GRAEME’S BLOGS

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GRAEME’S BLOG #1 – 17 April, 2025

MY NOVEL SHATTER DARK TO BE PUBLISHED IN MAY!

My novel Shatter Dark has been accepted by Alex McGilvery of Celticfrog Publishing of Clearwater, B.C. It took me a year to write, and another year to revise and polish it. All previous attempts at writing novels were rejected. What made this one different?

In the past I planned each novel in depth, outlining every plot event and creating detailed bios for each character, not to mention producing a hundred or more pages of research designed to add credibility to the setting. None of these books were published.

Publishing a novel having been number one on my bucket list since 1967, I came to the realization I was running out of time. It was now or never. It was also clear to me that research and planning would be a waste of effort, given my seniors’ tendency to forget everything as soon as I’ve read it. Time for a radical change.

Shatter Dark is 99.99% pantser created. No planning whatsoever, and just a sliver of preparatory research. Every time I sat down in front of my computer, I had no idea what I was going to write. Yet, somehow, it worked.

To explain, my elderly brain is like a rusted filing cabinet. All the memories of everything I’ve read, seen, and experienced are still in my subconscious, but it often takes days to tug open the drawer to drag the appropriate file into my conscious awareness.

So, I decided to let my subconscious handle everything. After all, it knows infinitely more than I do. Best collaborator ever.

To be fair to myself, “I” took over when it came time to revise. If you’ve ever seen the movie Forbidden Planet, you know what can happen when the Monster from the Id is unleashed. I took care of that first draft mess and changed it into something worth reading.

WHAT WAS MY ORIGINAL PLAN?

I figured there was no point in tracking down an agent. I might not live long enough. Instead, I resolved to query a number of independent Canadian publishers, who knew me from my other activities, in the expectation that one or two of them might be willing to look at my manuscript. However, I assumed my chances were slim and that I’d probably have to self-publish. Wasn’t sure I was capable of handling learning curves anymore. Then a miracle occurred.

WHAT MIRACLE?

At the When Words Collide writers festival in Calgary last year, Alex McGilvery introduced himself and said (as best I can remember), “I hear you’re working on a novel. What’s it about?” So, I told him. Normally, people’s eyes glaze over after two minutes, but he kept asking questions. Finally, after a half hour or so, he said something like, “It sounds interesting. I like all the other stuff you do, so I’m willing to take a look. Send it to me when you can.”

I did. I sent him a second draft once my first revision was complete. He liked it, but felt it needed more work. With the aid of several beta readers, I examined every word and edited like a madman, cutting and slashing and rewriting till it finally flowed in an easy-to-read river of idiosyncratic story-telling that had been my intention all along.

Alex likes it, and it’s a done deal.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The back cover will feature the following:

“Shatter Dark is inventive, fresh, and clever, and Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame member R. Graeme Cameron has a wise and witty narrative voice. Bravo!” – Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author The Downloaded.

“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of world leaders.

Humanity endured limited nuclear war, climate warming, and the rising of the oceans. Turned out that was easy compared to what happened next. For the first time in centuries, survival depends on humans making the right decisions. Trouble is, we’ve forgotten how.

Enter Rudwulf, the Smiter. He alone knows how to save the human race. His reputation is that of an amoral mercenary who never fails. The perfect civil servant. No wonder he’s in demand.

Alas, his methods are unpopular. Even worse, the rulers desperate to employ him are unaware he’s incompetent. If they ever find out, they’ll kill him.

Necessity compels Rudwulf to focus on survival. As a result, he hates his job and wishes he’d chosen a different profession. Too late now. Maybe, too late for everyone.”

With any luck, those perusing the back cover will be intrigued enough to buy the book.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE?

I sent off a dedication and my bio yesterday. Alex has already formatted the book to maximise potential venues.

Currently, we’re waiting for artist M.D. Jackson to complete the wrap-around cover art. He keeps sending me work-in-progress versions as he progresses. This is getting me more and more excited. It’s going to be visually striking, in a sense challenging the viewer to read the book. He’s created an impactful, dramatic cover. Can’t wait to see it in its completed glory!

MEANWHILE, WHAT ABOUT THIS BLOG?

I’ll use it to promote the book, of course. But not the sequel I have in mind, not till it’s going to be published, which is at least two years away. I have a theory that the more a writer talks about what they are writing, the less writing will get done. After all, the more often you explain a premise, the less fresh and original it will seem to you, and soon your motivation to explore it will have evaporated. Nope, mum’s the word.

But I’ll blab about myself a lot, in the hope you’ll be amused and check in every now and again.

So, for example, I can mention that I’ve been nominated for a 2025 Aurora award (I’ll do a blog on that soon) and that my next task is to prep Polar Borealis Magazine #34 for publication in May.

I might natter about books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen. For instance, I recently read The Scarlet Plague by Jack London. Published in 1915, it is an eerily prescient description of a worldwide plague which reduces humanity to a few thousand individuals. I bet it later sprung to mind for many of its readers when confronted by the 1919 flu epidemic that killed more people than died during WWI. And what with COVID and all, the book is still relevant to our future. Well worth reading.

And so far this month I have watched five films:

1954 – The Seven Samurai
1957 – From Hell It Came
1959 – Destination Space

1950 – Destination Moon
1950 – Rocketship XM

Any one of the above is worth a blog in itself.

Last but not least, if I’ve thought of anything clever, I’ll be sure to include it. Alas, nothing today.

Feel free to drop in any time. I’ll be doing this whenever I’m in the mood.

Cheers!  Graeme