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).
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?
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.
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:
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:
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!
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.
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:
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.
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. ;-)
It's Day 1 of the fourth annual Weekend at the Asylum and I'll be heading up to Lincoln today to prepare myself for the fun and frolics ahead.
This evening you will probably find me at The Victoria Inn catching up with old friends* and making new ones. So if you're there and you spot me** please stop and say "Hello!"
Maybe I'll see you there.
* In other words, people I met at the Asylum last year. ** You'll hardly be able to miss me in this T-shirt!
Weekend at the Asylum kicks off for some today although I won't make it up to Lincoln until tomorrow (Friday 7 September).
On Friday night I'll be catching up with friends, and no doubt making some new ones, and probably partaking of a drink or two (as is my wont).
On Saturday I'll be selling my wares in the Ballroom of the County Assembly Rooms, so if you're coming along why not stop by and say hello? (And buy a book or a badge.)
And then on Sunday morning at 11.00am I shall be reading from Part 3 of Time's Arrow - White Noise - and taking part in a Q'n'A session.
Lastly, at 1.00pm on Sunday I shall be taking part in the panel 'Write a cog on it' with Raven Dane and Jema Hewitt.
The third part of my eighth Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Time's Arrow (a.k.a. White Noise) is coming to a eBook reader near you soon. And here's the finished cover by artist/designer extraordinaire Simon Parr.
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?
I am very pleased to be able to announce 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
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.)
If you've ever encountered a person with flying goggles, clad in tweeds and clutching a mahogany laptop or brass smartphone on a chain, what's the explanation? Phill Jupitus steps into an era where the 19th and 21st centuries charmingly collide, to investigate the time travelling cult known as Steampunk.
Travelling back to the steam-powered future, Phill discovers a cast of modern characters - engineers, scientists, writers, artists and inventors - taking their inspiration from the Victorian and Edwardian arts and sciences, and from the fiction of H.G. Wells.
"It's still the early twenty-first century. The Victorian world, the Edwardian world carried on", explains Ian Crichton aka Herr Doktor amongst an array of fantastical homemade devices: digital camera modified with rivets, brass-etched ray gun, steam pistol and a space helmet like that worn by Lionel Jeffries in The First Men on The Moon. "We've got steam-powered cars on the streets. We've got huge dirigibles flying to Japan".
Steampunk speculates on an imaginary overlap between the 19th century and the present day. Phill investigates at a Steampunk convivial, The Houses of Parliament, on an x-ray ward, at a punk gig and in a shed in suburban Surrey.
With Dr Chandrika Nath from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology ; consultant radiologist Dr Adrian Thomas; comedian Andrew O'Neill; science fiction author, Adam Roberts and lecturer in 19th Century Literature, Dr Christine Ferguson.
With Time's Arrow Part 3 - White Noise - due for release very soon, and Weekend at the Asylum only days away, this week I shall be focusing purely on all things steampunk on my blog.
Check back every day for more news about Pax Britannia and my appearance at the largest steampunk convention in Europe.
This weekend I - along with Abaddon/Solaris editorial team Jonathan Oliver and David Moore - will be taking part in FantasyCon in Brighton.
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