Oisín McGann's Blog
Wondering Aloud

To celebrate the release of ‘Merciless Reason’, the third book in the Wildenstern Saga, we are offering one reader the chance to make an appearance as a character in my next novel.* Like a walk-on part in a film, except you won’t have to walk. To enter, you need to do two things:

1. Simply answer this question:
In the opening chapter of ‘Ancient Appetites’, the first Wildenstern book, Nate goes hunting for a wild motorcycle in the Wicklow Mountains. What do the local people call this creature?**

2. Send us a short written description of what you look like. Include some of your interests or hobbies. Use no more than forty words – no photos or attachments please!

Send your entry by email to: competition@oisinmcgann.com.
Please put your answer to the question in the subject line.

There will also be three runners-up, each of whom will receive inscribed copies of all three Wildenstern novels.

The closing date for the competition is the 15th of June.

*My next book is entitled ‘Rat-Runners’. It’s not a Wildenstern book, but will be a thrilling piece of work nonetheless.

**The first chapter of ‘Ancient Appetites’ can be found here. Hint: The name starts with a ‘B’.

The winner will be announced on or before the 15th of July at www.oisinmcgann.com.

For the Terms & Conditions, please refer to the ‘Merciless Reason’ page.

And on a final, related note, I recently did a guest post on the Falcata Times blog for their Steampunk Week. It’s a letter to Nathaniel from his father, Edgar, after Nate’s first attempt to flee from the family (before the events of ‘Ancient Appetites’). It is a note of caution from a ruthless old businessman to a son he considers gormless and impulsive. It won’t warm your heart.

With ‘Merciless Reason’ due out in March, we’re on the last stretch before it goes to print. The copy edits are pretty much complete, I’m working on the illustrations for the chapter icons at the moment, the team at Random House should have the page layouts done up before Christmas . . . and the cover is finished.

I know I’m biased, but I have to say I love it. I came up with the basic concept, but then James Fraser, the designer (formerly at Random, but now working freelance) took that and ran with it, recreating it in a brilliant layout. Then digital artist Steve Stone produced the final illustration, using a mixture of artwork, photography and computer imagery.

James has done most of the design work on my books with Random House and before this, Steve did the illustration for ‘The Wisdom of Dead Men’. Check out the portfolios on their sites – these guys are among the best in the business. Here’s the blurb for the book:

‘There’s no escaping this family. I’d have an easier time shaking the plague.’

It has been three years since Nate left Ireland, and his ruthless, feared family, behind. But the Wildensterns are not finished with him. When he discovers that his treacherous cousin is still alive, he is drawn back into their world of plotting, betrayal and murder.

At home, Daisy and Tatiana are among the few who are trying to stem the damage the Wildensterns are doing. The family has become even more hated by the people it treads upon in its thirst for power.

Fresh mysteries must be unravelled. The new church is being redesigned with strange mechanical devices built into its walls. An ancient relative is given control of the family. The children of an orphanage have gone missing.

One thing is for certain – the Wildensterns are back. Violence will ensue.

It seems the French like Irish steampunk stories. The French edition of ‘Ancient Appetites’ – ‘Voraces’ – is up for a second award. This one is the Prix Imaginales 2011.

The prize was created in 2002 and is the first French prize exclusively devoted to fantasy writing. ‘Voraces’ is in the ‘jeunesse’ category. Here’s the shortlist for the category:

• Fabien CLAVEL.- L’Apprentie de Merlin (Mango)
• Alexis FLAMANT.- Le T’Sank, Le Cycle d’Alamänder, 1 (Editions de l’Homme sans nom)
• Cornelia FUNKE.- Reckless (Gallimard Jeunesse), traduction : Marie-Claude Auger
• Johan HELIOT.- Les Flibustiers du vent, Le Tempestaire, 2 (Baam)
• Oisin McGANN.- Voraces (Mango), traduction : Patrick Imbert

The results will be announced during Les Imaginales convention in Epinal, on the 28th of May.

Here’s a first look at the cover of the French edition of ‘The Wisdom of Dead Men’. It’s going to be entitled ‘Féroces’, (‘Ferocious’), and I’m really pleased with the design. They’ve captured that ‘dark-gothic-mystery-and-violence-tempered-by-a-need-for-civilized-decorum’ feel very well indeed.

You can see more versions of my book covers in my Cover Gallery.

As I’ve mentioned before with the French version of ‘Ancient Appetites’, when your book is sold into another country, the level of input you get into how it looks can vary. With a publisher in the Irish or UK markets, I’d expect a lot of say in the cover.

In foreign markets, I have to trust the publisher there to know their business; the audience in every country is different. Mango, my French publisher, make a point of showing me the cover and asking my opinion, as they’ve done here, but the cover image is pretty much done and dusted before I see it, and I can only really get it tweaked at this stage.

Contrast that with my very first foray into a new market – when Tor published ‘The Gods and Their Machines’ in the States. The first time I saw that cover was on Amazon.

Thanks for the cover, Mango. Can’t wait to see it in print.