Broken Stars Cover Reveal

Remember when I told you that you’d be getting something from me soon?

Well . . . surprise!

“Broken Stars combines previously published short stories and novelettes with new and exciting tales, ranging from space opera to military SF to science-fantasy and everything in-between. Tales of broken heroes fighting for hope in dark worlds, full of aliens and outcasts, drug dealers and bounty hunters, mercenaries and soldiers. Tales of far-flung worlds where the lines between machine and human become blurred, the humanity of monsters is explored, and victory always comes with a heavy price. In these eighteen stories of far-flung worlds, violence explodes, betrayals abound, and no one is safe.

A smuggler for alien drugs is thrust into a high stakes of subterfuge and interstellar drug trades, only to find herself out of her depth.

Yharv, a mercenary, must escort the King through a besieged city and see him crowned. The only problem is, Yharv isn’t human, and neither is the king, and nonhumans usually end up dead in a gutter. And luck has never been on Yharv’s side.

An alien and a human fight to liberate a planet where aliens are treated as second-class citizens. But freedom comes at a steep price.

A kidnapped warrior discovers her memories may not be her own, and she may be on the wrong side of her war.

And many more . . .”


Broken Stars is my debut short story collection. I’ve published dozens of shorter works over the years, mostly before Stormblood was released, and I decided that it’s time to give them new life! So, sixteen of my best tales are being collected together for the first time, in addition to two brand new stories that are original to this collection. There’ll also be some story notes, detailing the writing process and origin of each story.

This means that you’ll be getting 100,000 words from me! Given that a number of these short stories are buried behind paywalls or published only in anthologies, many of you would not have read them yet, so I’m delighted for you all to get them into your hands.

Although the genre and voice for these stories varies, you should expect the same sort of approach and style that my novels are known for, but in a more condensed volume: battle sequences, gritty yet exuberant worlds, aliens, all written with an eye towards emotional and character-driven storytelling.

The release date is Friday, November 1. It will be released both as an ebook and as print-on-demand. This collection is being self-published, so you won’t find it in bookstores, (although it can certainly be ordered in, for anyone who wants one).

If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’ll be able to get the first three stories for free, as a thank you for sticking around. I’ll send a download link out soon.

It’s been a little while since I’ve had a book out, and I’m really excited to have this project out in the wild. I’ve also got several other projects brewing away, so you’ll be getting a lot of content from me in the future!

If you’re a reviewer/blogger and would like a free copy to review, please get in touch and I’ll hook you up. You can find my contact form over here on my website.

And finally, this awesome cover was designed by the incredible Mike Shackle, who’s a great writer in his own right. Thanks a lot, Mike!

Pre-orders for Broken Stars are already available from Amazon.

You know what to do.

STORMBLOOD Cover Reveal!

The day has arrived. The good good people at Gollancz have revealed the cover art for my debut novel I’ve been jabbering on about for almost a full length of the Earth’s rotation. And it is gorgeous. Feast them eyes:

Stormblood

It’s very blue.

I had extensively input on crafting the cover. We agreed to go for the “Gotham in space” aesthetic. Dark and moody, but slick and adventurous. Containing a sense of noir mystery, underpinned by a sense of exuberance and widescreen exploration. And they knocked it out of the park and into orbit. I asked them to make it as screaming blue as possible, and they jumped the rail to outdo themselves. I mean, look at it! Those spaceships! Those buildings! That mist! All credit goes to Gollancz and Blacksheep for their stellar work.

I’ll do a write up on the finer details of crafting the cover, but for now, I’m going to bask in the blue glow of this very fine cover. Gollancz has a full proper write up, if you’re inclined to check it out.

Pre-orders have also opened! I cannot understate how disproportionately helpful they are for debut authors, and essential keeping us afloat. If you do pre-order, I’ll owe you a life debt (and by life debt, I mean buy you a drink or send you a bookplate). If you can, support your local bookstore, but you can also order it online:


Book Despoitry (free shipping worldwide): https://www.bookdepository.com/Stormblood-Jeremy-Szal/9781473227422?ref=grid-view&qid=1568803043304&sr=1-1
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stormblood-Jeremy-Szal/dp/1473227410
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Stormblood-Jeremy-Szal/dp/1473227410

In the meantime, I’m going to look into framing this thing on my wall.

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