Out — at long last! — in audio format: The Age of Ra. Published by W.F. Howes and available via Amazon, Audible, and Audiobooks.com (as well as other outlets, I’m sure), the book is read excellently by Andy Cresswell.

The next three Pantheon novels (Zeus, Odin, Aztec) will be released on audio over the coming months, so keep an eye out for them.

Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapletons is my continuation of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The novel is out in September, and here’s the cover image. Courtesy of designer Julia Lloyd, it’s a truly lovely thing.

I’m not going to say much about the story itself, other than it’s set five years on from the events of the original and once again Holmes and Watson must travel to Dartmoor to confront the depredations of some marauding, mythical monster.

Publication of my third Firefly novel, The Ghost Machine, is imminent.

(And by “imminent” I mean 28th April.)

That’s the good news. The even better news is that Barnes & Noble will be selling an exclusive edition which not only has an alternative cover but bonus content as well.

The cover you will see here on the right, and very pretty it is too. I like the standard cover a lot, but the blue background and solar system patterning add further stylishness.

One part of the bonus content is a series of recipes, which, if you know anything about my culinary skills, you will be pleased to learn I am not responsible for. What I am responsible for is the other part, a short story written specially for the book. It’s called “Haven and Hell” and, as you may be able to guess from the title, features Derrial Book. It’s a nice little tale focusing on everyone’s favourite preacher-slash-badass that ties in thematically with the novel’s narrative.

So far the edition will be available only to book buyers in the US, but there is the possibility of it being available in the UK too. More on that when I have confirmation.

Christmas is coming, and if you haven’t bought your copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon yet, why not? It’s the perfect festive read and, indeed, gift.

Meanwhile, here’s a picture of the Christmas tree at Titan House, where the lovely Titan Books people are clearly on Santa’s “nice” list. Why else would he have left them such wonderful presents?

My author copies of Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon have arrived and are looking beautiful. From the dustjacket to the endpapers to the flyleaf, every element of the design — courtesy of Julia Lloyd — is a marvel. It’s out at the end of October, and I insist wholeheartedly that you rush out and buy a copy.

Pleased to announce that Firefly: Big Damn Hero has been nominated for a Dragon Award in the Best Media Tie-in category.

Now, I’m not saying you SHOULD register and cast a vote for it in the Best Media Tie-in Novel category. I’m not saying anyone is OBLIGED to. All I’m saying is: ask yourself, what would Mal Reynolds do?

Truly exceptional work here by designer Julia Lloyd. I can’t wait for finished copies to arrive. This book is going to look gorgeous inside and out.

And it’s a pretty damn good read, too, if I say so myself.

Here’s me, talking to Jamie Davis at Fantasy Focus about, well, pretty much everything I’ve done career-wise. Or at least as much of it as could be fitted into 31 minutes’ conversation. Some great questions were asked, and some more or less coherent answers given. It’s a sign of incipient old age, surely, that I failed to remember properly the order in which the Pantheon novels were published. Anyway, listen at your leisure, if you wish.