Thursday, May 1, 2025

I Ate'nt Dead, but wrote a novel instead: Quantum Betrayal

You'd almost think 'Another Wargaming Blog' should be rebranded as 'Another Wait-for-a Blog', luckily this time I have a better excuse than 'I didn't find the time to blog'. You see...I...ehm,,,I didn't find the time to blog :) To be fair, I was rather busy writing (and finishing) my first novel: Quantum Betrayal. I recently self-published it on Kindle and Kobo.

In a world where betrayal is standard policy, the only way out is through mud, bullets, and dubious alliances.

I've set the story in the near future in the drowned Randstad Hyperplex that rises out of the muddy remains of the flooded Netherlands. Here's the blurb on the back:

Framed, offboarded, and left for dead—for Dr. Erin Vos, a desperate heist is the only way out.

In the drowned megacity of the Randstad Hyperplex, corporate scientist Dr. Erin Vos is betrayed and discarded. Stranded in the crime-ridden Mold, she has one shot at survival—steal back her stolen work before it’s too late.

But in a world where betrayal is standard policy, the only way out is through mud, bullets, and dubious alliances.

Cyberpunk dystopia meets Dutch directness—no nonsense, no mercy, no second chances.

Quantum Betrayal's most definitively not a great work of literature but (if I did my job right) a nice addition to the action-packed, easy read lecture section of any library :) I had a lot of fun writing it and, on a personal note, I can mark 'finishing a novel' off my list of things I want to do one day. Next item: 'write another novel' (I'm not very good at making bucket lists).

If you are interested in a longer-form version of my ramblings, please buy a copy. 

I've worked as a magazine editor and copywriter since the late nineties. Through the years writing a full novel has always been a dream of mine. I'm quite happy to finally actually finish one :)

Having said that, removing typos from my finished book somehow never managed to feature in the dream :) I've taken great care (and used quite a few different spell checkers) to remove as many as I could. Then (after publishing and a bit of feedback) I went for round two to take even more out. 

Despite that purge, you still may find more. I’m convinced the Chaos Gods are putting them back in, howling with mad laughter (as they should). Please feel free to send any typos you find through the contact form on this blog (or just leave them in a comment here, so everyone can have a good chuckle at another where were a were should be :). 

I'll end my shameless commercial plug here and get back to sorting through photos of my regular hobby activities. There's quite a few paint jobs and projects I haven't talked about yet. Now to should I set up my photo backdrop to show of my finished Bretonnian army first, or do I share a lot of pictures and rambling about The Old World battles I have fought? Decisions, decisions...

6 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I've written a few novels, and it's not easy at all. I think you're very entitled to put out a shameless plug for your work. I agree about editing: putting the words down is easy compared to the hard bit of tidying them into a decent shape! I hope it does really well. Am I right in thinking that English isn't your first language? If so, congratulations again!

    Oh, and Bretonnian pics please! I'm considering repainting my ancient lead models and I could do with some inspiration!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words. English is not my native language (but considering the number of Dutch speakers in the world I hope I'm fluent enough to get away with using it ;). Have you novels been published, or are they available somewhere else? I'm always curious about the words of my fellow bloggers and wargamers.

      I'll try to make some time to photograph my Bretonnian army this weekend so I can post an update next week. It's mostly plastic and very new (or printed) but it is painted. I feel a bit of envy at the concept of painting ancient lead Bretonnians, so I'd say: go for it!

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    2. Yes, one was published by Black Library (it's an Imperial Guard book called Straken), some were published by a company called Myrmidon (those ones are comedy science fiction) and I've self-published some fantasy. They're on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034PF4Q8. I think you'll be fine with English - you speak it a lot better than a lot of native speakers!

      I bought my Bretonnians off a kid at school when I was 13. They were utterly rubbish in the game and became a running joke among my friends, but I've still got a lot of nostalgia for them!

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    3. That's an awesome collection of books you've published so far. And Black Library no less. I've read Straken and quite enjoyed it.

      As to the Bretonnians...that sounds like Warhammer in as nutshell (regardless of setting or edition :). I'm still quite proud of killing a Dark Elf with a Snotling Pump Wagon. The Elf was killed about five years back. I bought the Pump Wagon when it was brand new. Its still the only kill I ever scored with it :). Anyway, I'm putting up my Bretonnian pictures somewhere today (I hope).

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  2. Oo, nice. I've missed your blog, and only just noticed your return.
    I'll definitely be ordering a copy, well done

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