The original manuscript for this novel was a winner of the inaugral QWC/Orbit manuscript development Program for Speculative Fiction.
Valentine and the Devil is a complete speculative fiction manuscript of 97 000 words.
During his evening rounds as a member the Night Watch of a medieval city, Valentine stumbles across the devil. Not the real child of Satan; Mr. Tall, Red and Horny is a spaceman. He’s been captured by gypsies and he’s not happy.
With the rest of the Watch, Valentine tries to discover why a naked devil needs to wear a pair of boots – but before they can make any headway the Inquisition arrives and claims jurisdiction. The Night Watch tries to do the right thing but lose it all. They upset the entrenched power brokers of the city and lose their positions, their homes and their planet. They flee, all that is left is a job as guards, guards on the same spaceship as their devil.
The chaos in their lives is compounded when sabotage leaves them stranded on a strange planet. Comradeship and humour help them deal with culture shock, assassins and hardships.
But the Night Watch are survivors; Valentine and men like Meataxe, Horse and Right Honourable are used to dealing with mayhem, thugs and killers. They survive because they are better at being thugs and killers. They are comfortable amidst mayhem.
I am seeking a publisher for the manuscript.
