Thursday 27 December 2012

YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks - UPDATE!

YOU ARE THE HERO is now past the two-thirds mark and with ten days left to run is heading towards fully funding on 6 January.

Progress is going well, but we still need to raise on average £500 a day to make our £15,000 target.

So if you've not backed the project yet, but you've been meaning to, click this link and pledge your support today.

If you have already pledged, thank you - but please check that you've added the correct amount of postage. And then blog about it, post on Facebook and Tweet all your friends.

With YOUR support a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO could be in your hands by this time next year!

Thank you.

Monday 24 December 2012

The Next Big Thing: YOU ARE THE HERO

I know I've been tagged by the Next Big Thing meme before, but it's happened again - and it really couldn't have come at a better time. So, here we go.

What is the working title of your next book?
YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.


Where did the idea come from for the book?
My love of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. The fact that 2012 marks 30 years since the publication of the first one, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and 20 years since my first commission, which was also for a Fighting Fantasy gamebook – Spellbreaker. And because I wrote a piece on the subject for SFX Magazine in the year, which I soon discovered barely scratched the surface of the story waiting to be told.


What genre does your book fall under?
Non-fiction, but non-fiction about the gamebook genre, specifically fantasy adventures.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I guess Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone would have to play themselves, as any such movie would need to be a documentary.


What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
A 'coffee table' book celebrating 30 years of Fighting Fantasy, the publishing phenomenon created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, written by gamebook guru Jonathan Green.


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Chronicle City is actually going to publish the book, as long as the Kickstarter raises the necessary funds.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’ve not written it yet, but I’m anticipating it will take a couple of weeks. It will be the interviews and preparing the book for publication that will take up much the time.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
None. This book is unique. So back the Kickstarter today and make the fantasy a reality!

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, of course.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
YOU ARE THEHERO will tell the story of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, from the early days of Games Workshopright up to the present day, and beyond. I have already interviewed the creators of the Fighting Fantasyseries – Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone – who are both keen to have their story told. In fact, Steve Jackson once said to me, "You are the perfect person to write this book."

I have also interviewed many other people who’ve been involved with Fighting Fantasy over the years. These include authors and editors – such as Dave Morris, Robin Waterfield and Marc Gascoigne – the artists – people like Russ Nicholson, Martin McKenna, John Sibbick and Leo Hartas – and fans of the series, such as New York Times bestselling author Graham McNeill, founder of Tin Man Games Neil Rennison, and author, actor and comedian Charlie Higson.
I want YOU ARE THEHERO to be something special, a book worthy of commemorating such an extraordinary achievement and the impact Fighting Fantasy gamebooks have had on the world. As a result, the first print run of YOU ARE THE HERO will be a limited edition. The book will feature brand new, specially-commissioned cover art by Martin McKenna, as well as original artwork from the series, and a foreword written by Steve and Ian themselves.

Not only will YOU ARETHE HERO tell the amazing story of how Fighting Fantasy gamebooks changed the world, it will also cover everything from spin-off novels and puzzle books, to foreign editions, board games and video games. It will even delve into such areas as the gamebooks that never were, the myths and legends surrounding the series, and how Ian Livingstone’s newest gamebook – Blood of the Zombies– almost never happened.

Thanks to Kickstarter we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a book about the history of Fighting Fantasy. But now it’s up to YOU! The more YOU pledge, the more impressive this book will be –with more artwork, higher spec production values and more content. I would love this first limited edition to be a hardback, and with YOUR help it could be. But without your support YOUARE THE HERO can never happen.

If you have any interest whatsoever in the British games industry, adventure gamebooks or fantasy fiction, then this book is for you. Check out the rewards on the YOU ARE THEHERO Kickstarter page and pledge your support today!

Remember – only YOU can make this book happen, because, thanks to Kickstarter, YOU ARE THE HERO!


You can find out more (and pledge your support) by clicking this link.

Saturday 22 December 2012

YOU ARE THE HERO - Halfway there!

The YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter is now passed the halfway mark (in terms of the time it has to run), has already raised over £9,000 and is well on the way to being two thirds funded.

If you've been thinking about backing but haven't committed yet, then watch the pitch video below and then click this link to pledge.



And if you're still not convinced after watching that, then watch this!


Thursday 20 December 2012

A new Time's Arrow review

This one's from Gareth Wilson, of Falcata Times, and very pleasing it is too.


I'm a huge fan of the Ulysses Quicksilver titles from Abaddon yet whist continuing in the same vein, this book is something that is totally unique - it was crafted by the author following the readers' wishes as to what would happen in various parts. It's cleverly done, works wonders for the advancement of the world and with so many different options, it really does go to show the author's skills in allowing the reader to direct it whilst allowing it to appear organic alongside planned.

Add to this some wonderful twists, cracking prose and of course a storyline that just keeps you gripped. All in a cracking novel with a concept that could well catch on. Great stuff.



Remember, you can pick up a copy of Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow - Ulysses Quicksilver's eighth novel-length adventure - here.

Friday 14 December 2012

Time's Arrow - review and giveaway!

"This is silly fun at its best, and it gets to the heart of the steampunk genre. It doesn’t take itself seriously, isn’t at all bothered about history and simply exists to be the wildest tale it can be."

That's what Ed Fortune has to say over at the Starburst Magazine website about Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow. But I think he likes the book since he's also given it 9 out of 10 stars.

You can read Ed's review in its entirety here, and if after reading it it makes you want to read the book, then you might be interested in Upcoming4's giveaway here.

Thursday 13 December 2012

The Great Detective

It's less than a fortnight until Christmas, which means that it's less than a fortnight until Doctor Who returns for what looks like it might be one of his most steampunk adventures yet. So roll on 25 December!



Wednesday 12 December 2012

Jonathan Green and Bryan Talbot talk Steampunk on the Radio

That's right, you read that right, I'm going to be on the radio, talking about the cult of Steampunk with legendary British comic creator Bryan Talbot - tonight!

If you're in the London area, you can tune in to the one hour live show on Atomic Bark! at 9.00pm this evening on 104.4FM, and live on the net too at www.resonancefm.com.

The show will also be repeated tomorrow, Thursday 13 December, from 11.00am to 12.00pm, with podcasts to follow a few weeks after that.

So if you're in London, and able to tune in tonight or tomorrow, let me know what you thought of our discussions via the usual channels.

Until next time...


Saturday 17 November 2012

Resurrection Engines

Scott Harrison, editor of Resurrection Engines, dropped me an email the other day with the final cover for the paperback edition attached. And very smart it looks too...


The guys at Snowbooks have done a fantastic job and I can't wait to hold this book in my hands - and read everybody else's stories!

In case your eyesight is going the same way as mine, my contribution is a steampunkification of the classic American novel Moby Dick, called There Leviathan.

You can pre-order your own copy of Resurrection Engines here.

Friday 16 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Steampunk Badges

The badges I designed and had made for this year's Weekend at the Asylum proved so popular that, based on customer feedback, I've had some more made.


So when you see me selling my books at a con in the future make sure you pick up one, or two... or more.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Time's Arrow - the first review!

The following review (and the first, as far as I am aware) is by Matt Sylvester, founder of the Exonian Friendly Society of Steam & Burlesque. Take it away, Matt!


First things first, Jonathan Green is one of the most humble authors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, almost as if he truly is not aware as to just how good he is. Fortunately, this makes writing this review easy.

Time's Arrow - released on November 13th 2012 - is the eleventh book in the Pax Britannia series under the Abaddon banner and the eighthUlysses Quicksilver adventure. For those not aware of who Ulysses is, the easiest way to describe him is as a mix of Bertie Wooster, the Scarlet Pimpernel, James Bond and the Saint. Only far cooler as he lives in a present-day Victorian Empire (if you want to know more, buy the books!). Not only that, this book was originally written in three parts and, this is what makes the book unique in my not so humble opinion, it was entirely driven by the wishes of the readers.

Jonathan initially started by writing the first third. When that was completed, he released it and asked the readers what they wanted to happen in the next installment. When this was written he did the same and wrote the third and final installment. I know of no other author that has approached writing his book in such a way and I have to say that I love this approach. Despite being broken down into three parts when he was writing it, the reader would never know that it had been broken down in such a way.

Time's Arrow, as with all of Jonathan's Pax Britannia books is packed with popular culture references. It was at a reading that he gave whilst speaking at Asylum 2012, that I asked whether he used to play a certain video game obliquely referenced in a pivotal moment of the story, and there were a number of other references, both subtle and unsubtle liberally sprinkled through the story, some of which made me chuckle and some that made me groan.

The story as a whole is just like the other Ulysses Quicksilver books, they start off at a nice quick trot and then start to canter. Before you know it, trumpets are sounding, lances are lowered and you find yourself charging full pelt in a flurry of excitement and action that keeps you turning the pages until you either reach the end of the book, or your legs turn numb and you realise that you have become one with Armitage Shanks.

Full of love-sick whores, terrorists, animal abuse, murder, bombs and beautiful women, as well as some time travel, this book is a perfect addition to anyone's bookcase - or kindle - and I heartily recommend that you purchase it, it is truly a tale of valour to divert and enthrall.

I heartily recommend that you get this book.http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=practicalmart-21&l=as2&o=2&a=178108064X Now.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

The Next Big Thing -Time's Arrow

Last week, both Steven Savile and Sarah Pinborough tagged me on blog posts of theirs as part of an ongoing chain of book/author recommendations called The Next Big Thing. So today it's my turn to answer the ten questions originated by Paul Magrs, then pass the reins on to five other writers who will be doing the same on their own blogs in a week's time. So, here goes...


1) What is the working title of your next book?

Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow, my eighth steampunk novel set within that particular universe.


2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

A combination of things really, as is the case with any book. There's a bit of King Kong in there, but Donkey Kong too, and Van Helsing, as well as the Hunchback of Notre Dame... But the driving force behind the plot for this book was the need to get the hero Ulysses Quicksilver back to Blighty having been away for the best part of three books!

I originally intended to go further, tying up elements that first appeared as far back as book 6, Dark Side, but then I realised I was trying too hard and decided to focus on telling a simpler story well, rather than a more complex one badly.


3) What genre does your book fall under?

Mostly definitely Steampunk. That said, anyone who's heard me speak on the subject before will know that I consider Steampunk a flavour as much as a genre, so you could also say that Time's Arrow is a sci-fi-crime-thriller-action-adventure story, with added French people.


4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmm... Tricky...

In my mind, Ulysses Quicksilver looks like Ulysses Quicksilver, and nobody else. That said, I could see someone like Julian Rhind-Tutt or Paul Bettany playing him on the big screen - or at least I could hear one of them playing him.

Maybe a young Sophie Marceau for the part of Cadence Bettencourt, or perhaps Louise Bourgoin.


5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Arriving at a murder scene, having travelled forward in time from the past, Ulysses Quicksilver is forced to go on the run through Paris, so that he might track down the real killer, clear his name, and save the woman he's loves from a most ill-advised trip to the moon - all befoer a terrorist known only as 'Le Papillon' brings the city to its knees.

(That's quite a long sentence, isn't it?)


6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It's published by Abaddon Books, who have published all my other Pax Britannia novels to date.


7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Now that's a hard one! The book was written in three distinct parts at three distinct times, over the course of about a year. But I suppose in total it took three months to write, which is pretty much how long any novel takes me to write.


8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My other Pax Britannia books. ;-)

But seriously, I don't read particularly widely within the Steampunk genre for fear of subconsciously copying someone else's ideas. I've read George Mann's The Affinity Bridge, and Lavie Tidhar's The Bookman, but it's nothing like either of those.


9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Ulysses Quicksilver and his ongoing adventures, and the fans of the Pax Britannia series who had been so nice about my previous titles.


10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

As far as I am aware it is the first of its kind. Because it was written and published in three parts, after parts one and two became available, in each case fans were able to go online and vote for how they would like the story to continue. Their choices completely influenced the course of the adventure.

The challenge was making such a story seem like it had been written in one go when it was published in novel form. Of course, the only way to judge if I succeeded with this is to read the book yourself.


So that's me done. I'm now had to tag five other authors to take their turn at answering the questions for The Next Big Thing. As a result, next week you can read about the books coming out from John Craven's ghostwriter Cav Scott, literary mercenary Josh Reynolds, master of monsters C L Werner, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar, and rising Black Library star Sarah Cawkwell.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Time's Arrow released today!

The long-awaited print edition of the eighth instalment in the ongoing adventures of Ulysses Quicksilver is released today!

In case you've been away in the colonies for the last year or so, you can get up to speed with what is so special about Time's Arrow here.



A RACE AGAINST TIME!
Paris. City of lights. City of lovers. City of dreams. Yet if one man gets his way, its inhabitants will soon be forced to endure a nightmare such as they have never known.

Hero of the British Empire Ulysses Quicksilver is determined to stand in his way... even as he returns from the past to appear on the scene of a horrific murder!

Before he can hope to rescue the French capital from its fate, Ulysses must go on the run and track down the real killer. His intention: to clear his good name, and get back to England in one piece. And quickly, for the love of his life is about to take a most ill-advised trip to the Moon.

Can Quicksilver stop the terrorist known only as ‘Le Papillon’?


You can purchase Ulysses Quicksilver's eighth rip-roaring adventure here.

And once you've read it, do drop me a line to let me know what you thought of it, or post a review on Amazon.

Monday 12 November 2012

Happy Dieselpunk Day!

As well as being the commencement of Pax Britannia/Time's Arrow week on my blog, today is the very first International Dieselpunk Day.

12 November was chosen as the date of this event because the traditional start of the Diesel Era has been considered the end of World War I, which ended on 11 November of 1918. Hence, the day after the end of WWI is Dieselpunk Day.

You can find out more about this event here and here, and who knows... maybe one day I'll write a Dieselpunk story myself. ;-)

Pax Britannia Week: Thought for the Day

“Steampunk is...a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun!”

~ George Mann, author of the Newbury & Hobbes novels 

Sunday 11 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week

In honour of the release of the eighth Ulysses Quicksilver adventure Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow, next week this blog is going to be celebrating all things steampunk.

So, see you on Monday.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Dark Side - A Review by Mr Kit Cox

Kit Cox (author of How to Bag a Jabberwock) recently reviewed my sixth Pax Britannia novel Dark Side. Here's what he had to say about the book:
"Just finished book six of Jonathan Green's Pax Britannia series Dark Side and can only say that once again I'm hugely impressed. A lovely bit of modern pulp sci-fi fiction, with Nazis, the Moon, murder, sexy girls and big robots. If you're not reading this series I recommend it. So glad I already have book seven to go straight into."
You can pick up your own copy of Dark Side here.

Thursday 25 October 2012

Do you feel scared yet?

I know I do, looking at this awesomely creepy caricature of myself by Nick Gucker. (I'm the one in the middle by the way.)


As you can see, I shall be joining Joeseph D'Lacey for the launch of his new book Blood Fugue, along with Pat Cadigan. M'Abaddon colleague and ward-winning author Jasper Bark will be interviewing. Start time is 6.00pm on Friday 16 November and you need to confirm how many places you would like (if you want to attend) by emailing events.london@blackwell.co.uk.

I think I'm there because of the reputation my Pax Britannia books have for being quite horrific in places, but of course I also have a growing number of horror short stories in my published bibliography and my next novel could definitely be termed as horror.

Maybe I'll see you on the 16 November...

Dark Side reviewed (again)

Kit Cox (author of How to Bag a Jabberwock) recently reviewed my sixth Pax Britannia novel Dark Side. Here's what he had to say about the book:
"Just finished book six of Jonathan Green's Pax Britannia series Dark Side and can only say that once again I'm hugely impressed. A lovely bit of modern pulp sci-fi fiction, with Nazis, the Moon, murder, sexy girls and big robots. If you're not reading this series I recommend it. So glad I already have book seven to go straight into."
You can pick up your own copy of Dark Side here.

Thursday 18 October 2012

Happy Moby Dick Day!

Did you know that today (18 October 2012) marked the 161st anniversary of the first publication of the great American novel Moby Dick, here in Britain in 1851? Google marked the occasion as only Google knows how.


Now how's this for a coincidence? I received an email today from Scott Harrison, editor of Resurrection Engines, telling me that the book will be released on 1 December and to start pimping the book on my blog and elsewhere.


Resurrection Engines is a steampunk anthology, published by Snowbooks, that features 16 brand new stories from some of the most exciting names writing in genre fiction today, that reimagine or retell classic works of literary fiction in a steampunk stylee. And guess what... my story is a reimagining of Moby Dick.

You couldn't make it up, you really couldn't...

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Ada Lovelace Day

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, an annual event the goal of which is to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. You can find out more about Ada Lovelace Day (and Ada Lovelace herself) here.

Thursday 11 October 2012

A Short History of Abaddon Books

My editor Jonathan Oliver has written a very interesting piece for Armed With Pens (the go-to resource for writers and editors) about the history of Abaddon Books, publishers of the Pax Britannia series of steampunk novels.

I get a mention.

You can read it for yourself here.

Thursday 4 October 2012

Have your name immortalised in print!

On Sunday my sister-in-law, Katie Riseley, is undertaking her first Ultra Marathon, running 50km to raise money for Scope and the Royal Parks Foundation. As of this morning, she is £120 shy of her target of £750.

On average, 130 of you visit my blog every day (although yesterday that number was nearer 300). I have 695 followers on Twitter and 866 friends on Facebook. That means that if every one of you sponsored Katie £1 she would easily reach her target and in all likelihood exceed it.

Now I know there's no such thing as a free lunch, so anyone who sponsors Katie here, via her Virgin Money Giving page, citing the phrase 'Jon Green sent me' will have their name put into a hat. (An actual hat, mind; not a metaphorical one.)

After the marathon on Sunday I will ask Katie to draw a name from said hat, and that person will then be immortalised in one of my stories. I can't promise which story that will be at the moment, nor the role you will play, but it will happen. (After all, it's happened before. Twice. If not three times, in fact.)

So go here and pledge your support. And I'll see you again after the weekend. Good luck!

Keep Calm and Buy Badges


I had some badges made for Weekend at the Asylum and they proved so popular I've decided to put them up for sale on eBay. There are three sets on offer.




So if you were unable to attend Weekend at the Asylum (or missed me) you can pick up your own steampunk badges today! Don't delay! Simply click the appropriate image above to be taken to the correct eBay listing.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow

Look what arrived in the post today!

Woohoo!

It might not be officially released until this November, but I now have in my possession a print copy of Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow - and very pleased with it I am too.

From Pye Parr's stunning cover (that simply screams steampunk) to the fabulous quotes from SFX magazine, Graeme's Fantasy Book Review and Pornokitsch, I'm really pleased with what the team at Abaddon Books and myself have achieved. There's even some bonus content in the form of an Author's Note and my SFX interview reproduced in full.

"The reader feels like the cozy universe of Pax Britannia is truly, irreversibly changing."

If you've not read the story in digital form yet, and you're a fan of the series, I can't wait to hear what you make of the epilogue!

Roll on November!

Thursday 27 September 2012

Abaddon Open Submissions Deadline Looms


This weekend I - along with Abaddon/Solaris editorial team Jonathan Oliver and David Moore - will be taking part in FantasyCon in Brighton.

However, while we're all away from our desks, if you fancy yourself as a future Pax Britannia writer and you've not got your novella submission in yet, then you need to get your skates on and probably spend this weekend chained to your desk.

As Gareth L Powell put it on his blog the other day, 'I dislike the term “aspiring writer”. You see it a lot in people’s social media profiles, but to me it seems noncommittal. Either you write, or you don’t.'

You can read the rest of this particular blog post here.

If you're still intent on becoming an Abaddon author, you need to send a 150-word synopsis, 1000-word chapter-by-chapter (or section-by-section, however you structure it) breakdown of your novella, and a 2000-word sample of the novella, to submissions@rebellion.co.uk, by midnight on the 30th September (i.e. Sunday night).

Oh, and good luck!


Thursday 20 September 2012

Time's Arrow Part 3 - released today!


The third and final part of my eighth Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Time's Arrow (a.k.a. White Noise) is available for download now! You can get yours here.



PAX BRITANNIA
TIME’S ARROW

Part Three
White Noise

In which the city of Paris faces destruction, and our hero is faced with a deadly dilemma.

But is Cadence Bettencourt to be trusted or not? Is she the friend she appears to be, or does she have a hidden agenda in offering to help our hero?

Thursday 13 September 2012

Pax Britannia - reading order

 A number of people have asked me recently, now that there are almost eight Ulysses Quicksilver adventures (not to mention three El Sombra stories by Al Ewing) what the correct reading order is.

For the novels it's as follows:

1) Unnatural History*
2) Leviathan Rising*
3) Human Nature*
4) Evolution Expects
5) Blood Royal
6) Dark Side
7) Anno Frankenstein
8) Time's Arrow

However, I have also written a number of short stories featuring Mr Quicksilver. If you add those in to the chronology then the correct reading order is:

1) Unnatural History*
2) Leviathan Rising*
    Fruiting Bodies **
    Vanishing Point ***
3) Human Nature*
    Christmas Past ****
4) Evolution Expects
5) Blood Royal
    White Rabbit *****
    Proteus Unbound ******
6) Dark Side
7) Anno Frankenstein
8) Time's Arrow

Now the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that Conqueror Worm (which appears in Evolution Expects) and Silent Knight (which was posted on the Abaddon Books blog for free) do not appear on the list. The reason for Conqueror Worm not appearing... well, for those of you who've read the story, it would just give the game away, wouldn't it? And the reason for Silent Knight not appearing... well you'll just have to wait to find out. ;-)

And just for completeness, Al's El Sombra books stand apart from the Quicksilver ones; the order they should be read in is:

1) El Sombra
2) Gods of Manhattan
3) Pax Omega






* These three books are now collected in The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus (Vol.1)

** Published in El Sombra and The Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection

*** Published in Leviathan Rising and The Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection

**** Published in Human Nature and available to download free from the Abaddon Books website

***** Published in Blood Royal and The Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection

****** Published in Dark Side

Monday 10 September 2012

Weekend at the Asylum - The Aftermath!

So that's Weekend at the Asylum over for another year, and what a weekend it was! I caught up with all sorts of friends (whom I didn't know before Asylum 2011) and made many new ones too. The event itself was even bigger and better than before, taking over much of the historic part of Lincoln (or so it seemed).

Lincoln Cathedral and the top of Steep Hill

I was kept busy all weekend, selling books and badges (which proved to be very popular) and on Sunday hosted 'An Audience with Jonathan Green' and moderated the panel 'Write a Cog on it'.


My wares - not much of this was left at the end of the weekend!

Just a few highlights of the weekend included a boy telling me that the opening of Unnatural History was like a cool version of Jurassic Park, meeting Vincent's family, having the moral support of the Pax B Posse (Esther and Frances), officially joining Emilia Etherheart's pirate crew as their Professional Gambler, being asked to help judge the costume competition, and Kit Cox's evening of folk singing.

You can see my (many) photos from the event here. If you see yourself among them, please do tag yourself and thereby help to grow the Pax Britannia community.

Bebb and Rockett - here to save the day!

Among the people I met were Tom and Nimue Brown. Tom had some of his artwork on display and at the end of the weekend very kindly gave me one of his prints. You can check out their gothic webcomic here. I should also mention that Vincent Shaw-Morton won the coveted Ruskin Award for the second year in a row!

Bridge of Bottles, by Tom Brown

Thank you to Tinker and Lady Elsie, Ben and the rest of the Victorian Steampunk Society, for organising such a fantastic event, and thank you to the staff of the Assembly Rooms in Lincoln who were absolute stars as well.

And lastly, congratulations to Raven Dane who won Best Novel at the inaugural Victorian Steampunk Society Awards for Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron.

Apparently we're doing it all again next year... so here's to Weekend at the Asylum 2013!

Sunday 9 September 2012

Steampunk Week: Weekend at the Asylum - Day 3


It's the final day of Weekend at the Asylum today, but it's also probably going to be the busiest for me.


At 11.00am I shall be holding a Q'n'A session, as well as reading from Part 3 of Time's Arrow - White Noise.

At 1.00pm I shall be taking part in the panel 'Write a cog on it' with Raven Dane and Jema Hewitt.

And then at 4.00pm it's the awards ceremony for the inaugural Victorian Steampunk Society Awards for works released during 2011. I am very pleased to say that I have been nominated in the BEST NOVEL category... not once, but twice! Here's the shortlist:

BEST NOVEL
Heartless – Gail Carriger
Cyrus Darian and the Technonomicron – Raven Dane
Anno Frankenstein – Jonathan Green
Red-Handed – Jonathan Green



















So, wish me luck!

Saturday 8 September 2012

Steampunk Week: Weekend at the Asylum - Day 2



Weekend at the Asylum kicks off in earnest today.

You'll find me in the Ballroom of the County Assembly Rooms, so if you're coming along why not stop by and say hello, browse my stall and buy a book or a badge.

Or you could always have a go on my Steampunk Tombola.

And don't forget, this year's Weekend at the Asylum features the inaugural Victorian Steampunk Society Awards for works released during 2011. I'm up for BEST NOVEl - twice! 

Awards will be made following a popular vote of all AVSS members attending The Asylum. (Voting slips will be available when you register and collect your wristband.) So, if you're going to Weekend at the Asylum and you happen to enjoy my Pax Britannia books, you know what you have to do. ;-)


Maybe I'll see you there...