Interview with Jackie Kessler

HOTTER THAN HELL is the third book in the Hell on Earth series (August 2008). Don't be fooled by the "paranormal romance" tag on the spine; this book is, perhaps, a love story, but it's much more urban fantasy than a romance. For one thing, there's no traditional happily ever after. For another...well, no, that'll do it. Unlike the first two books in the series, HOT stars the incubus Daunuan (pronounced "Don Juan," sort of).

Jackie Kessler is the author of the Hell on Earth series, published by Kensington/Zebra Books. She's also written numerous short stories and is the coauthor of the upcoming BLACK & WHITE, a dystopian superhero novel to be published by Bantam Spectra in 2009. Jackie lives in Upstate New York with her Loving Husband, two Precious Little Tax Deductions, two geriatric cats, and 8,000 comic books. She's not really a succubus, and despite all the rumors, you'll never catch her stripping on stage. For more about Jackie, please visit her website. And remember: love your inner demon.

1) What was your inspiration for writing HOTTER THAN HELL?
I knew that I wanted Daun to have his own story. After the events in HELL'S BELLES and THE ROAD TO HELL, I had a good idea what it would be. Heh, heh, heh. Daun's still pissed off at me.

2) Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?
Now: Neil Gaiman, Chris Moore, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, George RR Martin.
Then: Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis, JRR Tolkien

3) What is it about fantasy that attracts you?
There's something about the nature of Good and Evil that fascinates me. Maybe it's because the two are so close to each other. Maybe it's because the dark side has cookies. But man, it's that burning drive to fight against the forces of darkness--or, from the other end, to blot out the light of the world--that is compelling. Give me the dynamic villains, the tortured heroes.

4) What (besides writing) do you do for fun?
Fun? Fun? What is this "fun" of which you speak? Hmm. I enjoy reading, long walks on the beach, the sunset, kissing in the rain...Wait, is this getting too personal? Okay, then: good music, good friends, good wine. Me = happy.

5) What sort of research did you do to write HOTTER THAN HELL?
Among other things, I did a lot of research on Mozart--who plays an important role in the story. Fascinating man.

6) What are you writing now?
The fourth book in the Hell on Earth series, HELL BOUND. The protagonist/POV is back to Jesse, the former succubus.

7) Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?
I used to want to be a comic book artist. Then I wanted to write comic books. Then, once I was in college and started taking creative writing courses, I realized that I wanted to write books. Or, really, book: I had this one idea, and it was going to be my Great American Novel. So, er, 20 years later, that book still isn't published (although a version of it is currently on submission, eek). But I have three novels and one novella published, with three more novels and one novella to come in the next year. Life is good.

8) What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?
Usually, I get the bulk of my writing done first thing in the morning, before the day job, or after the Tax Deductions are in bed for the night. When I'm on a deadline, a pot of coffee is my best friend, and I'm lucky to be in bed before 1 am.

9) Where do you write?
My home office. I can (and do) write on the train, when I'm traveling from Upstate New York to NYC. But I prefer to be at my desk, on my computer, with the Internet right here to distract me. Wait, no, not that last part. Er, next question...

10) This isn't your first book; tell us a little bit about what else is out there.
The first two books in the Hell on Earth series focus on the former demon Jezebel. The first book, HELL'S BELLES, is the story of why Jezebel runs away from Hell, as well as her adventures hiding on Earth as a mortal stripper and falling in love, while avoiding the demonic bounty hunters on her trail. (Sex, strippers, demons -- what's not to like?) The second book, THE ROAD TO HELL, continues the story: now Jezebel (known as the human Jesse Harris) needs to return to Hell to save the lives of those she loves. (If she'd known love was this tough, she would have remained a demon of lust.)

HOTTER THAN HELL summary:
Daun loves his job: seduce a lot of mortals, bring their souls to Hell, party at the best interdimensional pub this side of the Astral Plane. But when the King of Lust makes him an offer he can't refuse, Daun has to give up all the tricks of his trade to properly befriend—and bed—Virginia Reed, a woman who's meant for Heaven. If he can get her to love him for the incubus he really is, and if he can avoid the rogue demons that are hell-bent on destroying him for reasons unknown, Daun will become the First Principal of Lust, second in line to the King. But Daun learns that love is more than a four-letter word, and that maybe, just maybe, demons really do have feelings after all...

You can buy HOTTER THAN HELL at Amazon.com, and all good bookstores.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre mini-con

The Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre SF Group is planning a mini-con for 21 September. The group's first mini-con, held in 2006, was an outstanding success, with several score people attending. The panels, readings and inexpensive lunch all contributed to the day’s success, and this year's effort pormises to be even better.

Confirmed panelists include Adrian Bedford, Janet Blagg (my editor), Lee Battersby, Lyn Battersby, Hal Colebatch, Stephen Dedman, Russell Farr, Simon Haynes (me!), Elaine Kemp, Alisa Krasnostein, Martin Livings, Dave Luckett, Ian Nichols, John Parker and Tehani Wessely.

The one-day mini-con, which starts at 10.00am, will be held at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre, Old York Road, Greenmount, Perth. Gold coin admission, lunch available.

(From Horrorscope: http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/2008/08/news-katharine-susannah-prichard.html)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Reactions

Not sure whether anyone else does this, but if I drop something my instinctive reaction is to try and cushion the fall with my foot. I've saved many a mug, glass and bowl like this, but there is a downside. A few years back I managed to save an old 5 1/4" floppy drive with my bare foot, which then needed stitches. The cost of the medical treatment worked out to be three times the value of the disk drive, and I would have been well ahead had I just let the thing smash into the floor instead.

(My wife does something similar, only SHE managed to save a carving knife with HER foot, and I think that weaned her off the practice. The kitchen looked like a scene from Saw VI - Utensils Fight Back.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 5 FAQ

I just updated the Hal 5 page on the Spacejock.com.au website, adding a bunch of Frequently Asked Questions which keen Hal readers might find interesting.

You're welcome to ask more questions in the comments. I'll pick some out and answer them on the page.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Conflux virtual mini-con

Just a reminder that the Conflux Virtual Mini-con "Prepare to Dream" will take place this weekend on the Conflux website: http://www.conflux.org.au/forum

For a full list of guests and appearance times visit this page. (I'm on at 4pm AEST.)

AEST = Australian Eastern Time

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Couple of things

First, I just signed the petition against age banding of books. This is a battle being fought in the UK, but you can bet Australia will be next. (There's nothing we love more in this country than a good classifying, preferably administered by half a dozen overlapping government departments.)

I don't intend to go into age banding here, but if you don't have a clue about the problems it might cause, visit the site above and find out.


Second, I just noticed Planet Fantastic's Bestselling Books of All Time, and the first three Hal books are all present. (Hal 4 was their #1 bestseller last month, so it's a bit soon to expect to see it in a list covering over three years of sales.)

First, this is the top ten:

1...Temeraire, by Naomi Novik
2...A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin
3...Thud!, by Terry Pratchett
4...Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
5...Never Seen by Waking Eyes, by Stephen Dedman
6...Black Powder War, by Naomi Novik
7...Judas Unchained, by Peter F. Hamilton
8...Shadow Box, edited by Shane Jiraiya Cummings
9...Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
10..Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

then the Hal books take up these positions:

#25...Hal Spacejock, by Simon Haynes
(...)
#57...Hal Spacejock: Second Course, by Simon Haynes
(...)
#86...Hal Spacejock: Just Desserts, by Simon Haynes


Congrats to everyone on the list.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal Spacejock thuds down in Scotland

Sarah Wise from The Creaking Shelves Bookshop in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, was so determined to see Hal Spacejock available in the UK that she ordered in a whole batch of Hal books to sell through the shop.

Due to freight costs they're a little more expensive than locally printed titles, but she's cut the price as low as she can without actually losing money on each book.

You'll find her blog post about the arrivals here, including a link to the shop's website and ordering info.

If you live in the UK and have been hanging out for Hal, this is your best chance to get hold of the books. I know it's a cliche, but stocks really are limited and some of the copies have already been pre-sold.

EDIT: I forgot to mention they're all signed copies.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Animated lunacy

(This is what my 10-year-old daughter put together after school tonight. Shared with permission.)



I've just lent her my SLR and a cable release for the sequel. I'm half expecting Guineazilla.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 4 bangs down in the States

Powell's books are showing Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch (book #4) in stock, and that means Amazon should follow suit within the next day or so.

No news on overseas publishers, I'm afraid. There are frequent rumbles from all points North, but I reckon most are due to those famous lunches we hear so much about.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Review & Plane

First, US Fantasy/humor author & occasional Andromeda Spaceways publishee Jim C. Hines reviews Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch. No spoilers here ... you'll have to drop by his blog to find out what he thought of the book. (While you're there, why not add him as an LJ friend? You get writing tips from a multi-published author PLUS goblins. What more could you ask for?)

Second, I've put the plans for the world's deadliest paper plane online. This thing nearly killed me when I was a kid, and it's still the best thing I've ever done with a sheet of paper.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

New review of Hal 1 & 2

We Read Science Fiction just posted their review of Hal Spacejock books 1 & 2. (The blog author discovered the books via the download version of Hal 1, and requested the whole series for review purposes.)

Couple of snips from the review:

• Australia's Simon Haynes successfully lampoons the bedrock of science fiction themes and doesn't take himself seriously. At all.

No kidding!

• First, you will need to read these books with an open mind and an understanding of why they were written to enjoy them. If you try and take them too seriously you'll hate them, but if you grok Hal, you'll love them. Second, they are great for teenagers who you want hooked on SciFi. Remember that if you don't have the mind of a teenager.

I've seen a couple of comments around the place from people who tried to take Hal seriously, and it wasn't pretty. Fortunately, the other 99.99% of the population still has a sense of humour.

One of the most interesting comments in the review was that Hal 2 was a lot better than Hal 1. I hear that a lot (usually followed by 'Hal 3 is better than Hal 2' and 'Hal 4 is better than Hal 3'), but I really don't mind at all. Getting better as the series goes along means I'm growing as a writer, and my goal of fifteen Hal novels isn't completely loopy. (Oh sure, people laugh at my bold claims now...)

Anyway, feel free to descend on the We Read Science Fiction blog and comment on the review. The site encourages this sort of reader reaction.

(You'll also find a lot of other book reviews - perfect reading for a lazy weekend.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Comp of interest to WA parents, teachers & librarians

Just thought I'd give you advance notice of a competition which will appear in the West Australian early in August. Teachers & librarians ... perhaps a chance for a class effort? Parents ... get your kids reading!

ED! Magazine in The West Australian are giving primary and secondary students the opportunity to win the complete set of Hal Spacejock novels by Simon Haynes.

The competition involves writing a 150-word review of any book in the Hal Spacejock series. It doesn't matter whether the review is based on the free ebook of Hal Spacejock book one or any of the other books in the series. I'm guessing 150 words is approximate, too.

The best entry will be published in ED!

So, you might like to keep an eye on the ED! supplement of the West Australian for entry details.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Newbie's guide to publishing

JA Konrath's all-inclusive writing book - over four years in the making, filled with more than 750 pages of tips, tricks, and advice. And it's 100% free.

You can read more on the freebie and download your copy via this post on JA Konrath's blog.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Conflux virtual mini-con

Conflux will again be holding a virtual mini-con on the weekend of August 2 and 3. What’s a virtual mini-con, I hear you cry? Well, it’s an online convention, a gathering of friends and fans that follow a program to spend an hour chatting with a special guest. Best of all, it’s completely free!

(Taken from here - visit for more details and the full list of guests.)

I'm happy to be participating, and my guest slot on the forums is 4pm EST (2pm Western Australian time and - wake up! - 2am in New York.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

More on openings

Blogging super-agent Nathan Bransford just wrote about flash-bang starts, slower starts, and the point in the novel by which time SOMETHING has to be set in motion. Worth a read for everyone who participated in the comments on my blog over the past couple of days: You've got 30 pages, pal.

(That's 30 pages of double-spaced 12pt Times, each of which is roughly equivalent to a page in a published novel. If you're counting single-spaced pages you only have 15.)

Out of interest I dragged Hal books 1-4 off the shelf and checked to see what I'd managed to throw at the reader by page 30. In each case they've hit the end of chapter two and several plot threads have been set in motion. Since I make a point of finishing just about every chapter with a hook of some kind, it's likely they'd want to read on to see What Happens Next.

So, regarding the opening scenes of Hal 5, it looks like I can build it up and introduce all the plot elements in my usual fashion, as long as the boulder is rolling downhill by the end of chapter two. No sweat!

How about you? Are the events leading up to page 30 of your manuscript enough of a hook to keep your readers interested? (And yes, Fantasy authors, that twelve page prologue with the Entire History o' your Universe is included in the 30, even though I've never read a prologue in my life.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Interview with David Louis Edelman

David Louis Edelman's debut novel Infoquake was released by Pyr in 2006. Barnes & Noble Explorations called the story of cut-throat software entrepreneurs in the far future "the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge" and later named it their SF Book of the Year. The book was also nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel, and Edelman was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer on the strength of that novel. Infoquake has just been re-released in mass market paperback by Solaris Books with a fancy new cover by Stephan Martiniere.

This week, Pyr is releasing book 2 of David's Jump 225 trilogy, MultiReal. The book continues where Infoquake left off, and has already been called "a thoroughly-successful hybrid of Neuromancer and Wall Street" by Hugo nominee Peter Watts.

BIO: In addition to writing novels, Dave has also programmed websites for the U.S. Army, the FBI, ExxonMobil, and Rolls-Royce; taught software to the U.S. Congress and the World Bank; written articles for the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun; and directed the marketing departments of biometric and e-commerce companies. Dave is well-versed in PHP, Ruby on Rails, WordPress, ColdFusion, HTML, Javascript, XML, and CSS, and is an expert in web usability, web design, search engine optimization, and writing for the web.

1) What was your inspiration for writing Infoquake and MultiReal?

Infoquake and MultiReal are two parts of a story I started writing in late 2000 about my dot-com experiences in the '90s. I'm a marketing guy and web programmer by trade, and I saw a number of crazy things during the dot-com bubble. Mostly I was interested in the personal dynamics -- how charismatic schemers like my protagonist Natch convinced so many people to invest in so many worthless companies.

So in 2000 and 2001, I wrote a novel titled Jump 225.7, which you might call a far-future satire of the dot-com era. I literally finished the first draft of it on September 10, 2001. Then suddenly the next day, satire seemed the wrong way to approach the story I was trying to tell. So when I started rewriting it, the story became much darker and more serious in tone. I tried to ask all the big questions about capitalism, about Western society, about human nature and greed and what the long-term prospects of the species were. The end result was the Jump 225 trilogy, starting with Infoquake and continuing with MultiReal.

2) Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

Growing up, my favorite author had to be J.R.R. Tolkien (unless Stan Lee counts). I'm sure I read the whole Lord of the Rings saga (including The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) half a dozen times. Then in adolescence I fell in love with Kurt Vonnegut, with a special reverence for Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. College brought John Barth to my attention, and I've been running the biggest fan website for his books since about 1996 or so. If I had to name my favorite author since college, I'd have to pick either William Gibson or Thomas Pynchon.

3) What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

I think for me it's the ability to rethink absolutely everything about the world, down to the smallest nanoparticle. I'm a worldbuilding addict, so I like being able to examine and reconfigure the politics, the history, and the sociology of my world to suit the story I'm trying to tell. For the Jump 225 trilogy, I considered all of those things and more -- I even got down to the level of thinking up new building materials and trying to invent ways that people would move goods from place to place in the absence of trucks and an interstate system. I can't really think of any other genre you can do that in.

4) Why did you decide to make Natch a software entrepreneur?

When I started writing the Jump 225 trilogy, I followed the axiom of writing what you know. I'd worked for several high-tech start-ups run by young, charismatic, slightly unhinged software entrepreneurs. And so that's who I started with.

The supporting characters are also based on character types I'd met in dot-coms. Horvil is the heavy-set, brilliant engineering guy who prefers to run things behind the scenes and leave the politics to the boss. And Jara is the serious, no-nonsense marketing woman who has something of a love/hate relationship with the company.

5) What (besides writing) do you do for fun?

I'm incredibly boring. I read. I putter around on the computer and tinker with my websites. I watch a lot of movies, and I keep up with the news. I'm looking forward to having children so I can have the excuse that I'm "spending quality time with my family."

6) What sort of research did you do to write these books?

Infoquake is heavily concerned with biologic software (or "wetware," as it's sometimes called). I know something about software, but I know very little about biology or physiology. So I certainly had to do some basic research into how the human body works. The main technology behind MultiReal also involves quantum physics, so I had to beef up on that a bit too. I admit that I don't tend to delve very deeply into the subjects that I research; mostly it's just your basic Wikipedia and Google searches, combined with long involved discussions with subject matter experts I know.

7) Natch is a compulsive workaholic. Are you that way too?

Absolutely not. I'm actually not very much at all like Natch or Jara, the two main protagonists of the novels. Although I suppose I do share certain characteristics with them. If I had to name a character who was closest to me in temperament, I'd have to say Horvil, the fat cheerful engineer who's always putting up with Natch's crap.

8) The political factions in the Jump 225 trilogy are divided between governmentalists and libertarians. If you were a character in the books, which would you be?

A lot of people who've read Infoquake assumed that my sympathies lie with the libertarians, because that's where Natch's sympathy lies. But I'm definitely more conflicted in my politics. I like to pick and choose among the different parties and philosophies. I have some definite liberal tendencies but a number of conservative ones as well.

You'll discover in MultiReal that the political situation is much more nuanced than Natch makes it out to be in Infoquake. The central government, which really seems like the epitome of evil in Infoquake, is a conflicted organization itself with some do-gooders working in the fringes. And the libertarians are full of self-interested schemers who'll stab you in the back.

9) What are you writing now?

I'm currently about 80,000 words into Geosynchron, the third and final book of the Jump 225 trilogy. I'm a very slow writer and I write a million drafts, but I'm hoping to finish the whole thing by the end of the year.

10) Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?

Yes, I always wanted to write, ever since I was a little kid. I wrote my first "novel" when I was about 6 years old, and I spent much of my childhood building up a pantheon of superheroes with my brother. I studied creative writing in college at Johns Hopkins, and tried to write a novel in my early 20s. It wasn't until I had given up on the writing and spent half a dozen years in the trenches of high tech that I came up with an idea that I could follow through on. And that was the Jump 225 trilogy.

11) What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?

I've never been very good about setting a concrete writing schedule. Maybe that's why it takes me so long to finish anything. I typically work about three days a week at my part-time web programming job, and then write whenever I have the free time and the inclination.

12) Where do you write?

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I'm one of the guys you see sitting there at Starbuck's with his laptop for hours on end. For some reason, I find it easy to write with background chatter. But when I'm not writing there, I'm sitting on my couch at home with one dog on the back of the couch behind my head and one dog nestled between me and the armrest.

13) What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

The hardest thing for me as a writer is discipline. I have an easy time coming up with great ideas, and I find it very easy to sit down and start pecking on those first few paragraphs. But then I quickly burn out. If you're ever going to finish anything, you need to be able to batter your way through those burnout times, and I have a difficult time with that. And then I'm so rarely satisfied with what I write, it always takes me to forever to finish.

More about David Louis Edelman: http://www.davidlouisedelman.com

More about Infoquake: http://www.infoquake.net

More about MultiReal: http://www.multireal.net

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Backstory vs Buildup

You all know the in media res rule: start your novel in the middle of an action sequence, throw the reader in the deep end, make your first sentence, your first page, your first chapter as gripping as possible and fill in the details as you go along.

I know the rule too, but I have one or two problems with it.

First, I think it's relevant when you're trying to hook an agent or a publisher. You need to stand out from the crowd, and the attention-grabbing opening does that. Of course, if you DO secure a publishing deal there's plenty of time for rewrites ;-)

It's also relevant if you're trying to hook new readers (and who isn't?) If someone is scanning the first page of your novel in a bookstore, deciding whether to buy, don't you want to hook them in?

Well yes, but I have to confess I've never stood around in a bookstore reading the first page of anything. I'm drawn to new books by the spine (maybe the author's name rings a bell, or the title sounds promising), the front cover if it's face-out (title & author again, the cover art & any visible blurbs), or the fact the bookshop staff have just pressed the thing into my hands.

Once I'm holding the book I'm only interested in two things: the back cover teaser, and blurbs. These can be on the back or printed inside, but they DO influence my decision to buy. If there aren't any blurbs but the teaser is good, I'm in. If there are lots of positive blurbs from authors or reviewers I'm familiar with, that's also a plus but I won't buy a heavily-blurbed book if the teaser doesn't interest me.

You'll notice that none of my purchase decisions are based on the quality or style of the writing - for that I put my trust in the author, their editor, and the publisher.


The second problem I have with the 'action opening' is this: The author now has to fit in all that lovely backstory, and since it's already happened, it often boils down to characters telling each other things they already know just to bring the reader up to speed. Alternatively you get a flashback or three, sometimes lasting the entire novel, and you wonder why the author didn't just set the novel in the flashback era so the thing could play out in real time.


The third problem I have with in media res? It can play havoc with pacing and tension: You get a big BANG and then pages & pages setting up the hissing fuse. Me, I like to start with the hiss.


I'm not blogging about the problems with big openings because I think they're always the wrong choice ... hell, no. It's just that I like it when things start perfectly normal and gradually go wonky, so that by the end of chapter one (or perhaps chapter two), the freight train is rushing towards the rockfall or the helpless spaceship is drifting towards the asteroid field. Ideally you want the reader spotting things before the characters do, which not only has them anticipating problems but also willing the characters to spot them, discuss them and deal with them.


So, what prompted this blog post?

A couple of weeks ago I began plotting Hal 5 in my usual fashion, introducing the characters, the location and the setting before piling bigger and bigger problems onto the hapless characters. The plot grew and grew, until the spiderweb covered many pages.

Then, just this morning, I decided to play with it. I took a copy of the plot and started dragging & editing branches in Freemind to see how it would look if I started the book further in than usual. And, having made all those changes, I've ended up with a ton of stuff filed under 'backstory' which would normally be the first chapter or two of the novel. That's why I'm here, posting about it, because I'm weighing up the pros and cons, and trying to decide whether to stick with it or fall back on my comfortable opening chapter or two.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Wonderlands

Wonderlands is a new social networking site for Fantasy & Spec Fic writers, readers, fans, etc. At first I thought 'oh no, another one', but after seeing it posted and reposted on several blogs belonging to writers, editors and agents I'm acquainted with, I caved in and signed up.

You'll find me here. Hope to see you over there!

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Ebay stuff

I've listed my entire collection of Asimov's SF on ebay in multiple lots, if anyone's interested. There's also a bunch of other SF mags, some books, a couple of Tintin comics & a large amount of UK Tiger/Scorcher/Roy of the Rovers comics.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Incubation times

This post was prompted by recent discussion on Nathan Bransford's blog, in which the following question was raised: what do you feel about authors trying to keep up with a book a year, or more, to satisfy their publisher and their readers? (paraphrased from memory)

Personally I believe the author should demand enough time to finish the book properly. Problem is, a book isn't a roll of toilet paper or a loaf of bread ... it's an artistic endeavour, and it's finished when it's finished.

Over time, most authors find a schedule they're comfortable with, and provided they stay on track they can write novels to that deadline. For me it's about 8 months from start to finish, and when you add in the publisher's side of things that's about one book every 14-16 months. (Hal 4 was the first book I've written for this publisher from scratch, and having done that one I'm confident I can repeat.)

This doesn't allow for writers block (Pah! No such thing!) and backtracking heavily to fix those major cock-ups we suddenly unearth near the end of the novel. That's why we invented extensions.

Just out of interest, these are the time scales for each Hal book, from my writing the very first word to their appearance in the shops with Fremantle Press:

Hal Spacejock: 11 years
Hal Spacejock Second Course: 4 years
Hal Spacejock Just Desserts: 4 years
Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch: 1 year (with a 1 month extension)

Hal 4 is a bit of a special case because I wrote the first bits of the novel in 2004, and also wrote two versions of it for NanoWrimo in 2005 and 2006, but so little of those efforts made it into the final version it was effectively written from scratch.

There's also quite a bit of overlap in the figures, because I started Hal Spacejock book 1 in 1994.


A long gestation period can give the writer time to dot every i and cross every t, to shine and polish until every single word belongs. Although if you believe this you clearly haven't read Hal 1. Even after all those years of editing and polishing, I can still open it to any page and see things I'd like to change. That's the sort of education you get from writing three or four additional novels.

Also, by the time you finish your one-book-a-decade half the book reps have moved on, stores don't remember you and fans have all found another writer to idolise.

On the other hand, writing a novel in 8 months can lead to consistency - plot, character, dialogue ... even the writing. You're not blending passages you wrote a decade ago with sentences you just crafted last week. There's a certain attraction to single-mindedly pursuing one goal over a relatively short time span, excluding minor distractions like your health, earning capacity, and your family.


So which is really better? Which do readers prefer?

Yesterday there was a reply to one of my recent posts which said something along the lines of 'Hal 4 has less of the one-line belly laughs than earlier books in the series, but it's my favourite so far' (Paraphrased from memory)

I think this is true of most comedy series (apart from the 'fave so far' bit - that varies), and there are several reasons for it.

First, there's the fact the author has probably been chasing a publishing deal for years, and during that time he/she has been tinkering with the novel in question. (What you should be doing is writing the next - and I did, twice. But that still doesn't prevent tinkering every time a new rejection or four lands in the mailbox.)

Second, to stay original and fresh with each book means NOT repeating yourself. Gags, dire situations, one-liners, plot points .. Personally, I err on the side of caution, avoiding anything which has echoes of earlier books. You tend to lose the freewheeling, carefree, have-at-it nature and become a bit more precise, and with each Hal book there are less irrelevant side trips just to fit in a funny scene I couldn't let go. Scenes are written to fit the plot, because I don't have time to let my brain wander too much ... or if I do, I'm happy to save it for a later book in the series, which was a luxury I didn't have when writing book #1.

Finally, with each book you want to grow as an author. You don't want to throw away a hard-earned readership with an artsy renegade volume of second-person stream of consciousness with no punctiation, but you don't want to put out the same-old, same-old either. For example, one of my goals is to fold one or more genres into each Hal book. Hal 1 was SF humour with satire. Hal 2 was an alien civilisation and corporate evildoers. Hal 3 was espionage and goverment coverups. And for Hal 4 I dug deep into the bucket and came up with mystery, crime, romance, horror and a bit of police procedural. (I wasn't sure whether it would be the last Hal book, so I threw everything in.)

By the way, whether No Free Lunch is the last Hal book or not depends on whether enough people buy a copy next time they're browsing in the local store. I'm working on Hal 5 now, but there are no certainties in the publishing game, whether you write one book a decade or three every year.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

My favourite indie bookstore in the whole of Australia

Fantastic Planet!

Sadly I don't get to visit, since they're in the middle of Perth and I don't go near the city. But they do bring a smile to my face with every Hal Spacejock release ;-)

June's Bestsellers
1...Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch, Simon Haynes
2...The Sharing Knife 2: Legacy, Lois McMaster Bujold
3...2012, edited by Alisa Krasnostein & Ben Payne
4...Newton's Wake, Ken Macleod
5...The Sharing Knife 1: Beguilement, Lois McMaster Bujold
6...Making Money, Terry Pratchett
7...The Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie
8...Reaper's Gale, Steven Erikson
9...The Workers' Paradise, edited by Russell B. Farr and Nick Evans
10..Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2007 edition, edited by Angela Challis

You'll find their website here

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

BBC on Youtube

How cool is this? BBC has an official Youtube channel. Over 2500 official videos. Fun ;-)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

20 most popular SF sites on the net

Not sure what to make of these figures ... the results are measured from people who use the Alexa toolbar

According to Alexa, these are the 20 most popular SF sites:

1. Wizards of the Coast
2. SCIFI.com
3. Bantam Spectra
4. Fantastic Fiction
5. White Wolf
6. Science Fiction Weekly
7. Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
8. SFF Net
9. Baen Books
10. Science Fiction & Fantasy World
11. The Trek BBS
12. Del Rey Books
13. SFF Net People
14. Nielsen Hayden, Patrick and Teresa
15. SF Signal
16. Locus Online
17. Pournelle, Jerry
18. Tom Doherty Associates (TOR)
19. The Heinlein Society
20. Hal Spacejock

Yeah, right.

And for more laughs, the Top 10 most popular SF author sites on the web

1. Fantastic Fiction
2. SFF Net People
3. Nielsen Hayden, Patrick and Teresa
4. Locus Online: Science Fiction News, Reviews, Resources, Pers.
5. Pournelle, Jerry
6. The Heinlein Society
7. Hal Spacejock
8. Charlie's Place
9. David Peter (Official)
10. JMSNews

So now I can retire a multimillionaire and give the writing game away. Huh.

(I note more than half those on the second list aren't even authors. If the rankings are as suspect as the categorisations there's no wonder it's stuffed.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Video games meme

While I'm distracted working on the plot for Hal Spacejock 5, here's a meme for the games players amongst you.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have played

2) Underline the games you LOVE(D).

3) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've played 6 and force games (and probably emulators) upon them.

Note - I'm a PC gamer so console games are usually an automatic no. My comments are in []

100 - River City Ransom (aka Street Gangs)

99 - Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

98 - BattleToads [Sinclair Spectrum version]

97 - F-Zero

96 - Mafia

95 - Herzog Zwei

94 - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

93 - Quake II

92 - Dragon Warrior (aka Dragon Quest)

91 - Virtua Tennis

90 - Master of Orion

89 - Alone in the Dark

88 - Final Fantasy VII

87 - Thief II: The Metal Age

86 - Final Fantasy X

85 - Prince of Persia [Original 286 version]

84 - Ultima VII: The Black Gate

83 - Contra

82 - Gunstar Heroes

81 - Freedom Force

80 - Baseball Stars

79 - Shining Force II

78 - Star Wars (Arcade)

77 - Archon: The Light and The Dark

76 - Tetris Attack

75 - Crimson Skies

74 - Syndicate

73 - Return Fire

72 - Galaga

71 - Half-Life: Counter-Strike

70 - Pokemon Red/Blue

69 - Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

68 - Starsiege: Tribes

67 - Rayman 2: The Great Escape

66 - Homeworld

65 - MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat [Loved tricking out the robot with 8 machine guns]

64 - Advance Wars

63 - Sonic the Hedgehog

62 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

61 - Sam & Max Hit the Road ["You'll fry like a Pork Sausage." Oh yes.]

60 - Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle

59 - Bionic Commando

58 - Super Smash Bros. Melee

57 - Mike Tyson's Punchout!

56 - Final Fantasy III (VI)

55 - Fallout

54 - Panzer Dragoon Saga

53 - Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

52 - Metroid Prime

51 - Grand Theft Auto III

50 - Wing Comander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi [I was an Atari ST gamer at this point]

49 - Grim Fandango

48 - The Secret of Mana

47 - NHL 94

46 - Super Mario World

45 - Battlefield 1942

44 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

43 - Soul Calibur

42 - Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

41 - System Shock 2

40 - Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution

39 - DOOM [Got an SB card for my wife's new 486DX2 just so I could play this]

38 - Madden NFL 2004

37 - Wave Race 64

36 - Command & Conquer: Red Alert

35 - Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

34 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

33 - God of War

32 - Resident Evil 4

31 - SimCity 2000

30 - Halo

29 - GoldenEye 007

28 - Half-Life 2

27 - Burnout 3: Takedown

26 - Final Fantasy II (IV)

25 - Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

24 - Tecmo Super Bowl

23 - Super Mario Bros. 3

22 - Half-Life

21 - Deus Ex

20 - Ms. Pac Man

19 - Metal Gear Solid

18 - ICO

17 - Star Control 2

16 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

15 - Super Mario Kart

14 - Rome: Total War

13 - Chrono Trigger

12 - X-COM: UFO Defense

11 - Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

10 - Super Metroid

9 - Star Wars: TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM

8 - Street Fighter II

7 - StarCraft

6 - Sid Meier's Pirates!

5 - Super Mario 64

5a - Lego Star Wars

5b - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

4 - Sid Meier's Civilization II

3 - Tetris

2 - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1 - Super Mario Bros

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Andromeda Spaceways Issue 35

Another destination reached, not too many lives lost.

Andromeda Spaceways, specialists in intergalactic passenger misplacement, pioneers of rude interstellar inflight service, justly acclaimed for the inventiveness of their fine-print responsibility disclaimers, and credited with having provided the five best textbook examples of spaceliner crash landings, are not content to rest on their laurels. Or anybody else's, for that matter. Laurels, after all, can be a mite uncomfortable. But anyway ... yes, now I remember. New inflight magazine issue out now (!) Edited by visiting Betelgeusian anthropologist-gourmand Arrrrarrrgghl Schlurpmftxpftpfl (!!) Stories by nine Earthlings, sampling ASIM's patented blend of SF, fantasy and horror (!!!)

ASIM issue 35. Available in print or pdf, or from your nearest intergalactic inflight magazine stockist. Buy it. Read it. Eat it. (Consumption recommended only for Andromeda Spaceways steerage-class customers. May contain traces of nuts.)

Feel free to share this press release!

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Free software you cannot miss

First, if you're sick of Adobe Reader bloat, with the huge installer to download, mysterious services running in the background and long, long loading times, then the free Foxit PDF reader is for you. I uninstalled Adobe and bunged this nice light (under 3mb) program onto my machine instead. PDFs open so quickly it's almost like the golden days of Adobe 3 & 4.

Second, the giant killing web browser Firefox 3.0 is out today. I've been running the beta on my laptop, where it was noticeably faster than Firefox 2.x, but I've now upgraded my desktop PC to the stable release and it's lightning quick. Be sure to install the Adblock Plus and NoScript extensions and your browsing will be safe and pleasurable. (With adblock plus you select the subscription option at the top of the list. With NoScript, you'll need to enable Javascript for each of your regular websites - online banking, news sites, blogs, etc - but none of the other websites you might come across.)

Third, OpenOffice 2.4.1 is out. This fully-featured office suite is a large download (around 120 megs), and while it's not all that nippy to start up it's still a pleasure to use. I gave up on MS Office after using the '97 edition for years, and OO does everything I need - you get a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation app (similar to Powerpoint) and a DTP program for brochures, flyers, etc.

Finally, if you're looking for an antivirus solution, try AVG 8. There's an unrestricted free edition for personal use, although the first thing I'd do is switch off the safesearch browser plugin, since it's a drain on your bandwidth.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Plotting a new book

I'm not sure how many authors sit down with a blank page (or a blank mind), and start thinking about their next book from scratch, but I'd guess it's almost none of them. We all have folders full of half-finished stories, bits and pieces of novels that went nowhere, great ideas we never bothered to develop, wonderful short stories which editors weren't smart enough to snap up and publish ...

It's not wasted effort, though. In fact, all this stuff is essential to me, because THAT'S where I get my ideas from. Not just the ideas, but the situations and the oddball characters who will be struggling with all the problems I'm about to unload on them.

This passion for raw material is one of the reasons I've participated in NanoWrimo over the past three years. Some 'real' writers turn their noses up at it, but not me. You get one month to bash out 50,000 words without a peep from your internal editor, and that 50,000 can produce a nice rich vein to mine later. (Looking back, I believe the only thing I used in Hal 4 from my 2005 effort was the surname of one of the characters. Everything else was dropped or edited out during rewrite after rewrite. But it was a GOOD surname, and I still have the other 49,999 words to use in the future.)

The point is, there's no harm in writing for the sake of it. It's much easier to build a bridge if you've just spent a year making steel beams and rivets, rather than a year tinkering with the plans.

The same applies to ideas. I keep a folder for each Hal novel (they go up to 8 at the moment), and when I get an idea or a situation which might suit one of them, I open up the relevant file and paste it in. Will I use all the ideas? Certainly not. But at least I'll be able to pick and choose.

Which brings me to the plot of Hal Spacejock 5. I was writing a book called Hal Spacejock: Legacy back in March 2004, when the publisher signed me up for the first three books. I thought I was going to use Legacy for the current Hal book (No Free Lunch), but I was wrong. I also thought I'd use it for NanoWrimo 2005, 2006, 2007 but I was wrong there, too. (Hence eight Hal plots.) Instead, the idea has been bubbling away for the past four years while I worked out who the antagonists might be, how the story might unfold, and how Spacejock and Clunk get caught up in it.

I think I'm ready to tackle the Legacy plot now, although I'm still fond of the artist plot and the military plot. So, I'll take a couple of pens and a clipboard full of blank paper, and I'll spend two or three weeks scribbling furiously at all times of the day and night. Some of it will be ideas, some will be snatches of conversation or situations, and all of it will help to shape the plot outline. The question is ... for which book?

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Deja Vu

I just watched Stargate SG-1 season 8, episode 19 (Moebius Part 1) In brief, the team goes back 5000 years to get hold of an artifact, and during the mission Dr Jackson decides to hide the artifact in a location which he knows will be dug up in the future. Dr Jackson then makes a comment that when it's dug up again, their future selves won't actually need to go back in time to hide the item, since they'll already have it in their possession.

I believe the episode first aired in 2003 or 2004. Three years earlier I had a flash fiction piece published in Antipodean SF, an online webzine. (The same story has since been reprinted in Flashspec Volume 1)

I'm posting the whole piece below for the benefit of all those writers out there who read or see something which they're certain has been pinched from their own ideas. Sometimes, coincidence IS the only explanation.




Pastimes by Simon Haynes
Published in Antipodean SF May 28, 2000

National Library of Australia archive of the issue



Miles looked thoughtful. "A one-way trip?" He glanced at the android standing near the end of the workbench. From a distance of five metres or so, it was indistinguishable from a human. Any closer and the hair and skin were obviously modern synthetics. It was wearing a backpack over loose white robes, with a minicam gripped in one hand.

Reynolds cleared his throat. "It's the only way. We send the robot back in time, it records the stuff we want then hides the data cube."

"Where? Where would it be safe for five thousand years?"

Reynolds glanced out the window. The sun was setting behind the Sierra Bernia range, throwing the slopes of the jagged mountains into deep shadow. "Up there."

"What happens to the robot once it's hidden the cube?" asked Miles.

"It will self-destruct."

"Won't the university board object to that?"

"Not when we show them the data on the cube."

#

Miles panted hard as he walked the last few meters over the hot, dusty ground. He stopped for a moment, sucking in air and flapping at the persistent flies as Reynolds glanced at the jumbled rocks nearby.

"Somewhere here would be good."

Miles nodded. "Program the exact coordinates. Wouldn't want to dig all this up to find it."

Reynolds walked towards a huge slab of rock that had been rounded by thousands of years of harsh weather. "Ideally you'd want it under something like this," he said, patting the rock. To his surprise, it moved. He heard a gasp and turned round.

Miles was staring at him, his face white.

"What is it?"

"Think, man! You're going to get the robot to put the cube under that rock, right?"

Reynolds nodded.

"Have you positively made up your mind?"

"Yes," said Reynolds sharply. "What's your point?"

"Don't you see?" Miles' voice tailed off as he stared at the rock. "The robot is going back in time to hide the data cube under that rock. If it succeeded, it must already be there!"

Comprehension dawned on his collegue's face. "All we have to do is dig it up." He dropped to his hands and knees and started scooping at the loose dirt. Miles joined him, and within five minutes they had found a dusty cube. When Reynolds held it up to the sun, it glowed amber as the light shone through it.

#

Five minutes later they were walking down the narrow, rocky track as they headed back to the lab.

"You realise that now we've got the cube, there's no need to send the robot back in time?" asked Miles.

Reynolds stared at him. "Of course we have to send it back. If we don't, we'll have created a paradox."

Miles laughed and patted his pocket. "We can't have done, the cube's right here." A strange looked passed over his face. "Hey, it's gone!"

"What has?" asked Reynolds.

- END -



(Now, I must dig out my short story about the boy with the funny shaped scar ...)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 4 review

Simon Haynes is a very talented author who takes what could be a predictable plot, adds twists and turns and a unique sense of humour, and produces an adventure that will hold your attention from beginning to end.

Read the rest here

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Back scratching

Word of mouth, publicity, blog buzz ... it's all good news for a book, and with that in mind Clunk just whispered a cunning plan in my ear. (Hal's idea doesn't bear repeating.)

So, if you'd like the chance of a signed copy of Hal 1, 2, 3 or 4, just do a blog post about the free Hal Spacejock ebook and leave a link to your blog in the comments trail below. In a week or two I'll pick someone at random as the recipient of a signed novel. (I'll post it anywhere in the world, too!)

I haven't mentioned the ebook for at least 12 hours, but if you're a new visitor to the blog or you've already forgotten what the ebook release was all about you can refresh your memory (and pinch bits to cut & paste) right here

(If you've already posted about the Hal ebook ... thanks! You can still leave a comment with a link because the comp is open to all.)

Thanks Clunk - I can see why Hal keeps you around ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Odd Man Out

I had an email from a US high school teacher this morning, who was just checking whether the Hal Spacejock ebook was a temporary thing, or whether it would be available permanently. Reason being, she'd added Hal to her list of recommended summer ebooks for the students, and she didn't want it vanishing before they could get to it.

The ebook should be permanent, barring multi-million dollar offers from overseas publishers, so I reassured her on that point. However, what made me laugh was the composition of the list (all freely available ebooks, remember). Talk about being the odd man out ...


A Double Barrelled Detective Story by Mark Twain
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Emma by Jane Austen
Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes


I wish my school teachers had been that cool.


(EDIT: The Hal ebook makes no concessions to US readers, by the way. It's "as published in Australia" with British/Australian spelling, colloquialisms, lifts, boots, colours, pavements and all.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Published twice in one day

Sort of, anyway. I just got the latest issue of Australian PC User magazine and they've run my letter on using Gmail plus your regular ISP address plus my yMail software to keep spam to a minimum.

And, of course, Hal Spacejock 4 just came out.

Hence seeing my name in print twice in one day. Sort of.

*EDIT* Make that three times. The local paper just came out, and they've published an article about Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch and the Hal 1 ebook.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

On the serious side of funny

I know, I know ... Hal is a loon, he crashes his ship into things, he's over-confident, he couldn't make money as a crude oil salesman. Laughs, disasters, mayhem.

However, there's another side to the Hal books, and one which I rarely see recognised in reviews and comments. Rest assured I'm not going to go all 'comic actor aspires to play Hamlet' on you - entertainment is my game, and in my novels I'll always choose funny over sending a message - but it's nice when someone picks up on the satirical aspects of Hal.

Because I DO use the books to flag concerns about the nature of humanity, our throwaway society, greed, racism, more greed, self-interest and so on. It might only be a throwaway line buried somewhere in the text, but it's there all the same. (I didn't earn two degrees and learn three languages just because I was quick with a quip. There's something ticking away behind the half smile ...)

So it was nice to see SFFworld's comment in their news release regarding the Hal Spacejock ebook: "Deliberately mixing anachronisms with futuristic gadgets, Haynes pokes wicked fun at our own Ipods and cellphone obsessions, while looking more seriously at issues of identity, friendship and freedom."

Spot on.

Unfortunately, comic SF has top billing in the sugar-laden artificially-coloured breakfast cereals category. It's quick, tasty and sweet, so it can't possibly contain any goodness. Then again, if you're trying to tempt kids who refuse to eat breakfast ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Cat & Muse Hal Spacejock interview

Jackie Kessler asked former demon, JEZEBEL, to interview Hal Spacejock for Cat and Muse, the blog where characters take center stage.

The results just went up (so to speak): This ain't the love boat, alas

My favourite snip:

JEZ: Which is better: sex or chocolate?

HAL: I’ve had chocolate once or twice over the past year. Alas, I can’t say the same about sex.

(Chocolate sex? Oh boy. When google gets hold of THIS post my blog reading demographics are going to change rather a lot. Or not, as the case may be...)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Fantastic Planet & Creaking Shelves

Two bits of bookstore news, one in Australia and one in Scotland. (You had the US news yesterday - trying to share things around a bit!)

First, I just saw the new arrivals post on the Fantastic Planet blog, and they've now got copies of Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch (book 4 in the series)

A couple of weeks ago I agreed to go in and sign stock for them, so it looks like it's time for me to follow up on the promise.

(Fantastic Planet is in the city of Perth, Western Australia. Each of the three previous Hal Spacejock books has been a top 10 bestseller at one stage or another, so you can't fault their excellent sales team!)

In other bookstore news, The Creaking Shelves Bookshop (love that name!) in Wigtown (Scotland's National Book Town) has been in touch about stocking the Hal Spacejock series. They're talking to my publisher now, and fingers crossed they can come up with something between them because having an outlet or two in the UK would be fantastic.

One final note: would you believe the "Creaking Shelves" shop owner won a signed copy of Hal in a draw a year or so back, before she even owned a bookstore?

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Bookcrossing

I signed up for BookCrossing a couple of years ago, and haven't done anything with it since.

If you've not heard of BC, you take hold of a book you want to get rid of, enter the details on the site, get a unique ID and then paste in a label/hand write instructions inside the cover. You then leave the book somewhere, all furtive like, and nip back to the PC to document where you put it. Some of the 'hiding' places are in plain sight, while others are more creative. (One memorable one said 'on top of the ATM at the foot of the stairs') Hopefully, whoever finds the thing then follows the instructions on the label: Go to the bookcrossing site and enter the ID, which tells everyone they picked it up.

Anyway, I just registered a brand new copy of Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch and hid it in the local park (all furtive, like).

Now I just have to remember to check the BC site from time to time, to see whether anyone admitted to picking it up ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

For US Hal fans ...

... or those looking to become one.

Powell's Books just listed 20 copies each of Hal Spacejock books 1, 2 and 3, in stock now for immediate delivery: http://www.powells.com/s?kw=spacejock&x=0&y=0

These copies are already in the US, so it's just a local postage charge.

Perfect timing for those who took advantage of the freebie Hal Spacejock ebook and are wondering what Hal Does Next.

(The books are A-format trade paperbacks, which is the most usual size for books published here in Australia.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Four!

Yes, it's June the 2nd, 2008, and Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch hits bookstores across Australia and NZ. Book four in a series I never really believed would be published.

I remember the first time I saw a copy of Hal Spacejock 1 (the Fremantle Press edition) in a bookstore. We'd gone away for a week to recharge our batteries before the book launch, and on the last day I dropped by Dymocks Busselton to browse. There they were ... two shiny new copies of Hal Spacejock, sitting on the shelf!

They were spine out, like all the others on the shelf, and I'd heard about this trick where authors turn their books face out whenever they visited a store, to make them more prominent. I circled the shelves until nobody was looking, then took my books and tried to turn them. Unfortunately the shelf was packed tight, and there was nowhere near enough room.

I scanned the shelf and my gaze fell on this thick Peter Hamilton book at the end. Without that one there, mine would have plenty of space to be turned face out. But what could I do with the thick book? All the other shelves were crammed too!

Then ... inspiration! I grabbed the big fat book, shuffled the rest of the shelf along, and turned the two copies of Hal Spacejock face out.

Then I went to cough up $22 for my new Peter Hamilton book.

And people wonder where I get the inspiration for some of Hal's daft antics ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Stats plus

Some people love stats (me included!), so here's a breakdown of the top 20 countries downloading the free Hal Spacejock ebook by percentage. Now, Australia is the 3rd largest market on the planet for English language books (after the US and the UK), and yet it's second here. Do aussies love a quick freebie or what?

Country/Territory - Percentage
United States - 42.32%
Australia - 26.47%
United Kingdom - 6.79%
Canada - 5.53%
Germany - 1.25%
India - 1.23%
France - 1.09%
Netherlands - 0.92%
Sweden - 0.82%
New Zealand - 0.78%
Spain - 0.70%
South Africa - 0.66%
Romania - 0.66%
Brazil - 0.56%
Ireland - 0.42%
Italy - 0.42%
China - 0.38%
Belgium - 0.38%
Portugal - 0.34%
Denmark - 0.34%


(So far the book has been downloaded by people in 108 countries & territories)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Availability

I just dropped by the publisher to sign copies of Hal 1 through 4 for people who've ordered them since the ebook hit the ewaves, and they told me they've asked stores NOT to put Hal 4 out until the release date (next Monday)

Wow, a genuine real-life embargo on the release. Nice! Unless you're waiting in a queue, of course.

The other availability I'm referring to is me. If you'd like me to answer questions about the decision to release Hal Spacejock as an ebook, the goals we had going in & the ongoing results, or even questions about writing, getting published, slaving away on the same series and so on, just contact me via email: spacejock at gmail dot com

I'm always happy to talk ;-)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Ebook progress

I've had email from a number of other authors asking me to keep them up to date with the Hal Spacejock ebook experiment. I'm happy to oblige!

After two and a half days the ebook is still being downloaded once every two minutes, on average. The biggest number of referrals have come from John Scalzi's Whatever blog, various buttons around my own spacejock.com.au site, Stumbleupon, the University of Pennsylvania online books page, Myspace, Fremantle Press, SFSignal and PBW. (Plus a fair number from random google searches.)

Now, the interesting thing is that well over half the downloads were referred by 'OTHER' sources. Maybe two, maybe just one each, but added together they brought more traffic than all the biggies put together.

That's why every blog post about the Hal Spacejock ebook is valuable, no matter how much (or how little) traffic you think it might send my way.

Another interesting stat: Only 1% of all downloads have gone to UK addresses. Australia, with 1/3 the population of the UK, has accounted for over 20% of the total.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Progress report

Over the past 24 hours the free Hal Spacejock ebook has been downloaded at the rate of one copy every 30-40 seconds.

Links to the download are turning up in the oddest places. The front page of The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, a forum on the Baen Books website, state newspapers, teacher/librarian mailing lists, blogs, forum and websites.

Oh, and the odd Google search is bringing people in too.

Many thanks to everyone sharing links to the download, and please, don't stop now! It's a big, bad internet, and despite the publicity 99.999999% of all users are still oblivious to the delights of Hal Spacejock.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

I've got me Tin Duck, in my hands ...

And very shiny it is too:



(Hal Spacejock Just Desserts won the WASFF 'Tin Duck' award for best WA long professional work of 2007. I couldn't attend the ceremony at Swancon earlier this year, but Tehani was kind enough to pick the trophy up for me, and she brought it along to the Hal 4 book launch last night.)

Tehani didn't realise I'd picked up an Aurealis Award a few years back, so here's a pic of that one too:



Now, stop reading this and go download Hal Spacejock already. Two a minute just isn't enough!

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Download Hal Spacejock

Hal Spacejock fans worldwide are about to be served a big helping of science fiction - for nothing! Fremantle Press and Western Australian author, Simon Haynes, are giving away complete online copies of the novel Hal Spacejock 1.

The first novel in the popular series is available to download right now, and serves as the perfect entree to the release of book four - Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch - on June the 2nd.

Get your copy of Hal Spacejock here

Full press release here

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

ELR statement

Just got the Educational Lending Rights statement for last year. Hal Spacejock (book 1) is the only one listed, since Hal 2 came out after the cutoff, but it seems there are almost 1000 copies in school libraries around Australia.

WOW.

That's 2000 fridge magnets paid for.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Book launch goodies

I usually make a bit of an effort for Hal Spacejock launches - people are taking the trouble to get there, so why not throw in a few extras?

If you know how publishing works you'll know that authors make about A$1.50-A$1.90 royalty on a $20 book. If we sell 30-40 books at the launch I'll have earned a massive $50 or so (about nine months from now, when the next royalty statement comes in.)

A book launch isn't about earning money, though. It's a celebration, a chance to send off the latest book with a whack from a bottle of bubbly, and a chance for me to hand out some unique Hal-related goodies.

This morning the postie delivered about 200 cover flats for Hal Spacejock books 1 and 3. I'm busy signing them now, and everyone who buys a book at the launch will get one in their goodie bag. There'll be Hal Spacejock fridge magnets and bookmarks too, and I usually throw in something chocolatey. (Obesity epidemic be damned. Anyway, they're only little.)

There's also a ticket for the free Hal gift I've been banging on about for the past two weeks. If you have today's West Australian (Tuesday 27th), turn to page 8 of the Today section and you'll be able to work out what the gift is ...

Everyone else can wait until tomorrow ;-)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Snip Three

An hour later Hal was sitting in the flight deck, gazing at a satellite image of planet Dismolle on the main viewscreen. The display was centred on a sandy beach, where hoards of sunbathers were stretched out on their towels.
  ‘Navcom, how do you zoom in again?’ asked Hal.
  ‘That’s the limit,’ said the ship’s computer, in her neutral female voice.
  ‘But I can’t see anything!’
  ‘That’s why it’s the limit.’


Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch (Page 4)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Another snip

Walsh frowned. Had all these callers hit the turps and then sat down to watch the same show? ‘Tell me, have you had a drink this evening?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Only I’ve just had a similar report, and I’m wondering whether there’s a program you’ve all been watching. Something of a fantastic nature.’

There was a long silence. ‘Are you accusing me of watching horror films? Science fiction?’


Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch, p72

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Can't make the launch?

This post is for Australian residents who don't live in the Perth metro area. Everyone else will get their own special post on Wednesday the 28th.

The Hal Spacejock launch is on Tuesday, and I've had several emails from avid fans who can't be bothered hopping on a plane and flying 5000km or more just to be there on the night. (Some people, I tell you!)

Anyway, there is a solution: One fan rang Dymocks Carousel (08 9356 8888) and ordered all four Hal books plus home delivery. They've put his copies aside, I'll sign & personalise them at the launch, and they'll post them to him afterwards.

They're more than happy to take phone orders for the books - the latest, the first, all of 'em - so I thought I'd better mention it.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

A second piece of great news ...

... and I can't announce this one either! It's a good one, though. Really excellent. Wish I could share.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Stars of SF interview + RTRFM

Mark Deniz just posted his interview with me here. Lots of good questions about Hal Spacejock and Andromeda Spaceways, and I enjoyed participating.


In other interview news, there's a stream of the RTRFM interview I did yesterday on the web, but it's 3 hours long and I don't put in an appearance until the 2hr+ mark.

Warning ... the track before my interview is the sort of thing my 13 year old daughter euphemistically calls a "naughty word song", so keep the volume low whilst seeking.

Can anyone tell me how to extract a chunk of the MP4 as a regular MP3? I tried VLC with the stream to file option, but the result was a big blank file which did nothing.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

A snip

Tee hee ...

Hal sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. ‘I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this little jaunt. We must have flown halfway across the galaxy.’

‘It was a wise move, Mr Spacejock. We needed a fresh start.’

‘We weren’t doing that badly.’

‘Oh no? Feuding politicians, desperate fugitives and mercenaries ... We’ve made enough enemies to fill three second-rate novels.’

Taken from Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch (Book four in the series)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Might even spill the beans early ...

I know it says June 1, but I have a nasty habit of revealing things too early:



Share if you dare ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Status update

Rosalie Writers Festival ... check (Great fun, including last night's meet-the-parent evening)

RTR-FM Radio Interview ... check (I'll link to the podcast when/if it's online)

Book launch ... 27th May. (Feel free to share as widely as possible. Official press release at the foot of this post)

Massive world-changing Hal Spacejock news ... 28th May (STILL not spilling the beans. Sorry!)

Official release of Hal 4 ... 2nd June.

I'm just enjoying the fuss while it lasts, because it won't be long before I'm hard at work on the next Hal book (hopefully), and these fleeting moments of fame and fortune will be nothing more than a distant memory.



BOOK LAUNCH
You are invited to join author Simon Haynes for the launch of Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch.

When: Tuesday 27 May at 6.30pm
Where: Dymocks Carousel, Carousel Shopping Centre, Albany Highway, Cannington
RSVP: 08 9356 8888

About the book:
Brought to you by Fremantle Press, Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch is the fourth in a comic science fiction series by Simon Haynes. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt or Douglas Adams and is the ideal book for the reluctant reader.

Full launch invite here: http://www.spacejock.com.au/files/Hal4LaunchInvite.pdf
(Worth a read for the laughs alone...also suitable for printing.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Fridge Magnet update

So far I've had 388 requests for the Hal Spacejock fridge magnets. I posted each person four magnets (one for them, three to share), a bookmark, an invite to the book launch, a small blurb about Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, a sample chapter of Hal Spacejock, a brief note from me, a signed bookplate and a free gift voucher.

No wonder both my printers are smoking quietly in the corner. And if you see any local posties bent double, it's my fault.

I have about 100 fridge magnets left, so if you live in Australia and you haven't contacted me yet, feel free to do so.

I'm even paying the postage, so it'll cost you nothing.

By the way, feel free to share the link on your own blog - I have another 2000 fridge magnets on the way, and I'm ordering 5000 new bookmarks early next week.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

13 days to go ...

I'm not talking!

PS - Don't forget the Hal 4 Book Launch on the 27th of May.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

SFNovelists post

On the 17th of every month I post to the SFNovelists blog. Usually I try and write something industry-related, and this time I've touched on writing - business or art.

Also, there's only two weeks left to discover what the Hal Spacejock free gift is. (No, it's not a fridge magnet or bookmark.)

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Feel free to share ...

Share the mystery around ...

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Complete blank

My publicist just booked me for a radio interview next week, which is great news. Then she chucked me a real poser: "Be prepared to describe a couple of incidents and key stories from within the book."

The problem is, I finished editing the book last October and haven't looked at it since. In the meantime I've written 50,000 words of Hal 5 for NanoWrimo AND come up with half a dozen neato plots for the same book. Hal 5 is a go, and Hal 4 is ancient history! I'm just as likely to go into the interview and describe this really hilarious bit ... from Hal 2.

The other problem is that Hal 4 is a whodunnit/mystery, and any key scenes from later in the book are likely to contain spoilers. I don't even like identifying the characters, because there are some twists there, too.

I have a week until the interview, and before that I have an appearance at a school lit festival. Methinks I'll be re-reading Hal 4 between now and then.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

YA reading

In my quest to do a year's worth of blogging in a single day (!), I just had word from SFSignal that their latest Mind Meld post is up: Young Adult SF/F Books That Adults Will Like, Too.

If you haven't ventured into the YA section of your local bookstore lately, or at all, this one post contains a bunch of recommendations from a variety of heavyweight industry types. And me.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Belonging to Andromeda Spaceways

This is the Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine crew, the team who bring you a new issue of ASIM every two months.

Some folk think we're all nuts, paying $100 a year to be a member of the Andromeda Spaceways co-op. What are the benefits, and why is being a member of the team so important to me?

First off, the price includes a subscription ($49), so we're only paying $51 a year.

Second, we're publishing new and established writers, and we're an important market for both.

Third, I can attend any convention in Australia, and there's guaranteed to be at least one other ASIM member there. Important connections.

Fourth, the slush process. Electronic Brilliance.

Fifth, it's a big group (15 or 16 members at the moment.) That means individual members can afford to slack off when real life intrudes.

Sixth, we have a rotating editor policy. It's hard to burn out when you get one issue to edit every 2-3 years. (Quite a few of our past members have gone on to edit their own mags & ezines.)

Seventh and beyond .. the magazine is great reading, and I'm proud to be part of it.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Yippee!

I just heard the board of directors at Fremantle Press has approved my radical publicity idea for the Hal Spacejock series.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you what it is yet, although I can say that it doesn't involve public nudity or bungie jumping off famous buildings.

Excited, I am.

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)

Hal 4 launch invite

I used something like this for the Hal 3 launch last year, but many of you wouldn't have seen it. (I used mine for my contacts, while Fremantle Press put together an official-looking invite for the media and Dymocks.)

This year when I sent my effort to the publisher, to let them know what I was up to, they wrote back and said they wanted to use it.

Here's a thumbnail, and if you click the image you'll get the full 800kb PDF. If you live in Perth and want to help publicise the launch (and the Hal series!) feel free to run off a few copies. Schools, libraries, workplaces .. there are more SF nuts around than you think.



Any and all help with this is much appreciated!

Simon Haynes is the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series (Amazon / Smashwords / other formats)