Taming the Storm: 2023 in review
It’s been a hell of a year. Lots of ups and downs. The downs have been very low, but the ups have been extremely high.
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first.
The Bad:
Stormblood had been picked up by Phantasia Press, for a limited deluxe signed hardback edition, with slip-cases and new artwork. That edition has now been cancelled. The publisher pulled the plug, due to unforeseen circumstances relating to company staff, and other matters.
It sucks. A lot. My books have not been picked up by a US publisher, and this would’ve been a much-needed second wind that would’ve paid very very well. But it was not to be.
2022 was the worst year of my life. Creatively and mental health-wise. I’m not going into any specifics, but it’s not hard to guess at what they are. A whole smattering of real-life circumstances, publishing problems, and personal issues all compounded to make 2022 suck. And that suck continued on into the early months of 2023.
I was still writing, but I wasn’t producing anything good, and my productivity was sporadic at best. Which just made me more and more frustrated with my own inability to work. I also had someone (let’s call them “Reader Zero”) actively deride my voice, my creative choices, my style, my book, as they went out of their way to tell me that I was wrong for writing *my* book and *my* characters my way.
This wasn’t from a reviewer, it was someone emailing me directly. Normally, I’d just shrug their ramblings off. But I was already in a rough place, and that only served to drive me deeper and deeper into a hole. It’s why my experience of writing in 2022 was one of abject misery.
All that to say, these circumstances didn’t allow me to have a book published in 2023, as I wanted to.
The Good:
My experience with Reader Zero taught me a valuable lesson: to never compromise my voice, because I’ll just end up hamstringing myself. People like my voice, my books. They sell. They have a solid audience. They’ve had a wonderful reception, from reviewers and readers and authors alike. And I need to remember that, and to trust my voice, because it’s my damn story, and I owe it to myself, and to the readers, to see it through my way.
In general, I’ve been getting better. I’ve been finding lots of helpful ways to cope with my issues, and they’ve really come into effect in 2023. I’ve punched some life back into my work. I’ve written and edited a crazy amount of words in 2023. Hundreds and hundreds of pages. And they’re good words. Very good.
I’ve leveled up a lot while writing this book. I’ve matured, and so have the characters and my approach to the story – while still firmly remaining as my style and voice.
I expect to be delivering Wolfskin to my editor very soon. I don’t know how long it’ll take for it to end up in your hands, but the book is coming, and I can’t wait for you all to read it.
Now. The other good stuff:
China WorldCon:
I was invited by my Chinese publisher to WorldCon in Chengdu, China. You can read more about that here. In short, it was the best trip I’ve ever taken in my entire life. I felt like a rock star from start to finish.
And that was before I accepted the Hugo Award on behalf of Adrian Tchaikovsky, for his fabulous series Children of Time. You can watch the video of me reading Adrian’s acceptance speech below (with a cheeky joke at the start).
If you want a clearer version, the full video of the Hugo Awards ceremony has been uploaded here in English. The Best Series category is around the 1:58:00 mark.
While I was there, I was interviewed by Gavin Allen, the editor in Chief of Huawei, about science-fiction and it’s current relevance in the world. And also about my thoughts on AI (oh dear). The interview is split between me and David Hill, a damn good writer, and it’s probably the most high-budgeted and comprehensive interview I’ve done…while also being one of the shortest! You can see it here.
The love of the Chinese fans, and the enthusiasm and warmth of the con organizers, and the kindness and companionship of my fellow WorldCon guests is something I’m never ever going to forget. It was the trip of a lifetime, and if I am ever invited back, I’ll go again in a heartbeat.
Future Projects:
Wolfskin will be the concluding chapter of the Common trilogy. For now, at least. I do plan to revisit this world and these characters in the future, but first I’ll need a significant change of scenery, writing wise.
But I already know what my next project will be. I won’t say much at this stage, only that it’s going to be a blend between science-fiction and fantasy. It’ll be moving away from cyberpunk/noir and more towards the epic, sweeping side of things, but otherwise it won’t be a huge departure from my style or approach. You wouldn’t want the apple to fall too far from the tree, after all!
Convention Appearances 2024:
Glasgow Worldcon (Thu, 8 Aug 2024 – Mon, 12 Aug 2024) – in person
I expect to be doing a bunch of other signings and events in Glasgow and in London around that date, too. It’ll be my first in-person event (as a published novelist) in Europe ever, so I’m excited about that.
Books of the year:
I haven’t read as many books as I’d have liked in 2023, but the ones I did read have been amazing. Here are some of my personal picks:
The Judas Blossom by Stephen Aryan
Flames of Mira by Clay Harmon
Redemption’s Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Light Bringer by Pierce Brown (my pick of the year) – this book has blown my socks off. Pierce Brown has already set an insanely high standard for himself, but with the sixth Red Rising entry he has totally eclipsed what I thought he was capable of. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Free Novella:
If you want these updates in your inbox directly, you can sign up to my Substack or my Mailchimp newsletters here. Everyone who does gets a free novella sent to their inbox, as well as a stack of other goodies and exclusive releases. The novella is called Scream in Blue, and I think it’s pretty neat.
Closing Comments:
2023 has been a challenging year, but overall it’s been a good one. I’ve accomplished a lot, and that hard work will soon pay off when Wolfskin is published. All I’ve ever wanted to do was tell stories, and I’m grateful for every purchase, every positive review, or every gushing email I get from fans.
Otherwise, I hope you all have a great holiday, and I’ll see you all on the other side in 2024.
Till then,
Jeremy
Sydney, Australia