Moved to wordpress

Prior to publishing I'm consolidating my online presence and moving this blog to http://jamescalbraith.wordpress.com/ - see you there!

Publishing plans

I have the full cover now, (can't link from mobile, will add later) so "The Shadow of Black Wings" is good to go. I hope to have it out in July if all goes well. That's exactly two years in the making! :)

Editorial review

I got my editorial review at last. All I can say is quote Gandalf: 'and I am already weary!'

I thought the end was near, but it's going to be a tough few weeks. Lots of rewrites, lots of rethinks. Getting to grips with structure and writing deficiencies. It's showing now that I don't really possess a native speaker's vocabulary - one more hurdle to jump over.

Can't overlook the positives, of course - getting my writing praised by a guy who worked with the likes of Moorcock and G.G.Kay must count for something.

But ugh, more work!

One tries one's best: ABNA semi-final review

ABNA Publishers Weekly Reviewer
The destinies of three youths are entwined in this enchanting tale set in a mythical Japan filled with dragons, magic, and ceremony. The Prydain boy Bran has just finished his secondary education and is unsure of his future. In the land of Yamato, Sato is a girl warrior prodigy hoping to inherit her father’s land rather than be married off. Sato’s friend Nagomi, training to be a priestess, is haunted by a disturbing vision of dragons and destruction that she must keep secret. With descriptions like a character who “sang a droning chant and clapped her hands in a slow deliberate rhythm, the tiny brass bells around her wrists ringing in unison,” this manuscript is full of highly crafted detail that will make readers shiver at times with fear and delight. The multiple points of view create a sense of vastness that is felt keenly in this story about characters from opposite hemispheres whose fates come together. However, a host of other points of view pop up throughout the novel, muddling the characters established in the beginning of the story. Yet with prophecy and destiny, young heroines and Japanese poetry, this novel is a familiar yet highly original fantasy that is a worthwhile read.


One thing I'm slightly disappointed with is the length. I was hoping the semi-final review would be a tad longer. But I can't complain about the rest. The multiple PoVs will be the make-or-break of this book and it's a gamble I'm prepared to make. If that works, everything else should as well.

Once more, unto the breach...

Into the valley of death, rode the five thousand.

Fifty remained. 'The Shadow of Black Wings', remarkably and quite surprisingly, among them.

The breakdown of the General Fiction semi-finalists proves that my choice of category (young adult) was the right one. As Fantasy, it would perish utterly. Only one novel got through, and it can hardly be described as fantasy (telepathy in rural environment is a domain of 1960's sci-fi). 5 science fictions and 2 historical fictions make General Fiction is a boring wasteland :)

Surprised at how many of the 'crowd favourites' have not gone through. It only goes to show... something. Not sure what.

First cover sketch

I got the first sketch for the cover of volume one. It's looking awesome, better than most commercial covers these days. Here's a sneak preview.

Agent's feedback

I've received feedback for the entire manuscript from one of the agents. Yay! She didn't think it right for her. Boo! But she loved the language and world-building - double yay, considering I'm writing in my second language.

The plot is too slow, not suspenseful enough, too many characters. These are all valid points, I guess. I'm still waiting for four more feedbacks - two beta readers, one paid editor and PW's review for ABNA. I expect them to be on similar topics, really. By the end of this month I should have a lot to think about for the next redraft.

 -*-

I'm slightly losing track of my rejections. One from Marsh Agency, one more from Marjacq.