New Ceres Nights

I love this cover for New Ceres Nights and can’t wait to read the book. My story is called “Tontine Mary” . I’ve wanted to write a tontine story for a really long time. Probably 25 years! The idea has always fascinated me, and I loved the book Tontine, by Thomas B. Costain. The shared world of New Ceres is the perfect setting.

New Ceres, a planet in the outer colonies, embraced the Age of Enlightenment nearly two hundred years ago and refused to let go. Refugees and opportunists come to New Ceres in search of new lives, escaping the conflicts of the interstellar war that has already destroyed Earth.

New Ceres Nights presents thirteen exciting stories of freedom, debauchery, decadence, subterfuge and murder set against the backdrop of powdered wigs, coffee houses, duels and balls.

Debutante — Dirk Flinthart
The Widow’s Seven Candles — Thoraiya Dyer
Code Duello — J C Hay
Murder in Laochan — Aliette de Bodard
Tontine Mary — Kaaron Warren
Fair Trade — Stephen Dedman
A Troublesome Day for Jacky Midnight — Matthew Farrer
Prosperine When It Sizzles — Tansy Rayner Roberts
Candle to the Devil — Sue Isle
Blessed Are the Dead That the Rain Falls Upon — Martin Livings
The Sharp Shooter — Sylvia Kelso
Smuggler’s Moon — Lee Battersby
The Piece of Ice in Miss Windermere’s Heart — Angela Slatter

New Ceres Nights is now available for presale.  http://twelfthplanetpress.wordpress.com/shop/

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Brainstorming

I have five stories to write.

A scary historical one.
A cultural one.
One based on a song.
One based on an ancient goddess.
A Christmas one.

Five very different stories. I’ve done a lot of research, taken a lot of notes, and two of the stories have fallen into place.

The other three just haven’t jelled. I know it’s all in my head, so this week I’ve set myself a way of bringing it out.

One device I use when I want to write but I’m not sure what to write about is called ’50 Bits’. In an exercise book, I write 50 simple sentences. I completely brainstorm it, try not to think too hard. This is a list from my last book:

1. Wearing too much eye shadow
2. Losing an eye
3. Painting a mural
4. A torch fails

Then, on just one page in the exercise book, I write whatever story comes out. It might be a description, or a conversation. Sometimes it really is a story. More than once I’ve cracked a good one, and I’ve expanded the page into a proper short story.

So I decided to try it to crack the three stories I’m struggling with. I called this one “23 bits” because I only had a 48 page exercise book. I really love exercise books. Instead of simple sentences, I went through my ideas notebooks and wrote down 23 of my ideas.

Now I’m at work, expanding each idea onto a single page.

It’s working; I’ve cracked one story, got a nibble on a second, and thought of another story altogether.

It’s a really satisfying thing to do, because I feel like I’ve achieved something, and I haven’t had to struggle to do it.

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Flycon 09

Flycon 09, an online convention, starts in a few hours and I’ve decided to jump on board!

There are writers like Lisa Mantchev, Simon Haynes, Gillian Polack, Tony Shillitoe, Kate Forsyth, Rob Hood and Jennifer Fallon, talking about horror, fantasy and science fiction and all things beyond.

I’m on a panel at 2pm on Saturday(Fiji time), along with Stephen King expert Rocky Wood, talking about Stephen King, of course.

On Sunday morning at 7 (Fiji time), I’m going to talk about the things I read outside of genre, and how this influences me, along with Chris Dolley and Monissa Whiteley.

Then at 1pm (Fiji time) on Sunday, I will be taking questions. I’m not sure what questions I’ll be taking, but all will be welcome.

The programme is here.

If you want to join in, go to the livejournal page here.

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Slights

Angry Robot today announced some incredible news. I’ve known for a while.

My novel ‘Slights’ will be published by them in June. They’ve also bought my next two novels (yes, I’ve written three!) and these will be published before long as well.

Any writer will know how I feel. I’ve worked for this most of my life, since I wrote my first story at seven. Even more so, since I wrote my first novel at fourteen and began signing all birthday cards “Kaaron Warren, famous writer.”

You can find the announcement on their webpage. I’m loving working with these guys; it’s fun, it’s professional and they know what they’re doing.

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