It’s been a busy few months here to say the least. Between a handful of events, I’ve mostly been hidden away and working on a few things. We’re now just a week away from London’s MCM Comic Con, and I can talk about some of the new and exciting things coming up.
From the 26th to 28th October, MCM Comic Con will be taking over London’s ExCeL Centre. I’ll be there all weekend, selling and signing the Sam Hain books at Table 185 in the Comic Village. Alongside the books, I will also have some of the incredible artwork from the series (illustrated by Camilla Winquist and Matt Fair), unique spellcraft bags for the sorcerer on-the-go, and – because ‘tis the season of Samhain and Hallowe’en – there’ll also be a selection of free chocolatey things to nibble on. Plus, most excitingly of all, I’ll be launching a brand new book: Dead Men Sell No Sales! Which I’ll talk about a little bit more below…
Sam Hain Volume II Begins!
Despite my impressive skills of procrastination, I have written a new Sam Hain story!
It’s called Dead Men Sell No Sales, and starts off a new arc of novellas which will become Volume II in the series. The story picks up shortly after the events of Convergence and the finale of Volume I, with Sam and Alice once more finding themselves caught up in the middle of a strange and sinister situation. I had a lot of fun writing this opening episode, working on some concepts for Volume II, and I'm excited to share it with everyone.
Dead Men Sell No Sales will be available in paperback and on Kindle on the 31st October (because it would be remiss not to celebrate a new Sam Hain story on Samhain!), with a prerelease run of books at MCM London Comic Con from the 26th to 28th.
On the opening night of Halperin, a brand new shopping centre in the heart of Mayfair, Alice Carroll begins the first shift of her new job in the high-end store. With discounts, drinks and live entertainment laid on for the customers, it promises to be a night to remember. However, it’s not just the exclusive event which makes it an unforgettable evening. When staff begin to talk of a ghostly presence, and Sam Hain turns up for something more than just some new socks, it’s clear that there’s more in store than a special sale. And something about the mannequins doesn’t seem quite right...
The Little Drummer Girl
It makes a change for me to be mentioning something that isn’t about books or conventions, but this absolutely deserves a mention. Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to be involved with a TV adaptation of John le Carre’s The Little Drummer Girl (produced by The Ink Factory, the people behind The Night Manager, and directed by Park Chan-wook), and attended the premiere screening of the first two episodes last Sunday at London Film Festival.
Being involved with Drummer Girl was brilliant fun; working with a team of fantastic cast and crew, we'd still be in high spirits even after working in the cold and the rain for sixteen-hours straight. I won’t talk too much about the series to avoid spoiling a lot of the intrigue and subterfuge, but I will say it is absolutely phenomenal. It is beautifully and evocatively shot, with a gripping narrative and incredible, stellar performances by Florence Pugh, Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Shannon. And, if you fancy playing a game of Where’s Wally, I’m lurking around in a couple of the episodes disguised in 70’s garb.
The first episode airs on BBC One at 9pm on the 28th October, and on AMC mid-November. It’s gripping, it’s stunning, it’s bloody fantastic (and I’d be saying that even if they hadn’t paid me!).
Vienna Comic Con
Last but not least, on the 16th and 17th November I’ll be in Austria, signing books at Vienna Comic Con for the very first time and stumbling my way through a vague approximate of Deutsche. I'll be on Table CH09 in the Artist Alley.
That's all the news for the next month and a bit. If you're going to be at MCM or VIECC, please stop by my table and say hello; it'd be wonderful to see you.