So what’s in store for 2012?  I’ve already talked about new books of mine that will be released this year.  And it was naughty of me not to mention my novelisation of The Cabin in the Woods, which is due for release imminently.  Check out that stunning cover!

I’m writing a script for a kids’ spooky animated movie, which should be a huge amount of fun.  Itching to get stuck into that one, for sure.  I’m also writing a solo script called The Silence (which might also be a novel), and just recently had a great idea for a new novel which I’d love to write this year called Endure.  My script Hell Came Down will be off to my agent very soon (weird, apocalyptic, and I like to think pretty original).  And there are more novels I want to write, including an exciting new fantasy novel called The Wolves.  But we’ll see which one surfaces first.

I’ll also be starting a new blog pretty soon, talking about my running and training (marathons this year, triathlons next year), getting fit in my 40s, and lots of associated stuff.  I hope you’ll try it out when it launches … check out here for details.

Meanwhile, I hope 2012 is lovely for you, full of love and fun, great food and drink, lots of sex, and a few nice surprises.  What more can we ask?

On January 1st 2011 I weighed 14st 9lbs. For my American friends that’s 205 pounds. I’m 5′ 8″ tall, and by anyone’s reckoning, I was way overweight.

I’m now 12st 4lbs, which is 172 pounds. I’ve lost 30 pounds, and gone from barely being able to run a mile to regularly running 10 miles, and racing half-marathons. I haven’t been dieting to lose weight, though I have consciously been trying to eat an improved diet. And now that I feel better than I have in decades, and am booking races and other mad adventures (more on that in a minute), I’m trying to shake the regrets that I didn’t do this years ago. No point regretting, because the past is the past. But I’m definitely making up for lost time.

The trick was to find something I love, and it turns out that’s trail running. I’m exercising because I love it, not simply for the point of exercising. As I write this it’s pissing down with rain outside, but I’m still itching to lace on my trail shoes and get out there, running through the woods, across fields, along the canal towpath, getting muddy and wet and feeling bloody great!

My mate Peter Lyons helped me a huge amount. He got fit the year before, and seeing him do it really inspired me to work harder. We’ve raced together, and frequently exchange details on runs we’ve done, and things we want to do. He’s been a massive help.

And committing to something mad was the kickstarter. Earlier this year I agreed to do the national Three Peaks Challenge with Pete and a few friends. This comprises climbing the tallest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours (including travel time between them). It’s something that a lot of people do every year, but it’s certainly not an easy undertaking. We did it … and if you want to read about our adventure check out my blog post here.

After that, I didn’t want to let things slip, so I started running more and entering races. This year I’ve done a few 10k races and a couple of half marathons, quickly discovering that I much prefer running off-road, whether it’s on my own or racing. And next year…

A 10k, a couple of half marathons, two full marathons. And a 140 mile, 2 day coast to coast race across Devon on foot, bike and kayak (that’s the biggie for 2012!). And they’re just the things I’ve signed up for.

Madness? Some people think so. A couple of people tell me I’ve lost too much weight. Many claim not to understand the enjoyment I get out of doing stuff like this. But there’s no downside to being fitter than I’ve ever been (and I’m not done yet), losing excess weight, and enjoying getting out into the open.

It’s helped my writing a huge amount … running really gives me the headspace to work through plot problems, and feeling better physically and mentally means I can plunge into writing projects with more energy than ever before.

It’s all good. 2011 year has been a good one, and I hope 2012 will be even better. My first marathon! My first multi-sports race! And lots, lots more running through the woods.

So, that was my 2011. Happy Christmas to you all, whether you believe in the Big Man himself or not. Be nice to each other. That’s what it’s all about.

It’s been an exciting year work-wise for me. First, The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Wild hit the shelves. Written in collaboration with my good friend Christopher Golden, this is the first volume in a trilogy. Fox2000 optioned this mid-2010, and the book itself is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever had published, with wonderful artwork from Greg Ruth and such fine attention to detail from HarperCollins. The exciting news just in is that Fox has re-optioned the book, and 2012 should see a lot of progress on this front!

My novel Echo City was released by Orbit in the UK (it was out from Bantam in the USA last year). It’s had a great reception and some lovely reviews, and I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with Orbit. They’re wonderful to work with, and their covers are all works of art. I never understood the true science of book covers until I worked with Orbit.

My 2010 novella The Thief of Broken Toys was nominated for World Fantasy, British Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Awards. It won none of them, but I was thrilled with it

being on such prestigious awards lists.

I was a guest at Horrorfind in Gettysburg, and had a great time catching up with loads of friends and making many new ones. It was my first US convention in several years, and it made me realise how much I miss them. Especially the breakfasts. Cake for breakfast. Oh yeah.

2011 also marked 5 years since I’ve been writing full-time, and I took a moment to reflect on whether or not it had been the right decision. A moment that lasted about 6 milliseconds. Of course it was the right decision!

So after such an exciting year, can 2012 be any better? You bet. In fact, it might well be the most exiting year of my career to date. Here’s what’s happening:

February will see the release of The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Sea Wolves in hardback, and The Wild will be out in paperback. And Fox2000 will be progressing the movie of The Wild, of course! These books have also sold in Germany, France, Brazil, and Hungary, so we’ll see releases in those countries too (in fact The Wild is already out in Germany).

In August, my new fantasy novel The Heretic Land will be published by Orbit in the UK.

October will see two releases. Firstly, my huge apocalyptic zombie thriller Coldbrook will be released by Hammer/Arrow in the UK. And London Eye (Book One of The Toxic City) will be released by Pyr in the USA. This is the first in a YA trilogy that I’m just so excited about.

There’ll also be various short stories and novellas, as well as some forays into the ebook market.

Other stuff, equally exciting … I’ve been commissioned to write a screenplay, and more of that soon (when contracts are signed). Mark Morris and I hope to complete our collaborative YA novel in 2012. I’m working on a Top Secret collaboration, and Chris Golden and I are throwing around ideas about what to work on together next. I have a script that will be ready to go out early in 2012 called Hell Came Down, and I’m itching to get stuck into a new script called The Silence, which I’m really excited about. Stephen Volk and I hope to collaborate again next year, too. And there’s also a novel I want to write which … well, I can’t tell you anything about it. It’ll be different.

So that’s a recap of 2011 for me, and a little peek forward into 2012. If you’ve read this far that might mean that you quite like some of the words I write. If you do, I thank you, because I couldn’t continue writing so many of them without your support. I hope you’ll stay with me. Things are getting exciting.

Have a great Christmas, a safe and enjoyable New Year, and let’s have some more adventures together soon.

(coming soon, a personal look back on 2011 … the year I got fit!)

Since then I’ve hardly thought about my old place of work at all.  I catch up with some of my old friends from there, sometimes, and I still think about the people I used to work with with fondness.  But it was definitely a case of moving on.  And I haven’t once looked back.  It’s all going well, and this past 12 months have been good.

I spent years wanting to be a full-time writer, and even for the couple of years before I quit, I never quite believed I’d get here.  Now, it doesn’t seem as if I’ve ever done anything else.  It has its ups and downs, but is definitely what I’m here to do.

I quit work to write 5 months after my dear mum died.  I remember calling Dad to tell him what I was doing, and the first thing he said was “Your mum would be proud.”  That sealed the decision for me.

Back to work, now.  I’m currently editing a new book for Orbit UK, and writing the second in a YA series for Pyr in the USA.  Other exciting stuff going on too, which I’ll be able to reveal soon.  Books.  Movies.  All the good stuff….

A big thanks to everyone who continues to buy and read my books.  Without you … well, that doesn’t bear thinking about.

Thanks!

x

Give me a few days and I’ll post a big update.  And I might just start posting regular updates about my training.  I’m running two marathons next year (so far) as well as some other races, and am pretty keen on a coast2coast race next September.  So there WILL be LOTS of training to do.  Love it.

BAck to your normal viewing.  But I shall return.  Hope you’ll check back, too!

Oh, and I finished the race in 1 hour 54 minutes … really pleased to break the 2 hour mark.

Since I’ve started running and exercising more this year, I’ve come to realise that finishing something like this is without a doubt the greatest high.  During one of the particularly difficult stretches of the race yesterday – a long dual-carriageway section – I mused upon just what we were all doing there.  15,000 people running, sweating, and hurting, racing themselves as well as everyone else.  And looking around, at least half of the runners were obviously running for charity.  Some were in fancy dress – a giraffe, fairy, etc.  These were Good People.  If 7,500 people ran for charity yesterday, and they all raised roughly the same as me (about £150 … thanks to everyone who sponsored me!), then in the space of a couple of hours, over a million pounds was raised for charity.  I suspect the actual figure was much higher.

Post-race, I spent the day on a real high.  And even today, when my legs ache and I had to hobble to walk my son to school, I can’t think of anything I’d have rather been doing yesterday.  I’ll happily admit that I’m one of those people who’ve found running later in life … and who now can’t get enough of it.  It has no down-side.

And there will be more.  Next month I do the Sodbury Slog madness, and I’ve already entered a full marathon for next year.

Just a day or two off now, though.

And some more big news I can sort-of reveal … I’ve sold a YA trilogy to a wonderful publisher in the USA.  Lots more news and details on this when I can spill the beans, but suffice to say I am delighted.  Oh yes.

Last Saturday I completed the Mountain Trail Challenge with my mates Pete, Russ, and Phil.  It was a 20 mile walk across some of the most beautiful landscape in the country, the Brecon Beacons.  We had a great time––mud, streams, marshes, rain, sun, mountaintops, forests, trails, moorland.  And then afterwards there was curry and beer.  Lots of fun was had, and next year Pete and I are hoping to run the same course.  Hoping to, at least.

Had a lovely summer … a week in France with my family, a few days at home, then a week in the USA, first at Horrorfind convention, then staying with my buddy Stephen Susco and his lovely wife and son.  Far more fun than I deserve.  But now I’m back at the coal face, and as I hinted at above there will be some exciting news to share with you all soon.

Workwise … I’m currently working on some novel revisions, as well as a couple of secret projects.

More soon!

My novella collection WHITE AND OTHER TALES OF RUIN is now available as an ebook from Necon Ebooks.  Ordering details and other stuff here.  There’ll be more ebooks of mine coming out soon, so watch this space for details.

In two weeks I’ll be at Horrorfind, where I’m one of the Literary Guests.  I’m so looking forward to catching up with some old friends who I haven’t seen for years, but it’s nice making new friends too.  Please come up and say Hi.  I’ll be at a table in the Celebrity Room during the day, and at the bar in the evening.  There’ll be books for sale, and you can also bring books along to be signed.  In fact, I’ll sign anything.  Within reason.

My ‘suddenly got a bit fit and am doing a bit of mad stuff’ craze continues, this time with the Mountain Trail Challenge on 17th September.  I’d love it if you sponsored me––doing stuff like this is fun enough, but it’s satisfying to know I’m also raising money for a good cause.  Later this year I’ll be asking again … I’m running the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, a mountain bike race the same month, then the Sodbury Slog in November.  There are also some Coastal Trail races I’m going to enter, and next year I’m already considering entering a trail marathon or two (as well as tackling the Welsh 3000s with the same gang I did the Three Peaks Challenge with).  Love it!

I’m currently working on revisions on my new novel for Orbit (if you read ECHO CITY, please do leave a review on Amazon), a new novel with Chris Golden, and loads of other stuff I’m itching to tell you about.  And there’s Big News coming soon.

Watch this space!

A casual remark last January set it all in motion.  ’We should do the Three Peaks Challenge,’ I said to Pete.  ’And I know someone else who’d like to as well’.  Thus is was that myself, Pete, Dave, Russ, and Phil committed to conquering the tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales.  Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon were names that we would become very familiar with over the following months, presenting us with a challenge that, in truth, I never fully appreciated until on the day.

I trained hard, climbing local peaks such as the Blorenge, Sugarloaf, Skirrid, and Pen-y-Fan multiple times.  I started running more seriously, averaging fifteen miles per week and increasing my usual run from a couple of miles to five or six.  I started eating better, training hard, and spending money on proper kit.  Excited, I was also aware that on the day, the mountains could throw anything at us.  And I wasn’t wrong.

We drove to Stirling on Friday evening and stayed at Phil’s cousin’s house, a welcome change from our original plan — to arrive in Fort William at 2am and camp.  After a few hour’s sleep we headed for Fort William, stopping to fuel up on the way.  Note to roadside cafe: macaroni with onion and bacon usually contains bits of bacon.  After that we killed an hour in Fort William, where I was forced to try on The Hat.  Much prompting could not persuade me to buy it and wear it up the mountain, out of fear of being shot by the locals.

Then we geared up for Ben Nevis.  Arriving at the starting point, we realised just how many people would be climbing at the same time.  They were like lines of multi-coloured ants, snaking up the trail, zig-zagging across the mountain until they became depressingly small and disappeared altogether.  This was one high bastard.

In good spirits, we set off.  And though it is the highest of the three peaks by 1400 feet, I found this the easiest mountain to climb.  The trails were steep and hard, and slippery on the way down (we all took at least one tumble).  The smallish snow field was hard to climb, but fun to descend.  The drifting mist soaked us a little.  But … everything I’d heard had told me that this would be the hardest of the three peaks.  So when we arrived back at the mini-bus after four hours, 4400 feet, and 8 miles, I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

Until we stripped to change by the roadside and were attacked by the infamous Scottish mozzies.  But that’s a horror story for another day.

First comedy mishap of the day occurred here (apart from Pete’s headlong fall into a wet ditch three minutes after setting off …!).  Tired and sweaty, I was preparing a For Goodness Shake (a recovery drink), when the bloody thing exploded all over me.  Banana-smelling gooey dust.  Nice.  I blame Pete.  Just because he was there.

It was 10pm by now, so we powered off into the night and stopped at a service station … somewhere.  Dave wore his Camping King crown and brought out the stove, and we brewed up and ate some rehydrated meals.

Scafell Pike was next … booted and suited we headed off, and though our ascent was 1400 feet less that Ben Nevis, I found this one really hard.  The path — formed from random rocks — was slippery and gritty.  And steep.  And once the paths ended and Scafell Pike’s craggy summit came into view, the going changed to heavy boulders and scree fields, with no defined path to follow.

But we forged on, and the last haul to the summit was a real drag.  It was great to get there, though, and the views were stunning.

A note here about the weather.   We were so, so lucky on Ben Nevis.  The skies were cloudy, but we only ever experience minor drizzle.  At one point we were actually above the clouds, and when we walked down through them we’d obviously been above a major downpour.  And on Scafell Pike, the weather was also kind to us (check out that photo of me at the trig point!)  It was pretty cold up there, and when you stop walking after a couple of hours and the wind hits your sweat-damped body … that’s chilling.  As for Snowdon… more on that in a minute.

As we climbed and descended Scafell Pike we were seeing lots of the same people we’d seen several hours and hundreds of miles away on Ben Nevis.  Nods became ‘hello’s, and though having so many people around us detracted a little from the ‘man against the elements’ bit of the adventure, most people were good-natured and always ready with an encouraging comment.  Apart from the big guy wearing a kid’s teddy bear hat.  ’Nice hat mate,’ from me should have met with a smile, at least.  Miserable git.  There was also a stag party doing the Three Peaks, the stag wearing full walking gear along with a tutu and a blond wig.  Hats off to him.

We changed by the side of the road (some people probably saw more than they would have liked, but I was tired and wet and didn’t care….), and heading off along the beautiful winding lanes, the constant energy gels we’d been popping began to take effect on our stomach, and Dave and I requested a pit-stop to let nature take its course.

And then, way out in the wild on top of a small hill by the side of the road, two portaloos!  What the hell were they doing there?  We didn’t know, but Pete skidded to a stop and said, ‘There you go.’  And there, indeed, we went.  And in a final stroke of fate, the doors didn’t lock, and as we held them open we had a beautiful, panoramic view of Scafell Pike.  What better way to thumb your nose at a mountain?

Time was ticking on.  We had to get to Snowdon quickly, so we hit a roadside burger van and had a breakfast roll each to fuel up for the final climb.  Snowdon is the easiest, I’d been told.  The paths are clear, and it’s a gentle slog until the last hard climb.  It’ll be fine.  Loads of people do it.  Snowdon is the easiest….

Bollocks.

Snowdon was a hell-hole.  Or a hell-mountain.  We’d been spoiled with the weather, and now the rain had come in with a vengeance.  We suited up and prepared, all in high spirits, and determined to achieve our aim — ascend and descend three mountains in 24 hours.  Dave, Pete and I headed off, Russ and Phil electing to take an easier pace. Into the rain.  And as we started climbing, into the gale-force winds as well.

It was hard.  Pete, totally in the zone, pulled off ahead of us.  Dave and I climbed together, both developing painful knees that had us gritting our teeth against the discomfort.  The weather was horrible.  We were climbing waterfalls with frozen, numb hands.  We stopped for an energy bar which neither of us could open with our frozen fingers.  We were soaked from the outside with rain, and from the inside with sweat.  But we were determined, and never once did either of us suggest that we wouldn’t finish.  Dave asked for a gun so he could shoot himself.  I thought I probably wouldn’t have the strength to pull the trigger.

By the time we reached the top, the wind was staggeringly strong, blowing rain into our faces that felt like shotgun pellets.  My knee was knackered — I dragged myself the last couple of hundred feet, only climbing with my left leg, and by the time I reached Dave at the trig point I was shivering with the pain.  We shook hands … we’d done it!  In that awful weather, exhausted, wet, and cold, it was a sublime moment.  I honestly didn’t shed a tear.  It was just the rain.

Dave decided to try and head down quickly to achieve the 24 hour time (Pete had already passed us on his descent).  So he went, and I started down on my own.  This was my rough time.  I couldn’t see, because my glasses were soaked and there was nothing dry to wipe them with.  But I kept a good speed, and for a while even thought I might make it down in the time.

Then I overshot one of the paths we’d taken on the way up.  Only by 100 feet, and I could see the lakeside Miner’s Path I was aiming for down below.  I started down a slope, quickly realised it was the wrong way and probably dangerous, climbed back up again.  Backtracked, then found the path.  By now I’d passed exhaustion, and also passed the 24 hour limit.  I’d made the Snowdon summit within about 23 hours, so … that’s it for me.  I was also a little worried that the other chaps would have all made it back and might be concerned I wasn’t there.  If Prince William had to pick me up, I’d never live it down.

So after all that climbing, 32 hours without sleep, many miles walked, and the insane chaos of Snowdon, I ran the three miles back along the Miner’s Path leading to the lake.

There was a cafe.  It was warm.  And dry.  And I sat down with Dave, Pete, Russ, and Phil, and drank a pint of very sweet tea.  It was over.  We ate in Llanberis, then drove home.

The Three Peaks Challenge has ‘challenge’ in the title for a reason.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done, a true endurance event, but also one of the most enjoyable, and the most satisfying.  It was always a challenge first and foremost for myself, but I also raised money for a very worthy charity that’s close to my heart.  Today I still ache, and I’m still exhausted.  But I have the memory of a fine adventure undertaken with good friends, and the pleasure of knowing that we all did it.

What fun.

And wait til you see what comes next.

(You can still donate to St David’s Foundation as a sponsor of my Challenge … www.JustGiving.com/Tim–Lebbon).

Which is why I’ve decided to start selling off a few of my more expensive, rare books.  The first few are listed here, and there should be more up soon.  I’ve decided to do it this way rather than going the eBay route — easier, and at least like this the books will hopefully go to someone who truly wants them.

First come, first served.  Email me if you’re interested lebbon1984 at yahoo dot com … and also email me with any questions about the books listed.  And feel free to make me an offer.  Paypal will be preferred payment method.

In the US, please add $30 for p&p; UK, add £10.

OCTOBER DREAMS: A CELEBRATION OF HALLOWEEN (ed. Richard Chizmar and Robert Morrish; pub. Cemetery Dance Publications 2000). See here for details. A huge collection of Halloween short stories and memories. This PC limited edition hardback is slipcased and signed by Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Poppy Z Brite, Kim Newman, Jack Cady, Jack Ketchum, Gahan Wilson, Hugh B Cave, and many more. Unread, slight smudge on upper binding.

$300/£200

HEART-SHAPED BOX – Joe Hill. This is the Subterranean Press signed limited edition, 235/500, unread and as new. See here for details. Joe Hill’s fantastic debut novel.

$300/£200

THRILLERS (ed. Richard T. Chizmar, pub. Cemetery Dance Publications 1993). See here for details. Signed slipcased limited edition, 146/500, a nice early book from CD.

$100/£70

MASQUES IV (ed. J. N. Williamson, pub. Maclay & Associates, 1991). Signed slipcased limited edition, 131/750, signed by most contributors, including Dan Simmons, Rex Miller, Gahan Wilson.

$150/£100

THE MAN WITH THE BARBED WIRE FISTS – Norman Partridge. The Night Shade Books limited edition, one of only 200 signed by the author. Not slipcased.

$100/£70