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Year that was, year that will be

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Mid December, huh? How did that happen? The year has flown by–but it’s not over yet.LeftHandPath_Iss01_FrontCov

I had only a handful of  new publications this year, but most of them were pretty well received:

 

In addition to that, I republished all three issues of McBlack volume 1 on comiXology, and McBlack One Shot will be out tomorrow. (Like I said: the year’s not over yet.) McBlack Two Shot should be out in January.

Highlights included being a guest at Oz Comicon, and coverage in The Guardian as a result. The other highlight, of course, was seeing my short story “Butcher’s Hook” get an honorable mention on Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror 2013 list. I still can’t believe I saw my name in such fine company (To be fair, it was a big list).

I have a few other pieces already slated for publication in 2015:McBlack One Shot

  • SHADOWMANCY, a dark fantasy novel from Satalyte Publishing, due out I think in March.
  • “The Old Portrait”, an comic adaptation of the short story by Hume Nisbett to be published in MIDNIGHT ECHO. Illustrated Leigh Kuilboer.
  • “Darkness Beyond”, a short horror story for the crowdfunded CTHULHU: DEEP DOWN UNDER anthology. This will only be exclusively available to people who pledged to the crowdfunding campaign, because an agent is currently trying to place it with publishers overseas. Sorry if you missed out. (I’m not really sorry.)

More than likely you will also see at least one more issue of LEFT HAND PATH from me and Paul next year (hopefully 2 issues, which will bring us to the halfway point in the series). I am hoping that I will be able to draw the long-delayed LADY McBLACK #2 and perhaps a McBlack annual of some sort as well.

I have a couple of additional acceptances that I can’t talk about yet but that’s only a small part of what I have been working on through the year.

This year I completed my novella sequence FAERIE APOCALYPSE. This is a project I have been working on since, I think, 1998, it’s easily the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted. Done now. I hope to have some news about it soon.

I also completed THE SIXSMITHS volume 2, with a team of fifteen amazing local artists (and one dirty foreigner). This is a project I have been working on since 2010. I remastered the first volume and I expect there will be a second edition in 2015 to go with the new volume.


Sixsmiths1_jh six2_cov_wip_1

Not every project made it over the line. I had hoped to complete my novel XDA ZAI this year but what was going to be the final draft is… not good enough. With the help of some excellent beta readers I think I’ve figured out how to fix it, but it’s going to require some surgery and I’m unlikely to have time for that until probably the middle of next year. I have a new short short that’s almost submission-ready, but I don’t think I have time to finish it before the new year, either. Boo.

The year is not over yet. I still have to complete the final draft of SHADOWMANCY, and I have to fast track a new freelance gig with Daniel Watts (yes, him again) that I don’t think we can speak about yet. I have my work cut out for me next year with some other new comics and prose projects that it’s much too early to talk about.

Lookout, 2015. I’m coming right for ya.

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