Steven Savile introduction - Everything You Wanted to Know and were Afraid to Ask

[StevenSavile]

Brian was kind enough to invite me over here, as I tend to lurk a lot, and suggested I introduce myself.

Basically I have been writing 15 years now, with my first published story in a UK small press mag called Exuberance. Since then I have tried my hand at a lot of stuff including:

Editing -

Redbrick Eden, Scaremongers 2, was runner-up in the British Fantasy Awards and featured a lot of well known British horror writers and raised money for the homeless charity, Shelter.

Last year I co-edited Elemental: the Tsunami Relief anthology, released in the US by Tor Books, with stories from Kevin J Anderson & Brian Herbert, Brian Aldiss, Jacqueline Carey, William C. Dietz, David Drake, Lynn Flewelling, Ether Friesner, David Gerrold, Joe Haldeman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Tim Lebbon, Juliet Marillier, Syne Mitchell, Larry Niven, Eric Nylund, Stel Pavlou, Adam Roberts, Sharon Shinn, Michael Marshall Smith, Martha Wells, Sean Williams and Shane Dix, Janny Wurts and an introduction from Sir Arthur C. Clarke. All proceeds from this are being donated to Save the Children's Tsunami Relief Fund.


Sandwiched between, I worked with the estate of Fritz Leiber, collating his horror stories with John Pelan to release Black Gondolier and other Stories and Smoke Ghost and other Apparitions.

I am currently editing Destination Prague - a new anthology of Dr Who stories for Big Finish in the UK.


Writing -

Back in 2002 I won the Writers of the Future Award with my story Bury My Heart at the Garrick, and have released via the small press in the US and Uk, the novels Secret Life of Colours and Laughing Boys Shadow and the short story collections Similar Monsters and Angel Road.

Media related stuff -

I have recently completed a trilogy of vampire fantasy novels for Games Workshop's Black Library (Inheritance, Dominion and Retribution) and have written Slaine the Exile and the forthcoming Slaine the Defiler based on Pat Mills' classic 2000AD comic strips. I also write short stories for Dr Who.

The first Slaine novel has recently been nominated for the inaugural Scribe Awards for Best Adapted Novel.

What's going on now?

I am in the process of writing Televisionaries: a Guide to Cult SF television from the Twilight Zone through to Torchwood, which should be ought in April next year. I have a series of kids horror novels, The Nightfighters, due to debut soon, and am collaborating with Stel Pavlou on a YA sf novel.



So now you know who I am, I hope you'll hang around, ask questions, and not just about my work - I have been in the field of publishing in various capacities for 15 years now, and have a wealth of disinformation to spread

 

[StevenSavile]

To add a little more depth to the ramblings, a couple of old online interviews:

Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest

The Black Library | Bringing the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 to life.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Adapting the Slaine stories must have been quite a challenge - a lot of the stories seemed dominated by Simon Bisley's amazing artwork, plus there's a whole background of mythology to work with.

How on earth do you turn such a visual piece into a written experience, while feeling that you can keep true to the original intention of a writer such as Pat Mills?

Not trying to challenge you - simply asking how you coped with the pressures.

 

[StevenSavile]

Heh, I'll hold off on answering this one today - there's an interview going live that covers exactly this - but I will say there were several issues, not least being my own love of the comics from back when I was a young impressionable fanboy. You want to do right by the original work. I set myself a challenge - to write the book in a way that would draw readers who had never read the comic to go in search of The Horned God and other great strips... I've had several letters from folks who did just that...

On the flip side the expectancy of failure is amazing - so many people write you off before they have read a word of it. It is a pretty unique experience tackling a popular comic. Just imagine how Kevin J Anderson must feel writing The Last Days of Krypton!

 

[StevenSavile]

The UK SF Book News Network - Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Book & Comic news from UK authors, creators, publishers & retailers


As promised, the interview that at least covers a little of what you asked, Brian.

 

[Justin Thorne]

Great interview, Steve... I was delighted when I saw that you had written a Slaine novel!

Slaine is the main reason I loved 2000AD back in the day so the fanboy in me jumped for joy a little when I saw you were attached to the project - as I knew you could capture the darkness in the celt mythology and have some fun in 'the playground' - as you described it!

I'm just finishing the book off this weekend and will be writing the official SFFWORLD review in the next few days.

All the best

jT

 

[StevenSavile]

Hey Justin -very very good to see you again mate! Hope all is grand. I recently finished the second Slaine novel, which if you ask me kicks the first ones arse all over celticdom

Drop me a line sometime and we'll chat some - been too long! And congratulations on your own book!

 

[Justin Thorne]

Thanks, Steve, appreciate it!

Things are ticking nicely, and I'm looking forward to being defiled in the sequel! I posted my review tonight, so should appear over the next few days - great read, mate!

I have a new album too! Didn't '...honey' find its way to Sweden?

jT

 

[Justin Thorne]

Hey Steve,

My official SFFW review is now up HERE>>>

 

[StevenSavile]

Thanks for that Justin - hugely appreciated, and I am sorry for compounding your tie-in problems

Sent the link over to my editor and he stuck it up on the official Black Flame site - ahh the fame, the glory!

 

[Justin Thorne]

Tremendous!

When is Defiler out? You haven't just turned me into a tie-in fan, you've turned me into something much, much worse... an impatient tie-in fan!

Any news on the Scribes?

 

[StevenSavile]

The Defiler hits the streets in August... and is getting GREAT feedback from the proofers/copyeditors as far superior to Exile... so who knows. Me, I think it smacks the book all over the shop, taking names and asking the cool girls out...

The scribes are announced at San Deigo comicon - so what another 7 weeks of torture?

I just delivered my first story in my OWN fantasy world this week - man that was a nervous thing, but I think I did good... we'll find out.

Oh, and I can't log in to sffworld - I think I lost my password and it is all on the old email... so gah!

 

[Justin Thorne]

No problem, I should be able to sort that out... email me your email address - justin AT justinthorne dotcom and I will change your email, you can then ask for a password reminder and it will send it to the right place.

I'll send you my address for your publishers, get them ARCs to me so I can review them suckers! You know, when I'm not taking names and asking the cool girls out myself! heh!