I Am The Monkey On The Back Of An Angry Robot (And Other Updates)
-
*whistles innocently*
Angry Robot Books is going to publish my novel, BLACKBIRDS.
I’ll let that sink in.
They’re also going to publish its followup, the tentatively titled: MOCKINGBIRD.
I’ll let that sink in, too.
That sound? The one you hear? Not just in your ear, but in the deep squishy pockets of your mind?
Yeah. That’s me. Screaming with mirth. Cackling like mad. Singing some forbidden hymn to whatever ancient gods decorated my brow with their blessed seed and let fortune favor a wee bearded penmonkey such as myself. I’m dancing. I’m grinning.
I’m lacquering my lederhosen.
BLACKBIRDS has been Out There for a good while now. It’s been ping-ponging from editor to editor. It’s been collecting lovely rejection after lovely rejection, all of them hinting that it deserves to find a home and will some day, but over time, with every month falling off the calendar you start to feel like, “Oh, ohhh, fuck, it’s not going to happen, is it? I’m either going to have to drop it in a box somewhere or self-pub it.”
So, to be picked up by Angry Robot — publisher of some, I mean, c’mon, truly astounding writers? Lauren Beukes? Matt Forbeck? Mike Shevdon? And they’ve also picked up fellow DMLA-ers Adam Christopher and Chris F. Holm? I’m over the moon to be lumped in with that level of talent. My goal is simply not to poop up the place. Here’s a clue how much I love Angry Robot: every since they were made manifest in this plane of existence and began showing up in bookstores, I would constantly go over, pick up their books and say to whomever was standing nearby (my wife, a stranger, a pet goat): “Holy shit, this looks awesome.” Every time. Great authors. Killer concepts. Incredible covers that look like nothing else on the shelves. Plus, they’re incredibly author-friendly, and how can you not love an ecosystem like that?
BLACKBIRDS features a character near and dear to my heart. A character whose struggles are fundamental and human but are reflected in a paranormal condition that exemplifies some far bigger, far weirder shit: fate versus free will, life versus death, what hair dye to choose, and so forth. Miriam Black — the protagonist of these books — is deeply troubled, very angry, and a total pill. But she’s funny, too, and foul-mouthed as anything. It’s great, because I actually care about her. One of my earliest note files when I was conceiving this character was titled, quite simply, “Poor Miriam.” Because I felt awful for the cross I’d strapped to her back and forced her to bear. I had nothing but sympathy and guilt for what I was going to do to her.
(That cross, for the record, is the ability to see how and when someone will die just by touching them. Fate and death, ever-present with naught but the contact of skin on skin.)
Good times.
So, not only does Miriam get one book, but she gets what I hoped she always would: the chance to carry her misanthropic “spit-in-the-eye-of-fate” attitude into other adventures.
Thanks to those who have supported the book all this time. Thanks to Jason Blair and Matt Forbeck for suggesting Angry Robot as a home to begin with. Thanks to Stephen Susco, my screenwriting mentor, who helped me hammer the shit out of this story way back when. Thanks to my wife, who for some reason always seemed to believe in me. And thanks to my kick-ass rock-star of an agent, Stacia Decker, who rocket-launched this through the ionosphere.
And thanks to Angry Robot. Marc Gascoigne, Lee Harris. Gentlemen. Scholars. Biblionauts.
Look for BLACKBIRDS in April/May 2012.
And MOCKINGBIRD not long after.
In Other News…
COAFPM continues to sell very well. Been out for not-quite-one-month now, and it’s sold ~260 copies. Because of the slightly higher price point, it means I’m fast approaching what I’ve earned over four-to-five months with IRREGULAR CREATURES (but that collection has seen a boost since COAFPM‘s release, which is nice). Together the two have paid a couple mortgage payments, so I can’t say boo to that.
IRREGULAR CREATURES has 36 four- and five-star reviews at Amazon, which is incredible. Fills me with giddy bubbles. Or maybe that’s just gas. Even still, thanks all to have bought and loved the collection. Means a lot to me. I hope that more Cat-Bird will show up in the future.
COAFPM – well, I wouldn’t complain if it got some more reviews over there. It’s standing at three reviews at present, and would love to see more added if you’ve read it, enjoyed it, and have the time.
In related news: Andrew Jack interviews me over at his space.
DOUBLE DEAD is back from a first pass edit, and — holy shit! — it doesn’t suck. Looking forward to getting a second major copy-edit through. Jon Oliver and Jenni Hill at Solaris/Abaddon are incredible folks to work with, and I am very pleased that DD is in such excellent hands.
I’m nabbing some secret hush-hush work at my old stomping ground, White Wolf Game Studios. Developing something pretty cool for them which is all about [REDACTED].
Still bouncing my wibbly-wobbly baby-schedule in terms of writing. Some days the word count trickles. Other days, it floods. I was able to finish a new novel — codename: POPCORN — by churning through a 9,000 word writing day last Friday, so that was exciting.
Also planning a series of novellas to release over the course of the summer. Kind of crimey, I guess? High school? Not-quite-noir? Veronica Mars, but more violent? Something like that. Interested?
And that’s all she wrote, folks.
Thanks for reading.
EDIT: Today, Abaddon is also posting the first chapter of DOUBLE DEAD for those who care to read it.
#coburniscoming
About The Author
ChuckWendig
Chuck Wendig is equal parts novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. He is the author of the novels DOUBLE DEAD, BLACKBIRDS, and MOCKINGBIRD. In addition, he's got a metric boatload of writing-related e-books available, including the popular 500 WAYS TO BE A BETTER WRITER. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with wife, dog, and newborn progeny.
Leave a Reply
67 Responses and Counting...
**squee** Congrats on that signing. Very exciting. Can’t wait.
Can I be the first to congratulate you? Now you know how I was feeling back in February this year
Welcome to the tribe, and maybe we’ll meet up in meatspace some day – we _are_ trying to take over the world, you know…
Dang, I need to learn to type faster. Or not proofread everything I post like it was going to print…
The best news in the whole world, today! Congratulations on joining the Angry Roboteers! Hmmm… now we’re going to need t-shirts, right, to go with the Team Decker ones?
@Victoria: Thanks!
@Anne: I know, right? We shall march forth and conquer the world. Or at least, y’know, books.
@Adam: I guess the t-shirt would be, what, a robot holding a .45 ACP or something?
– c.
Congratulations! Celebratory cyborg cupcakes with replicant skin icing and a zest of zombie terminator toenails! And champagne made from fermented tarantula eyeball juice. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer penmonkey.
@Lauren:
I will lament that you are not offering me one of your famous “syphilitic pigeon brain brined in plumber sweat and then marinated in motor oil” devil’s food cupcakes, but one supposes those go fast, yes?
What I mean, of course, is: thank you!
– c.
Damn…you, sir, have been busy!
Congratulations on everything.
Thanks, @Brian!
Dude! Dude! Dudely McDude!
One massive congratulations. One tiny commiserations. And a whole fistful of flatulations.
Now throw me some work
*full scale happy dance* That is great news! Very exciting.
Yayyyy! Looking forward to reading your novel!
Awesome, I so want to be published by angry robot.
WOW! A HUGE Congrats to you sir. Most awesome. Ok, so I just wanna make sure that when I order this book in it’s first edition – you will sign it for me?!?!?! Cause I’m so gonna fedex it to you so I can have the Bearded One’s siggy on it! Oh, and I love the premise of the books. Sounds AMAZING. And I will be able to say, “I knew him when…”
Congrats again! I think 2011 has been a good year for you sir!
Congrats!! I can’t wait to read it!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to read Miriam’s story.
Thanks, everybody! @Kath, sure — signed book, no problem!
This does come at a good time what with Baby B-Dub being less than a month old. He gives me reason to hit my career hard as I can, and the BLACKBIRDS/MOCKINGBIRD deal helps give that some momentum!
– c.
Congratulations!!!
I’m liking the sound of Blackbirds, really cool concept. Also congratulations.
Awesome news man, glad you found a home for it!!!
Now, when is the third book coming out?
wooohoooooo! :fistbump: congrats, Chuck!! great news!
Congratulations! All your work is paying off!
And if I may say… don’t lacquer lederhosen. You’re supposed to dump beer on your crotch to clean it. Or so I’ve been told…
Congratulations, man.
This is just beyond wonderful.
Well done, Chuck! Going to read DD Ch 1 right now…
That is just excellent news! Huge congratulations!! Can’t wait to read Blackbirds when it comes out.
This. Is. Fucking. Awesome. Full stop.
I asked Dylan Schaffer to review one of my novels, but then his wife had a baby. I asked Chuck Wendig to write a guest blog post for me, but then his wife had a baby. I… HAVE… THE POWER!
Congratulations Chuck! Great timing, what with the B-Dub’s arrival and all.
Me, I was already salivating about ‘Double Dead’, and now there’s this in the pipeline as well? Good times.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*ahem*
Congratulations, man.
First, congratulations! I love what Angry Robot has published recently, so I don’t doubt I’ll love your books. Second, you had me at Veronica Mars. I like what you’re thinking (writing?). Third, your son must be pooping himself with joy. Then again, he’s probably doing that anyway…
Beard on, friend.
Twitter has tasked me with providing all of their squee today. So I shall. I was going to don my old cheerleader uniform but, well, the last time I was a cheerleader was 3rd grade for pop warner, and that’s just not going to fit. Nevertheless, I am proud and delighted to say:
Chuck!
Chuck!
He’s our man!
If his beard can’t do it,
Nothing can!
Goooooooooooooooooooooo Chuck!
Wooooohoooooo =) Congratulations, twitter friend.
Well done, dude.
Congratulations!
That is seriously awesome news!!! Congratulations and I’ll be stalking the bookstore once they hit the shelves.
Congratulations. That is fantastic news.
Congratulations, sir! Your praises shall be sung in the halls! Stories shall be told of your great feats! Tales shall be spun about that time in Reno when you did that thing with the sandwich that got you arrested on an obscenity charge…
Okay, maybe not that.
Glad to hear you are in such fine company, sir. You will make waves. Waves, I say! And not just those pissy little ripples you get when toddlers discover the can make the water yellow in the kiddie pool.
Thanks, everybody. This is definitely some crazy good news. Like I said, nice to know I’ll be able to afford diapers for this kid in the foreseeable future.
(And by “this kid,” I mean, of course, me.)
– c.
Damn, that is some fine news. If Blackbirds and Mockingbird are even half as good as your other stuff I’ll be one of the first in line to buy a copy. Good to hear about the White Wolf stuff too.
That’s great news Chuck! So happy for you
This is so awesome. I know BLACKBIRDS has been out there for what feels like way too long, but I just knew that it’d pay off. You’re too damned good to let sit for long!
I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Fantastic and congratulations! I’ll eagerly await being able to pick up a copy.
That’s awesome news! Congratulations!
Awesome Chuck! Congrats!
Awesome news! You’re amazeballs, btw. I’ve been lurking for a little while and I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time. Today seemed like a reasonable time to comment. Your success gives me hope for my own someday – even if it is an empty, self-deluded hope! Congrats. Can’t wait to read it!
This is terrific news! I’ll look forward to “spit-in-the-eye-of-fate” Miriam Black. Congratulations!
Yay! Congrats and confetti and beer and whipped cream and other fun stuff indicative of a celebration! YAY!
(And look! I’m not even huddled in the corner seething with jealousy, like I thought I would be. Aren’t YOU lucky, you!)
And also congrats on your 9,000-word day. I love those. Those days are awesome days.
I will echo what I said on twitter: holy shit, congrats!! I’m definitely going to jump on a copy when it comes out!
Chuck, that is awesome. Congrats, and beard the fuck on!
Congratulations. Can’t wait to read both of them! Glad to hear Blackbird finally has a home, and an awesome one at that.
Super-awesome. Many congratulations!
Wow, you’re just full of happy tidings lately! Congrats!
Congratulations! Angry Robot Books just sounds so right…
If any news deserved a hale and hearty BEARD THE FUCK ON, it would be this.
Congratulations! awesome news for you, fan-fucking-tastic!
Congrats!
Congratulations, Kiddo… you’re on fire! : )
Woohoo! Congratulations man. Anything I can do to support it will be done; including leading an army on Segways into Mordor (apparently you can’t just walk into Mordor).
This is well deserved.
Beard the fuck on, dawg. That’s great news.
–
Patrick
Everything’s coming up Milhouse. Er. I mean Wendig. Congratulations, good sir!
Also, those novellas? I’d be all over those like stink on shit.
BTFO, indeed.
Holy cock waffles, that’s awesome news. BTFO, man. Keep it coming.
Woot and well done Wendig. Beard the Fuck on my good chum. I am curious about codename: POPCORN.
More work from you for White Wolf? IT MUST BE MINE!
[...] yesterday’s big news regarding BLACKBIRDS, I figured that doing a flash fiction challenge slightly in-theme wasn’t [...]
[...] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/06/16/i-am-the-monkey-on-the-back-of-an-angry-robot/ [...]
[...] robots? Because he’s getting published by Angry Robots, which is so great!! I fell in love with Wendig’s writing the first time I read his blog and [...]
congratulations! that’s great news.
Congratulations, that’s wonderful!