Nicholas Eames's Blog

Friends!

The limited edition hardback of BLOODY ROSE is here at last! It is available in two varieties, both of them signed by yours truly. Roughly half of them, however, are numbered editions with a limitation page featuring an early sketch of the cover signed by the artist (Richard Anderson). These will be reserved until the end of December for those who have a numbered edition of KINGS OF THE WYLD so that folks can get matching numbers. The rest are free (but not actually free) for the taking!

Both varieties come with a set of character illustrations drawn by Scott McCauley (these can be found on the art page here on this site).

While they can be a bit pricey to those of us who don’t live in England (where they are printed), the books are GORGEOUS! KINGS OF THE WYLD has Tim Paul’s extraordinary map printed on the inside covers, while BLOODY ROSE has incredibly beautiful red spray-painted edges.  Books this pretty deserve to be collected, so treat yourself–or pick one up as a gift for your friend, partner, or fantasy-loving cat.

I’ll post a link here to one of the editions on the Anderida Books website. If you’re looking for the other one, or for KINGS OF THE WYLD (not many of those left!), they’re easy enough to find. If you decide to get one, I sincerely hope it makes you happy!

http://www.anderidabooks.co.uk/product/2444/BLOODY-ROSE-Signed–Numbered-Limited-Edition-Nicholas-Eames

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Hey friends! I stopped in to add a few things I’d been meaning to for a while, including Spotify links to my personal playlists for KINGS OF THE WYLD and BLOODY ROSE.

Also, there’s a ton of new art from Felix Ortiz and Stas Borodin, as well as the character portraits for Fable thanks to the incredibly talented Scott McCauley. I added the map of Conthas from BLOODY ROSE to the ‘World’ section, too.

Lastly, I updated the pages for both books, adding a few blurbs and making note of the awards each book has won, so THAT WAS COOL.

That’s all for now!

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Gah! [Insert obligatory apology about not posting more here!]

I’m going to be in London for Comicon from October 26th to the 28th (and around town for a day or two after!) so in case you’re attending, come and say hi! My schedule is as follows!

Friday

13:00pm – 13:30pm – Forbidden Planet SIGNING – Ed McDonald (Ravencry) Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Daniel Polansky (A City Dreaming) Ed Cox (The Relic Guild) Emily McGovern (Bloodlust & Bonnets)

14:00pm – 14:30pm – Forbidden Planet Signing – Tim Pratt (The Wrong Stars) Gavin Smith (The Bastard Legion) Chris Wooding (The Ember Blade) Tom Toner (The Tropic of Eternity) Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose)

15:00pm – 15:45pm – Creator Stage: Fantastically Funny: Humour in Sci-Fi & Fantasy – Authors Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Temi Oh (Do You Dream of Terra-Two) Daniel Polansky (A City Dreaming) and Emily McGovern (Bloodlust & Bonnets) wax lyrical about the proper place of humour in fantastic fiction.

17:45pm – 18:15pm – Live Stage: Author Ed McDonald (Ravencry) and Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) sits down with CJ and the crew of the Live Stage to discuss the publication of the second book in their respective fantasy series and whether either worried about the dreaded sophomore slump

Saturday

11:00am – 11:45am – Centre Stage: Author’s A-List – Authors John Gwynne (A Time of Dread) Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone series) Vic James (A Gilded Cage) Nicolas Eames (Bloody Rose) and Steven Erikson (Rejoice) discuss their personal A-list of go-to authors that have inspired their own work.

12:00pm – 12:30pm – Forbidden Planet SIGNING– Kim Newman (The Haunting of Drearcliff Grange) Vic James (A Gilded Cage) Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Steven Erikson (Rejoice)

Sunday

12:00pm – 12:45pm – Creator Stage: Orbit Presents – Orbit Authors Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Tasha Suri (Empire of Sand) Mike Carey (The Girl with All the Gifts) Tade Thompson (Rosewater) Heather Child (Everything About You) RJ Baker (King of Assassins) Stephen Aryan (Mage Born) talk all things Orbit

 13:00pm – 13:30pm – Forbidden Planet SIGNING – Mike Carey (The Girl with All the Gifts) Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Tade Thompson (Rosewater) Tasha Suri (Empire of Sand) RJ Baker (King of Assassins) Heather Child (Everything About You)

 14:00pm – 14:45pm – EPIC fantasy – Authors John Gwynne (A Time of Dread) Tasha Suri (Empire of Sand) Micah Yongo (Lost Gods) Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) and Vic James (A Gilded Cage) sit down with moderator and author Daniel Polansky (A City Dreaming) to talk about the enduring appeal of epic fantasy.

Hope to see you there!

Nick

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Seriously.  I once took part in an 8-person footrace where they gave out ribbons for 7th place.  I swear I tied the kid in 7th, but his mom was the judge and I went home empty-handed.  Well FUCK YOU, BRAD (AND BRAD’S MOM!)  I HAVE A STABBY!!!

In seriousness, though, I cannot believe I won this.  This beautiful award for Best Debut Novel was granted to KINGS OF THE WYLD by the community at r/fantasy.  I am so incredibly grateful for their support, and proud to be an active member of such an enthusiastic and fast-growing community of readers (now over a quarter-million strong!)

It’s one thing to see your book’s name be mentioned on the r/fantasy forums as a favourite read or as a lighthearted alternative to the shadow of Grimdark sweeping o’er the land, but what moves me most–what gets me right in my Guy Gavriel Kay-loving heart–is when my book is recommended (as it sometimes is) to those feeling lost, disheartened, burnt-out, or bone-deep tired.  It’s a rough world out there, my friends, and the books that once offered escape from grim reality now feature grim realities–and that’s not at all bad.  It’s important, even, because we need to see heroes rise from the muck and, if not conquer, then at least endure.

KINGS OF THE WYLD is not a grim book.  If you want grim…well, just wait for BLOODY ROSE.  KotW is about the lasting bonds of friendship.  It’s about hope, and heroism, and men who aren’t afraid to turn to their best friend and say, without even being stoned, “I love you, man.”

Among the most touching messages I’ve received this past year was from a father (an r/fantasy member) whose daughter spent two weeks in the ICU. He picked up my book shortly after she was admitted and wrote to let me know that reading it lent him strength and sustained his hope throughout their ordeal, and no: I can’t even write about it now without tearing up. It’s messages like these (and many others from the giving and gracious r/fantasy community) that are by far the greatest reward a writer could ask for.

So thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  For reading me, for writing me, for welcoming me with open arms, and for awarding me this beautifully crafted instrument of death, which I will cherish forever.

“As individuals they were each of them fallible, discordant as notes without harmony. But as a band they were something more, something perfect in its own intangible way.”

Love,

Nick

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That’s right! KINGS OF THE WYLD is officially one year old today, and boy, what a year it’s been.

Some book-related highlights include the following…

I met the unbelievably gracious and extremely talented Christian Cameron at Ad Astra in June, and earlier this month had dinner with he and Sebastien de Castell, with whom I share an agent. So that was awesome.

Also at Ad Astra, my second ever public reading was attended by Guy Gavriel Kay, who is BY FAR my favourite author of all time and ABSOLUTELY the reason I decided to take writing seriously. Needless to say, that half-hour was not only a highlight of my year, but of my whole entire life.  Again, very awesome.

I was invited to Comicon in London, England, where I met and made some truly incredible authors I’m now fortunate enough to call my friends (and in one case, my brother). I also met the incomparable Mike Everest Evans, my agent Heather, and the folks at Orbit UK, who were (this should not surprise you) really wonderful people.

I blew my deadline for BLOODY ROSE.  Twice, I think.  Things got a little murky last summer, and I’ll confess that anxiety and the unshakable sense of not being capable of putting a proper sentence together got the better of me for a while. These feelings, I’ve learned, are unfortunately common among authors (especially debut authors) and I like to think I’ll be better prepared to face them should they darken the horizon once again.

I FINISHED BLOODY ROSE! See? A happy ending after all! And I’m so dang proud of the book it became!

I said a tearful goodbye my beloved editor (Lindsey Hall, who took an amazing step up in her own career) and welcomed a new one (Bradley Englert, with whom I have A WHOLE LOT in common).  Also, I finally got to work with my UK Editor (Emily Byron), which was a total delight.

I contributed to my first anthology (ART OF WAR) and was relieved to hear my story didn’t suck.

My book was sold in seven other languages: Russian, German, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, and French. So…yeah….wow.

KINGS OF THE WYLD was nominated for some really cool awards, and even won a few!  It managed to snag the top spot in Fantasy Faction’s Best of 2017 (against some ridiculously stiff competition) and won a r/fantasy Stabby Award for Best Debut Fantasy Novel, which UPS had better deliver soon! It also went head-to-head with such juggernauts as J.K. Rowling and Brandon Sanderson in the Goodreads Reader’s Choice Awards, and though it lost by literally tens of thousands of votes, the exposure alone is a wave the book is still surfing.

Best of all, though, since last February I have met hundreds of writers, readers, bloggers, reviewers, and industry professionals either in person or online, and with the exception of very few (I’m looking at you “This is the most derivative piece of shit I’ve ever read” guy!) they have been unstintingly supportive, for which I am exceedingly grateful.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read the book and helped to spread the word. You’ve truly made my wildest dreams come true.

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The Quill to Live

If you haven’t gotten your hands on Kings of the Wyld yet, by Nick Eames, then you are missing out (review here). It is definitely going to be one of my top books of 2017 and every other reviewer and blogger I know is talking about how much they love it. On top of Kings being an amazing book, Nick is a great guy who kindly agreed to answer a slew of interview questions we sent him. Some of the questions and responses are mildly spoilery – so I would skip this and come back if you have not read the book yet (which you should, immediately. Seriously go read it). The questions and responses are below!

Compared with those belonging to Clay Cooper, how does your arsenal of shrugs measure up?

Not even close! Clay tends to underestimate his own intelligence, and so relies on shrugs to…

View original post 1,615 more words

Hey, so, I thought I’d mention this here since I’ve gotten a few emails about it and figured I could do more to get the word out, but Rob (henceforth known as ‘Rob the Great’) at Anderida Books has commissioned an exclusive, limited set of Kings of the Wyld hardcovers!

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How limited, you ask?  There will only be 350 of these bad boys in existence.  Each will be numbered and signed by me later in May and shipped out in early June.

Needless to say, holding a hardcover of this book in my hands will be a dream come true.  That cover?  That map?  It’s going to be beautiful, I’m sure.  If you’d like one for yourself, then don’t hesitate (seriously don’t, because once they’re gone, they’re gone) to head over and pre-order one at Anderida Books!  If you decide to do so, you have my profound gratitude–and if you don’t…Well, I still like you.  Just not as much as the other people, obviously.

Thanks for reading,

Nick

The link: http://www.anderidabooks.co.uk/si/00708.html

An incredibly kind review by Andrew from The Quill to Live

The Quill to Live

This year has been absolutely packed with fantastic sequels, and new series from authors I love. However, in the midst of all the literary titans releasing their work it is important to not overlook the new players entering the game. Every year I have a couple of dark horses on my release tracker that are new books from debut authors that have drawn my attention based on their description. This year one such book is The Kings of the Wyld, by Nicholas Eames. The premise of the book immediately hooked me: in a world where fantasy adventuring parties function like modern day rock bands, a famous band must do a reunion tour to save the leader’s daughter. The only problem is that the members are all old tired men, and they haven’t spoken to each other in a long time. As far as premises go, this is the most…

View original post 815 more words

If a blog was a bookshelf, mine would be coated with a layer of dust.  Over the past few months I’ve watched (first in anticipation, then in delight, now in stupefied awe) as my longest-held dream became a reality: my debut novel, Kings of the Wyld, was unleashed upon the world.

By ‘unleashed’ I mean it skulked timidly onto the fantasy scene like the new kid at the high-school dance.  Like any nervous teenager, it had been told by its parents how special it was, how perfect in its own unique way.  Nevertheless, it was keenly aware of its shortcomings, and hoped to hell the others would see past them.  Heck, maybe they’d even ask it to dance…

Then February came—the music started playing—and my precious, perfectly flawed book has been dancing ever since.

So now here I am: throwing open the blinds, wrenching open the windows, and blowing the dust off ‘ye old blogge’.  Why?  What matter was so pressing it deserved priority over sorting out the (hopefully) awesome climax of book two?

In a word, Gratitude.

In my novel’s acknowledgements, I was able to thank those without whom the book would not exist—chiefly, my agent, my editor, and some friends whose support was invaluable along the way.  Since February, however, I’ve found myself indebted to so many more—people without whom Kings of the Wyld might have languished in obscurity, or, to revisit my former analogy, stood alone against the wall until the music ended and then gone home grumbling that “dances suck anyway”.

First, a shout-out to every friend/acquaintance/co-worker who, after years of asking me, “How’s the book coming along?” went and BOUGHT THE LIVING FUCK OUT OF IT when it finally did.  Getting pictures of their smiling faces next to Kings of the Wyld has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life.

Next, there are the denizens of the interwebs who have gone above and beyond to promote this book.  Although there really are too many to name, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few who have been (and continue to be) constant and cherished allies over the past few months.

Mike Everest, whose passion for writing and hunger for insight has led him to author some truly enlightening interviews and articles featuring 2017’s daunting crop of debut authors.

Drew ‘The Tattooed Book Geek’ Weldon, whose enthusiasm for KotW has spread like a virus through the fantasy blogosphere—a feat made possible thanks to how highly his peers value his opinions.

Petros Triantafylloy, who runs the formidable booknest.eu and has been a champion of this book long before it even existed.  Your generosity continues to astound me, Peter. I hope your accolades grow half as fast as your library!

Rob Matheny and Philip Overby, the proprietors of The Grim Tidings Podcast.  What you two have achieved together without ever having met in real life (it’s true!) is astounding.  Keep up the great work!

The folks at Fantasy Faction have been hugely generous as well, both those in charge (Laura and Mark among them) and the bevy of readers and writers who congregate in their facebook group.  I’m so happy I’ve found them all.  Even you, Dyrk.

Lately, two extremely talented artists have produced some incredible pieces based on the book.  Scott McCauley, a long-time friend and prolific tattoo artist, has been doing meticulously detailed character portraits, while Felix Ortiz (who I will hopefully refer to as a long-time friend a long time from now) has produced some truly stunning paintings depicting scenes from the book. The fact they’ve dedicated their time and talent to bringing these characters to life is incredibly humbling.

Thank you, too, to everyone who has taken the time to read the book, and especially those who have been gracious enough to review it.  As a debut author, it seems reasonable to say that those first few reviewers hold the immediate trajectory of your career in the palm of their hand.  You might have crushed me, friends, but instead you’ve given me wings.  Or, in some cases, strapped a rocket to my back and lit the fuse.  I honestly wish I had time to thank you individually, to tell you how truly gratifying it has been to read your posts, and columns, and blogs.  I owe every one of you a beer (or a coffee, or a whisky, or even a fucking disgusting bubble tea if that’s how you roll), so feel free to remind me in the event we ever meet!

Although I’ve thanked him often and everywhere, Sebastien De Castell continues to be an incredibly supportive friend and mentor.  His emails are unfailingly timely, always informative, and brimming with more wisdom than a bathroom stall with a diarrhea-afflicted Confucius locked inside. Also, his books are fantastic.

Sick of all this gratitude yet? Bear with me, friends—I’m almost done!

Aside from all the wonderful people above, my agent, Heather, and the publicity folks at Orbit (Nazia, Ellen, and Dominique) contact me periodically with news that quite often leaves me clapping with childish delight.  Some writers say work email is a drag.  I’ll let you know when that happens, but you might be waiting a while.

Lastly, Lindsey.

I’ll confess that, being new to publishing, I haven’t a clue how most authors and their editors get along. I’ve heard everything from respectfully cordial to outright standoffish, but Lindsey has become a friend I hope to know for the rest of our lives. When someone—usually a close family member—is rooting for you to succeed, it becomes a near-tangible thing you can sense across all the miles between you. That is what having her in my corner feels like.  And not only her: her husband, Daniel Radclif—er, Ben, and her amazing parents, have been cheering us on every step of the way. There are many miles between Tennessee and Ontario, but I can feel the love, and I appreciate it more than they know.

What I’m taking way too long to say is that Abercrombie and Redfearn aren’t the only unstoppable duo in town anymore, so bloody-well deal with it!

Whew! Done. Have I missed someone? Probably. But I hope you’ll trust that a blog-post is not the summation of my gratitude. I move through each and every day knowing that I am surrounded, supported, and uplifted by a legion of incredible individuals.

It is, to put the nail in the coffin of this revenant analogy, the best damn dance I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.

Thanks (last one, I promise!) for reading,

Nick

(For those who’ve stuck it out this far, a gratuitous Moog pic. You’re welcome.)

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If a blog was a bookshelf, mine would be coated with a layer of dust.  Over the past few months I’ve watched (first in anticipation, then in delight, now in stupefied awe) as my longest-held dream became a reality: my debut novel, Kings of the Wyld, was unleashed upon the world.

By ‘unleashed’ I mean it skulked timidly onto the fantasy scene like the new kid at the high-school dance.  Like any nervous teenager, it had been told by its parents how special it was, how perfect in its own unique way.  Nevertheless, it was keenly aware of its shortcomings, and hoped to hell the others would see past them.  Heck, maybe they’d even ask it to dance…

Then February came—the music started playing—and my precious, perfectly flawed book has been dancing ever since.

So now here I am: throwing open the blinds, wrenching open the windows, and blowing the dust off ‘ye old blogge’.  Why?  What matter was so pressing it deserved priority over sorting out the (hopefully) awesome climax of book two?

In a word, Gratitude.

In my novel’s acknowledgements, I was able to thank those without whom the book would not exist—chiefly, my agent, my editor, and some friends whose support was invaluable along the way.  Since February, however, I’ve found myself indebted to so many more—people without whom Kings of the Wyld might have languished in obscurity, or, to revisit my former analogy, stood alone against the wall until the music ended and then gone home grumbling that “dances suck anyway”.

First, a shout-out to every friend/acquaintance/co-worker who, after years of asking me, “How’s the book coming along?” went and BOUGHT THE LIVING FUCK OUT OF IT when it finally did.  Getting pictures of their smiling faces next to Kings of the Wyld has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life.

Next, there are the denizens of the interwebs who have gone above and beyond to promote this book.  Although there really are too many to name, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few who have been (and continue to be) constant and cherished allies over the past few months.

Mike Everest, whose passion for writing and hunger for insight has led him to author some truly enlightening interviews and articles featuring 2017’s daunting crop of debut authors.

Drew ‘The Tattooed Book Geek’ Weldon, whose enthusiasm for KotW has spread like a virus through the fantasy blogosphere—a feat made possible thanks to how highly his peers value his opinions.

Petros Triantafylloy, who runs the formidable booknest.eu and has been a champion of this book long before it even existed.  Your generosity continues to astound me, Peter. I hope your accolades grow half as fast as your library!

Rob Matheny and Philip Overby, the proprietors of The Grim Tidings Podcast.  What you two have achieved together without ever having met in real life (it’s true!) is astounding.  Keep up the great work!

The folks at Fantasy Faction have been hugely generous as well, both those in charge (Laura and Mark among them) and the bevy of readers and writers who congregate in their facebook group.  I’m so happy I’ve found them all.  Even you, Dyrk.

Lately, two extremely talented artists have produced some incredible pieces based on the book.  Scott McCauley, a long-time friend and prolific tattoo artist, has been doing meticulously detailed character portraits, while Felix Ortiz (who I will hopefully refer to as a long-time friend a long time from now) has produced some truly stunning paintings depicting scenes from the book. The fact they’ve dedicated their time and talent to bringing these characters to life is incredibly humbling.

Thank you, too, to everyone who has taken the time to read the book, and especially those who have been gracious enough to review it.  As a debut author, it seems reasonable to say that those first few reviewers hold the immediate trajectory of your career in the palm of their hand.  You might have crushed me, friends, but instead you’ve given me wings.  Or, in some cases, strapped a rocket to my back and lit the fuse.  I honestly wish I had time to thank you individually, to tell you how truly gratifying it has been to read your posts, and columns, and blogs.  I owe every one of you a beer (or a coffee, or a whisky, or even a fucking disgusting bubble tea if that’s how you roll), so feel free to remind me in the event we ever meet!

Although I’ve thanked him often and everywhere, Sebastien De Castell continues to be an incredibly supportive friend and mentor.  His emails are unfailingly timely, always informative, and brimming with more wisdom than a bathroom stall with a diarrhea-afflicted Confucius locked inside. Also, his books are fantastic.

Sick of all this gratitude yet? Bear with me, friends—I’m almost done!

Aside from all the wonderful people above, my agent, Heather, and the publicity folks at Orbit (Nazia, Ellen, and Dominique) contact me periodically with news that quite often leaves me clapping with childish delight.  Some writers say work email is a drag.  I’ll let you know when that happens, but you might be waiting a while.

Lastly, Lindsey.

I’ll confess that, being new to publishing, I haven’t a clue how most authors and their editors get along. I’ve heard everything from respectfully cordial to outright standoffish, but Lindsey has become a friend I hope to know for the rest of our lives. When someone—usually a close family member—is rooting for you to succeed, it becomes a near-tangible thing you can sense across all the miles between you. That is what having her in my corner feels like.  And not only her: her husband, Daniel Radclif—er, Ben, and her amazing parents, have been cheering us on every step of the way. There are many miles between Tennessee and Ontario, but I can feel the love, and I appreciate it more than they know.

What I’m taking way too long to say is that Abercrombie and Redfearn aren’t the only unstoppable duo in town anymore, so bloody-well deal with it!

Whew! Done. Have I missed someone? Probably. But I hope you’ll trust that a blog-post is not the summation of my gratitude. I move through each and every day knowing that I am surrounded, supported, and uplifted by a legion of incredible individuals.

It is, to put the nail in the coffin of this revenant analogy, the best damn dance I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.

Thanks (last one, I promise!) for reading,

Nick

(For those who’ve stuck it out this far, a gratuitous Moog pic. You’re welcome.)

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