David Bell's Blog
May 10, 2017
September 19, 2016
Book Two (about bloody time!)
I know I know I know- two years is an awfully long time between books, but it's the drawings that take the time! Plus, Book Three is pretty much finished as far as the writing's concerned. So I'll probably get that out sharpish and then crack on with the pics. Meanwhile, here's the blurb:
The Dog Assassins
The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two By David Bell
The Emperor’s finally got his dog:
Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
The Dog Assassins
The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two By David Bell
The Emperor’s finally got his dog:
Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
Book Two- about time!
Two years is an awfully long wait between books, but it's the drawings that take the time! Plus, Book Three, 'The Dog Army', is pretty much finished as far as the writing's concerned. So I'll probably get that out as a text only book, nice and sharpish, and then I'll crack on with the pics.
Meanwhile, here's the blurb for 'The Dog Assassins'-The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two:
The Emperor’s finally got his dog: Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
Meanwhile, here's the blurb for 'The Dog Assassins'-The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two:
The Emperor’s finally got his dog: Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.
October 27, 2014
Terry Brooks!
I had the great fortune to meet Terry Brooks yesterday at Auckland's Armageddon Expo. He was there signing hundreds of copies of his latest- me less so. But he found time to come over and have a chat, and he took a wolfhound tongue and bookmark, and promised to buy 'The Dog Hunters' when he got home to Seattle. Which was a bit of a gulp moment. We talked a lot about why the illustrated version of the Dog Hunters was proving so popular, and we both came to the conclusion that it was OK to like picture books, even if you're an adult. What a nice gentleman!
https://www.facebook.com/676502005760...
https://www.facebook.com/676502005760...
October 22, 2014
October 15, 2014
What I said to the NZ book Council part 1
"You describe The Dog Hunters as ‘the epic retelling of the legend of Gelert the Wolfhound’. Tell us about this legendary dog and why he captured your imagination..."
When I was 6, I read the legend of Gelert the faithful wolfhound on his gravestone in Beddgelert, North Wales, and bawled my eyes out. Gelert’s master, the King, had slewn his old dog thinking he’d killed and eaten his baby, Prince Llewelyn, only to discover that Gelert had killed a ravenous wolf, saving the toddler, who belatedly crawled out safe and sound from under the bloody bedcloths. The legend has it that, having slaughtered his oldest and most loyal friend, the King never smiled again, and the story certainly ruined the rest of my holiday. Years later, I’d been tinkering with a story about a Chinese Emperor who had dogs of different sizes and shapes bred ‘to order’, but I was looking for a more meaningful and personal hook to the story. That’s when it struck me that if the Emperor had heard of the Legend of Gelert, surely he’d want to get his hands on the world’s greatest dog’. It meant rewriting Gelert’s grisly end (yay! I saved Gelert!), but from then on, the story wrote itself and now Gelert has a human protagonist, Prince Llewelyn, now 14 years old, to play with.
When I was 6, I read the legend of Gelert the faithful wolfhound on his gravestone in Beddgelert, North Wales, and bawled my eyes out. Gelert’s master, the King, had slewn his old dog thinking he’d killed and eaten his baby, Prince Llewelyn, only to discover that Gelert had killed a ravenous wolf, saving the toddler, who belatedly crawled out safe and sound from under the bloody bedcloths. The legend has it that, having slaughtered his oldest and most loyal friend, the King never smiled again, and the story certainly ruined the rest of my holiday. Years later, I’d been tinkering with a story about a Chinese Emperor who had dogs of different sizes and shapes bred ‘to order’, but I was looking for a more meaningful and personal hook to the story. That’s when it struck me that if the Emperor had heard of the Legend of Gelert, surely he’d want to get his hands on the world’s greatest dog’. It meant rewriting Gelert’s grisly end (yay! I saved Gelert!), but from then on, the story wrote itself and now Gelert has a human protagonist, Prince Llewelyn, now 14 years old, to play with.
September 12, 2014
A new give-away
Should be live shortly- Illustrated book, text only edition, unique original art and other stuff. Watch this space!!
September 10, 2014
An illuminating new way to see 'The Dog Hunters'
I've just released a part illustrated version for Kindle. I called it 'The Dog Hunters Illuminated', because it lights up! Also to avoid confusing it with the real deal. It features some of the best pics, but by no means all, as the file size would have been too big for the eBook format. You could say it is merely bait for the full bore paperback, but I couldn't possibly comment. However, it is significantly cheaper and faster to get hold of.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NG5TOLW
There is a similar edition available for the iPad through Smashwords, but with the old cover, and it's called 'The Dog Hunters'. You'll find that through iBooks or http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NG5TOLW
There is a similar edition available for the iPad through Smashwords, but with the old cover, and it's called 'The Dog Hunters'. You'll find that through iBooks or http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
September 6, 2014
More giveaways planned, plus possible cover change
A couple of people were mildly miffed that my last giveaway was confined to North America, UK, Oz and NZ, so apologies for that- the next one will be world inclusive. Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who took an interest- it does me a power of good to see so many people checking out the book, and I'm sorry there can be only one 'winner'. O a different note, I am toying with changing the book's cover, just to refresh interest. I shall invite opinions on which is the best way- keep your eye out on the book's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Do...
August 3, 2014
Dog Hunters Illustrated launch- deluxe original art and prints and signed book giveway
The Dog Hunters Illustrated I'm giving away three packages of 1x copy of my hefty new, lavishly illustrated edition of 'The Dog Hunters', including 3 signed prints plus a signed piece of original artwork.
It's a Goodreads giveaway, for one day only on August 5th, so you might want to watch out for it.
In a nutshell, 'the Dog Hunters' is a retelling of the classic legend of Gelert the wolfhound. It's as an epic medieval mystery adventure featuring Prince Llewelyn, Gelert, Feiyan, an enigmatic Chinese girl, and many bizarrely bred dogs. It was already getting great reviews in text only, but now it comes with with over 290 illustrations it's really taking off. More info on the book at.http://www.davidnbell.com/The_Dog_Hun...
It's a Goodreads giveaway, for one day only on August 5th, so you might want to watch out for it.
In a nutshell, 'the Dog Hunters' is a retelling of the classic legend of Gelert the wolfhound. It's as an epic medieval mystery adventure featuring Prince Llewelyn, Gelert, Feiyan, an enigmatic Chinese girl, and many bizarrely bred dogs. It was already getting great reviews in text only, but now it comes with with over 290 illustrations it's really taking off. More info on the book at.http://www.davidnbell.com/The_Dog_Hun...
