New year and the publishers have woken up from all that turkey. Expect a run of spam messages from me about new books in the next few weeks. Starting with... You may not have realised that what was missing from your lives was a version of Wagon Train as scripted by J.R.R. Tolkein, but that is easily fixed now that BYZANTIUM: STONE AND FIRE has reached the Kindle store - $1 last time I looked. For those not yet compelled to click away and acquire it, here us the recap and cast list to get you up to speed: BOOK TWO: BYZANTIUM: STONE AND FIRE by I.A. Watson In which we report the journey of the last caravan to Byzantium as it is hunted by raiders and revenants, with a packed roster of merchants, mendicants, military, magicians, monks, mercenaries, and one formidable grandmother. Previously, in BYZANTIUM: DEAD MEN’S ROAD:     Wandering Celtic priest Kirkgrim Carrionwake joined the caravan heading east to Byzantium mostly because he fancied Venetian mage Mirabelle de Castile. The collection of travellers seeking safe passage to the great city were a fascinating selection of merchants, messengers, monks, and others ripe for meddling with. Of particular interest were the newly-recruited Viking caravan guard Sigroth Sigrothson and the train’s lead scout Fitz, owner of a fighting war-pig.     Kirkgrim also suspected growing trouble as the rebel forces of Baron Olderus shifted their attentions west of the fallen Roman Empire’s old capital, defying Duke Sebastio’s weakening rule and fomenting chaos across the region. The Wanderer couldn’t know that the beautiful Lady Mirabelle was tasked with delivering a sealed casket to the Invisible College’s Byzantine Chapter, or that this treasure would draw the attention of a one-eyed sorcerer and his band or raiders and of a Necromancer who would raise an undead horde.     If he had known, Kirkgrim would have gone anyway. Significant Travellers in the Caravan of Padavas the Portly at the start of our present chronicle The Staff: Padavas the Portly, Caravan Master, bringing his train on a new route hoping for less trouble Santar Strongarm, his guard commander Fitz the Scout, principal tracker, and his truffle-pig companion Fred Sigroth Sigrothson, out-of-place simple-minded axe-loving Viking berserker Vare the smith’s son, a neophyte wagon guard newly recruited to the job Truder the Younger, experienced but antisocial wagon guard, now secretly an undead serving a sinister enemy Jessup and Wardik, Santar’s cronies, caravan guards Nine other bravos, some herdsmen, drovers, and wagon-drivers, and a harried quartermaster cook Principal Passengers: Davidus of Tessera, a rich merchant with many wagons and his own private guard force Margrave Rhodin dy Thermi, Imperial Courier of Byzantium, serving its ruler Duke Sebastio Lady Mirabelle de Castile, Silver Adept Initiate of the Invisible College; a mage Other Passengers: Kirkgrim Carrionwake, the Wanderer, unconventional priest of the Tuatha de Danaan from the mystic isle of Albion Alfosus of Tarsus, a slaver transporting a cargo of four captives Brother Jastus and a column of pilgrim-monks of the Order of St Temensus Hodis, his wife Katin, three children Yve, Hod Jr, and Frott, and his mother Matya, a displaced farmer family Lessi, Ulas, Tuse, Aglina (Aggie) and thirteen other recent orphans from undead-ravaged Deara, under the protection of Lady Mirabelle Many other travellers, bringing the total number in the caravan to 157 souls. "Byzantium: Stone and Fire" ASIN: B00SF4PYH2 Published by Pro Se Press Release date: January 2015 Kindle Edition $0.99 Book One, BYZANTIUM: DEAD MAN'S ROAD is also available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LWGO9F8/ Travel safely. Or, if you prefer the comfort of stately Victoriana, how about... SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERIES presents seven of award winning writer, I.A. Watson’s fabulous Sherlock Holmes adventures. This first volume, available only on Kindle, collects Watson’s first six Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson tales that have appeared in the first six volumes of Airship 27 Productions’ bestselling series, Sherlock Holmes – Consulting Detective. “I.A. Watson has had a new story in each volume of “Consulting Detective,” since its inception,” reports Airship 27 Productions’ Managing Editor. “In fact his third entry in the series, ‘The Last Deposit’ won the Pulp Factory Award for Best Pulp Short Story. So we are extremely excited to be putting all these amazing stories together for our Kindle readers. As an added bonus, Airship 27 Productions is including an eighth, never before published adventure, “The Adventure of the Fading Light.” That makes this digital book twice the size of the regular volumes for the exact same price.” This Kindle collection also features all the original illustrations by Pulp Factory Award winning artist, and Airship 27 Productions Art Director, Rob Davis. "Sherlock Holmes Mysteries" ASIN: B00S8SPQKU Published by Airship 27 Release date: January 2015 Kindle Edition $4.99 IW

Amazingly, I saw this on Amazon before I came here. Probably the first time it has happened this way round.

If work stays out of the way this weekend I'll be doing a little reading...

After an apallingly long delay in their "monthly" (now "bi-monthly") schedule for this, they rushed Book 2 out without referring any galley proof to me. They claimed "it needed no proofreading alterations at all", which is remarkable since when I reread the document I sent them I found a dozen or so typos, instances of poor grammar, and one outright error in the back-up article. If you happen to notice any, please let me know. Dialogue with my publisher on this is... ongoing.

I should add that I'm aware of the behind-the-scenes personal reasons for the publisher's various delays and I'm not selfish enough to think my books are more important than those. I'm just a bit worried about quality control now we're running again.

Two more releases out now: ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON - Book One As the Roman Empire crumbles a much older power awakens. With him rise pitiless monsters from legend and prehistory. Astorat the Dragon demands gold, power, and virgin flesh. Most of all he demands Princess Sabra, Nymph of the Sacred Pool. Only a miracle can stop him. Unfortunately, the appointed saint has other ideas. And he's no saint. But will he be a hero? I.A. WATSON brings a slice of legend to life in the first of two enthralling volumes of sword against serpent, passion versus dragonfire, for the future of all humanity. Map of Roman Cyrenaica Map of Roman Cyrene "St George and the Dragon - Book One" ISBN-10: 150580793X ISBN-13:9781505807936 Published by Chillwater Press Release date: February 2015 Retail Price: $13.20 from Createspace Kindle Edition available THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT: RACE WITH HELL A 10,000 mile air race over the most dangerous environments on the planet. 31 of the world’s most daring pilots – before the killings start. An ancient evil awoken from its tomb to wreak ancient revenge on the living. Detective airman Richard Knight targeted for death. Can the man called Q prevent mass murder before the globe is plunged into chaos and war? A brand new digest novel featuring Donald E. Keyhoe’s classic flying secret agent from award winning pulp author I. A. Watson takes Richard Knight on a Race With Hell! ! See the Race Map here "The New Adventures of Richard Knight volume 2: Race With Hell" ISBN-10: 1507582420 ISBN-13: 978-1507582428 Published by Pro Se Press Release date: January 2015 Retail Price: $9.00 from Createspace Kindle and Other Electronic Editions available

SHERLOCK HOLMES: CONSULTING DETECTIVE Volume 7: Thick fog envelopes the streets of London. Nefarious agents set about their evil plots and schemes. Murder most foul rears its ugly head and baffling mysteries confound the good men of Scotland Yard. What recourse but to call upon the greatest Consulting Detective of them all, Mr Sherlock Holmes of 221B Baker Street?. In another edition of the popular anthology series, I.A. Watson chronicles one of Holmes’ earliest cases investigating the murderous recurrence of the horrific Victorian bogeyman “Spring-Heeled Jack” – in the closely guarded military base at Aldershot Barracks! "Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective vol 7" ISBN 10: 0692387196 ISBN 13: 978-0692387191 Published by Airship 27 Release date: February 2015 Retail Price: $16.99 Kindle version available