It's not much of a silver lining for the last few years, that environmental stress drives me to write. Both as an escape, and because funnelling that frustration into my work is a more sociable alternative to screaming out of the window. 

What did I make out of 2020 then? Actually a trick question because whatever hit the shelves this year has been at least 2 years in the making. Just as well the last few annual news cycles have been varying flavours of unsavoury, obviously. There's probably a comic story there, where the villain imperilling the world is just a frustrated writer seeking to recapture the inspiration that bad times can bring on. And I am profoundly lucky I jump that way. I know writers for whom that's the case, and I know writers whom the stress has shut down. It is, frankly, a lottery, and I can't pretend to any particular gift, just fortune. 

2020 saw Children of Ruin awarded the British Science Fiction Award, and Cage of Souls shortlisted for the Clarke, which was profoundly gratifying. Coming out this year have been The Doors of Eden and Firewalkers hit the shelves, both of which seem to bave been decently received. Should anyone be so kind as to consider nominating, the former should be eligible for anything taking a 2020 novel, and the latter for the novella. 

For multi-author projects, Tales of Catt and Fisher: The Art of the Steal came out very recently, which includes my own novella "Belt and Bracers" as well as work from Freda Warrington, Juliet McKenna and KT Davies, all following the named reprobates on their further ventures through the world of After the War. As per the previous post, also this year, Shadows of the Apt begins its re-release with Empire in Black and Gold and Dragonfly Falling already out.

Next year, I have four major projects coming out: a standalone, two sequels and the start of a new series. January sees the release of Bear Head, the followup to Dogs of War, and I am posting the banner here in full because it is, to be frank, barking mad. And also entirely accurate. 

Also scheduled for January is the sequel to The Expert System’s Brother, titled The Expert System’s Champion. Following in the heels of this is a brand-new novella, One Day All This Will Be Yours, in which I finally have a go at a time travel narrative by trying to create the absolute worst time traveller there ever was. If all this seems utterly insane, remember that two-year lead in — so that the year 2020 is kind of a blurred mélange of 2018–2021 — and when books are coming out from different publishers you get weird conjunctions like this.

Finally, in May (UK) and I think August (US), we should see the first book of The Final Architecture, my brand new space opera series. The first book is Shards of Earth and the back cover faluff reads something very like:

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien ‘Architect’. Some escaped, but millions died. So to protect its colonies, humanity shaped the minds of Idris and others into weapons and sent them into battle. Then the Architects disappeared.

Heroes like Idris have been forgotten, and he’s glad of it. He’d rather retire to a shabby salvage vessel than be anyone’s living weapon. Until this small ship makes a huge discovery.

Hunted by gangsters, governments and spies, Idris and his allies race across the galaxy searching for answers. For they have something of incalculable value that many would kill to obtain. They have proof the Architects are back, and that the war never really ended.