2009 has been a chaotic year for me and I’ve been trying to catch my breath as well as my bearings.
This is perhaps not the news you were expecting, but I have parted ways with my publisher, Macmillan, due to the turmoil of this year and other mitigating factors. It means that book 3 of the Secret War series is on hold for a while as I decide which project I should be pursuing. I have not made a decision as to whether I continue writing The Black Hours or the planned third book of the Secret War series, The Traitor of Light. But I have made a decision to shelve The Fortress of Black Glass for the time being until it feels right to write it.
I will, of course, keep updating the blog as and when any relevant news comes out, but the impact of family and working life has been too considerable to ignore. In this current climate, I’ve had to look to my family first than my career as a writer and have been forced to make some tough decisions on where I go from here. It does mean that in the future I will have more freedom to approach projects that I want to write, but with an uncertainty over whether those projects are commercial enough and their frequency.
But then, that’s why I do what I do, and why I wrote The Secret War in the first place. Not for the money (which was nice but could never match the wage of the day-job) but because I have an unequivocal belief in what projects I want to pursue.
So a big thanks to everyone who has been supportive on this blog and the Macmillan New Writers blog. It’s made the last four years very special, and hopefully in the near future there will be some news on a new “MFW Curran” book. (For the foreseeable future, any contact should be made via the link to the right i.e. mfwcurran@talktalk.net).
Until then, best wishes
- MFWC
About the Author
- Matt Curran
- By day Matt F.W. Curran haunts the offices of the Government, and by night is the author of The Secret War and The Hoard of Mhorrer. Matt resides with his wife Sarah, and young son Daniel, in Sheffield and has been struck by lightning twice…
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Hoard of Mhorrer interview
Out Now
The Secret War
What they said about The Secret War...
- "...its gripping and above all it’s a tale that will suck the reader in from the first page… Definitely an author to watch although I wouldn’t leave this offering on the shelf for long, one of our tips to pick up and get into before the masses learn of them." Falcata Times
- "...Just the sort of book I love, a historical novel shot through with the elements of the fantastic to pump up the action and the scope." Rick Kleffel's Agony Column
- "The Secret War is great fun and a terrific read, an interesting take on a familiar idea that falls somewhere between epic fantasy and boys-own adventure it’s a heady mix that’s well worth investigating." The Disgruntled Writer
- "Well written, especially for a first novel, the early-19th-century setting is realised in grimy detail and the battle scenes are very graphically described." Otago Daily Times
- "Worth the read if you like your warfare bloody and brutal..." Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
- “Curran has produced a debut novel that’s tremendous fun…” Historical Novels Review
- “Impressive for any writer, but considering this was his debut novel, this makes it even more worthy of note…” The Bookbag
- “It's well written and well paced with the mud & blood of battle coming through strongly without obsessing over the gore. …it's an excellent read and thoroughly absorbing.” Un:Bound
- “The Secret War is well written and an easy page-turner…” Chronicles
Out Now
The Hoard of Mhorrer
What they said about The Hoard of Mhorrer
- "Curran's is certainly a name worth looking out for, on the evidence so far and I, for one, am keen to see where things go from here..." The Bookbag
- "Well balanced, beautifully paced and extremely entertaining , it's a satisfying read." Un:Bound
- “Curran is obviously an exciting new talent in the science-fiction and fantasy scene… his prose is crisp and well-formed, moving at a decent enough pace to sustain momentum during the quieter moments, exploding into action scenes that have a visceral sense of momentum about them.” Sci-Fi Now Magazine
- “…exactly the kind of thing that invites labelling by fusion: Sharpe-meets-Dracula, Napoleon-meets-Warhammer…The Hoard of Mhorrer will appeal to many.” Deathray Magazine
Shop for MFW Curran books:
The first edition of The Secret War hardback (out of print)
"For thousands of years a secret war has been fought between Heaven and Hell... The year is 1815, when angels and daemons walked our streets"
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Hoard of Mhorrer interview
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16 comments:
Sorry to hear about the publisher split. I hope all goes well for you, writing-wise and life-wise, in the future.
Matt, sorry that you've parted ways with Macmillan. If that means coming back to what you want to write, when you want to write it, that can only be good news - even if it doesn't look that way now. None of us took up writing novels to be on a treadmill!
Thanks Alex, thanks Tim
It's a weird situation to be in because on one hand it's quite scary going into the unknown again, but on the other hand it's liberating. This move gives me the chance to explore new worlds and new civilisations, to boldly go...
No, that's not right. That's Star Trek...
Matt
Sorry to hear this news. Does this mean the other secret war books won't be published? What are your plans for the series now? I liked the idea of the "Traitor of Light" book. Will you go back to write this one?
Thanks
James
Hi James
The answers to these questions deserves a post on its own, and perhaps a more detailed explanation as to what happened and what will happen with the Secret War books, but the short answer is that the Secret War series will still continue, though under another publisher, either as a one off with The Fortress of Black Glass, or with The Traitor of Light as well.
Good luck, Matt. I'm sure (and hope) to see an Mfw Curran book in the near future even if it isn't a secret war novel.
Matt, you are one of the nicest and most welcoming people I have met through MNW and I am sorry that we're no longer in the same stable. But our friendship will definitely continue and I know that you will flourish wherever you go in the future. My son loves your book and is watching out for that next one. No pressure!
Thanks for all you've done.
Eliza Graham
Many thanks, Claire
As far as I'm concerned, the Secret War books will still be written, but you might be right in that the next book that comes out under my name might not be a Secret War novel at all.
Watch this space...
Many thanks, Eliza
As Tim pointed out on the Macmillan New Writers blog, "once an MNWer, always an MNWer". That's what I think as well. I definitely won't be losing touch with people at Macmillan New Writers and I'll still be pimping their books to everyone I know, watching out for your successes. It’s a privilege being part of a diverse and brilliant group of writers such as this, and you’d have to be a little crazy to want to leave that behind you. I certainly won’t.
As for the Secret War books: the reaction on the blogs but especially via e-mail has been a surprise and I’ve had quite a few e-mails asking about the future of the Secret War books, hoping the next one will come out soon.
For that reason, I guess I'll have to post something about the series in the next couple of days...
'For that reason, I guess I'll have to post something about the series in the next couple of days...'
Oooh! This sounds exciting.
Yes - come on, Matt! Tell us! After all, we are your mates.
I am puzzled, Matt, by this post. You have put your writing of the WIP on hold that I can understand. Oh so many times I have put my current writing on a back burner because something else has caught my attention. More so since I juggle fiction writing with my academic books. But why have you parted ways with Macmillan? Is it related to the branding issue that had been raised sometime back? They want you to write a particular series and you feel the need to write something different. Is that it? How are such things settled I wonder. Is this the role of an agent? Have you found another publisher, say the way Roger Morris has, to take you in a different direction? But can this not be negotiated with Macmillan? It has happened in my case. My short stories are with Picador, a sister concern of Macmillan because MNW does not publish short stories, and the entire process was initially routed through Will. I have not broken off with Macmillan as such and once my novel-of-the-future is written out I turn back to them. Is this not the way that long term negotiations are made with your publisher? Or does it mean that having shifted to Picador I have moved to another stable? As you can see I am puzzled for myself. In India we do not have agents and I have a long standing relationship with all my publishers, Indian and from abroad. And with each one of them I can get back as and when my writing takes shape. Branding I had felt was problematic from the start. As you said, Matt, you are now happy because you will be doing your own thing. I believe that given your talent. Surely Macmillan or anybody else gives you the necessary space.
Hello Matt
I felt I should write as I just finished reading the Horde of Mhorrer and enjoyed it very much. I found out what has happened with your publsiher on Amazon and was surprised by the news. Does this mean there won't be another book after Horde of Mhorrer? I hope there will be. Book 2 was left on a real cliffhanger.
Thanks for listening.
Hi, Frances
It's not breaking news as such, but definitely my strategy for the books to come. But I'll post something in the next few days. Promise.
Hi, Suroopa
Again, this probably requires a post of explanation, but the short(ish) answer is that for at least the next six years (or three books) I'll be engaged in projects Macmillan won't be interested in, either due to the branding issue or due to the Secret War books, which it appears they are no longer are interested in. This latter issue baffles me, especially in light of the modest success the books have had, but then I'm not the only author who has left a publisher mid-series due to either creative differences or the fact that other editors have been involved and voiced their indifference. Change is particularly acute in publishing, and while in one breath a publisher can be ecstatic about a series of books, in the next breath, they can murmur their lack of interest even with books that have attracted deals from foreign markets and have sold well in mid-list terms. The fact that I have a series that is doing reasonably well in this respect means I have product to sell elsewhere, and I’m certain in that in the future the Secret War books will continue. Alas, that won’t be happening with Macmillan.
That doesn’t mean that in the future I won’t return to Macmillan with another project, I just can’t see it happening for quite a long time.
Hi, Gary
(I forgot about Author Central on Amazon...). Yep, there will be a book 3, and maybe a book 4 (more in the next post) it's just a question of when and how those books are published.
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