Complimentary copies of World’s End, Darkest Hour and Always Forever (courtesy of Pyr), The Burning Man mass-market paperback and the hardback and tradepaperback editions of Destroyer of Worlds (courtesy of Gollancz) have all recently arrived and are now piled up in the middle of my study. And there’s still Lord of Silence to come from Solaris.

Latest book deliveries

I’m going to need a bigger study.

I’ve carried out a longish interview at the Fantasy Book Critic site, ostensibly about Lord of Silence, The Silver Skull and Age of Misrule, but also taking in some personal and writerly stuff too.

Last week, UK newspaper The Guardian had a series of supplements detailing Great British Walks. The one which appeared on day five will be of particular interest to readers of this blog as it focuses on Lost Worlds and Legends-themed walks.

Several of the trails are linked to sites featured heavily in Age of Misrule - Stonehenge, Loch Ness, Thomas the Rhymer’s Hills, Tintagel – and are a great way to soak up the atmosphere and discover more about these evocative places.

You can buy the whole set of walks supplements for a tenner here.

Always Forever, Book Three of the Age of Misrule has sold out of its first printing from Pyr before it even reaches the shelves. A second printing is on the way.

The demand came in at such a high level I even had to forego my complementary copies of this printing to ensure the stores were supplied. I’m very pleased with the US launch. Pyr’s team has done a great job of getting the books into the shops, and they’ve been well-received by the critics (for instance, here.)

And for the second extract of the day (as both books come out within days of each other), here’s one from Destroyer of Worlds, Kingdom of the Serpent Book 3.

Again, ordering details to the right.

You can find an extract from Lord of Silence here.

And you can order it to the right of this page if it piques your interest.

One final place to recommend if you’re journeying to Tenby in South Wales this summer: Caffe Vista in Crackwell Street, off the beaten track, but worth seeking out. For a start, it serves proper coffee (and cake) unlike the over-priced slop many cafes try to get away with in the UK. But if you head to the back, there’s also a sun-drenched balcony overlooking the sea that very few people know about. A good writers’ cafe, with free broadband too.

Fecci's ice cream

Okay, I’ve clearly not tasted every ice cream produced across the land, but the ones made by Fecci & Sons in Tenby are certainly my number one. The Italian family has been making ice cream in Tenby since the First World War and they’ve got several classic, traditional ice cream parlours around the town.

My favourite is in St George’s Street straight off the Five Arches as you go in. Another reason why I love the place, and certainly worth mentioning here at the start of the British summer. The ice cream really is that good. (Apologies for the hopeless photo, by the way.)

Tenby Harbour

Next month, Destroyer of Worlds, Book 3 of Kingdom of the Serpent is published in the UK, the final volume of my sprawling fantasy series which began with World’s End, Age of Misrule Book 1, nearly ten years ago. When the final edit was complete, it seemed only right that I return to the place where I first dreamed up the story, sitting by the side of the sea on the Celtic fringes of the UK.

It’s not like I’ve been any stranger to Tenby in Pembrokeshire, South Wales – I’ve been going pretty much on an annual basis since I was about seven, sometimes for a few days, sometimes a couple of weeks. For me, the place is damned near perfect for a writer looking for inspiration: winding streets with odd little shadowy alleys, colourful houses, medieval walls, a nearby castle (which featured, like Tenby, in World’s End) the best beaches in this part of the world, and a history of mystery and mysticism. It’s always been a place artists have visited, for much the same reasons – check out the great museum and art gallery if you don’t believe me.

As it’s the start of the summer, I thought I’d give it a mention here, and in a couple of posts to follow. If you’re ever down there, take a look – you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll be signing copies of Lord of Silence and Destroyer of Worlds at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on July 9 between 6-7pm.

You can also meet fellow author James Lovegrove, who will be signing copies of his new Solaris novel, The Age of Ra, same time, same place.

It’ll probably be the only signing I do for both of these books, so if you really want me to scribble all over your prized copy, come along.