Tim Lebbon – horror and dark fantasy author

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve sold two dark fantasy novels to Orbit UK.  The first will be ECHO CITY FALLS, due Summer 2011, and the second is an as yet untitled novel due Spring 2012. You can  check out Orbit’s website for details.

ECHO CITY FALLS is a richly gritty novel about a huge, ancient city in crisis, the threat growing beneath its streets, and a mysterious visitor who emerges from the endless, deadly desert surrounding the city…

Orbit are one of the biggest and best genre publishers in the UK, and I am so excited about this deal.  I’ve already met up with my excellent editor Bella Pagan, I’ve been eager to spread the news, and I just know it’s going to be fun. Watch this space for more developments.

And watch out soon for Big News Part 2.

Three years ago today I was sitting at my desk – this very desk – as a full-time writer for the first time.  I was a little hungover.  The night before I’d had a leaving do from work at The Hanbury Arms in Caerleon, drank too much Reverend James, and generally celebrated leaving work to live my dream.  That last day in work was a lot of fun … wandering around to say goodbye, collecting leaving presents (bottles of whiskey and wine … they know me so well).  And that first day of full-time writing I spent on the first chapter of my 30 Days of Night movie novelisation.  I remember it well, because I had to scrap it three days later when the updated shooting script came through and I realised all the relationships had changed … but since that day to this, I’ve had the best time of my life.

It’s been three years.  I worked at my old day job for six times that, yet I only have vague memories of the place: I remember the people, many of whom still remain friends.  I remember cheese and bacon toasties on Friday morning.  I remember being in a tea-group of one and having to steal other people’s milk from the fridge (yes, everyone … it was me!)  But it’s rare that I sit and dwell on my time there, because that was another life.

Since starting to write full time I’ve written so many novels, shorts stories, and novellas that I’ve lost count – they include two 30 Days of Night novels, Hellboy: The Fire Wolves, Echo City Falls (coming soon), The Island, Fallen, two Hidden Cities books with Chris Golden, the first of the Secret Journeys of Jack London books (also with Chris), the novella The Reach of Children … and there I was, hoping I’d turn prolific.

I’ve also started branching out into some screen work, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  I’m collaborating on an exciting new screenplay, and I’m also currently developing two TV series.

And last week, as if to celebrate my impending 3-year anniversary, I had some Very Good News.  Thrilling, exciting news.  But more on that soon.

I’m very, very lucky.  I commute to work past the dog, sit in my own office with all my books and other stuff around me, make stuff up, write it down, and sell it.  I walk the dog in our lovely local woods at lunchtimes, and occasionally go out for lunch with friends.  I always wanted to get here, but was never sure I would.

Thank you, to everyone who enjoys buying and reading my books.  That means you.  You keep buying them, and reading them and liking them, and I’ll keep writing them.  There’s lots on the horizon.

So without further ado … I’m writing a novella about a thief of broken toys. I must away.

Thought it was about time I posted an update about forthcoming books.  These are  novels, novellas and collections that will be published next year sometime.  Keep checking back here for accurate publication dates.

LAST EXIT FOR THE LOST (collection, Cemetery Dance)

THE THIEF OF BROKEN TOYS (novella CZP Publications)

ECHO CITY FALLS (novel, Bantam Spectra)

THE CHAMBER OF TEN (novel with Christopher Golden, Bantam Spectra)

THE SECRET JOURNEYS OF JACK LONDON (book one): CALLS OF THE WILD (novel with Christopher Golden, Harper Collins)

30 DAYS OF NIGHT: Title TBC (original novel, Simon & Schuster)

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (novelisation, Titan Books) – delayed until 2011

As well as these books there are also several other publications planned but not yet announced. Keep watching for more news …

Yesterday I delivered my new novel ECHO CITY FALLS.  It’s a biggie, clocking in at over 500 pages and 160,000 words.  This last week I’ve been working 12 hour days  revising/editing/rewriting, and I slogged right up to the finishing post.  So, apologies if it’s been a bit quiet here, but now that book’s done (for now … until I get edit note from my wonderful editor Anne Groell) things will be a bit easier.

But only a bit!  There’s still plenty to do this month, including a couple of projects I can’t say too much about yet.  Well, I could tell you about them, but then I’d have to kill you all.  And as I don’t know a) who reads this blog, and b) where you all live, and even if I did it’d take me ages to visit you all, and considering the price of petrol nowadays, it’s a scandal, it really is … well, it’s best I day nothing.

Here’s a great review for THE MAP OF MOMENTS, which you really must all buy if you haven’t already.  Go on.  Away with you.

And I might have posted this already, but what the hell, it’s a fantastic review of FALLEN so take another look.

I’ll soon be undertaking a ‘Blog Tour’ to promote the paperback release of FALLEN and the hardback release of THE ISLAND, so watch this space for news, dates and other exciting stuff.

No new book covers at present, so here’s a picture of me and my dog Blu instead.

Right, have a great weekend.  I predict gardening, DIY, a meal out somewhere, and real ale in my future.

Time flies when you’re having fun.  Maybe that’s true!  Yesterday I went to my dad’s place to help build a fence (his old one had rotted and almost fallen over … we breathed on it and it fell down).  Most of my family were there, and in 8 hours of solid work we’d taken down the old fence, dug new post holes and cast them in, fixed rails and nailed up featherboarding.  One new fence – job done.  It felt like 2 hour’s work, not eight, and the beers last night were well-deserved.

Whilst beering, I watched EDEN LAKE.  I wouldn’t have bothered – lost in woods and hunted by killers type movies lost their appeal for me long ago – but Empire gave it 4 stars, and I usually find that mag’s opinion is worth listening to.  I’m glad I did.  It wasn’t so much a viewing experience, but an ordeal, and it left me feeling exhausted, shocked and quite spooked.  It’s a staggeringly well-made debut from writer-director James Watkins, providing an unbearably tense, unpredictable take on the ‘couple being stalked’ theme.  The acting is superb throughout, the script fresh and impressively almost cliche-free.  I won’t say ‘enjoy it’, but … watch, survive, and then move on.

I’m four days away from delivery ECHO CITY FALLS, so this week is going to be spent editing and revising, drinking coffee, more revising, more coffee, and a couple of hour’s sleep here and there.  Once that’s delivered, I have a short story to start, and a few other things to get stuck into before I start my original 30 DAYS OF NIGHT novel.

So … it’ll be quiet here this week.  Forgive me.  I’m in the biggest city ever, trying to figure out what is rising from the Falls.

Here’s a fantastic review of my Hellboy novel THE FIRE WOLVES.  Nice!

Been a bit quiet here, yep.  But I’m busy editing and revising ECHO CITY FALLS for delivery to my publisher next week, as well as working on the new Hidden Cities book with Chris Golden, TELL MY SORROWS TO THE STONES.  Lots of other stuff going on too, all very exciting, all nowhere near advanced enough for me to reveal anything yet.  But watch this space …..

The long list for the British Fantasy Awards has been released, and I’m thrilled to see The Reach of Children on there.  You can go here to see the full list and to vote.

In other news, yesterday I finished my new novel ECHO CITY FALLS in first draft.  It’s the longest book I’ve ever written, and I’m sure it’ll remain that way even after rewrites and edits.   So I’m giving myself the weekend off before plunging in to that …

Just arrived back from a writing adventure in a couple of cottages near Builth Wells.  Myself, Gary Greenwood, Adam Nevill, Sarah Pinborough, Paul Lewis and Paul Meloy spent a long weekend writing, eating, drinking, chatting, a bit more writing, and a bit more drinking. And some more eating, too.  We do a couple of these weekend each year and we always get loads of work done.  This time I worked on a proposal for a YA novel and started writing it, as well as an idea for a TV series pitch, and some website stuff (watch this space for a couple of new features coming soon).

The cottages were great, the local pub served nice food and Reverend James, and a fine weekend was had by all.

Now it’s back to ECHO CITY FALLS, which I have to deliver in one month …… so I may not be around for a while.

So, writing … ECHO CITY FALLS continues on apace, I’m working on a couple of screenplays, and a few short stories.  I’m also awaiting news on several exciting projects, so hopefully more soon.

Today, however, is a day just for living a bit.  It’s beautifully sunny outside – almost a spring day – and the kids are off school for half term.  So we went over the woods this morning with Blu, deciding to dam one of the woodland streams.

Took me back to being a kid.  We found an existing dam and tried to shore it up, but that wasn’t doing any good, so we decided to start our own.  Blu helped, becoming a water dog for the first time, and Dan and Ellie leapt back and forth across the stream as energetically as the dog!  After a while we had the beginnings of a dam, and the water started to rise … not perfect, but it worked.

We saw a frog (I almost stepped on it, Blu almost ate it), buzzards, and a robin took interest in our civil engineering project and hung around to watch.  Keeing his eye out for worms, obviously.

Dam built, we walked around the woods and came home to a hearty lunch.  A good day away from the keyboard, and for once I wasn’t feeling guilty.

I didn’t have a very productive week last week – I did maybe 10,000 words on ECHO CITY FALLS, and a bit on a  top-secret short story I’m working on (also had a killer idea for a YA novel, but there’s only so much time …)  Most of this lack of productivity was down to the snow, which brought the country to a sliding halt.  The family and I had a wonderful time, and I’m a firm believer in giving myself the day off for the kids to enjoy themselves.  Really, it was for the kids.  I didn’t throw a single snowball, or take a single sled trip down a hillside.  Hope, not me.

And they’re saying we’re in for some more tomorrow! So after watching THE ESCAPIST and having an early night this evening, I’ll be getting back into the novel in the morning.  I’m about to write a subterranean seduction scene.   So there you are.