Rave Reviews for ALIEN: THE COLD FORGE!

Happy AlienDay, everyone! My latest novel, Alien: The Cold Forge, is out–and it’s getting rave reviews! Below, you can find a rundown of all the press so far.

Birth. Movies. Death

“[…] author Alex White has his head in the right place with The Cold Forge, crafting a story that could almost be entirely divorced from the Alien franchise but still tonally feels consistent with the films that inspired it.

 

 

Dread Central

“The character interplay is what makes the story feel fresh, and not just another boilerplate tale about aliens stalking victims and Weyland-Yutani once again conducting messy experiments.”

AvPGalaxy.net

Alien: The Cold Forge might include all the typical tropes of an Alien story but Alex White just turns them all on their head. All of them.”

Jamie Sawyer

“[The Cold Forge] probably stands as one of the best Alien stories currently in print: reflecting the older traditions of writing in this universe, and harkening back to such classics as Labyrinth, Stronghold and Rogue.”

Set The Tape

“The Cold Forge, now the tenth Alien tie-in novel, proves if anything how much of a goldmine publishers have previously missed in telling stories within the universe Ridley Scott created. Alex White’s story would make a damn fine movie in itself.”

High Fever Books

“White gives this particular Alien story a score of various and compelling layers that help set it apart from the more traditional franchise fare, and it’s all the stronger because of it.”

Sci-Fi Bulletin

“White clearly loves the Alien universe, and there are some well-thought through and described encounters between humans and Xenomorphs – including one of the best descriptions I’ve yet seen regarding the way that the aliens can fold themselves into the tightest of corners.”

MovieNooz.com

“If I haven’t convinced you yet to nab this book and grab a beach chair this summer, check your pulse.  Alien: The Cold Forge is an absolute must read for fans of the franchise.  Hidden shout outs to the movies that defined a generation of creature feature fans in the nineties are abundant, the characters are tight and dynamic, and the action drives this novel like a second mouth through a skull.”

AIPT! Comics

The Cold Forge probably represents the best prose novel regarding Alien shy of an Alan Dean Foster film novelization.”

“While [Prometheus and Alien: Covenant] served largely to polarize audiences, The Cold Forge is a story all Alien enthusiasts should champion.”

Interviews

SyFy.com

Bloody Disgusting

Yutani.blog

Set The Tape

AvPGalaxy.net

I have no idea what I’m doing

Photo credit Andre Benz, Unsplash.com

Friends often send me texts: “I want to apply for this job, but I don’t fit the qualifications. Do you think I should go for it?”

That’s really similar to, “I want to write this book, but I don’t think anyone will take me seriously.”

A few years ago, I went to New York City for the first time (as an adult). I was there to celebrate my 10th anniversary with my amazing wife, and we were on our own dime. We couldn’t afford to take cabs, so it was time to learn to use the subway. We’d never done it before. Without asking anyone, we started trying to get around, checking maps and cross-referencing. Before long, we ended up in Brooklyn as we tried to hit Times Square.

For those who know New York, that’s a Super Subway Fuck Up™.

Continue reading I have no idea what I’m doing

A VERY NICE book deal: We did it again!

Once more, I am in awe of Connor Goldsmith, who sold my three-book series, “The Salvagers,” to Orbit, a major SF publisher.

I’m extremely grateful for his help, as well as to Brit Hvide, my new editor, who sees my story with the same eyes I do. I know we’re going to make some brilliant books together.

And for those fans who loved The Gearheart, get ready! While the book isn’t in the same universe, it’s a spiritual successor. Kind of like Xenosaga to Xenogears, to quote my PS1-literate agent. If you’re ready for magic, adventure and gunfights (in space), you came to the right place!

I’ll keep you all in the loop over the coming year about our progress and when you can expect to read it. For more about the first book, go here!

A Traditional Publishing Timeline

“My book came out yesterday!”

“Oh yeah? How do you get published?”

First, you get an agent.

In 2006, I finished my first novel. I started querying. By 2007, it became clear that no one wanted it. Barbara Lowenstein sent me my first form rejection letter.

In 2009, I finished THE GEARHEART. Again, I started querying. The only real response came from Laurie McLean, then of Larsen Pomada. I met her through Philippa Ballantine.

Laurie said, in a nutshell, “Great imagination! Your craft sucks!”

I spent 3 years wasting time on that book, trying to get it right, rewriting it from scratch. I never did.

Continue reading A Traditional Publishing Timeline

Safety Through Ritual

I am a creature of habit. This post is going to sound entitled and whiny, but I’m going to describe core parts of my personality, and (hopefully) how I overcame them.

Between the years of 2011 and 2015, I had a set schedule. Arrive at work at 8:00 am. Write from 11:30 to 1:00, leave work at 5:30pm. We had a conference room scheduler at my office, so I would always grab one of the rooms with a perfect, picturesque view of a green hillside. It was like the Windows XP background up in there.

The routine was easy: First, I walked the quarter mile to my secret meeting room. I heated up my lunch while my computer booted. Then I streamed music into my sanctuary and shut out everything except me and the window. And, man, that made me so happy.

But I was promoted and moved to an Army base.

Continue reading Safety Through Ritual

How to Name a Novel: The CAM Method

I’m not the best at a first-draft name. It’s tough, because I’m usually writing it with little to no knowledge of how the project will actually turn out. I may as well call it NOVEL 09 DRAFT1 and be done.

Inevitably, I’ll have to change the name when it goes to my agent. But what do I call it now? How do I alter the way I think and talk about the book?

I use a chart.

Continue reading How to Name a Novel: The CAM Method

Celebrate Yourself

Let’s face it: unless you are spectacularly lucky, your first book is crap. I know mine was.

Many authors I’ve met over the years never managed to publish their first five or six books. Some of them didn’t publish until they hit twelve or thirteen. Others still have vast bodies of work and a meager to moderate self-publishing audience.

And that’s okay. The first rule of writing is always “you do you.” But it’s lonely to push work out into the void. You’ve done all of this incredible writing, and no one wants to read it.

Continue reading Celebrate Yourself