D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
@dvbishop.com
5.9K followers 890 following 2.9K posts
Writes Cesare Aldo historical thrillers, set in Renaissance Italy • CARNIVAL OF LIES out now • Buy my books: https://linktr.ee/D.V.Bishop • Free newsletter: https://dvbishop.substack.com • Rep: @jennybrownagency.bsky.social • Ex-Tharg
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dvbishop.com
...but when we talked to the publisher, they advised the rights situation was too tortuous to even try due ot Kubrick's film adaptation complicating matters so completely.

Pity, would've been a fun project & very 2000AD. (The art below is borrowed from Pinterest and other online sources.)
dvbishop.com
Rights issues meaning 2000AD did not acquire copyright in the underlying materials, so to reprint them would require a fresh negotiation and that can be very expensive with Hollywood.

Before Kubrick died, we looked at creating a comics adaptation of A Clockwork Orange (the novel, not the film)...
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
joannechocolat.bsky.social
Unsolicited writing advice, no. 1579: If you’re going to write in any genre (children’s fiction, SFF, romance, etc), you need to read EXTENSIVELY in that genre. You need to read current authors in the genre. You need to know what’s been done; what tropes exist; how the genre has changed.
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
naomialderman.bsky.social
feels like yet again time to mention that the *videogames* industry (that's a creative industry, which people do creative degrees in) brings in more than twice the amount to the British economy as the fishing and steel industries *combined*
naomialderman.bsky.social
I cannot understand what these people think the purpose of human life is?

It is *not* "pursue joy, deal justly, love well, try to understand as much and see as much of this beautiful world and of the deepness, richness and variety of human culture and experience as you can before you die"?
outonbluesix.bsky.social
How is this repeatedly made into a policy issue - by *all* parties - when the blunt fact of the matter is that grown adults who are obliged to pay for their own education, and relentlessly pursued to repay their loans, should be able to study whatever the fuck they want.
dvbishop.com
Days 178 & 179 of #UKBookIndustryClicheBingo2025 had 10 entries in total:

cosy • heated • fantastical • masterful • heartbreaking • digital • gaming-inspired • industry-first • precipitous • stark

Three of these makes their second appearance in 2025 - 'cosy', 'stark' and 'heartbreaking'. Hmm!
a man reads a book to a little girl in bed
ALT: a man reads a book to a little girl in bed
media.tenor.com
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
brianmbendis.bsky.social
Back in ye ol' Tumblr days, I was posting Art Adams art like it was my job. Eventually, he heard about it and he and Joyce started sending me commissions and other pieces he thought I might enjoy posting. I just found the folder. wow.
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
gbralph.com
What's that on the ✨NEW✨ book table? 👀

The wonderful team at Bruce McKenzie Booksellers have placed The Milverton Mysteries in such excellent company as The Bookshop Detectives, @charitynorman.bsky.social, @dvbishop.com, and many more!

🌈📚🇳🇿📚💙🔎💀📚👀📚🌎 #Mystery #NewZealand #YeahNoir
Bookshop display table featuring new books
dvbishop.com
The film was not a success, grossing $14m against its $12m budget. The @2000ad.bsky.social adaptation wasn't a hit with readers (not helped by running alongside the much-hated Space Girls). Rights issues mean the ALLO strip is unlikely to be seen again - a pity, as Steve Yeowell's art was stellar.
dvbishop.com
I did my best adapting a 103-minute movie into 48 pages of comics, with cliffhangers needed on every sixth page. With the film still being edited, it was very much a moving target. Whole sub-plots were lost in the cutting room. Sadly, Sean Connery didn't film a cameo as God shooting hoops. >
dvbishop.com
Steve Yeowell agreed to draw the story, though without image rights for Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz or anyone else the characters had to be non-likeness likenesses.
Danny Boyle and his editor were still cutting the film, so we saw some footage and were sent colour copies of stills for reference. >
dvbishop.com
I was editing 2000AD at the time and getting pressure from management to get attention to the comic. The ALLO serial seemed a viable solution. But once we'd paid for the rights, there was no £ to have anyone script this and get it drawn.

So, I volunteered to adapt the screenplay for free... >
dvbishop.com
The producers had approached 2000AD editorial about a creating a graphic novel adaptation, but there was no UK market for such things in 1998 and selling it into newsagents as a standalone was impractical on a very short deadline.

Still, it was the Trainspotting people, so was there another way? >
dvbishop.com
28 years ago today @2000ad.bsky.social started an 8-part adaptation of A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, a movie directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge, the team behind smash hits TRAINSPOTTING and SHALLOW GRAVE. The movie had angels, gunplay and an absurdist script, so didn't seem to great a leap. >
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thebookseller.com
ICYMI: Penguin Michael Joseph has acquired Alys Cummings’ debut novel, Murder Most Cryptic, along with a second novel in the series entitled A Killer Clue. Murder Most Cryptic will publish in October 2026 👇 #BookSky
PMJ acquires Alys Cummings’ puzzle-murder-mystery debut in two-book deal
ebx.sh
dvbishop.com
I like the way it gives a flavour of the Italian which characters are actually speaking without the whole book being in Italian. The meaning is - hopefully - always be apparent from context.
dvbishop.com
In this week's free newsletter, discover my suggestions for:
Top 5 Podcasts on Reading
Top 5 Podcasts on Writing &
Top 5 Podcasts on Publishing
(Could easily have done a Top 10 for each, left out so many!)
dvbishop.substack.com/p/bookish-po...
Bookish podcasts
For your listening pleasure
dvbishop.substack.com
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
dvbishop.com
A wee reminder, inspired by a passing comment in @thespinoff.bsky.social
Reposted by D. V. Bishop's CARNIVAL OF LIES out now
doma-834.bsky.social
Hi!

Currently on:
D.V. Bishop (🇬🇧) - The Darkest Sin (Cesare Aldo #2)
Émile Zola (🇫🇷) - La Débâcle (Rougon-Macquart #19)
John Connolly (🇮🇪) - The White Road (Charlie Parker #4)
Peter Apps (🇬🇧) - Deterring Armaggedon: A biography of NATO
The End of the World As We Know It

Have a great reading week!
Montage of the covers for
D.V. Bishop - The Darkest Sin (Cesare Aldo #2)
Émile Zola - La Débâcle (Rougon-Maqcuart #19)
John Connolly - The White Road (Charlie Parker #4)
The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand (anthology)
Peter Apps - Deterring Armaggedon: A biography of NATO
dvbishop.com
Hope you're enjoying The Darkest Sin! FWIW, I'm 🇳🇿 although I have lived in 🇬🇧 for 35 years so...