CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
Okay, possibly stupid idea here.
I listened to a very recent interview with Blaze where he was finally asked about the Infinite Entanglement book he'd been working on. Long story short, it's not done but he bought a new keyboard and would like to get back to it, but the window to capitalize on the IE trilogy by adding a complementary novelization is long gone. Hard to say how much incentive he has to actually get back to it other than to get it done.
So, stupid idea time: I'm an indie author, wrapping up the first draft of my tenth book in the next month or so. I've got seven released, and they're semi-adjacent to the genre IE is in. I sell fairly well at conventions, but suck at marketing myself online. Getting to the point, I was thinking of reaching out to his management to see if Blaze would be interested in me taking a crack at finishing it. It's hard to say how close to done it is or if the manuscript is a mess, but I could probably work with either scenario.
Depending on the state of his draft--if there's a TON of work to be done--I'd at minimum ask for a co-writing credit or a ghostwriting fee if the workload is indeed considerable. That's if I'm, say, completing a significant amount of the book or doing a substantial rewrite on the thing or both. Not looking at it as a moneymaking opportunity. I know he's not super-wealthy. I only bring up the possibility of a ghostwriting fee because I have limited time and don't work for free, unless it's something breezy like a read-through with some little punch-ups. I'd be open to doing that for free and maybe a thank you in the book.
I don't know. Part of me would like to help him get it finished, the other part feels like it might be a can of worms I don't want to open. I'm well past the point of the "every written word is sacred" philosophy. If something doesn't work, I typically throw it out and rewrite it, which sometimes can be huge swaths of a book. I could see myself doing that if the manuscript isn't working, so it might be best to just let it lie. He might not be interested. Might even take offense at the idea. Who knows.
Just something I've been considering for a while now, thought I'd get some opinions on it.
I listened to a very recent interview with Blaze where he was finally asked about the Infinite Entanglement book he'd been working on. Long story short, it's not done but he bought a new keyboard and would like to get back to it, but the window to capitalize on the IE trilogy by adding a complementary novelization is long gone. Hard to say how much incentive he has to actually get back to it other than to get it done.
So, stupid idea time: I'm an indie author, wrapping up the first draft of my tenth book in the next month or so. I've got seven released, and they're semi-adjacent to the genre IE is in. I sell fairly well at conventions, but suck at marketing myself online. Getting to the point, I was thinking of reaching out to his management to see if Blaze would be interested in me taking a crack at finishing it. It's hard to say how close to done it is or if the manuscript is a mess, but I could probably work with either scenario.
Depending on the state of his draft--if there's a TON of work to be done--I'd at minimum ask for a co-writing credit or a ghostwriting fee if the workload is indeed considerable. That's if I'm, say, completing a significant amount of the book or doing a substantial rewrite on the thing or both. Not looking at it as a moneymaking opportunity. I know he's not super-wealthy. I only bring up the possibility of a ghostwriting fee because I have limited time and don't work for free, unless it's something breezy like a read-through with some little punch-ups. I'd be open to doing that for free and maybe a thank you in the book.
I don't know. Part of me would like to help him get it finished, the other part feels like it might be a can of worms I don't want to open. I'm well past the point of the "every written word is sacred" philosophy. If something doesn't work, I typically throw it out and rewrite it, which sometimes can be huge swaths of a book. I could see myself doing that if the manuscript isn't working, so it might be best to just let it lie. He might not be interested. Might even take offense at the idea. Who knows.
Just something I've been considering for a while now, thought I'd get some opinions on it.
Spaldy
Ancient Mariner
Just out from seeing Blaze. It was definitely the best I've seen of him in concert it terms of setlist and crowd participation. The place was packed out and everyone was singing along. He seemed genuinely moved at times.
He really ought to be playing bigger venues as he always delivers. It's a shame that so many Maiden fans either hate him or are indifferent.
The first half of the set was Silicone Messiah and the second half was mostly Maiden with a few other tracks.
He really ought to be playing bigger venues as he always delivers. It's a shame that so many Maiden fans either hate him or are indifferent.
The first half of the set was Silicone Messiah and the second half was mostly Maiden with a few other tracks.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
He deserves better than to be where he is. It's unfortunate the Maiden fans who disliked his era will likely never come to realize how much better of a singer and performer he became after his time in Maiden. His solo work, apart from perhaps King of Metal, is remarkably solid. Steve speaks so highly of him and that era even today, it boggles my mind they have yet to give Blaze an opening slot on a Maiden tour.
If they ever do some kind of tour to commemorate the albums post-Fear, it would be the perfect timing to make that happen. Even if they did only Sign again or Clansman, they could have him come out and perform it with Bruce. I mean, they're really the only two Maiden singers still alive and performing at this point. It'd be a shame to miss the opportunity.