at the time. Fortunately, some excellent people helped out with that while I was out of town.

Over at From the Shadows, E.J. Stevens interviewed me about Vegas Knights, and I stopped by a few times to chip in on some other comments. We wrestled with questions like, “If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?”

Meanwhile, at Worlds of Ink, Sean “Nix” McConkey – who I had the pleasure of meeting at Geek.Kon last year – reviewed Vegas Knights and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Among the many kind things he had to say about the book:

Vegas Knights is one of the rare novels that immediately grabs you and rivets you there… While Vegas Knights is a stand-alone novel…, it was an excellent and exciting adventure and left me hoping for more from these characters.

Vegas Knights is on sale now, both as an ebook and in print. Grab it, and it’ll grab you.

Ghosts of Ascalon Nominated for a Scribe Award!

Ghosts of Ascalon, the Guild Wars book I wrote with Jeff Grubb, just picked up a nomination for the Scribe Award for Best Speculative Original. The International Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) gives out the Scribe Awards at Comic-Con every year to the best in tie-in novels of the past year. In the past, the judges have nominated my Mutant Chronicles and Knights of the Silver Dragon: Prophecy of the Dragons novels, and Mutant Chronicles won the Best Game-Related Adapted novel award in 2009.

This time around, Ghosts of Ascalon is up against some stiff competition in its category from David Mack, Sean Williams, Keith R. A. DeCandido, and Nathan Long. I don’t know what the book’s chances of winning are, but I’m proud to be in the company of such great authors. It really is an honor just to have the book nominated.

Be sure to check out the IAMTW blog for a full list of the nominations in each category, plus the naming of Peter David as this year’s grandmaster. Congratulations to Peter and all the rest of the nominees!

Vegas Knights for Japan

As part of the Genre for Japan fundraiser (which aims to raise money for the Japan Tsunami Appeal run by the British Red Cross), I’ve put up my only spare Advance Readers Copy of Vegas Knights. Make the high bid on it, and I’ll personalize it for you and ship it off to wherever you happen to be.

The bidding has already started, and it runs through Sunday, April 3. The Vegas Knights ARC is currently up to £32.34, or about $52 at current exchange rates. Here’s hoping it can go even higher, but if not, I’m plenty pleased with that.

Either way, stop by Genre for Japan and check out all the items up for bid. Highlights include a bundle of over 30 Angry robot ebooks, including both Vegas Knights and Amortals too.

Vegas Knights Hits the USA!

Vegas Knights officially hits shelves in the USA today! It’s been out in the UK since the start of the month, and it’s been racking up loads of rave reviews. If you’d like to read a free sample before you dive in, I have the first five chapters available for you to check out.

You can buy Vegas Knights at stores all around the English-speaking world right now, and I’ve assembled a short list of places to find it, no matter where you might be. Buy early, and buy often! And if you’ve already enjoyed the book, please don’t be shy about telling your friends and neighbors. Thanks!

Off in Singapore

I realize it’s been quiet around here the past week or so, and there’s a fine reason for that. I left for Singapore on March 18, and I’ve been there. I’m working on an unannounced video game for Ubisoft Singpore, which means, yes, I’ve been sent on an secret mission to the Far East.

I’m having a great time here, with a truly excellent team of brutally talented game developers. They not only place a high value on story and what I can bring to the game with it, but they’ve also been wonderful hosts and become good friends. In my time off, I’ve managed to get out and see a great deal of this beautiful city, eaten more types of food than I can count, and seen many wild and wonderful things, including groups of wild monkeys and a nighttime skyline formed by the lights of the massive cargo ships encircling the shore.

Still, I’m looking forward to heading home at the end of the week. I miss my wife and kids, and I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed again. Once I get back, I’ll continue to work with the team by remote, though, and with luck I’ll be back out this way again someday soon. Ever since the quads were born, I’ve cut way down on my business trips, and it feels good to be back out on the road again, even if only for a while.

Librarian Love for Vegas Knights

Over at the Fluidity of Time, Jo the librarian raves about Vegas Knights. She says many kind things about the book, including:

If you like books with a lot of action, quick dialogue, and a consistently fast pace, this is up your alley. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, I think you’ll get a kick out of the story, although a love of magic isn’t required to enjoy this read. And if you’ve enjoyed a trip to Vegas? Definitely pick this up. I had pre-ordered this book for my library, and now I’m just waiting until it gets here so I can get it in the hands of our patrons. Yes, yes, I’m a book pusher…. But this book was so much fun that I want lots of people to read it!

Vegas Knights is already available in the UK in print and as an ebook worldwide. Print copies hit the US on March 29!