[7RQ] Books Books Books / Mars Cops / Kazakhstan!

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Yikes, it’s been a while. I was in New York for NYCC all last week, and jet lag kicked my arse for six when I returned home, so stand by for lots o’ links.

First, though, I’m pleased to report that some Manhattan neighbourhoods continue to misunderstand when the end of the month occurs:

CHEAP THRILLS

My spy thriller THE EXPHORIA CODE is part of Kobo’s “Cheap Thrills” ebook promotion (LOL, geddit). Until October 17 you can grab a copy for just 99p.

(I have no idea how widespread this promotion is; if you’re outside the UK and can’t get it, sorry.)
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-exphoria-code

BEHIND ON MY READING

According to my calendar it’s week 41 of 2018, and according to Goodreads I’ve read 37 books so far this year, so I’m a little behind my (never especially solid) one book per week target. Still, though; not bad.

I’m also halfway through the next (Book 1 of Andrew Wheeler’s VALENTIN & THE WIDOW series, which I highly recommend) and I’m planning a catch-up GN binge soon, which will bump up the numbers somewhat…!

If you want to follow me on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/260479-antony?shelf=read

ATOMIC BRUNETTE

Fun video from Monique Ganderton (Charlize Theron’s stunt double in ATOMIC BLONDE) on life as a stunt performer, and becoming Marvel's first female stunt co-ordinator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGY5VmbNaUY

IS THERE CRIME ON MARS?

It’s pretty much a given that any settlement of humans needs some kind of rules/law enforcement; people don’t stop committing crimes just because they’re living in “non-normal spaces”, including… um… space. That’s the essential premise of THE FUSE — no matter how far in the future you are, put half a million people in a floating tin box and sooner or later a dead body or three will turn up.

So I enjoyed this piece in the Atlantic by Geoff Manaugh, an extensive article on policing and law on hypothetical Mars (and other) settlements. It meanders a little in places, but it’s well worth a read if “sci-fi crime” is your bag, and even goes into the question of jurisdictionally — which I largely sidestepped in THE FUSE by having the cops work for a local force overseen by a global organisation. These problems are so easy to solve when you’re a writer.

Of course, writers also embellish like crazy, and the truth is that much like crime right here on earth, reality will be much more mundane than we make out in stories. But that’s probably a good thing.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/09/mars-pd/569668/

THE DARKEST CITY

Over at The Incomparable, I joined a panel to discuss one of my all-time favourite films, Alex Proyas’ 1998 classic DARK CITY. If you’ve never seen it, I strongly recommend you do before listening to this episode, as it’s completely spoiler-riffic (and the movie really is an under-appreciated classic).

I also recommend you listen to me raving about it on one of the special “birthday episodes” of UNJUSTLY MALIGNED. Because of course.
https://www.theincomparable.com/theincomparable/425/ http://ump.fm/61

SHOUT AT THE DEVIL

Meanwhile, the latest edition of THRASH IT OUT covers Mötley Crüe’s 1983 breakthrough album SHOUT AT THE DEVIL. Regular listeners will know that hair/glam metal/cock rock really isn’t my kind of thing. But you might be surprised by (some of) my thoughts on this one:
https://thrashitoutpodcast.com/episodes/4-4

OCT 20-21: ALMACON, KAZAKHSTAN (!)

Salban Books, who publish the Russian-language edition of THE COLDEST CITY, have invited me to Kazakhstan for this year’s AlmaCon. I kind of doubt any of you reading this are in that neck of the woods… but you never know!

(Fun fact: the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is effectively ‘home base’ for Midway City in THE FUSE, being the launch pad for most of the station’s original construction materials, and also the majority of commercial flights. Alas, the cosmodrome isn’t accessible to visitors, so I won’t be able to see it for myself.)

At the request of the organisers, I made a video. Watch me fumble my way through basic Kazakh phrases!
Bad Kazakh: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn266RVHxPB/ Good Kazakh: http://taplink.cc/almacon.kz

NOV 17-18: WRITERS GAME, DUBLIN

I’ve been asked to deliver a talk at next month's ‘Writers Game’ conference in Dublin. Not entirely sure which day or time I’ll be appearing yet, but I’ll be discussing the differences and similarities between writing different media like comics, film, games, etc; and why being able to do so is vital to a successful career as a writer in today’s landscape.
Website: https://writersgame.media/ Tickets: https://writersgame2018dublin.eventbrite.com

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