Award-winning author Joseph D’Lacey has signed a two-book deal with one of the hottest UK genre publishers, Angry Robot. The deal is for a duology with book one, Black Feathers landing in April 2013 and the sequel The Book of the Crowman following in 2014. The exciting deal is for world rights in all languages.
We caught up with an ecstatic Joseph D’Lacey who had the following to say, “I’ve been secretly hoping to work with Angry Robot for a long time. It’s very obvious both how good the work they’re publishing is and how widely they can distribute. Their approach to genre publishing is original and they’re doing things other people don’t seem able to do. On a more personal level, I like the guys who set up and run Angry Robot – and I know they love what they do. So, I think it’s a perfect marriage.”
Joseph reveals more good news, “This coincides with finding a new agent, Brie Burkeman, whose influence has already been astonishing in terms of guiding my career.”
For readers curious to learn a little more about the specifics of the duology, Joseph is on-hand to whet your appetite, “It’s an apocalyptic fantasy set in two eras: an ecological and sociological apocalypse called The Black Dawn and generations into the aftermath, during The Bright Day. In each era, the future of the planet is in the hands of a child who undertakes a perilous journey in search of a dark messiah – The Crowman. To do this they must battle to outwit an oppressive regime – The Ward – and take on other dark forces which plot against them. The children must discover whether The Crowman is our saviour or the final incarnation of evil.”
Joseph explains that the Black Feathers duology is an idea that has existed for some time now, “It’s been germinating in various forms and in different compartments of my mind for several years. The book is born out of hope and fear about humanity’s future. I’m sure people wonder whether we have a choice now about how the future goes, ecologically speaking. Is there still time to reverse the damage that we’ve already done or have we passed some point of no return? It’s also apparent that modern societies have forgotten how to interact with the natural world in a harmonious and mutually beneficial way. I’ve had a yearning for a long time to bring these hopes and fears to life in fiction.”
We cannot wait to hear more on the Black Feathers duology and will bring you more news as and when we have it from the eco-genre fiction master. Don’t forget that Joseph has another two new releases later this year with Splinters launching on 27 September and Blood Fugue 16 November.
MICHAEL WILSON
For more information on Joseph D’Lacey visit his blog
For more information on Black Feathers visit the Angry Robot website
