Feb 282012
 
Carpathia

Angry Robot has posted a preview of Carpathia, which hits stores in the US today. Check it out below and read the first seven chapters for free!

 

If that’s not enough to convince you, here’s another review that showed up this morning from Paul Simpson at SciFiBulletin, who gives the book an 8 out of 10:

There’s plenty of gore and horrifying incidents for those who like their vampire fiction to reflect the ‘reality’ of the situation, rather than the sparkly Twilight variety, and Forbeck uses the social mores of the time to good effect (a kiss on the lips is infinitely more startling than the presence of vampires, for example!)

Verdict: A fast-paced, thoroughly enjoyable historical horror novel. 

Carpathia is on sale now in US stores and will be available in the UK and for ebook worldwide on March 1.

Feb 282012
 
Carpathia

My latest novel from Angry Robot — Carpathia — hits stores in the US today, and is also available as an ebook directly from Angry Robot and for the Kindle in the UK. It should be on shelves in the UK on March 1, and in the Kindle and Nook (and hopefully iBooks and Kobo) in the US that day too.

In a nutshell, the RMS Carpathia is the name of the ship that picked up the survivors of the Titanic disaster on April 15, 1912, nearly 100 years ago. Carpathia is also the name of the Transylvanian mountain range in which sits Castle Dracula. The novel proposes that this is no coincidence, and things get bloody from there.

To mark the day, I wrote a Take Five about the book for Matt Staggs over at Suvudu. That’s five behind-the-scenes facts about the book that you might not know.

The book has been getting great reviews so far. I’ve listed a number of them on the book’s page, but here are some of the better ones I haven’t mentioned here yet.

At Adventures Fantastic, Keith raves about it:

The dialogue is sharp and crisp, witty and fast paced… The imagery is often creepy… [A] highly enjoyable vampire novel, enough so that I’d be willing to read more of Forbeck’s work, and one I recommend if you like traditional vampires.

At Lightsaber Rattling, Pete Morrison writes:

This book is just like Titanic and Twilight combined, if both had been cool and not totally lame… Forbeck has a terrific way of taking the modern mythology that has developed around vampires and taking that myth back to its roots and then spinning it off in a wonderful new direction… There is no way that this book doesn’t become a movie.

At Starburst Magazine, Ed Fortune loves it too:

The first few chapters read as a thrilling tale of survival over impossible odds, which is a good a start, but thankfully, it gets much, much better… Forbeck tells the tale in a tight, character driven way, and doesn’t spare any punches. This is a rapidly moving thriller, with plenty of twists and turns along the way, and is one of the most entertaining horror stories I’ve read in a good long while… Fans of Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula will find a lot to love here, as will anyone who prefers their horror with a hint of claustrophobia.

So, go out and grab the book today if you can, or on March 1 if you must wait. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

Feb 242012
 

Next Thursday, March 1, I’m going to hold an author talk in the most unusual venue I’ve seen yet. I’m slated to speak with a group of librarians, using World of Warcraft as the medium. It starts at 4 PM Central Time on the Saurfang (Pacific) realm, in the Ironforge Library. You can find details and directions here.

Many thanks to my friend Liz Danforth, who suggested me for this, and to Ellen Forsyth, who set the whole thing up. I believe it’s open to the public, so if you play World of Warcraft and have time to stop on by, please do. I’d love to chat with you.

Feb 222012
 

My friends Ryan Macklin and Jess Banks have teamed up to launch a fundraiser for Elizabeth Sampat‘s family. Elizabeth’s daughter Gwen is autistic, and as Jess says:

Her family has had to pull her out of the public school where she’s been going since they moved to California because of its stubborn refusal to follow the Individualized Education Program (IEP) that outlines Gwen’s difficulties, goals, and the school’s obligations to help her function at her fullest capacity. IEPs are legal documents, and the school has broken the law time and time again by refusing to provide the support Gwen needs to learn and participate.

A few of my kids have required help at school over the years — my son Ken is hard of hearing and wears two hearing aids, for instance — but we’ve been fortunate to live in a school district that understands their needs, respects the law, and works hard to make attending school a success for them. Young Gwen, it seems, has not been so lucky.

To help the Sampats with their mounting legal bills to fight for the services her daughter needs, deserves, and is required to be given by law, Jess and Ryan set up a fund and asked a bunch of their friends to chip in some stories they could sell on a subscription basis. Fortunately, they know a lot of incredible writers, including folks like  Kenneth HiteJosh RobernDavid Niall WilsonCam BanksSteven Savile, and more.

I’m going to chip in a tale for the cause myself. I have no idea what it’ll be about or when I’ll find the time to write it, but I’ll come up with that. It’s important for Gwen, for the rest of her family, and to me.

So far, the fund has already raised over $5,000. If this kind of project or cause interests you, I encourage you to check it out.

Feb 212012
 
Marvel

My pals at Margaret Weis Productions have their new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game ready to hit stores on February 28 —coincidentally the same day my novel Carpathia comes out in the US — but DriveThruRPG is selling the PDF edition starting today. It’s already skyrocketed to the top of their Hottest Items chart. At only $12.99, I can see why.

I worked as part of the original design concept team on this game. That means I chipped in ideas with the rest of the Illuminati that developer Cam Banks assembled to help create the game. That included Rob Donoghue, Will Hindmarch, Phillipe-Antoine Menard, and Jesse Scoble, as well as Cam himself. I was often dubbed Black Bolt. I didn’t say much, but when I did, people listened.

Add on the rest of the crew who actually wrote, developed, and edited the book, and wow, it was an all-star team. I had a great time with them, and I think it shows in the final product. If you’re a Marvel fan, go pick it up. You won’t be disappointed.

Feb 202012
 
Shotguns & Sorcery

Over the weekend, the Shotguns & Sorcery drive on Kickstarter cracked $4,000! We took off like a rocket over the first few days and busted through the first goal in less than two days. Now, though, we’re in the middle stretch, during which most Kickstarters settle into a long, slow burn.

Usually that all changes in the last week or so of the campaign, when people realize they’re running out of time to join in and the pledge graph hockey-sticks up. I went with a slightly shorter campaign this time around, so that’s less than two weeks off now, and I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m stumping around the internet, looking for ways to get out the word about this project.

If you have idea or a venue you’d like to share, let me know. I’m open for interviews, guest blogs, shameless plugging, etc.

My next traditionally published novel, Carpathia, ships at the end of the month — either February 28 or March 1, depending on where you are and what format you prefer — and the next issue of the Magic: The Gathering comic I’m writing for IDW should be out around then too. Those should both give me lots of chances to plug Shotguns & Sorcery, and I plan on taking as much advantage of that as I can.

Meanwhile, if you can help spread the word, please do. Hand out copies of “Goblintown Justice” to anyone who can read. And if you like it, don’t be shy about posting a review of it, either on your own site or at Amazon or any of the other retailers who carry it. It all helps.

So far, I’m thrilled to see how well this grand experiment is going, and I have all my backers to blame for that.

Feb 202012
 
Carpathia

With the release of Carpathia only eight days off, more and more reviews for it have cropped up. Here’s a summary of those that I’ve seen over the past week or so.

At the Opinionator, David Marshall enjoyed the book. He writes:

Forbeck imparts a pleasingly relentless quality to the narrative as the humans slowly realise they may just have been demoted in the food chain… Carpathia is a stripped-down thrill ride as humans and vampires are set on a collision course thanks to the accident of an iceberg. It’s well worth picking up.

Meanwhile, at the Founding Fields, we have a double feature, with Bane of Kings and Djinn24 tag-teaming the book. Bane of Kings writes:

Carpathia is fantastic. A page-turner that will keep you hooked right the way through the novel. Not to be missed.

While Djinn24 says:

This book has it all, a touch of romance, horror, adventure with a bunch of vampires which equals one kick-ass page turning story.

Finally, at Love Vampires, there’s a lot of affection for Carpathia. The reviewer there writes:

Carpathia is fast-paced, easy reading and, whether you pity the vampires or not, there is plenty of dramatic entertainment and exciting action here

Feb 152012
 
12 for '12

The Shotguns & Sorcery Kickstarter drive already smashed through its first goal of $3,000! Many thanks to all of the backers who chipped in to make that happen. We managed it in just under 32 hours, less than half as long as it took for the first 12 for ’12 Kickstarter drive.

So! This means I have another novel to write come April, the first in the Shotguns & Sorcery trilogy. WOOOOT!

Now, of course, just because we smashed through this first goal doesn’t mean we’re done. The drive still has another 25 days to go. If we hit a total of $8,000, that unlocks Book 2, and racking up $12,000 unlocks Book 3 as well.

That’s a long way past $3,000, of course, but I’m confident we can make that happen if we just stick to it. If you already joined the drive, don’t be shy about letting other people know about it. And if you haven’t, consider joining the rest of us for something truly fun.

My deepest gratitude once again to everyone who pitched in, either with a pledge or by helping get the word out — or both. I’m humbled to see so many great and generous people have my back and get behind this crazy project of mine. Thanks!

Feb 142012
 
Shotguns & Sorcery

This morning, I pushed the “Launch” button on my Kickstarter drive for my next 12 for ’12 trilogy. It’s based in a new fantasy setting I call Shotguns & Sorcery, and well, I’ll let the video here tell you more about it.

 

If that tweaks your interest, head on over to the Kickstarter page to learn more and to back it with a pledge. Remember, because this is a Kickstarter, no one gets charged anything until the end of the drive on March 11, and only then if we hit our funding goal first, so it’s risk-free.

Also, if you’d be so kind as to tell people about the project, I’d appreciate it. Getting the word out is always the hardest part of any such project, and I’ll happily accept all the help I can get. Thanks!

Feb 132012
 
Shotguns & Sorcery

I’m in the final stages of getting the second 12 for ’12 Kickstarter project ready. All I’m waiting on at the moment is the video, which my pal Darren Orange of Reactor 88 Studios is polishing up for me. You can go check out a preview of it now.

There’s still time to make changes, right up until the moment I launch — which should be tomorrow, with any luck. If you catch any mistakes or have any comments, please let me know. Thanks!

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