When Jason and I had that plotting day with you last year I did remember feeling a bit 🤯 at the sheer scope of the world you were building but put that down to my naivety about the writing process and figured you, being a professional international super author and all, would have it sorted.
So I’m both surprised and not surprised that it’s escaped containment and is refusing to be wrapped up in a neat little trilogy, and so SO thrilled and delighted that you’ve decided to give it its head and follow the trail of destruction it leaves.
Because reading your thoughts on this it’s occurred to me that apart from the need for some alternate history for the alternate history, you’ve also got fun things like the Korean and Vietnamese wars on the horizon, and the geopolitical, cultural and diplomatic depth charges that trigger those were probably being armed during this period in our timeline, and the Emergence may not necessarily have obliterated those in the WW3 timeline 🤔
So yeah, let’s Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy the shit out of this, I am here for it 🤩
I do sincerely hope this is the Real JB - not some AI imposter who is hallucinating 3.Evermore and doesn’t know when to stop ✋
Of course … 🤔
I don’t mean to say JB that YOU should stop, yore the Sultan of Splodey, Dominator of Disastor, the Maestro of Manifestations - oh Christ I’ve been assimilated by an AI 🤖
You seem to be surfing a creative tsunami at the moment, and let me tell you, I am here for it. You've got a lot of projects on the boil at the moment. Do you find yourself switching between them when an idea strikes or are you disciplined enough to note the idea down in writing/voicenote and continue with the current project?
Why not make Rita Heyworth and Charles Chaplin the heads of Davidson Pictures. And what’s bout the rumour Alan Turing is now the technical brains behind a start up called Banana?
You could always pull a George RR Martin. I don't mean never getting the books done. Not that GRRM. I'm talking about the one that kills off characters left and right, though we won't believe you unless you show us the bodies this time.
Be still my beating heart! More AoT?! So glad you're going to take the characters and the story where it leads rather than try to condense and force an end to an epic series. Look forward to reading where the path takes you (and by extension us!)
So I did a little research--this is what I wrote in reviewing Designated Targets:
McKinneyTexas
5.0 out of 5 stars Can He Get It Done In Three?
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2005
Verified Purchase
If it takes Birmingham another 20 books to finish this story, fine by me. I'm less of a techno-thriller fan than a story reader. This is a great story told against as fascinating a background as this genre has produced in some time. The only real question is how Birmingham plans to wrap this up with just one more book. Either there will be a change in plans or, a la Turtledove, a series of trilogies spinning off of the same event. One can only hope.
2 people found this helpful
There are several obvious crimes here, the first that only two people found my review helpful and second, is that my oracular skills remain unacknowledged.
Can I put a pre-emptive vote in for Hedy Lamarr? This queen laid the foundations of what became bluetooth and wifi, and Our Heroes(tm) probably wouldn't be in the worm hole mess they're in without her contribution to science, which might be fun to write about 😊
JB, I’ll read most anything you write, apart from the bodice rippers obviously. But I’ve got to say you’ve never written better stuff than some Royal Navy Indian female commander ripping the Luftwaffe to hell screaming through the English Channel in her super cat or the Aussie submarine captain controlling battle space with mega drones and launching tactical cruise missiles to fuck up everyones day. Or making me feel compassion for the German engineer trying to disrupt Nazi Germanys nuclear program. I even like the man you made Harry become in your books. I’m invested but I know that if you put in the effort and deliver unto us these books you’ll make it to being my favorite….😊
Seriously mate, your books, you’ve never written better characters Dan Black FFS! Let the story breathe and let it out to us, it could be your GRRM moment, I hope so. I’d love to watch it on Amazon or Netflix one day.
When Jason and I had that plotting day with you last year I did remember feeling a bit 🤯 at the sheer scope of the world you were building but put that down to my naivety about the writing process and figured you, being a professional international super author and all, would have it sorted.
So I’m both surprised and not surprised that it’s escaped containment and is refusing to be wrapped up in a neat little trilogy, and so SO thrilled and delighted that you’ve decided to give it its head and follow the trail of destruction it leaves.
Because reading your thoughts on this it’s occurred to me that apart from the need for some alternate history for the alternate history, you’ve also got fun things like the Korean and Vietnamese wars on the horizon, and the geopolitical, cultural and diplomatic depth charges that trigger those were probably being armed during this period in our timeline, and the Emergence may not necessarily have obliterated those in the WW3 timeline 🤔
So yeah, let’s Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy the shit out of this, I am here for it 🤩
I do sincerely hope this is the Real JB - not some AI imposter who is hallucinating 3.Evermore and doesn’t know when to stop ✋
Of course … 🤔
I don’t mean to say JB that YOU should stop, yore the Sultan of Splodey, Dominator of Disastor, the Maestro of Manifestations - oh Christ I’ve been assimilated by an AI 🤖
I am all the fucking way in for more AoT.
You seem to be surfing a creative tsunami at the moment, and let me tell you, I am here for it. You've got a lot of projects on the boil at the moment. Do you find yourself switching between them when an idea strikes or are you disciplined enough to note the idea down in writing/voicenote and continue with the current project?
I am having a bit of a surf. I made a few tweaks to my workflow that paid off.
Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn should do it for the kick ass ladies.
Why not make Rita Heyworth and Charles Chaplin the heads of Davidson Pictures. And what’s bout the rumour Alan Turing is now the technical brains behind a start up called Banana?
Brilliant
You could always pull a George RR Martin. I don't mean never getting the books done. Not that GRRM. I'm talking about the one that kills off characters left and right, though we won't believe you unless you show us the bodies this time.
Be still my beating heart! More AoT?! So glad you're going to take the characters and the story where it leads rather than try to condense and force an end to an epic series. Look forward to reading where the path takes you (and by extension us!)
Good luck sounds like your are finding it an enjoyable experience, which is not the usual description I hear from writers.
So I did a little research--this is what I wrote in reviewing Designated Targets:
McKinneyTexas
5.0 out of 5 stars Can He Get It Done In Three?
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2005
Verified Purchase
If it takes Birmingham another 20 books to finish this story, fine by me. I'm less of a techno-thriller fan than a story reader. This is a great story told against as fascinating a background as this genre has produced in some time. The only real question is how Birmingham plans to wrap this up with just one more book. Either there will be a change in plans or, a la Turtledove, a series of trilogies spinning off of the same event. One can only hope.
2 people found this helpful
There are several obvious crimes here, the first that only two people found my review helpful and second, is that my oracular skills remain unacknowledged.
Keep writing John.
"Some kick arse 1950s ladies might be nice too."
Can I put a pre-emptive vote in for Hedy Lamarr? This queen laid the foundations of what became bluetooth and wifi, and Our Heroes(tm) probably wouldn't be in the worm hole mess they're in without her contribution to science, which might be fun to write about 😊
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr#:~:text=At%20the%20beginning,%5B11%5D
Yep, I pointed JB to her a couple of years ago. Not bad for an ex wife of a Austrian Nazi arms peddler. JB: told you so, this is your GoT.
Or perhaps Josephine Baker?
JB, I’ll read most anything you write, apart from the bodice rippers obviously. But I’ve got to say you’ve never written better stuff than some Royal Navy Indian female commander ripping the Luftwaffe to hell screaming through the English Channel in her super cat or the Aussie submarine captain controlling battle space with mega drones and launching tactical cruise missiles to fuck up everyones day. Or making me feel compassion for the German engineer trying to disrupt Nazi Germanys nuclear program. I even like the man you made Harry become in your books. I’m invested but I know that if you put in the effort and deliver unto us these books you’ll make it to being my favorite….😊
Seriously mate, your books, you’ve never written better characters Dan Black FFS! Let the story breathe and let it out to us, it could be your GRRM moment, I hope so. I’d love to watch it on Amazon or Netflix one day.
Does that make you the J.K. Rowling of dystopian novels?
Heaven forfend!
Now if we can just get you to revisit the "Without Warning" series!
Any chance of a release date for the Audible versions?