Okay, so I suppose it’s time for one of those I’m still alive posts again. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet but there is quite a lot going on these days. (New book here if you want to skip this post!)

The last years have been hard on everyone, and that includes me. At first, the forced isolation seemed like a dream for us writer-types; just being locked in with nothing to do aside from writing. Well, for me that wasn’t the case at all. Not only did I bring a lot of baggage with me into the quarantine, but being holed up inside didn’t give me much in the way of inspiration. Me and my family already felt kind of dead in the water before the lockdown, and basically being stuck together for a year didn’t help matters much. So we got the hell out of dodge and moved halfway across the country, yay! I now reside just outside of Oslo, the capital of Norway, which after a year of isolation was a colossal system shock. Compared to any other town in the world it’s really not that big, but when comparing it to my hometown I might’ve just as well moved to Tokyo or New York. There’s people everywhere! And I love it! I think . . .

It’s gonna be fine . . .

So that’s the boring personal stuff out of the way: New place, new town, new job and new clothes. Same family, same stupid face and same imagination. (And lack thereof, occasionally.) I can’t guarantee anything when it comes to my writing, but I haven’t been completely out of it the past five years either, just way too lazy to post updates about it. So for the three or four people reading this, here’s a three-pronged update on my current projects! I shall call it Bishop’s Trident! Or not . . .

New book

This should’ve been its own post a million years ago! The book was more or less written in 2016 and 2017 I got it printed in 2018 but there were some issues with the cover and some scathing but very welcome feedback from a couple of early readers. I finally got around to editing everything and fixing it up in 2019 and then I just kind of released it into the wild without promoting it at all.

If you’re one of those promotional/self-publish/indie/marketing channels on social media you’re probably choking on your lunch right now. I got . . . sidetracked, okay?

Anyway, the book is called Empress, and is dedicated to an old colleague of mine. (It’s a little different than my other stuff, while still taking place in Noman.) It’s a great first foray into the Noman universe if you find Awakenings to be a little too massive. It’s on Amazon now both as paperback and on Kindle.

S’ilvia has given up hope long ago, certain her disease will be the end of her. She sets out to strike a final deal before that happens, to make sure her empire will survive. Her legate, however, still clings to the faint hope a cure can be procured. Rumor has it there’s one among the ancient ruins and choking humidity of Phran; a secluded H’arian city deep in the mystical jungles of Noman. But the shadows are long in The Wet, and according to the locals, they come alive at night. S’ilvia has to count on a lot more than words if she wants to earn their trust. She might even have to call on something from her dark past.

Robert Bishop – Empress

Updated trailer

Following the trend of things that should’ve been done a long time ago, I’ve given the trailer for Awakenings a massive overhaul. Several years ago, a good friend of mine did the voiceover as Lind’sei, the main protagonist. Needless to say, her voice work was infinitely better than mine, and a lot more personal as well, as it could be told from Lind’sei’s actual point of view. While I was at it, I redid the entire audio track, making it more coherent and immersive. I also swapped out some of the images, as they looked a little out of place. You can see the result here:

Ongoing projects

Finally, I’d like to share a little update on what I am and what I have been working on lately. If you’ve made it this far and think any of the projects sound exciting, don’t hesitate to contact me for a preview or excerpt. I always need more beta readers! Now obviously I’m not working on all of this at the same time. I really am trying to focus on Frostbites first, but in order to keep writing, I need things to ‘fall back’ on.

In the Noman universe (fantasy) I have two books and six novellas/short-stories in various stages of completion:

• Black Death (short-story)
  • A dark tale of an assassin working for The Unkindness, told from the perspective of the victims.
  • More or less 100% complete, I’m just not quite sure about it.
• The Pack (novella)
  • A novella about a pack of wolves living in the frozen northern reaches of Noman
  • The first draft is 80% complete – will be released after some revisions
• Privileged (novella)
  • A story that’s been in the oven since long before Awakenings was released.
  • The first draft is outlined, but not yet finished
• Where Mother Lives (short-story)
  • Part 1 of a Lovecraftian trilogy about the decent of a small town into madness. Or worse.
  • Rough outline written
• Trespass (short-story)
  • The sequel to Where Mother Lives
  • Rough outline and prologue written
• They are no Longer Here (short-story)
  • The sequel to Trespass
  • Rough outline written
• The Glass Ship (book)
  • A rousing pirate tale about two brothers who steals a ship from someone one really shouldn’t steal ships from . . .
  • 20% of the first draft written.
• Frostbites (book)
  • You probably know about this . . . it’s the sequel to Awakenings and a major thorn in my side.
  • 90% through the first draft. It’s coming, alright?

In the Alexandria universe (sci-fi) I have three books and one novella in various stages of completion:

• Osmosis (book)
  • Part 1 of the Zarakkan Station saga. We follow two people working in The Atrium, a giant ‘natural reservation’ floating in space. This giant natural habitat is able to feed most of the station and keep most of its systems operational. The cracks are starting to show, however, and not everything is as it seems out in the cold vacuum of space.
  • 20% of the first draft written.
• Crystalline (book)
  • The sequel to Osmosis
  • Not yet started
• Escape (book)
  • The sequel to Crystalline
  • Not yet started
• Fall (novella)
  • The sequel and conclusion to Rise (available here)
  • 70% through the first draft