I’ve been quiet but busy.

As you may have noticed, artist Vincent Sammy has been steadily supplying replacement artwork for the main Human Legion series. It’s not just the image on the front: the paperback covers have been redesigned, and some of the front and back matter of the books redone (which is fancy publishing talk for the bits that go before and after that actual story – the story hasn’t changed). It’s been a lot of work for both of us (OK, mostly for Vincent) but I’m pleased to say the work is finally complete and I can show it off in all its glory. Thanks, Vincent. I’d buy you a pint but it’s a long way to Cape Town and I don’t know whether they serve a decent pint of Bass there.

I hope you think he’s done a good job. I’d love to know which one of the new covers you prefer.

Legion Bulletin #17 was delivered to Legionary inboxes on Friday 23^rd, featuring a new Battle of Earth prequel short story called I Hum the Future, and a reading of an extract from the next Revenge Squad novel. I’ll be doing another prequel short story next time.

I hope you like them. It might seem strange to write short stories when I’m supposed to be working on the novel, but I want to get these stories off my mind while they’re in there. You see, I could easily have written The Battle of Earth as a 1200-page doorstop of a book. Or bigger. I seem to have spent half my time cutting things out so that only the most exciting and most important threads are left. Most of the prequels are ideas that didn’t make it in, and in most cases there are references to the prequels in the main novel, if you look closely.

If you haven’t yet signed up to the Legionaries group, then that’s not a problem. You can do so here, and grab all past editions of the Bulletin.

The Bulletin name, by the way, came from a guy called Napoleon Bonaparte (you need to scroll down at the linked page to see the Bulletin from 1812): http://passionnapoleon.xooit.com/t127-Bulletin-de-la-Grande-Armee.htm

In other news, JR Handley is on course to get the first draft of the final Sleeping Legion novel delivered during July. It’s looking like the final book in the series, although we have a big, fat idea of a sequel series if there’s the demand.

And apologies to anyone waiting for the new Revenge Squad novel, Second Strike. The developmental editor was afflicted by real life and has been delayed, but it looks like I’ll be switching back to Revenge Squad to finish off the book later in June. By that point I’ll be about 2/3rds through writing The Battle of Earth.

Last but not least, I attended an annual convention last weekend called Lavecon. It was excellent fun, and I highly recommend it. I took a friend and a son and played plenty of video, VR, and boardgames. Star Munchkin and Artemis Bridge Simulator were my faves. I did a panel. Did a reading too. If you want to hear me read from my next novel (Second Strike) you can see and hear it at the link I’m about to give you. Some warnings: it will probably start off with an advert, the sound cuts in an out for about two minutes until a tech turns up the volume, there’s a beard, and it’s almost 20 minutes long. You can find it here.

Oh, and I recently did a podcast interview here.

Thanks for listening. Tim.