Month: August 2023

Ten Years On: Take Your Daughter to the Robot Apocalypse Day

Long time readers of this blog will know that I’ve been looking back at my diaries from ten years ago, during the filming of Robot Overlords. Some of the diary entries you’ll see are the ones featured in the back of the film’s novelisation (and if you want a signed and dedicated copy of the paperback, then please step this way and click here). But this one is exclusive to this blog and has never been seen before…

I had never known anyone in the film industry when I was a kid. Growing up first on a housing estate in Hornsey, then in a caretaker’s house in Leatherhead, the very idea that I might get into the film industry was up there with being an astronaut. Or Batman. Both of which are still options, I guess, but fairly unlikely. My uncle Desmond told me once that he owed money to a man called Nosher Powell, who appeared in all kinds of films and TV shows as a heavy or a stuntman and the rumour was that he had been a Stormtrooper in Star Wars, which blew my tiny mind (it’s not listed on his IMDb, so who knows?). A girl was at my school for a short while who turned out to be the daughter of actor and stuntman Terry Plummer, which was exciting but she didn’t stay long. Then a couple of my best friends at secondary school had parents who worked in TV. My friend Tim’s dad worked for ITN and showed around the news studio one day, and my friend Jeremy’s mum got us tickets for the recording of a show called The Secret Cabaret where I met Ricky Jay after the show and he did some astonishing close-up card tricks for us. So that, and a screening of The Sooty Show when I was about six, was it as far as my childhood brushes with film and TV go. But they were memorable days and made me think that maybe working in TV or film wasn’t so unlikely. With that in mind, when Robot Overlords came along, I wanted my kids to get a taste of the industry in a way that I never really had. I’d already got them parts as extras in one scene (see this diary entry for the longest school run ever), but Emily, then 13, was showing a real talent for animation and editing. I had already banged on about how my favourite films were edited by women (Jaws by Verna Fields, Star Wars by Marcia Lucas, and Goodfellas by Thelma Schoonmaker) and I thought there would never be a better opportunity to inspire her than to take her to see an actual film being edited and get a sneak peek at CG animation, and so…

Friday 30th August, 2013

I decreed that it would be ‘Take your daughter to work’ day today, and so Emily and I hopped on the train up to London. Matt Platts-Mills (editor) kindly showed Emily how he cut together the scene between Gillian Anderson and the Steven Mayhew character based on Jon’s notes. He also added temp sound fx to the scene where the kids run from the Sentry.

We popped next door to chat with the assistant editor Vicky Webbley. who was very encouraging. She started out like Em: editing movies and putting them on YouTube.

After that we popped round to Nvizible (VFX company) where we got the VIP tour from Paddy Eason (VFX Supervisor) and Simon-Pierre Puech (compositor). We saw 3D models for the Spitfire, Sentry, Sniper and Skyship and they all looked incredible. Then it was fish n chips with Paddy, some shopping at Forbidden Planet, then home.

Emily is now 23 and an animator and storyboard artist working with her fella Kai for some very cool clients on Youtube. She still edits and I asked her what she remembered of the day and she recalled that Matt had discovered that the sandwich that Gillian Anderson holds in the scene moved from hand to hand and he was struggling to find shots that matched. And that Vicky told her that to be a good editor it helped to be good at Tetris with good organisational skills. She still remembers the day fondly and I’ll always be grateful to Matt, Vicky, Paddy and Simon for taking the time to show her around.

Ten Years On: The Post-Production Excitement Begins

Long time readers of this blog will know that I’ve been looking back at my diaries from ten years ago, during the filming of Robot Overlords. Some of the diary entries you’ll see are the ones featured in the back of the film’s novelisation (and if you want a signed and dedicated copy of the paperback, then please step this way and click here). But this one is exclusive to this blog and has never been seen before…

I had just returned from a family holiday in Spain and, having seen a rough cut of the film and finished the first draft of the novelisation, I was raring to get back and see what I’d missed. And it all started with a meeting at Orion House…

Wednesday 29th August, 2013

Great meeting today with Piers (Tempest, producer), Gillian Redfearn (my editor at Gollancz) and Jen McMenemy (Gollancz marketing manager). Lots of exciting stuff we can do for the book and the film. Piers showed us the Toronto (Film Festival) sales trailer — very exciting — and let slip that thanks to SBK (Sir Ben Kingsley) we might have a Prince’s Trust Premiere! That would be an incredible launch.

Stayed behind with Gillian to run through her edit notes. I’ve got a good idea of what to attack next. She’s very good. It’s like having a co-writer. Great objectivity.

To say that Gillian Redfearn is ‘very good’ is like saying Pele was quite handy with a football. I knew that Gillian had edited some of my favourite authors at Gollancz, and they were fulsome in their praise of her, but this was my first time being edited and I had no idea I was getting the Rolls Royce treatment. There were 4440 comments and changes (I still have the Word doc… let me know if you’d be interested in seeing it!). A perfect blend of suggestions, encouragement, compliments and Joyce Grenfell-like moments of, ‘No, Mark, don’t do that.’ And she was always the eye of the reader, not only pointing out moments of potential confusion, but demanding more of me and making me a better writer. Gillian basically taught me how to write a novel with her edit and I shall always be grateful for that incredible experience.

We didn’t get a Prince’s Trust premiere in the end, and more excited hyperbole was to come, but more of that later…

Linwood Barclay Lie Maker

This is not to suggest that bestselling author Mr Barclay is a big fibber (The Lie Maker is the title of his latest thriller), but to be fair that’s what writers do for a living: make stuff up and pass it off as the truth. And Linwood Barclay gives us a ton of tips how to do that in this week’s episode of the podcast here…

This was a special episode for a few reasons. Not least that Mr D got to join me for the whole interview (he’s a big fan of Linwood), and that Linwood reveals all sorts of stuff about authors like Ross Macdonald and Stephen King, but we also get very excited about his Gerry Anderson Supercar model made by legendary film and TV model maker Martin Bower. If you want to skip straight to that bit (and you should because it’s a thing of beauty), it’s here…

The Holly King is available direct from me right now…

I’ve got stock of The Holly King paperback in the building nice and early, so if you want an early copy of the latest Witches of Woodville adventure then click here. I can even sign and dedicated it too, and I’ll also throw in a free bookmark! Be the envy of your friends with a hot off the presses copy of The Holly King weeks before publication!

Falling Between Genres: Teresa Driscoll on The Bestseller Experiment

Teresa Driscoll had a huge career change in 2017 when she switched from writing family dramas to thrillers with her novel I Am Watching You. She went from going out of contract and the potential end of her writing career, to selling a million copies. How did she manage that? With I Am Watching You she wrote a thriller, pure and simple (actually these things are never simple to write, but you know what I mean). She tells me in the interview that her family dramas were just a little too dark for readers of that genre, and not thriller-y enough to qualify for that genre. So she decided to go all-in with thrillers and started selling in big numbers. That’s not to say that writing a novel that offers everything that genre readers want will make it a guaranteed success, but it can certainly increase the odds.

My Witches of Woodville books fall between genres and categories. They’re not quite fantasy, not quite horror, and they’re not quite YA and that can make them tricky to sell. One of the most common comments I get on reviews is, “I don’t normally read stuff like this, but I really enjoyed it.” I’m fine with that, even if it means fewer sales, because they’re the books I wanted to write… But I’ve also embarked on a top secret project with another author that will be a thriller, pure and simple. We’re both hoping that this will give us the kind of success that authors like Teresa have enjoyed.

We also discuss why Teresa stopped watching TV for a year, perseverance, Dame Edna Everage, and owls. And in the extended version for podcast supporters I give tips on writing settings. If you want to support the podcast then click here and if you’re a chart topper supporter you’ll get access to hundreds of hours of extra writer-y goodness.

One Month Till The Holly King Arrives…

Imagine my surprise today when I realised that there’s only one month until The Holly King is published… Not sure I’ve ever been so unprepared for a book’s publication, and that’s down to a busy summer scrabbling around to earn a bit of cash to keep the wolf the from door etc.

So yes, there will be a launch at the splendid Waterstones in Canterbury on Tuesday 26th September, 6:30pm and tickets are now available (up till recently the buy button had been missing!). The ticket will also give you money off the book if purchased in the store on the night and students get in for free. There will also be cakes, strange woodland creatures and an abundance of antlers. Please feel free to arrive in your own Yule costume. I’ll be reading an extract from the book and I’ll be happy to answer questions and yes there will probably an online stream of this, but I haven’t quite set it up yet (see above, re: wolves and doors).

Oh, and if you can’t make it, but would like a signed copy then you can order that directly from me here. Also, there’s no embargo on this book, so I’ll be despatching these beauties as soon as I get them in stock… which will be soon… before the end of the month soon. Just saying…

Oh, and I can confirm that Candida Gubbins has recorded her narration for the audiobook edition and it’s magnificent. There’s a new character called Pearl and Candida’s voice for her is perfection. You’re in for a treat. The audiobook is available from your preferred audiobook provider now!

I should have news on a US ebook edition soon, but until then happy reading!

Damian Dibben and a Feast for the Senses

It’s not often we get authors on the podcast who get around to sorting their own merchandise, and it’s definitely a first when we get someone who has their own tie-in furniture and art! Damian Dibben is an extraordinary mix of author, screenwriter, actor and artist and he discusses it all in this week’s podcast.

Another first for this week’s pod is that Mr D has made a declaration to finish his non-fiction debut in 12 months’ time! I have genuinely no idea what it’s going to be, but that date is in the diary and I’ll be nudging him every week about it.

And in the extended version for our podcast supporters we discuss writing the senses and I offer all sorts of tips on writing sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and more. If you want to support the podcast and get access to hundreds of hours of extra material, you can do so by clicking here.

Ten Years On: The First Cut of Robot Overlords

Long time readers of this blog will know that I’ve been looking back at my diaries from ten years ago, during the filming of Robot Overlords. From now on the diary entries you’ll see are the ones featured in the back of the film’s novelisation (and if you want a signed and dedicated copy of the paperback, then please step this way and click here).

The film wrapped principle photography on 25th July 2013, which was also the day I finished my second pass on the novelisation. Around that time I started my sabbatical from Orion and began adjusting to working as a full time author for six months. Jon and I were exchanging ideas for a possible sequel (one that sadly won’t ever happen now) and other projects while he was working on the edit of the film. Then I got a call…

Tuesday 6th August, 2013

Jon called to soften me up before I see the first assembly tomorrow. He still thinks it’s a good film, but he’s got a mountain to climb during the edit. We agreed that there’s no way we can go toe-to-toe with the mega-blockbusters, but we will have one of the most ambitious British films out there. Can’t wait.

Wednesday 7th August, 2013

Saw the rough assembly of Robots today. No VFX, no sound design, a temporary score from others movies etc, just a very rough cut, but I’m delighted to report that it’s going to be a belter. It starts lo-fi and indie and then just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s quite extraordinary, the performances are great, and I can’t think of another film to compare it to.

What’s clear is that Jon, Matt and Vicki (Webbley – assistant editor) have a huge task ahead of them. At least 10-12 weeks of editing. Also at the screening today were Christian Henson (composer), Jeremy Price (sound designer), and Dan Johnson (dubbing). By the end they look googly-eyed at the prospect of all the work ahead of them. Again, it’s an ambitious film and people have been befuddled by it (in meetings when we were trying to raise the money, people were sometimes sceptical that we could pull it off) but once they get their heads around it, they’re cool. Nvizible now step-up. They’ve designed shots of the Sentry powering up that are so cool, we might use it for the opening titles*.

*We didn’t!

Seeing this for the first time was an out of body experience. I’d seen a few clips, and I’d been on set of course, but seeing it all put together was unreal and very exciting. And you learn so much. I soon realised there was far too much grown-up chit-chat/exposition for a kids’ film, and that the things you cut that you think are essential so often strengthen what’s left behind. Big learning curve and an absolute treat.

That comment about not knowing what film to compare it to will come back to haunt me. One of the problems we had with robot overlords is there really wasn’t anything like it out there in cinemas… which made it difficult to sell.

Oh, and I also spotted this in my diary from Monday 12th August:

Also had a good idea this evening. MAGIPOCALYPSE — fantasy where magic disappears and former wizards go on the run without their powers… Watch this space.

That became The End of Magic. More about that an its sequel soon…

AJ Pearce on Writers and Passion, Patience and Persistence…

This week’s guest on the podcast was so easy to chat with for many reasons. We both write about the same time period in Britain (the Second World War), we’re both writing a series with recurring characters, and we’re both mildly obsessed with magazines. AJ’s was inspired by one, and I’ve got every issue of Empire because I’m a sad sod.

But I also really clicked with AJ when she was talking about the three things a writer needs. The spoiler’s in the title: Passion, patience and persistence. That last one is particularly necessary. Boy oh boy is it. There are so many times when I’ve come close to just giving up, Quite recently, actually. But I was chatting with an author friend who was feeling the same way and we soon realised that this is all we’re any bloody good at, so we’re going to stick with it. Things have got better since. A bit. There are glimmers of hope on the horizon! Hang in there, people. This too shall pass and all that…

Oh, and in the extended version for our subscribers we discuss writing emotional scenes, what happens at the London Book Fair, ageism in publishing, how to organise your book series bible (and I show you what the Witches of Woodville series bible looks like!). To support the podcast and get hundreds of hours of extra stuff pop along to Patreon here, or join the Bestseller Academy here.