BREAKING NEWS:

New books!

Paperbacks of my latest novels are out... some places!

‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ is out in the US and Canada on April 10th.

‘A Place Called Armageddon’ is just out in the UK!


Unicorn is runner up!

In the ‘M’ awards in Victoria BC Canada last night, ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ was runner up - to Esi Edugyen’s ‘Half Blood Blues’.  Not a bad result, since that book was : “Winner of the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize, shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Man Booker Prize and the Writers’ Trust Award and, most recently, named as one of six finalists for Britain’s prestigious Orange Prize.”

You can check the result out here:

http://www.mondaymag.com/news/148955395.html



WINGS OVER AMERICA!

Just to let my American neighbours know... Sourcebooks, my terrific Chicago based publishers, have decided to acquire virtually my whole backlist. So watch out for a slew of Humphreys. ‘Armageddon’ will be out Fall 2012, followed by ‘The French Executioner’ Spring 2013 and ‘Jack Absolute’ Summer 2013. More to follow.


New Novel Delivered!

Just before the holidays I delivered my new novel to my publishers Orion (Hachette in Canada). It has a working title: FIGHTING MAN (which I am looking to change) and is about Shakespeare’s fight arranger - an oft drunk, brilliant swordsman and wannabe actor, John Lawley. All set in and around London 1599-1601 it will be about the Globe theatre, the Earl of Essex’s attempted coup and the first production of Hamlet. With swords!


ARMAGEDDON!

Hot off the press review... and possibly the best:

‘Just for history and the plot alone, this book is worth reading.

But if you read the book just for history and plot, you would be missing something – perhaps the best thing about the book. There are good books with hum-drum words and adequate stories. This book is written with prose. Every scene is crafted with an eye for pace, a feel for flow and an ear for rhythm, as if the stage actor in Chris was reading every word on a stage in one of London’s West End Theatres (where he once performed). The words are mesmerizing and beautiful and hand-crafted to be perfect in every syllable.’ Joe Beernink


Also, a lovely review from the very talented (and obviously perceptive!) Manda Scott on ‘Good Reads’.


“Gregoras is the archetypal wounded hero and he comes across as flawed, dangerous and immensely likeable, surrounded by a full, deep supporting cast which is one of this book's great strengths: nobody is a cipher, no character fails to engage early and completely. In a world where historical novels are so often full of twentyfirst characters in drag, and even those are two dimensional, this book is so full of three-d, real people, it's impossible not to want both sides to win. In the end, only one can, and it's heart-breaking, tho' I suspect it would have been just as bad had it gone the other way.

From a writing perspective, what's so interesting about CC Humphreys' style is that he switches viewpoint mid-scene on a regular basis. Few people attempt this and even fewer succeed in doing it smoothly. Humphreys does it with style and panache and it gives an interesting insight into some of the trickier encounters. It's not something I'd imagine doing, but I'm impressed with it here...”


And this from the Times Colonist:

‘Saltspring Island author C.C. Humphreys returns to the battlegrounds of history with A Place Called Armageddon, a difficult-toput-down tale of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Told in alternating chapters from each side's point of view, A Place Called Armageddon is more serious in tone than Humphreys' Jack Absolute novels, but any lack of humour is more than made up for in thrilling battle sequences and welldefined, memorable characters.’

You can read the full review here:

http://www.timescolonist.com/Island+writer+brings+battle+Constantinople+life/5558150/story.html#ixzz1bSdxNWLA


Follow my blog in the NATIONAL POST:

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/08/15/c-c-humphreys-the-stakes/#more-42949


A Place Called Armageddon launched in the UK on July 21st, Canada on August 16th and elsewhere... soon after!


TWITTER! OK, I am finally catching up with technology. Those who wish can follow me at #HumphreysCC (Still trying to figure out how to add a button!)


Here’s me in my island retreat from Canada’s Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/cc-humphreys-island-retreat/article2114208/


A recent TV interview: I actually get to read from the book!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBNRiCEWcc


Some other reviews:

“It is always the the human element which appeals in Humphreys but it is his talent to write on a gigantic scale which thrills. His descriptions of the amazing events of the Siege of 1453 are spell binding and he writes his action scenes better than most other historical novelists. You feel yourself in the middle of everything that is happening, seeing it with your own eyes, experiencing the emotions of the moment. The events that Humphreys brings to us here still resonate down to our own times. This is fine fiction, excellent history and finally, just supremely entertaining reading.”

  1. -Allan Eastman, Amazon.co.uk -


“As with Vlad the prose was delightful and the author’s descriptions really took the reader by the hand through the old city making it feel that they knew the city prior to the destruction alongside why they fought as they did. Back that up with a wonderful lead character, some delightful dialogue and the whole thing was just a treat from start to finish.”

  1. -Gareth Wilson, Falcata Times -


“it is the Siege of 1453 of Constantinople, and as usual Chris Humphreys writes so well on the epic scale, but when doing so always manages to keep the emotional attachment and the sense of being part of the events. As a reader you don't feel like a voyeur you feel like a participant in events and its that distinction that makes his writing so much of a triumph. As a part of the story you then do care about the characters, you do care who lives who dies, who wins who loses and the whole sweeping story of events just sweeps you along, especially the action scenes which as usual leave you breathless with the speed power and ferocity of the writing and the emotions felt by each and every character. I don't know if it will be my book of the year this year... but it's a contender.”

  1. -‘A Customer’ - Amazon.co.uk -


And please check this stunner out from Fantasy Book Blog:

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/07/place-called-armageddon-by-cc-humphreys.html


DRACULA OVER AMERICA!

‘Vlad: The Last Confession’ has been out in the US for five months now and has already sold over 12,000 paper copies. Hurrah!


Interesting radio interview with Bobby D in the US. Click below!

http://thebobbydshow.com/interviews/the-bobby-d-show-interview-with-c-c-humphreys/


FIRST US REVIEWS:

“The novel is aimed much more at readers interested in the

historical origins of the Dracula stories than at those looking for another vampire story. As such, it succeeds admirably.” Booklist.


Best of the Blogs:


“One of the best historical fiction novels I’ve read. It gets my highest rating and a strong recommendation.” J.C. Montgomery: The Biblio Blogazine


“Having not read any of C.C. Humphreys previous works, a mistake I intend to correct, I can only say that this story is certainly worthy of everyone's bookshelf. It is a book you can emotionally lose yourself in and let yourself roam deep into the words of the story. A book that will not easily let you go from it's Wallachian clutches. Vlad: The Last Confession is certainly not for the faint of heart, the unendurable torture, the pains and betrayals, the battles and evil, is often hard to read, yet makes the story as fantastic, and unforgettable as it is.” Jessica Hastings Suite 101


I must admit that I had never viewed Dracula the way he was portrayed in this novel. He is shown to be so much more than just a vicious warrior. He is a man who loved and was loved, who warred for his incredibly strong religious beliefs and for his family name, and he strove to uphold the honor of his countrymen, even though his methods were brutal. An incredible story has been woven around the true facts that exist about the frightening but enigmatic leader of Wallachia and the climactic ending is superb.

-Ashley Perkins, Game Vortex.


Couldn’t resist this review from Book Club Forum. Now, if only the New York Times writes as kindly when Vlad is out in the States next May.


http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/7037-vlad-the-last-confession-by-c-c-humphreys/


To see more reviews from the UK and Europe click HERE


VLAD, in mass market paperback, has now sold over 30,000 copies in the UK.  Heh, if you bought one of them and are reading it, contact me and let me know what you think. There’s a button at the bottom of the next page ‘About the Author’


There are some lovely Amazon customer reviews HERE.


UNICORNS!

The Hunt of the Unicorn  - my latest book for teens is out in USA and Canada. The new cover’s above and there’s an extract to read if you just click HERE You can also go to the Random House Website to order:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375858727



Breaking News! Lady Gaga endorses Unicorns!

(Well, not mine specifically but I like it that we are on the same wavelength)


http://www.showbizspy.com/article/227831/lady-gaga-obsessed-with-unicorns.html


Some reviews:


‘The Hunt of the Unicorn is one of the best fantasy books for young adult readers to be written in the last few years. It has a good story with the fast plot typical of an adventure. By weaving historical elements into the modern world, the author has created a parallel world of wondrous beasts such as the types that would be found in a medieval bestiary.’

  1. -Manitoba Librarians Journal - Janet Johnson


And another here:

http://proudbooknerd.com/2011/03/06/review-the-hunt-of-the-unicorn/


Its first review:

‘The Land of the Fabulous Beast is, in a word, fabulous, a place where all the creatures dreamed up by various cultures are portrayed in all their glory... Hand this to readers who like their heroines sassy and their settings vividly imagined.’ (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books)



A recent interview - August 2010 - recorded at the recent Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference in Seattle for AUTHOR magazine:


http://www.authormagazine.org/interviews/interview_page_humphreys.htm


My first You Tube video!  To see what my brilliant friends Dan McKinney and Kim Frank have concocted for me Click HERE


Read a recent interview at Orion’s Website HERE


I have added an album from my recent UK promotion tour of Vlad. Click ‘My Albums’ above to see it.



And to hear the introduction to the book - ‘To the Reader’, read in my own dulcet tones, click HERE. Or to read an Extract, click Vlad Web extracts.zip.


INTERVIEW:This interview appeared - so if you want to see me and hear me talk click HERE (Warning: I was ever so slightly hungover!)


BLOG! BLOG! BLOG!


I have finally mastered some technology beyond the broadsword and have begun a new blog. Please come and visit me... HERE!


RECENT INTERVIEW! Check out photo and chat on the INTERVIEWS PAGE.




 

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS ABOVE, OR THE COVERS BELOW, TO ENTER IT!