The verdict is in!

Hello there!

Book three in the Arkship Saga, Arkship Alliance, has been out for just over a week and I’m relieved and delighted that the feedback has been amazing. If you read my newsletter that I sent out just before publication, you’ll know I was a little bit nervous about how it might be received, but I needn’t have worried. Here’s some of the reviews I’ve had so far:

“Bushnell has scored the perfect triple with Arkship Alliance. The House of Draig is hell-bent on becoming master’s of the galaxy and only Wynn and his few allies are left in the way. Bushnell weaves a complex plot with more twists and turns than a Boa Constrictor! There are stunning victories and heart-breaking losses along the way, but Wynn and company try to find creative solutions. Just when you think that you have figured out Bushnells plot twists, here comes another startling curve from left field.”

“Niel Bushnell’s Arkship Saga truly gets epic with book 3, ARKSHIP ALLIANCE. After their battle in the last book, rivalry between houses Kenric and Draig continues to simmer as more houses join the conflict to muddy the waters. Like a well planned game of chess moves, Niel’s writing and familiarity with his characters shows.”

Have you read Arkship Alliance? What did you think? You can post a comment below, or leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Leaving My Desk

Hello there!

I’m sitting here on a very sunny Friday morning, about to leave my desk for a few days in Blackpool where my daughter will compete in the national ballroom dancing finals. It’s a rare occasion for me to be out of the office, away from my desk and my growing spaceship collection. But I’m taking the laptop with me and I’ll be working on the Arkship Saga in between the rumba and the waltz.

It’s been slow progress this week due to a lot of other things needing my attention. I’m about to write a huge space battle, so things should speed up this next week. Here’s a small taste from Chapter One:

“What did you see?” the Reader asked impatiently.
“An . . . arkship.”
“Which one?”
“It was . . . it was huge. Our ships don’t stand a chance.”
Reader Aronson grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing Owen to look at him. “Which arkship? Is it Draig? Was it the Fenrir?”
Owen nodded, unable to look him in the eyes.
The Reader gasped, then let go. He retreated until his back hit the wall, an ashen expression on his face.

Hope that doesn’t spoil it for you! Don’t forget, you can pre-buy Arkship Vengeance now, and you’ll get it at 75% of the launch price. Go on, what are you waiting for?

Reviews and progress

Hello there!

It’s been two weeks since Arkship Obsidian came out, and I’m thrilled to say it’s doing very well. It’s got some great reviews, but if you’ve read it then you can help by adding your own thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads. Here’s one of my favourites:

“Super story, excellent twists and turns, Never a quiet moment. I read this at one sitting.”

Reviews really can make a big difference to a book’s success, so if you have a spare moment you’d be making a tired author very happy. And if you’ve not read it yet then go treat yourself now!

I’m getting into writing book two now, and things are heating up as Wynn makes new allies and discovers he’s not as prepared as he thought he was to lead his people. Here’s the first sentence of book two:

‘What will you name her?’

Hope that doesn’t spoil it for you! You can pre-buy Arkship Vengeance now, and you’ll get it at 75% of the launch price. Go on, what are you waiting for?

Arkship Obsidian is out now!

Hello there!

It’s finally here! Today is publication day for Arkship Obsidian and I can’t wait for you to read it. You can get it as an ebook or as a paperback right now. To mark the launch I’m extending the pre-publication price for another few days, so you can still get the ebook for just 99 cents/pence. But don’t hang around, that price will be history very soon.

I’ll be going out tonight with my wife for a celebratory meal and a glass or two of wine, then it’s back to writing book two, Arkship Vengeance, due out in December. Thanks for your support during the development of Arkship Obsidian, it’s made a huge difference to have you along for the ride.

Arkship Countdown

The clock is ticking towards publication of Arkship Obsidian (it’s available for pre-order right now) and I’ve just finished a short story that acts as a prologue to the main book. It’s called Arkship Countdown and you can get a copy of it for free just by joining my mailing list. I send out a newsletter every week or two with news, free content and much more, so why not sign up?

Arkship Countdown is set directly before Arkship Obsidian and includes some of the same characters. It’s the perfect way to get a feel for the Arkship universe.

It’s set in a distant future where Earth has been destroyed, the entire solar system turned to dust by a cataclysmic event known as the Fracture. Now, the last survivors of humanity live on vast arkships drifting through the Cluster, doing what they can to survive in a hostile ever-changing environment.

Life on board the Ark Royal Obsidian is a quiet routine for Chief of the engine deck, Bran Colmen. That is until his family is kidnapped and he is forced to steal secrets about the vast arkship’s engines by a covert intruder. As time runs out, Colmen finds himself trapped between saving his family and averting a war that could kill thousands.

Want to read Arkship Countdown? Just CLICK HERE and sign up for my newsletter to receive your free copy.

My next thing!

You might remember I mentioned in a recent post about how Altitude had taken me 13 months to complete, and I was hoping to have my next book out before Christmas. Well, it’s been a busy summer for me, and I’m on track to get the next book out by October! It’s called Arkship Obsidian, and it’s the first book in The Arkship Saga. I’ve got a very loose plan for the first six novels, but lots of nebulous ideas for other books set in the same universe, so I can see this keeping me busy for some time.

The books are set in a distant future where Earth has been destroyed, the entire solar system turned to dust by a cataclysmic event known as the Fracture. Now, the last survivors of humanity live on vast arkships drifting through the Cluster, doing what they can to survive in a hostile ever-changing environment.

When the arkship Obsidian is attacked, Wynn awakes in an escape pod fleeing from a huge space battle, unable to remember who he is. Hunted by a killer robot, the forces of a rival arkship, and the Church of the Infinite, Wynn must survive long enough to unlock his lost memories, discover who is behind the attack and take his revenge.

I’m also writing a prologue story, which I hope will be available soon. Come back soon for more news on The Arkship Saga. You can pre-order Arkship Obsidian now!

Altitude: 24 hours to publication

I’m a bit excited! Tomorrow is Publication Day for my third book, Altitude. Tomorrow the e-book goes live, and the paperback is already available to order, so this is your last chance to get 25% off the e-book price. On Thursday the price will go up, so if you’re thinking about getting Altitude (and why wouldn’t you? You’re a person of obvious charm and taste) then today really is the day to do it. Don’t delay any more, just click this link and wallow in your good judgement:

Buy Altitude ebook edition now!

And thank you all for your support during this entire process, it’s great to have so many of you on board for this.

Here’s a short video where I babble about my new book:

One week to go!

Yes, it’s almost here. Altitude comes out next Thursday the 6th of July. Right now you can get 25% off until publication day, so do jump in now and save on the launch day price. Don’t miss out.

Buy Altitude ebook edition now!
And if you’re a paperback person you can buy Altitude in physical form right now from your favourite online or physical bookshop!

 

Want to read the first three chapters for free? Click here for a PDF version. Or click here for other options.

13 months

Yesterday I completed my final edit of Altitude. I made my last few small changes and stepped away from the book, declaring it finished. This is always a bittersweet moment for any author, it’s exciting to finally finish your novel, to put it to bed and move on to the next project, but it’s also a sad moment when you walk away from the playground that has been your metal home for an age. You cheer at your achievement, but you worry that it’s no good, that you could make it better, that you should give it just one more read through…

There’s that famous saying by Leonardo da Vinci: “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” It’s so true. We’re never fully happy with our work, we just run out of time, or enthusiasm and step away. Or we tinker until the project rots.

Looking back over Altitude I realised that, even though it feels like I’ve been working on it for ages, it’s been just over a year from start to finish: 13 months, give or take a week. The idea dates further back, maybe another year, but I started jotting down my initial ideas in June 2016. That first file contains a rough synopsis, which I’m surprised to discover is very close to the finished book. I wrote the first draft over the summer, finishing it in mid September 2016. The rest of the time between now and then has been taken up with editing and re-writes, although I’ve also been working on other projects at the same time.

Now the book is done and out of my hands, ready for readers to discover in just over a week’s time. It’s the fastest project I’ve done so far, and that’s probably because it’s my first venture into self-publishing. I’ve not turned my back on traditional publishing, I just wanted to give this a go. The faster timeline is very appealing. Sorrowline took three and a half years from that first page to publication. Timesmith was about the same. It’s a long time to live with a project. 13 months is like travelling at light-speed in comparison! I like the challenge of the quick turn-around. The question is, can I do it faster? It seems the key to a prosperous career as a novelist is productivity – the reader wants the next book NOW, not in a year’s time. So, I’m about to start on my next project and see if I can get it out there this side of Christmas. Watch this space…

Click here to pre-order Altitude from Amazon now!

Altitude – the first three chapters

Publication day is getting closer and closer, I can almost see it now!

On July 6th Altitude will be published as both a paperback and ebook edition. But you can read the first three chapters right now, completely free! all you have to do is sign up to my email newsletter and you’ll get immediate access to the start of the story.

Go on, you know you want to, just click the link: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/buz7V

 

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