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Editor Hunter O’Connell interviews author James Hornby about the first instalment of Cwej: Hidden Truths, The Midas Touch.
Q: What can you tell us about the book? A: The core of the story is a race against time to save Larles from a parasite that has given her powerful telekinetic abilities, but is also killing her. The rest is a fast-paced adventure across time and space. Q: How did you find the writing process? A: An absolute blast. Hunter gave me the initial concept of Larles and the parasite, beyond that I was free to do anything I wanted with the story. At the time I thought The Midas Touch might be my only shot at writing something in the universe of Doctor Who, so I pulled upon everything I’d wanted to see in a Doctor Who book whilst growing up: fun, mystery, and above all, adventure. Funnily enough, I finished writing The Midas Touch back in 2020, the day the UK lockdowns started. The book has been pushed back quite a bit due to scheduling reasons, but I hope it’s been worth the wait! Q: What should readers expect from The Midas Touch? A: In the past I’ve called The Midas Touch my love letter to the Eighth Doctor Adventures. That’s certainly true in a lot of ways: it features some characters I really wish we’d have seen more of during that series. It’s also the story I created Dionus for, who has since gone on to appear in lots of other stories. Q: What are you most proud of about your story? A: Using characters created by Lance Parkin. When I became a fan of Doctor Who, his books were some of the first I read, and most definitely shaped the Whovian I am today. I was nervous at first about getting in touch with Lance to use his concepts, but I shouldn’t have been. Lance was so kind and generous; I remember jumping up and down with excitement on my break at the day job when I received his reply. I guess sometimes you should meet your heroes! Q: Is there anything else we should know about The Midas Touch? A: There is, and it’s something you won’t find in the book: at one stage during the writing process I, very temporarily, was allowed a Fitz Kreiner cameo by BBC Books. A draft did exist of this version, before someone higher up decided it wasn’t to be. Q: Where else can we find your work? A: I’ve done a lot of work for Arcbeatle Press, some other stories for Cwej that take place before this one, and I’m also the range editor for the SIGNET series. Beyond Arcbeatle, I’ve written some Doctor Who charity stories for Altrix Books, Pencil Tip Publishing, and a UNIT short story for Candy Jar Books.
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Arcbeatle Press hits April with two spin-off novels in the form of SIGNET: Unstoppable by prolific Doctor Who author John Peel, and Cwej: The Midas Touch by James Hornby.
Unstoppable is the second book in the SIGNET series, following 2023’s Night of the Yssgaroth. SIGNET follows a privately funded organisation fighting alien incursions and investigating the supernatural. “John was originally asked to write Unstoppable for another series at Arcbeatle Press,” explains SIGNET creator and range editor James Hornby. “A restructuring in our output led the book to become a SIGNET adventure, and it’s all the better for it. John has put lots of thought into how the plot would affect our characters, and he really puts them through the wringer.” Unstoppable sees the SIGNET team investigate a series of resurrections across the globe, as well as teaming up with their cousins across the seas, the JDS. “I’m so pleased to see the JDS get their time in the limelight,” says publisher James Wylder. “They were inspired by the best parts of public service, something more important than ever to show. The Jovian Diplomatic Service shares the same ideals SIGNET has — but gives something new compared to the alien investigation groups you're used to!” “The most vicious and amoral drug dealer on Earth has just been found guilty of his crimes and legally executed. But he won’t stay dead… Is he now Unstoppable? He’s just the first to return from beyond the undiscovered country. Is it a good thing to have the dead returned? Or is this plague of resurrections Unstoppable? There’s an alien killer loose on Earth. He’ll do anything at all to reach his target, and kill anyone in his way. He’s impervious to bullets, grenades and anything else in the arsenal. Is he Unstoppable? Earth’s only hope is the understaffed, under-armed and under-appreciated team at SIGNET. But can they prevent all the death — and life! — and misery currently facing the human race? Could it possibly be that they are Unstoppable?” Arcbeatle’s second April release, Cwej: The Midas Touch is the first instalment of Hidden Truths, a new epoch in the life of the Adjudicator come temporal agent, continuing on from the epic conclusion of Down the Middle. Hidden Truths will consist of five novels published into four separate volumes, to be collected into one hardcover at a later date. “Cwej has been my life for the past half-a-decade,” says range editor Hunter O’Connell. “To be able to release this novel is truly an honor. And what a novel it is! Larles and Kwol get some excellent development thanks to author James Hornby’s unparalleled character work. An incredible adventure is going to reach through the page, and captivate you all.” “I’ve previously called The Midas Touch my love letter to the Eighth Doctor Adventures,” says author James Hornby. “Readers will see some definite references to that era of Doctor Who history, but the heart of the novel is definitely the connection between our main characters, in an adventure that takes them all over time and space.” SIGNET: Unstoppable will be available on 8 April and Cwej: The Midas Touch on 21 April, in ebook and print formats in most territories. Preorders for the Kindle editions are now open, with the print versions available for sale on the day of release. Inquiries can be send to [email protected]
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Hello! I am Plum, I am going to be interviewing you via text. [ominous robot voice] Please State Your Name and Story for the Record. I am Xavier Llewellyn, author of the short story Snowfall, the third story within The Christmas Codex. What drew you to this series or project initially? Genuinely, the fictional worlds depicted within Arcbeatle Press’ books are extraordinarily compelling to me, as through an array of voices, new and old, tell complex and interesting stories — genuine page turners — which include rich and nuanced characters and ideas. I don’t say this as if I’ve a biased motive; my respect and appreciation is truly that of a fan. I’ve been keeping up with Arcbeatle for a while — having been here since the days of the Cyberon novelisation — and have licensed out some of my own characters and concepts for use in published stories. Now, I’ve always been on the look-out for any opportunities to contribute fully to the projects, and between A Christmas Codex and something else I’m probably not at liberty to discuss, have been perfect for me. What makes your story different or special? I know that’s a broad question, but work with me here. I would consider what makes Snowfall different from the rest of Arcbeatle’s output is that, while it is in continuity with Arcbeatle’s Doctor Who spin-offs (specifically S.I.G.N.E.T.), it isn’t meant to truly be part of any ongoing range so I had the freedom to create an all-new character, Luna Montgomerie, through whom you see the world. I wanted to make Snowfall a character-driven piece, so I explored her bottled trauma and her isolation with her grandfather, Pierre. I also felt a strong desire for well-written transgender representation. There is barely any in the media as a whole and surprisingly for the worlds of even Doctor Who, there are less than a few dozen. Luna is transfeminine, and I specifically sought to showcase the intricacies of her identity in modern and accurate terms. As someone who is having a lot of introspective thoughts on identity, I’ve tried to pull from my own experiences and ideas, to really give Luna humanity. She’s more than a character to me, really. I would linger on the fact that this story is also set in Birmingham, a city which despite being the UK’s second largest, is rarely seen in fiction — but you see, Birmingham is still Birmingham and I don’t think anyone deserves to have to suffer going there, let alone having to learn about it. (I jest a bit, as admittedly its history is interesting; Sheffield has its steel, Birmingham has cars and jewellery.) Do you plan things out meticulously or write by the seat of your pants and let the characters guide you? Did your writing process surprise you? To say that I plan ahead wouldn’t be… entirely accurate. It’s not that I don’t have notes or a general idea of where I want to take the plot, but I often find that I have interesting premises for stories while having less ideas on how to wrap everything up into a satisfying conclusion. I find that redrafting large chunks does tend to help. Is there a writer or a creative artist that inspires you? A series? A part of life? I wouldn’t pin my inspirations on any one person or source. It’s an amalgamation of basically everything I’ve learnt, experienced and read about in my life. That being said I fell in love with Paul Magrs’s stories years ago, and his holistic perspective that the lives of everyone crossover and intertwine, and how they were incorporated into his fiction, stuck with me. It informed how I write stories a lot. Snowfall story has a reunion, it has first meetings, it has friendships and it has family. I would assert that there is a rich depth to the connections. It’s not just Magrs though. I really want to portray characters who have true-to-life experiences, with loss, self doubt and issues, whilst also having the ability to understand something is wrong and want to do something about it. I want to incorporate even a fraction of the crap anyone who isn’t a cisgender white man has to put up with, such as transphobia and queerphobia (although these elements don’t play a significant role in the story they are still brought up). It’s not a good world we live in yet, in spite of its issues, we can move towards a better future. As I’ve already said, Luna’s characterisation pulls from own experiences. While they only appear briefly, Epsilon is a character named after a young adult novel when I was a little kid when my school was insisting I had to read those Golden Key books, despite them being incredibly simplistic to my level of literacy. I picture Pierre being played by Ralph Fiennes. I could go on and on about the small things but I think I’d be here all day. Oddity keeps me going. What’s something strange and unusual about your work? Well, there is definitely something going on with that fizzy drink, Gevity. How on Earth does fruit pop give people the ability to see overwritten versions of time? And what’s with Epsilon? Are they responsible, or are they clearing up the mess someone else made? Time will tell. Speaking of oddities, I have an exceedingly random question for you here. What’s your favorite colour? No, seriously. This used to be very important when we were young, I have to know. I’ve no good answer. It used to be blue, but that is really linked to gender normativity and in a sense therefore I want to say pink, to rebel from it, but really the colours that I think actually suit me best are forest green, mustard yellow, charcoal black and burnt orange. An intersection of bright and subdued tones. Writers are often described as having to kill their darlings. Is there anything you had to cut that you wish you didn’t? Anything that didn’t fit quite the way you wanted to? Apart from the rewritten ending (I’ll get into details about this later), I was able to incorporate everything I wanted to except for one really small thing. The book Luna was reading at the dining room table was meant to be a true crime book about Walter White, the main character of Breaking Bad, to fit in with my overarching idea that that show shares a universe with this one. It didn’t really fit the tone of the story though so I prevented its title from being revealed. Still canonical that she was reading a book about Walter White though. Fight me. Do you get writer’s block? Sometimes. There’s one story I’m working on that, while I have an idea for its set up, have absolutely zero idea how to actually write the antagonist and how the protagonist defeats them. That story has been bugging me for well over a year. A similar problem exists with a newer story idea I have, but I think with a bit of brainstorming and workshopping it can work. Otherwise I mostly get writer’s procrastination. Projects build up and I put them off and I barely scrape by. There is a Jenny Everywhere story I’m working on that I had intended to release over a month ago and I need to rewrite it from the ground up. Whoops. What’s your dream job? Is it to write a particular thing or is it to do something else entirely? Really it would just be being an author. And then I’d like to write an equal amount of my own standalone works and tie-in media. Always loved reading and now I have the ability to actually write stories for other people! (If they’re any good remains to be seen, haha.) I also would’ve liked to be involved in television and film production but alas, education is for the rich and I didn’t fancy going into life-long debt. (Thank you capitalism!) Do your characters have secrets? Do we know those secrets? Pierre definitely has secrets; this story made no secret of that. Pun intended. It makes sense that he does, given he worked for a French organisation that researched strange phenomena over the latter half of the 20th century. Luna is more tricky. She certainly keeps things internalised, which compounds into her own self doubt, but the causes of this aren’t exactly hidden. Although it wasn't revealed in this story, Luna has gone through experiences she hasn’t confided in anyone else about. Although Epsilon’s motivations aren’t diegetically secret, they are secrets to the readers currently. You might be able to piece together an idea of what those motivations are through the character’s other appearances, but I will say this: you are looking at an incomplete puzzle. Basically there are a lot of things that have yet to be revealed. I hope they live up to expectations. Have you, or any of your characters, seen the 2007 animated feature film The Bee Movie? I have, multiple times. I, um, actually think the film has a surprisingly progressive environmental theme that showcases how humans abuse animals for industry and profit. Putting aside its façade of jokes, it's actually quite meaningful. Luna? Yes, she can recite quotes from the film in French. “‘Travailler à travers elle comme toute émotion: La colère, la jalousie… la convoitise.’ Oh, and! ‘Que diriez-vous d'un pacte de suicide?’” Pierre? Nope, he has no idea it exists. “Have I watched a b-movie? I suppose so, I’ve watched late-night television before…” Gérard? When Luna was little. “The Bee Movie? I remember that. Wasn’t that the film with the guy from Seinfeld?” Charles Zoltan? I’d like to imagine he saw it recently when Olivia binged Earth cinema. “You know, bees aren’t the only animals that are actually capable of speaking English. Cats, for example…” Epsilon? I can’t imagine how you’d even ask the question. If you did however… “You have, against all odds and my best efforts, managed to locate and seek an audience with myself to have the imprudence to ask… if I’ve watched a film from that one planet that continues to irritate me? What do you mean, that’s ‘not an answer’? If you know what is good for you, leave this damned place and have the sense to never be in my line of sight again.” When did you write your first story? Was it when you were young, or was it last year? What do you consider to be your first story? Are you proud of it? I can’t remember my first; I’ve been writing for fun for years. I’ve many old things I wrote for college and for fun, in varying states of completeness. I also told stories through other means — y’know the Alien Wars cards in my story? They’re my new take on these homemade trading cards I created when I was a little kid. They were just called Alien back then, and I made all sorts of things like a Monopoly clone, a magazine, a card binder, drawings of themed cafes and of in-universe scenes such as the aliens incompetently attacking a building full of Wall-E-like robots. How much do you redraft your work? It’s often said that writing is rewriting. How many iterations did you go through to bring us what we see now? Here we go, I've got a fun answer. I’ll let you in on a secret: it had a completely different ending.. Originally the story was less than half of its current length, and ended after Pierre left Luna to go to York and she was left in Birmingham, while it snowed. This… wasn’t very good. It didn’t fit with how I had characterised Pierre, and really it was terribly anti-climatic and fast, and didn’t even begin to resolve the emotional arc that I set up with Pierre and Luna. So I basically rewrote it so much the story doubled in length, and — putting myself in the shoes of a reader — thought about what I would find actually enjoyable to read. That’s how the story came to include Luna taking Pierre to her home, where the uncomfortable truth that neither Luna or Gérard (Luna’s Dad) were not handling the death of Luna’s Mum healthily at all, leading to Pierre’s resolve to help however he could. I am far prouder of this ending and I hope that Arcbeatle’s readers prefer it too. I don’t regret it at all. Otherwise the first half of the story remained, in broad strokes, the same as the original draft, but refined and pruned to ensure it was “up to snuff”. A27 / the Warsong and Cwej both have storied and detailed backgrounds. How familiar are you with their prior work? Is there another piece with these characters that you particularly enjoy? Admittedly the Arcbeatle works I am most familiar with belonged to the P.R.O.B.E. and Cyberon ranges. Cyberon was honestly really damn good and I remember how hard it was to put down, one time, when I was on a train leaving Birmingham, coincidentally enough. Bit unfortunate about this post-BBV, but my enjoyment of those remains unmitigated. As for A27, I’m about 3/5s of the way through And Today, You and Sang Mi is someone that needs to be protected at all costs. And I don’t like the fact that the book is set some years before a major war, if I’m not mistaken. Nothing bad can happen to her, right? I’ve read more stories with Chris Cwej. I’ve entered the series in probably not the best way, as I have actually never read any of the Virgin New Adventures nor listened to any of the Big Finish Productions audio dramas that feature the character; my first story with Chris was Arcbeatle’s A Bright White Crack. Felt a bit like I had jumped in at the deep end but I ended up enjoying the story regardless. Since then, I’ve read an odd assortment of stories with the character, although I have still yet to attempt any main entries in Cwej: The Series. Is your story exactly as you imagined it? Is it different? Well, as I said before, I rewrote the ending after technically finishing Snowfall so I would say it's a safe bet that it wasn’t as anticipated. Can the main character of your story defeat seventeen rabid wolves? The wolves are hungry. Not sure how exactly it would go down, but considering that werewolf fiction is very queer coded (wolves, werewolves, tomato tomato) Luna would distract a pack of seventeen rabid, hungry wolves with oestrogen supplements. She’d figure something out. Besides, there are no wild wolves in the United Kingdom. She’d be fine. Which character do you have the hardest time understanding? The least? I feel writing Charles Zoltan was the hardest. As he is a character I haven’t created, I had to work with James Hornby to ensure his characterisation was consistent with his vision. Then there is Pierre, who I wouldn’t necessarily say I struggled with — I have a clear idea of what he is like, personality wise — but as he worked for C.R.U.X., a creation of Aristide Twain, I’ve comparable feelings to Zoltan. I just want to make sure I don’t muddle things up. Luna was much easier, as she is my own creation, and similarly with Epsilon, although there are still parts of their backstory I’ve yet to quite pin down. Is there a message you’d like to tell the world? Many, really. But I’m not sure whether going into a tirade about the state of global politics and the harm that is being committed against everyone by the powerful, is entirely appropriate or wanted here. I’ll just say “be empathetic, the rights of minorities do matter and don’t stand for oppression. Don’t give up and don’t give them what they want”. Otherwise, I really hope everyone enjoyed Snowfall and the rest of A Christmas Codex. I’m really proud of how everyone came together to make this book possible and, frankly, it's a soulful and fun collection. Also, drink Gevity. Read "SNowfall" Here! Chris Cwej returns in “Fragments of Totality”, a collection of new short stories, bridging the gap between “Down the Middle” and the adventures to come in “Hidden Truths”.
The anthology’s cover was created by Paul Magrs, known for his prolific work in Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of popular character Iris Wildthyme. Also included in the anthology is “A Message to Panda”, Magrs’ script for an unmade video promotion starring Katy Manning as Iris. “Getting to be among such talented writers is such an honor,” says publisher James Wylder. “I mean, Paul Magrs is here! I think readers will find these fragments to be gems.” "These short, never-before-seen adventures for the Cwej gang have turned out to be an incredible bridge from Down the Middle to the highly anticipated Hidden Truths,” says range editor Hunter O'Connell. "Everyone, both returning faces and new contributors alike, came together and knocked it out of the park. You readers are in for a treat." Far beyond falling down the middle between good and evil, Chris, his friends, and other adventurers like Iris Wildthyme and the Superior physician Dionus, team up in these extra stories which never before made it to print. Stories with cryptocurrency vampires, bus rides through the Bifrost, and nuclear arms trades. From touring the beaten-up timeship La Kraw el Sol, to sitting through an intense and much needed therapy session with Cwej-V, these fragments don’t just make up a whole, but also a whole host of new adventures for the Cwej cast! Cwej: Fragments of Totality will be available for print and Kindle on 18 February, 2025 in most territories. Preorders for the Kindle edition are now open, with the print version available for sale on the day of release. Keep your eyes open for the next Cwej adventure, “The Midas Touch”, landing later this year. Inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
Hello! I am Plum, I am going to be interviewing you via text. [ominous robot voice] Please State Your Name and Story for the Record. Aidan Mason, Cwej: The Judas Bargain What drew you to this series or project initially? Well, the fact that it was a Doctor Who spin-off! I’ve loved the series since I was a kid and the fact that it was a former companion made it all the more tempting. Plus I tried to pitch to Cwej before, but it didn’t work out, so when “Codex” was in development I had to jump on it. The fanboy inside of me was begging! What makes your story different or special? I know that’s a broad question, but work with me here. I think what makes The Judas Bargain so special is that it’s an allegory for fandom and their tendency to try and cut things into “canon”. The Slicers are sort of an allegory for people that are so obsessed with canon they miss out on some great stories. It’s a double edged sword really; it hurts the show because you get people saying, “you can’t do that because [insert story here] from 1965 already did it” OR people say, “well, that [insert story here] doesn’t matter, it’s not ‘canon’ and thus not worth remembering” and in the process degrade the hard work it took to make that book/comic/audio, etc. Both can coexist and that’s the point I’m trying to make in The Judas Bargain. There’s plenty of beautiful EU stories and there’s great TV stories that contradict the EU and vice versa. Let them all exist. It’s part of the beauty of this universe, the variations it provides. If anything, I’d say that Doctor Who isn’t just a series anymore; it’s a genre. A choose-your-own adventure story, if you will. I also like to think I have a different tone in some of my stories than you’d say the traditional Arcbeatle tone is. Not incompatible, but I like to think that I have an edge to mine that helps me stand out just a tiny bit. Maybe that’s me just being a silly college student, but hey, it works for me. Do you plan things out meticulously or write by the seat of your pants and let the characters guide you? Did your writing process surprise you? I tend to plan out the skeleton/backbone of a story, all the major plot beats and character arcs. That way when I’m adding the meat of the story, I have a general structure that keeps me from veering off into a tangled mess. It also gives me a lot of room to work in foreshadowing, that’s something I really like to do. But it also gives me room to improvise if I feel the need to. I can add tons of character moments, deaths for minor characters if I want to, etc, and keep it within the structure I have so it feels satisfying to the reader. Is there a writer or a creative artist that inspires you? A series? A part of life? Tons. Attack on Titan, Doctor Who and related spin-offs (obviously), RENT and Tick Tick Boom, Lord of the Rings Extended Editions, Phantom of the Opera and Star Wars. Oh and the stupid shit people do at my college (university for you Brits). Oddity keeps me going. What’s something strange and unusual about your work? I like bolding impactful words, especially if a character’s placing emphasis on it. I guess it’s kind of symbolic of how I like to do my stories; bold and impactful. When I do something I want it to stick, if that makes sense, I want to make it stand out from the crowd. Speaking of oddities, I have an exceedingly random question for you here. What’s your favorite colour? No, seriously. This used to be very important when we were young, I have to know. Black or green, depending on my mood. Both have a really good aesthetic. Writers are often described as having to kill their darlings. Is there anything you had to cut that you wish you didn’t? Anything that didn’t fit quite the way you wanted to? For Cwej, nothing much was cut. If anything, I’d say more was added between first draft and final draft than cut. That being said, I would’ve liked to perhaps make more mainstream references to the wider universe, but we don’t have the license so it’s a moot point regardless. Do you get writer’s block? All the time. It’s why I haven’t released a book in like two years at this point. College plus the drudgery of day jobs kinda sap the creativity out of me sometimes. Plus there’s just days that mentally I’m not up for it. What’s your dream job? Is it to write a particular thing or is it to do something else entirely? Just to keep on writing and actually have it be my full-time job. I guess showrunning Doctor Who would be amazing. There’s also a few novels/scripts on the pipeline. Stay tuned! Do your characters have secrets? Do we know those secrets? For The Judas Bargain specifically, I guess the secret is if Dasju survived or not. Like I said in the story, it’s all about what you think is true… Have you, or any of your characters, seen the 2007 animated feature film The Bee Movie? You’d have to ask Andy Lane or Hunter O’Connell about our main trio! (laughs) Dasju probably saw it as part of some Old Earth History Class. Maybe it’s enshrined in a future version of the Criterion Collection. TARDIS Wiki editors, this is absolute confirmation that Dasju watched Bee Movie, take note! (further laughs) When did you write your first story? Was it when you were young, or was it last year? What do you consider to be your first story? Are you proud of it? Well are we talking about published or written? Written would probably be a couple Star Wars fan fictions I wrote in first grade as part of a writing class. Published it’s Aesthetic from Arcbeatle’s very own 10,000 Dawns! And I’m very proud of it, though I think I’d give it another draft nowadays. How much do you redraft your work? It’s often said that writing is rewriting. How many iterations did you go through to bring us what we see now? It really depends on how much a client or story needs it. I think Judas Bargain went through two rounds of edits if I remember correctly. A27 / the Warsong and Cwej both have storied and detailed backgrounds. How familiar are you with their prior work? Is there another piece with these characters that you particularly enjoy? Cwej I was decently familiar with, I’ve read a few VNAs and I have the original print of Down the Middle. I actually reread a few of the stories in the anthology before I started writing. Flickering Flame I think is my favorite in the series (apart from mine). Can’t go wrong with an Iris Wildthyme team-up! Is your story exactly as you imagined it? Is it different? It’s pretty close to what I imagined. From the beginning this was intended to be in a shorter, “date” format. I think Hunter or Jim/Jeanne, I can’t remember who, said the limit was a certain number of pages. I tried to fit that originally, but then someone suggested it needed an extra scene or two, so I added that in. Can the main character of your story defeat seventeen rabid wolves? The wolves are hungry. Does Dasju or Cwej have a gun? Cwej probably. Dasju on the other hand would probably be wolf chow if he didn’t have a wandering traveler to save him. Which character do you have the hardest time understanding? The least? I don’t think I have much trouble understanding them if I’m being honest. I might not know them as deeply as some others here, but I get the general character archetypes. I guess ironically enough it’s one of my own, Kaiden. Him and the Slicers, what made them do this? Maybe I could explore that in another story, if I ever get the chance. Is there a message you’d like to tell the world? Read The Judas Bargain! Please, I crave validation 🥺
Hello! I am Plum, I am going to be interviewing you via text. [ominous robot voice] Please State Your Name and Story for the Record. Elizabeth Tock, writer of "Stage Blocking". What drew you to this series or project initially? Jim and I have been friends for years. I was part of the original “10,000 Dawns” project, and when they reached out asking if I wanted to write for this it was a no-brainer. What makes your story different or special? I know that’s a broad question, but work with me here. I guess the level of angst in my story is a lot lower than other works in the Academy 27 verse? Like, in certain ways, mine could fall into any story about high schoolers. The drama (no pun intended) Amelia deals with in “Stage Blocking” is mostly relegated to the A27 high school; unlike the main arc of Sang Mi’s adventures in the series. Do you plan things out meticulously or write by the seat of your pants and let the characters guide you? Did your writing process surprise you? I kind of do both? Sometimes I plan down to what I imagine the character’s are wearing during the course of the story. Sometimes I write different scenes as they come to me and then figure out what order they go in afterwards. I guess what surprised me in this writing “Stage Blocking” was how easy it came to me, as I didn’t have to edit much after the first draft was done. Is there a writer or a creative artist that inspires you? A series? A part of life? Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted author), Tolkien and everyone in the “10,000 Dawns” project honestly. Oddity keeps me going. What’s something strange and unusual about your work? I think I get ideas for stories from the weirdest places sometimes? One of my current personal projects I got from watching a band I like’s movie they made based on one of their albums. Speaking of oddities, I have an exceedingly random question for you here. What’s your favorite colour? No, seriously. This used to be very important when we were young, I have to know. I like a lot of colors, but if the color of my responses is too subtle, my favorite color is Purple. With Turquoise being a close second. Writers are often described as having to kill their darlings. Is there anything you had to cut that you wish you didn’t? Anything that didn’t fit quite the way you wanted to? Not in “Stage Blocking”, but I’ve definitely had to do so in other projects. Do you get writer’s block? ALL.THE. TIME. One story I’ve been working on since 2020 and it’s still nowhere close to being done. What’s your dream job? Is it to write a particular thing or is it to do something else entirely? I mean, I wouldn’t hate being able to write something that got as popular as “The Lord of The Rings” series. But one of my other passions is live theater and I wouldn’t mind working backstage professionally. Do your characters have secrets? Do we know those secrets? As of now, Amelia in “Stage Blocking” doesn’t have any secrets. In other projects of mine, I’m not at liberty to say ;) Have you, or any of your characters, seen the 2007 animated feature film The Bee Movie? I’ve seen the memes, but have not brought myself to watch the whole movie. So my characters haven’t either. When did you write your first story? Was it when you were young, or was it last year? What do you consider to be your first story? Are you proud of it? Pffft, um, I think the first thing I would call my first story was written in 7th grade? I don’t even remember the plot, but I imagine my mom has it in the box of school stuff of mine she’s kept over the years. I remember being proud of it at the time, it was for a school assignment and got a good grade and was liked by the elementary kids I read it to. How much do you redraft your work? It’s often said that writing is rewriting. How many iterations did you go through to bring us what we see now? Like I said, for “Stage Blocking” I didn’t really do much editing, at least content-wise. Grammatically that is a Jim question haha! I’ve always struggled a little in that department. A27 / the Warsong and Cwej both have storied and detailed backgrounds. How familiar are you with their prior work? Is there another piece with these characters that you particularly enjoy? I’m probably most familiar with A27/ the Warsong. I like the journey Sang Mi has been on so far. I’m just getting into Cwej. Is your story exactly as you imagined it? Is it different? For “Stage Blocking” pretty much. A very solid plan came to me pretty quick when Jim approached me to write for A27. Can the main character of your story defeat seventeen rabid wolves? The wolves are hungry. I highly doubt it, as far as I know Amelia has not experienced many wolves in space. She knows enough about tech that if the rabid wolves were a computer virus she could at least keep them at bay though. Which character do you have the hardest time understanding? The least? I have a hard time with the villains in that I have to wrap my brain around their thought processes. The high schoolers are pretty easy, since I’ve been a high schooler before haha! Is there a message you’d like to tell the world? Live well, and do no harm, but take no shit. 
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Arcbeatle Press!
To celebrate, we have a free book for you, featuring brand new stories from: Aidan Mason, Aristide Twain, James Hornby, Plum Pudding, Xavier Llewellyn, Lena Mactíre, Molly Warton, Theta Mandel, and James Wylder. Thank you so much for your support through 2024, and may your own holidays be filled with joy and warmth.  art by Aristide Twain Our friends at the Copper Colored Cupids have been releasing some of the Vignettes that make up the story "Our Finest Gifts We Bring" in "The Book of the Snowstorm" on their Advent Calendar, and we're joining in the fun by dropping in one of our favorite vignettes--a little ditty about two kids on Mars on Christmas. We hope you're having a lovely holiday season, and be sure to check back in here on Christmas for something else... Also, if you didn't hear, the author of the piece is running a fundraiser to help with medical expenses. Help out if you can. Now... enjoy! The Jhe Twins' Magical ChristmasJhe Sang Mi rubbed her eyes, and sat up in bed. Her phone said it was midnight, but she could hear sounds from the living room. “Santa?” five-year-old Sang Mi asked herself, and climbed down from her spot on top of the bunk bed, her footie pyjamas giving her feet a little plop sound as she touched the floor. She immediately began shaking her twin brother in the bottom bunk. “Sang Eun! Sang Eun! Santa Keulloseu is here!” He sat up, and rubbed his own eyes. “…It’s not morning, we’re not supposed to look. Min Jun said Santa wouldn’t give us any presents if we looked.” “That’ll only happen if he sees us! And since he has to do Earth, Gongen, Titan, and space and stuff, the Reindeer have to be really tired, so he’s probably distracted!” Sang Eun thought about this, and decided this was flawless logic. “Okay, but we have to be very sneaky.” “How can we be sneaky?” “Well, we have to crouch like they do in video games.” She nodded; this, too, was flawless logic. Lots of flawless logic flowing around tonight. Quietly, they crouched, and moved towards the door to their room, and then had to un-crouch to actually open the door, but promptly continued with their sneaky progress. There was light in the living room, and jingles. Plus… clomping. They peeked their heads around the corner, and saw… Santa! And a helper! And a… reindeer? “You’re not supposed to bring the reindeer into the apartment,” said the white-haired Elf. “Well they don’t have a chimney, so I couldn’t really park it on the roof, now could I?” “You didn’t have to park it anywhere! You didn’t have to bring the deer!” the Elf complained, pulling on the reins of the reindeer to prevent it from trying to take a bite out of a cushion. “I knew they were real!” Sang Eun said. “Jae Hyun didn’t know what he was talking about. He tried telling me the parents brought the presents.” “He’s always… silly,” Sang Mi yawned, and leaned onto her brother’s shoulder. He chuckled at her dozing off — he was only yawning to keep himself awake, he thought, as the two cuddled up and drifted off to dreamland. * * * Santa looked down at the twins. “Oh no, I got the years wrong — unless they got younger?” The Elf sighed. “You got the year wrong. Again.” Santa pouted. “If I kiss you, will you forgive me?” Sighing deeper, the Elf accepted the kiss, and picked up one of the twins as Santa picked the other up. “Let’s get them tucked in, they’ve got a big day ahead of them.” * * * Kwang Sun sighed as he pulled a sweater on. His wife, Hei-Ran, rubbed his shoulders. “Its okay. We managed to get the kids something.” “Nothing they wanted. I pulled extra shifts, and it still wasn’t enough.” He covered his face. “You did more than anyone could have asked you. Now come on, let’s enjoy the morning.” “I just worry about seeing their disappointed faces.” She kissed him, and held his hand, and together they opened their doors and… their jaws dropped. The living room was filled with presents! The kids rushed in, and even the serious Min Jun was jumping up and down with excitement. With parental okay, all began tearing open their presents, though the grown-ups got close to make sure these mystery presents were fine… “I got a brand new computer!” Sang Mi exclaimed. “I can learn coding!” Hei-Ran smiled, kind of weird she was into that at her age but whatever. “I got a new computer too!” Sang Eun said. “I got a new bike!” Min Jun exclaimed. “And I got…” Sang Mi squinted. “…a college test-prep kit for high schoolers?” “Me too?” Sang Eun said. “Well, I see Santa Keulloseu has been… very busy this year?” Hei-Ran said. “This is the best Christmas ever!” Sang Eun said. “Absolutely!” his sister agreed. “Indeed it is,” Min Jun concurred. Kwang Sun smiled at his wife. “Did you…?” She shook her head. “How?” “I guess… it’s a Christmas miracle?” “You know what? That’s flawless logic,” Hei-Ran replied. “Let's go with that." NextCopyright 2023, 2024, Arcbeatle Press
WARSONG, the WARS TCG, and associated concepts are the property of Decipher, Inc. Academy 27 is created and owned by Arcbeatle Press. Jhe Sang Mi, Jhe Sang Eun, Jhe Kwang Sun, Jhe Hei-Ran, Jhe Min Jun, Lady Aesculapius, and Blanche Combine are the property of James Wylder. Illustration by Aristide Twain.  For Immediate Release
November 12th, 2024 WARSONG: Preludes Comes to Audio for the First Time The future steps into audio with today’s release of the audiobook of WARSONG: Preludes, the first book in the Battle of Phobos Saga. “These stories have captivated readers for over a decade, and there have been calls for audiobooks the whole time. We’re excited to give people what they want, and bring these tales to a new audience,” said Arcbeatle Press co-President James Hornby. Preludes tells the story of a fractured humanity spread throughout our solar system as it careens towards the first astral war. Told through different viewpoints, we see how each side in the coming conflict views the situation, and as tensions mount, who will come out on top? Featuring three novellas by Nathan P. Butler (Star Wars Tales), Sean E. Williams (Wonder Woman), and Jim Perry (Bladewielders), as well as an epilogue story by James Wylder (Cwej, P.R.O.B.E), readers will have plenty to explore. Read by Matt Skinner, Preludes is brought to life by a masterful vocal performance. “When I heard Matt’s audition, I knew we had something special. People have waited a long time for this audiobook, and I think whether you know the stories or you’re new to WARSONG, you’re in for a wild and wonderful ride,” said range editor James Wylder. The audiobook is available now on Audible, Amazon from Arcbeatle Press and Decipher, Inc. Audible: https://www.audible.com/series/WARSONG-The-Battle-of-Phobos-Audiobooks/B0DMFN1QFQ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZH5FTQQ |
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