Publication News

I’ve been slack of late, so to make up for it, here’s a list of my recent publications. As a full-time publisher and also having other important roles in life, I’m pretty proud of being able to get some creative output going of late. I don’t plan to stop.

Guardian of the Sky Realms (IFWG Publishing International – reprint). This book has seen several publishers and has settled nicely with IFWG which has a track record with middle grade (and up) fiction. While not a teen writer specialist, this was a genuine pleasure to write, and I’m very glad to see it out there in the publishing world.
Champion of the Sky Realms (IFWG Publishing International). The sequel, and logically concluding an important thread that had begun in Guardian of the Sky Realms. Again, a pleasure to write.
‘Finding Utopia’ in the anthology The Time Machine: Australia Bound (PS Publishing, eds Steve Proposch and Christopher Sequeira). One of my favourite short stories that flowed quickly and seamlessly. An historical science fiction, which, while obviously about time travel, is really about love.
‘Hill-Runner and the Enemy From Behind the Curtain Of Stars’ in the anthology Into the Cthulhu-Universe: Lovecraftian Horrors in Other Literary Realities (IFWG Publishing International, eds Steven Paulsen and Christopher Sequeira). Another story easy to write, that explores the concept that a proto-North American tribe has existed for thousands of years in what we now call the Americas, whose task is to protect all people from Mythos-based enemies.

All of these books have been globally released over recent months and are available from all good bookstores, online and bricks and mortar, in print and ebook formats.

Unboxing of Guardian of the Sky Realms

Just a few photos of the unboxing and first handling of Guardian of the Sky Realms. There is no better feeling! Thanks to Meerkat Press for the copies. The cover is simply spectacular.

Cover Reveal: Guardian of the Sky Realms

So pleased to reveal the front cover for Guardian of the Sky Realms, to be released early 2020 by Meerkat Press. A wonderful cover in itself, it is also perfectly in tune with the age group it is targeted for 12 to 14 years. I suspect anyone who likes unadulterated adventure would also enjoy my novel.

guardianscover

Two-Book Deal With Meerkat Press

Meerkat Press Acquires Two Middle Grade Fantasies by Gerry Huntman — image courtesy of Meerkat Press

It is with great pleasure that I announce the sale of my middle grade novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms, to US-based Meerkat Press, as well as an as-yet unnamed sequel. Guardian will be published in January 2020, and the sequel in 2021.

Guardian of the Sky Realms is a reprint purchase, while the sequel will be handed over to Meerkat Press with first publishing rights. I am very confident that my babies have been placed in capable, professional hands.

Meerkat’s announcement.

Market News: Cover Reveal for Guardian of the Sky Realms

I can't tell you how happy I am. My 'all ages' novel, Guardian of the Sky Realms, is going to be published by Cohesion Press, a great independent publishing house based in Australia, and it will be released exactly the way I wanted it to. Australian English, quality editing, quality internal block and cover.

Yes, the cover. High quality and symbolically representative of many elements of the novel – the Sky Realms, the barren lands below, and the idyllic, transformed state that Maree will find herself in. It appropriately leaves bits out.

Thanks to Cohesion Press (Geoff Brown), and the amazing talent of professional digital artist, Dean Samed, who created the cover.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for the third quarter 2014 for the release of Guardian of the Sky Realms.

Review of Guardian of the Sky Realms by Bram Stoker Award nominee, Charles Day

Charles Day, someone who I respect a great deal, has nice things to say about my debut novel (Guardian of the Sky Realms):

GUARDIANS was a pleasure to read. Truly enjoyed the imaginative world author, Gerry Huntman created in his debut novel. If you're looking for a great fantasy full of wonderful characters this is the book for you.

~Charles Day, Bram Stoker Award® -nominated author of THE LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN THIEF, HUNT FOR THE GHOULISH BARTENDER & DEEP WITHIN

Cheers, Charles!
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Review: The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovitch

This is an amazing book. Larry Ivkovich describes The Sixth Precept as an urban fantasy – and it certainly is in the sense that it is a fantasy and quite a bit of the adventure is set in a modern day US city – but a lot of the adventure is also set in medieval Japan. And stuff happens there. Yes, it is an urban fantasy, but it doesn't deserve simple labeling. For example, it has a neat, convincing detective story feel about it as well.

I'm raving – and probably because this fantasy adventure has everything, all in the right proportions.

I wont give too much away of the plot, as it would be a spoiler indeed, but I can say that the key storyline is about a woman in
medieval Japan with an amazing psychic gift, who is playing a key part in a great cosmic 'game', who sends the young girl she is protecting, through a rift into the future. That's just the beginning, when it comes to time travel as well as strange and miraculous people and creatures. I simplify this, because the most powerful feature of Larry's writing is the smoothness of the plot and the sustaining of adventure and entertainment. It is complex, but not distracting.

I normally am not a fan of time travel stories (although I should point out that time travel is not necessarily the sole, core element of
this novel), as I often find authors handling paradox particularly badly. For me, the best time travel stories enable travel into the
future, but impossible to travel backwards. However, there are a select few authors for me who handle forward and backward time journeying with flair – beautifully enabling the reader to suspend disbelief. Larry is one such author.

Another feature of the book that I liked was the treatment of some of the antagonists. They are complex. They are not necessarily black and white in the depiction of evil (with one deserved exception). The bestial creature who is supposed to hunt down the protagonists in modern day is an example of such a complex figure – while hated and dreadful in many ways, there are moments of sympathy as well. It makes the book memorable.

Larry Ivkovich's debut novel is way more polished and mature than a typical first work. I would strongly advise any fantasy reader –
especially paranormal and urban fantasy readers – to buy and enjoy this 5 star piece.
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History Repeats Itself, part 2

This comment follows directly from my previous entry.

I decided to outline my plot over the next month or two. Because the novel (working title, The Comfort of Beanbags) will be a YA novel, I think, it is likely to be smallish. Maybe around 40 to 60k. I think I can write it pretty rapidly.

More work, but hey, we writers are masochistic.
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History Repeats Itself

Yes, history does repeat itself. I feel like I’m in one of those Sixties b-grade scifi movies where the main character gets caught in a time loop. Or possibly even Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

I wrote a short story a week or so ago (The Comfort of Beanbags) that was quite a challenge (I blogged that point during the process), and I now realize that part of the difficulty of this particular piece was to instill the intended theme and moods in a short work. The jury is still out on that matter, but I have come believe now that the path I should have taken was to write a longer work, a short novel, or novella.

Ironically, going through the process of writing the short story may have been a necessary ingredient to come to this realization…

So… I have another project in scope. I can’t let it go now. I am sure this story will turn into something a lot better in longer form.

Why does history repeat? Because that’s exactly what happened with Guardian of the Sky Realms. A short story turned into a novel.

Stay tuned.
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2010 Writing Roundup

I might do this six monthly.

I suspect most people aren’t very interested in extremely anal statistics on my efforts to be published, but I do keep meticulous records, mainly to make sure I don’t mess up my submissions (like sending a submission twice to a publisher, or breaking the rules about the length of time before I can send something else). I have to admit that I keep the stats also so that I can measure my success, intrinsically, and in comparison with the past. This is helpful for me, and my ego.

Perhaps, and only perhaps, other writers can get an idea of how much effort and how much potential reward (including disappointment) comes with the effort. I can only say that if you are a serious writer, writing short stories is smart, and submitting them and getting a foot into the industry, even if some of it is the tail end, IS WORTH IT.

So here are the simple facts (notwithstanding some last minute stuff happening – which will mean I will update this – so if you are reading this after 1 Jan 2011, it is up to date and complete).

Firstly, here is a breakdown of my submissions (they include short stories and novels. Rejections do include 3 withdrawals on my part because a given publisher is an ignoramus, or simply didn’t respond after a very long period of time). I also include efforts at various awards and contests – note that all bar one will not resolve until 2011.

I consider myself a fantasy writer, but interesting enough I had my fair share of scifi success. Another interesting stat is that I got a very good hit rate with anthology submissions. Note that some of my successes will not publish until 2011. "Pub" is basically novels.

If you don’t count the ‘No unfinalised’, my hit rate overall is 18%, or 1 in 6. I am happy with that. In fact, 12 successes is, in my view, a good result for the first year I am serious about this stuff. My goal next year is to have the same number, but to publish at least 3 of my stories in an SFWA acceptable medium. Watch this space.

Here are some graphic representations, for the heck.