Freda Warrington - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Freda Warrington will be signing at Forbidden Planet this weekend…

Posted on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

We are delighted to announce that, to celebrate the release of Freda Warrington‘s newly re-issued and repackaged A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE, Freda will be visiting Forbidden Planet in London on Saturday 11th May (between 4-5pm) to sign copies of the book.

First published in 1992, there has been a great buzz surrounding the Titan re-releases. In addition, fans will be happy to learn that a new, never-before-published fourth book in the series, THE DARK ARTS OF BLOOD, is due to be published in October 2014.

‘Not merely one of the finest fantasy novels of recent years, but one of the finest ever. Should not be missed.’ — Brian Stableford

‘Throbs with lush romanticism.’ — The Times

‘… a really, really splendid read… Freda Warrington is like a cross between Anne Rice and Kim Newman – she has the sweep of one, the cleverness of the other. Titan will be reissuing the other titles in the series throughout the year, and they’re not to be missed.’ — Starburst

Here’s the synopsis…

1918. A First World War battlefield becomes the cosmic battleground for two vampires, as Karl von Wultendorf struggles to free himself from his domineering maker, Kristian.

1923. Charlotte Neville watches as her father, a Cambridge professor, fills Parkland Hall with guests for her sister Madeleine’s 18th birthday party. Among them is his handsome new research assistant Karl – the man Madeleine has instantly decided will be her husband. Charlotte, shy and retiring, is happy to devote her life to her father and her dull fiance Henry – until she sees Karl…

For Charlotte, it is the beginning of a deadly obsession that sunders her from her sisters, her father and even her dearest friend. As their feverish passion grows, Karl faces the dilemma he fears the most. Only by deserting Charlotte can his passion for her blood be conquered. Only by betraying her can he protect her from the terrifying attentions of Kristian – for Kristian has decided to teach Karl a lesson in power, by devouring Charlotte.

A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE (May 2013) and A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET (October 2013)

Cover Reveal: Freda Warrington’s A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET…

Posted on Thursday, April 25th, 2013

We are delighted to share with you the gorgeous new cover for Freda Warrington‘s A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET…

The novel is the second in Freda’s brilliant, atmospheric Blood Wine series, which is being re-issued by Titan Books. A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET is due to be published on October 25th 2013 in the UK. Titan Books will also be publishing the series in the United States, starting in October 2013 with A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE, with A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET due to follow in April 2014.

Here’s the synopsis of A DANCE IN BLOOD VELVET …

For the love of her vampire suitor, Karl, Charlotte has forsaken her human life. Now her only contact with people is when she hunts them down to feed. Her thirst for blood repulses her but its fulfilment brings ecstasy.

The one light in the shadows is the passion that burns between her and Karl. A love that it seems will last for eternity – until Karl’s former lover, the seductively beautiful Katerina, is rescued from the Crystal Ring. For nearly fifty years she has lain, as dead, in the icy depths of the Weisskalt. Now she wants to reclaim her life… and Karl.

In despair, Charlotte turns to the prima ballerina Violette Lenoir, an ice maiden who only thaws when she dances. Charlotte is fascinated as she has been by no other human, longing to bring joy to the dancer. But her obsession opens the floodgates to a far darker threat than the vampires could ever have imagined. For Violette is more than human and if she succumbs to the vampire’s kiss it could unleash a new terror…

And you can see plenty more Zeno book covers over at our Pinterest Zeno Cover Art Gallery.

Happy Publication Day (+1), Freda Warrington…

Posted on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

We are delighted to report that Freda Warrington‘s third Aetherial Tale, GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS, was published yesterday in the US by Tor Books!

The climactic concluding novel in the spellbinding magical contemporary fantasy Aetherial Tales trilogy

A painting, depicting haunting scenes of a ruined palace and a scarlet-haired goddess in front of a fiery city, arrives unheralded in an art gallery with a cryptic note saying, “The world needs to see this.” The painting begins to change the lives of the woman who is the gallery’s curator and that of an ancient man of the fey Aetherial folk who has mysteriously risen from the depths of the ocean. Neither human nor fairy knows how they are connected, but when the painting is stolen, both are compelled to discover the meaning behind the painting and the key it holds to their future.

If you’d like to try the novel, head on over to Tor.com, who have shared an excerpt. In addition, Freda has been busy around the SFF blogosphere of late, and recently wrote two great guest posts: The Unashamed Escapist for Fade into Fantasy, and Painting with Words for the Fantasy Book Cafe (as part of their Women in SF&F Month series).

Here’s what the critics have been saying so far…

‘A classy, beautifully rendered tale that persuasively builds from low-key beginnings into a complex enterprise with real heft, a rich back story and characters that grow with the narrative. A must for existing fans, while being easily accessible to newcomers.’ — Kirkus

‘If Freda Warrington didn’t write, it would be a crime against humanity. This woman was born to write and tell stories and she does it incredibly well… I absolutely love Warrington’s world… There’s romance, friendship, betrayal, growth, revelations and much more. Basically, it’s anything anyone could possibly want in a book… [Warrington] know[s] how to write an incredible story full of emotional drama, depth and amazing world building. Freda Warrington doesn’t just write urban fantasy. She’s mastered it.’ — Bookworm Blues

Zeno Deals Round-Up…

Posted on Monday, September 5th, 2011

It’s been a busy time here at Zeno Towers, what with the recent Worldcon in Reno, the upcoming Fantasycon and World Fantasy Convention, plus one or two personal bits and bobs that JP and I have been catching up on… life, I think some people call it!

That notwithstanding, we’ve been beavering away and are delighted to announce a few deals that we’ve recently concluded…

James P. Blaylock‘s first novel length Steampunk story in twenty years has sold to Titan in a world English deal negotiated by John Berlyne. THE AYLESFORD SKULL, which features further gaslight adventures of Langdon St. Ives and his nemesis Ignatio Narbondo will be published by Titan late next year or early 2013. A limited edition is also planned. In addition to THE AYLESFORD SKULL, Titan will also be re-issueing two Blaylock steampunk classics, the 1988 Philip K Dick Award winning HOMUNCULUS and also LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE. Audio rights for all three novels went to Stacy Patton Anderson at Audible.
Titan have also acquired world English rights (excluding India) to TURBULENCE and an UNTITLED sequel by Samit Basu. Publication is set for Feb 2012.
Audible will release an audiobook edition of Ian R. MacLeod‘s WAKE UP AND DREAM along with two earlier MacLeod novels THE SUMMER ISLES and THE GREAT WHEEL.
Audible also picked up audio rights to the third novel in Michael Cobley‘s HUMANITY’S FIRE series, THE ASCENDANT STARS. German rights for this title went to Heyne via Thomas Schluck.
Sheila Gilbert at DAW Books has acquired World English rights to Kari Sperring‘s THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE and an UNTITLED sequel in a nice deal negotiated by John Parker.
German rights to Freda Warrington’s ELFLAND sold to Carl Ueberreuter Verlag GMBH via Paul & Peter Fritz AG.
French rights to the first three novels in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best selling RIVERS OF LONDON series went to J’ai lu via Lora Fountain. Orion have sold rights to the series in Poland, Hungary and Italy.
Also via Lora Fountain, French rights to Ian McDonald‘s PLANESRUNNER sold to Gallimard Jeunesse.
The Library of America will publish the Algis Budrys‘ classic SF work WHO? as part of a reissue series to be edited by Gary K. Wolfe.
UK / British Commonwealth rights to a new graphic novel series by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden entitled CEMETERY GIRL went to Jo Fletcher at Jo Fletcher Books. Jo has also acquired three anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni P. Kelner.
US rights to Iain Sinclair‘s GHOST MILK and AMERICAN SMOKE went to Mitzi Angel at Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
UK /British Commonwealth rights to two brand new titles in Elizabeth Moon‘s PALADIN’S LEGACY series sold to Orbit.

And there are plenty more things in the pipeline! More in due course.

News From Planet Eastercon…

Posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Zeno clients triumphed at the BSFA awards, which were held at this year’s Eastercon, at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham over the Easter weekend.

First up was Aliette de Bodard, who was on hand to collect the award for Best Short Fiction for her story The Shipmaker, which appeared in Interzone issue #231. I managed to snap this pic of her being dwarfed by David Weber, who was on hand the present the award. (The homeless man to the rear is Paul Cornell prior to the removal of his comedy charity beard – for which he raised an impressive amount of money for, ironically, Shelter!)

No sooner had the applause for Aliette died down than our own Ian McDonald took to the stage to accept for the award for Best Novel for THE DERVISH HOUSE (not ‘The Dervish Nights’ as the convention newsletter later reported!), his 2010 novel published by Gollancz in the UK and by Pyr in the US.

A further layer of coolness was added to these wins when we later learned that both Ian and Aliette have been nominated for this year’s Hugo Awards – this news adding to Aliette’s previously reported Nebula nomination for the same story, and Ian’s Arthur C. Clarke Award nomination.

Huge congratulations to both authors.

There were lots of other Zeno authors at Eastercon – I got to meet our latest clients Anne Lyle and David Tallerman, albeit all too briefly, and the mass signing of Angry Robot authors at Waterstones in the centre of Birmingham was almost a mini ‘Zenocon’ of its own. Present were Aliette, Colin Harvey, John Meaney – or was it Thomas Blackthorn? – and, in a rare UK appearance, one Lavie Tidhar (pictured here next to a banner proclaiming his novels in all their steampunky glory.)

Elsewhere at the con, at readings, on panels and if truth must be told, in the bar, one could find Freda Warrington, Susan Boulton, Michael Cobley and last but by no means least Ian R. MacLeod.

I did a panel called ‘Writing 102: Finding an Agent‘, which was well attended and along with Gollancz Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn, Gollancz author Stephen Deas and author Martin Owton, we fielded a number of excellent questions from the audience. Hope those who were there found it helpful.

In The Post Today…

Posted on Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Proof copies of the forthcoming Gollancz edition of Ian McDonald’s staggeringly brilliant new novel THE DERVISH HOUSE to be published in late July…

‘In the CHAGA novels McDonald brought an Africa in the grip of a bizarre ailien invasion to life, in RIVER OF GODS he painted a rich portrait of India in 2047, in BRASYL he looked at different Brazils, past present and future. Ian McDonald has found reknown at the cutting adge of a movement to take SF away from its British and American white roots and out into the rich cultures of the world. THE DERVISH HOUSE continues that journey and centres on Istanbul in 2025. Turkey is part of Europe but sited on the edge, it is an Islamic country that looks to the West. THE DERVISH HOUSE is the story of the families that live in and around its titular house, it is at once a rich mosaic of Islamic life in the new century and telling novel of future possibilities.’

… and as if that wasn’t enough, we also received today two copies of US the mass market edition of Freda Warrington‘s ELFLAND, published by Tor with a cover rosette that loudly and proudly advertsises the fact that the book is the winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best fantasy Novel of 2009. Congratulations to Freda!

‘This dreamlike, nuanced and sensual novel is reminiscent of the best of early Charles de Lint and is compulsively readable. Rose is a memorable, unique and wholly sympathetic protagonist, and the supporting cast is equally well drawn. The story of Rose and Sam is compelling, enchanting and utterly enthralling. This is simply one of the best fantasy novels of the year.’ — RT Book Reviews

Who Let The Clients Out?

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Zeno clients Aliette De Bodard and John Meaney (also known as Thomas Blackthorn) will be signing, respectively, SERVANTS OF THE UNDERWORLD and EDGE – their novels published (soon to be published in the case of Mister Meaney / Blackthorn) by Angry Robot. You’ll be able to meet both authors on Friday February 12th at 6pm at the flagship Forbidden Planet megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue.

And be sure to check out this 5 Star review of Aliette’s novel, posted recently at www.sciencefictionandfantasy.co.uk.

Prior to the above, John will be one of the participating authors at the SFX Weekender – a two day Sciffy fest taking place on the 5th and 6th of February at Camber Sands – see their web site (link above) for details. Note that fellow Zeno client Justina Robson will also be in attendance.

Still with John Meaney, those of you hungrily awaiting the arrival of his brand new space opera ABSORPTION, will, alas, no have to wait a little while long, as publisher Gollancz has had to reschedule the release date – you’ll be able to get hold of it from May 20th.

And still with John M, he will be attending this year’s Eastercon (over Easter weekend of course) along with other Zeno clients, Susan Boulton, Aliette De Bodard, Michael Cobley, Freda Warrington, Ian R. Macleod and Colin Harvey. John B will also be there and John P will be there for at least one day. Other clients are still to confirm.

Of Elfland and Inspiration

Posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Freda Warrington has just had a fascinating article published at the BSCreview. In the piece she addresses that age-old clichéd question of ‘where do you get your ideas from?’…

“It’s an irresistible question, because truly comprehending what goes on in someone else’s mind is impossible, intangible, and all the more fascinating for it. Truth is, I don’t always know where my own ideas come from. They seldom arrive fully formed, but tend to develop in a tree-like fashion, usually in need of considered pruning. But what makes us want to write in the first place?”

Freda’s novel Elfland, published by Tor Books is due for release mid-August.

Elfland – Freda Warrington Reviewed by Publishers Weekly…

Posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009

There’s a very nice Publishers Weekly crit for Freda Warrington‘s wonderful new fantasy novel, ELFLAND – a Tor hardcover to be published this coming August. It’s only a short piece, and so worth quoting in full…

“Prolific British author Warrington (the Jewelfire Trilogy), mostly unknown in the U.S., puts a distinctive spin on human/nonhuman relations in this sensuous, relationship-driven story, the first of the Books of the Silver Wheel. The feylike Vaethyr regularly travel between the Spiral and our world until the gates are summarily and permanently closed by Lawrence Wilder, the Gatekeeper. He warns of danger, but the Vaethyr on Earth need to return to the Spiral to survive. Much of the book is devoted to describing the turbulent life of Rosie, daughter of Vaethyr king Auberon, and her love triangle with Sam and Jon, Wilder’s troubled sons, as long years without reconnecting to their aetherial selves slowly drive the Vaethyr mad. Solid wordplay, great pacing and a thrilling conclusion will definitely earn Warrington some new American fans.”

Freda Warrington Update…

Posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009

It’s not due out from Tor for some months, but Freda Warrington‘s forthcoming novel Elfland has received a fabulous review from Charles de Lint in Fantasy & Science Fiction.

As well as grading the book as ‘Highly Recommended’, de Lint praises Freda’s novel to the rafters, saying it is ‘…a real page-turner and a very magical book…‘ and that ‘…even the most jaded fantasy reader will quickly fall under the spell of her characters and the warm, intimate voice Warrington uses to tell us their stories‘. Read the full review here.

In other news Immanion Press are publishing an omnibus of two of Freda’s Blackbird titles – A Blackbird in Amber Twilight is scheduled for release in March – more info on Freda’s Immanion titles can be found here.

Freda reports that she will be attending this years Eastercon. She’ll be one of a number of Zeno clients who will be attending – and both John’s will be there too. More on this anon.