NEW Short Story Release with Warhammer Crime: ‘Sanction and Sin’ Anthology

Time to announce something I’ve had under my hat for a fair while…

I am honoured, privileged and beyond chuffed to say that my short story, Blood Ballot, will be featured in this upcoming Warhammer Crime Anthology Sanction and Sin, to be released later this year by Games Workshop’s Black Library.

You may possibly have already seen me spamming all over social media but afraid to say I’m not done by a long chalk!

There are no release dates just yet, but you can find out more about Sanction and Sin and all the other releases announced at Warhammerfest Online yesterday here. Follow me on social media for more news and live updates.

I’m relatively new to the Warhammer 40K universe, to say the least, but the scope, the potential for storytelling, the ‘grimdarkness’ have all been draws hovering on the edges of my awareness, like black holes, for some time. When I was given the opportunity to try my hand at fiction for the Black Library I jumped at the chance.

I have been hugely inspired by the works of my friend and established Black Library author Mike Brooks and, as I delved deeper into the underbelly of this myriad, strife-ridden universe, was delighted to find there is literally no end to the potential for delicious, dark tales of death, war, struggle, victory and everything in between.

Discovering there was such a thing as Warhammer Crime put the icing on the cake. I loved diving into the day-to-day machinations of the everyday people in this larger-than-life setting, all fighting their own wars, finding ways to thrive or just survive, mirroring the eternal cycle of victory and defeat playing out in the void all around them.

As an introduction to the world of Varangantua where Warhammer Crime stories are set, I first devoured Bloodlines by Chris Wraight (I highly recommend) and then the No Good Men anthology. These stories, along with the recommendations from Michael over at book review site Track Of Words, the tireless efforts of my Black Library editor and an awareness of a fan’s perspective shared by all my good Warhammer fan chums (you know who you are!), gave me a sturdy foundation from which to have a stab (pun intended) at my own.

Blood Ballot was the result.

I can’t describe how lucky I feel to have been given this chance. I am also well aware of how dear the Warhammer Games, books and universe are to its thousands and thousands of fans and my desire to do it justice has driven everything. It has also made the process somewhat daunting, despite all the fun I had with the actual writing. I sincerely hope my first attempt at Black Library fiction will bring pleasure and entertainment and will live up to the standard fans expect.

After all, it’s the fans that make it what it is.

If you have never heard of Games Workshop, Warhammer 40K or the Black Library, I am really not the one to introduce you. Check out the official websites and, for Black Library book reviews, there is not greater source than Mike over at Track of Words.

Thank you everyone who helped make this happen and to any and all who have already expressed interest and/or offered congratulations. Here’s hoping this may this be the beginning of something great.

Until then, may the God-Emperor watch over you.