News Straight From My Inbox To Your Eyes!

I’ve been beaten to the punch on this a couple of times already (which makes a mockery of the post title, I liked it though) but it is exciting news and worth repeating, at least as far as I’m concerned. Check it out.

From the press release,

 

Best-selling author Eric Brown has created a brand new shared world for Abaddon Books: Weird Space.

This thrilling space-opera series will begin in June 2012 with the release of The Devil's Nebula by the best-selling author of Helix, Engineman and The Kings of Eternity.

In the first book in this epic new series, Brown will introduce readers to the human smugglers,  veterans and ne’erdowells who are part of the Expansion – and their uneasy neighbours, the Vetch Empire.

When an evil race threatens not only the Expansion, but the Vetch too - an evil from another dimension which infests humans and Vetch alike and bends individuals to do their hideous bidding, only cooperation between them means the difference between a chance of survival and no chance at all.

Brown has meticulously created a massive shared world of interstellar potential, which other writers will explore with each new book.

With the launch of this new SF epic, Abaddon is adding to its series of shared worlds which already include the post-apocalyptic The Afterblight Chronicles, the new take on Arthurian legend Malory’s Knights of Albion, the World War One soldiers marooned on an alien world in No Man’s World, steampunk adventure in Pax Britannia, the zombie-infested Tomes of the Dead and the fantasy quests of the Twilight of Kerberos.

Eric Brown said:

"It's great to be part of the team working for Abaddon on the Weird Space project, and it's a fantastic imaginative opportunity to be developing the background and working on the first novel, The Devil's Nebula. The Weird is vast in scope - borrowing on an age-old tradition of everything that's best is space-opera - and will allow the writers to tell exciting, human stories set against an eerie, thrilling, futuristic back-drop. I'm more than a little excited at being part of the team!"

Jonathan Oliver, editor-in-chief of Abaddon, said:

“Eric is such a terrific writer that it's a great honour to be welcoming him to the Abaddon fold. The vast scope of this series and the richness of Eric's writing will mean that this will be a space-opera like no other.”

 

Not only is it Space Opera (there doesn’t seem to much of that about at the moment although maybe I’m looking in the wrong places...),  it sounds like just my kind of Space Opera and I’ll be keeping an eye open for this next year. Looks like another excellent addition to the Abaddon line.  I haven’t read any of Eric Brown’s previous works though, are they worth checking out?

 

The following email also found it’s way into my inbox and I figured the sporting thing to do would be to let you know about it even though my chances of winning would be increased if you didn’t. I’m going to have a crack at this, how about you...?

 

Epic Flash Fiction Competition: Submissions open

 

Sharpen your swords, conjure intoxicating brews, and get ready to tame your dragons. We are on the hunt for flash fiction at its most epic and inviting submissions of original and previously unpublished high fantasy stories of up to 1000 words.

 

First Prize: Your story will be published and narrated in September’s edition of Dark Fiction Magazine. Prize Money: £25.00 Yes, that’s Twenty Five Whole English Pounds.

 

Second Prize: Your story will be published and narrated in September’s edition of Dark Fiction Magazine. Prize Money: £15.00 Yes, that’s Fifteen Whole English Pounds.

 

Third Prize: Your story will be published and narrated in September’s edition of Dark Fiction Magazine. Prize Money: £10.00 Yes…well, you get the point..

 

A shortlist will be drawn up from entries received. We are delighted to announce the winning entries will selected from the shortlist by a guest judge (to be announced soon).

 

The closing date for submissions is Midnight on Wednesday 31st August 2011.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 7th September 2011, with winning stories published in Dark Fiction Magazine on Wednesday 14th September 2011.

 

Submit stories via the ‘Submission Form‘ at http://darkfictionmagazine.submishmash.com/submit/6971/account

You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must be submitted separately.

All entrants will need a paypal account in order receive prize money in the event of winning.

 

Battles on windswept plains, dark wizards, knights in gilded armour, spirited princesses, peasant boys destined to be king…magic us inside the world of Epic Fantasy with the very best flash-fiction you can conjure and we’ll pray we live to tell the tale!

 

For more information please visit: http://www.darkfictionmagazine.co.uk/blog/epic-flash-fiction-competition-submissions-open/

 

Good luck to those entering!