Pax Britannia at the Nine Worlds Geekfest 2013

So, last weekend saw me attending the first ever Nine Worlds Geekfest in Heathrow, London. One of the organisers of this epic event was Jenni Hill, formerly one of my editors at Abaddon Books and now Commissioning Editor at Orbit Books, so it was strangely appropriate that the first familiar face I saw should happen to be hers. Jenni was running the books strand of the con, which was just round the corner (literally) from the Windsor Suite where the Steampunks were based and which was where I remained for most of the weekend.

It was great to catch up with old friends Kit Cox (a.k.a Major Jack Union), Jema Hewitt (Miss Emilly Ladybird), Claire Peacey of Empire Edibles, Ian Crichton (a.k.a. Herr Doktor), Jenny, Arkwright, Rob/Dave, Robert Rankin, Lady Raygun, Tinker, Lady Elsie, Jim Swallow, Gav Thorpe, Paco Jaen et al, as well as to make new ones. It was also a pleasant surprise to have Simon Singh and Kiruna Stamell drop by my stand during the course of the weekend.

It was a very packed weekend but some of the highlights for me were the panels (and not just the ones I was on with fellow Steampunk authors Toby Frost and Raven Dane) such as 'Steampunk 101' and 'Steampunk in the Media'. On the Sunday I even had a signing slot at the Forbidden Planet table with Stephanie Saulter, which was nice, and thanks to David Tallerman, Jobeda Ali, Graeme Flory, Jon Oliver and Ian Whates for all dropping by to show their support.

One of the best comments of the whole weekend came from Ben Smith, Publishing Manager at Abaddon/Solaris/Rebellion, who, upon arriving, thought there was a group cosplaying as air hostesses until he remembered the hotel was behind Heathrow airport. He was more than a little suspicious when a coach load of people cosplaying as OAPs turned up next.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello, or who bought a book, or had a go on the tombola, and thanks to the organisers for putting together such a successful first con.

5 things I now know that I didn't know before attending Nine Worlds Geekfest 2013

1) Steampunk is sometimes referred to as Goths in Brown, or Downton Abbey with Meccano.
2) Steampunk in Germany is called Daft Punk.
3) You can buy an ebook on Amazon called Pax Britannia: The Secret War. This has nothing to do with me, Pax Britannia or Abaddon Books, and moves are being made to have it removed.
4) There is a net 10% drop in crime when Weekend at the Asylum occurs in the city of Lincoln.
5) Archimedes the Steampunk Parrot now has a rival.

You can see more photos from the event here, here and even here.

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.

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!

House of Fear - one week to go

So, if things go according to plan, about this time next week I should be amongst a line-up of authors (including the likes of Sarah Pinborough, Rebecca Levene, Stephen Volk, Adam L.G. Nevill, Christopher Fowler and Christopher Priest) waiting to sign copies of Jonathan Oliver's brand new anthology of horror stories...

The official Foyles launch will have just happened (kicking off at 6:30pm at the Charing Cross Road store) and I'll be looking forward to catching up with my writery friends at the Phoenix Club across the way afterwards. So if you're free next Tuesday (27th September) maybe I'll see you there too.

Tickets for the launch are free but have to be booked in advance via the Foyles website here.

House of Fear - Foyles launch

You know how I mentioned I've contributed a story to Solaris Books' House of Fear (edited by Jonathan Oliver and out this October)? Well the official Foyles launch has been announced.

It's taking place on 27th September 2011, 6:30pm - 7:30pm, at the Charing Cross Road store. You'll get a taste of the book's collection of new and original fiction and be able to join in the discussion of the ideas behind the writing of said stories with Sarah Pinborough, Christopher Priest, Paul Meloy and others.

Tickets are free but have to be booked via the Foyles website here.

Maybe I'll see you there...

Genre for Japan - bidding now closed

Genre for Japan is now over - and has raised over eleven thousand pounds! This is a fantastic result, and Jenni Hill, Amanda Rutter, Lou Morgan, Rosemary Jane Smith and Alasdair Stuart should feel justly proud of themselves.

The lots from the Pax Britannia team (made up of Al Ewing, Pye Parr and myself) raised £440.00! So congratulations to friends of this blog Steven Dean, James Newton and Matt Zitron - and to everyone else who placed a bid.

Meanwhile, Abaddon's editorial team (Jon Oliver, David Moore and the awesome Jenni Hill) managed to raise £660.00 between them. (Being minions of the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, I'm surprised they didn't raise £666!)

For my sins, I now need to work out how I'm going to fit the name Matt Zitron into my latest Pax Britannia adventure Time's Arrow!

So, until next time...

House of Fear

Well, the cat's well and truly out of the bag, so I can mention this myself now...

Next year, Solaris Books will publish a second anthology of horror stories edited by Jonathan Oliver, after releasing the excellent The End of the Line collection to great acclaim this year. This time all the stories are themed around that staple of horror, the haunted house.

House of Fear will be published in the autumn of 2011 and includes tales to disturb and unnerve by such luminaries of the genre as Sarah Pinborough, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler... and me.

I'm delighted to be amongst such an esteemed line-up and it's no secret that I'm hoping it will lead to... well who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.

The End of the Line launch at Foyles

So, last night I attended the launch of The End of the Line, the new anthology of Underground-inspired horror from Solaris Books, edited by Jonathan Oliver.

"This one goes out to the Phoenix massive!"

I have to confess I was a little late (due to family matters) and only really arrived in time for the Q&A session at the end. But all was not lost, for as the Foyles part of the event wound up, things really got going at the Phoenix Club, right across the road.

It was great to catch up with so many fellow writers, many of whom I am pleased to consider my friends now, as well as the Abaddon/Solaris editorial team, who are really like a kind of family (just don't ask me what kind).

Some of the highlights (or otherwise) of the evening were Jasper Bark and Scott Andrews pointing out that I am now genetically redundant since my son has recently won a prize for his writing (which I something I have failed to do myself so far), Al Ewing wondering what the world of Pax Britannia would be like in the year 1,000,000, David Moore's moustache, struggling to join in a conversation with Rebecca Levene and Jasper Bark because they are both a good head shorter than I am, seeing the expectant Mrs Oliver looking so well on it, meeting David Bradley, editor-in-chief of SFX magazine, again (and him recognising me!), and posing for Holmes and Watson-esque sepia tints with Michael Rathbone, Esq. (who has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the new PB novella Proteus Unbound).

Rathbone and Green - here to save the civilised world!

And here are five things I didn't know this time yesterday and yet I do now.

1) Scott Andrews is a self-confessed Tequila snob.
2) Jared Shurin liked (or was that disliked?) the fact that I killed him off in Dark Side not once, but twice.
3) Adam Nevill believes it is more effective to disturb and unsettle with a horror story than to horrify.
4) Rebecca Levene likes the X-Men.

5) Richard Owen, champion of the Natural History Museum and inventor of the word 'dinosaur', also invented the word 'dentine'.

So there you go...

Scott "It has to be lime for me, every time" Andrews.

If you really want to, you'll find all sorts of embarrassing photos of myself (and other writerly types who'd also had possibly one Tequila too many) here.

The End of the Line

Solaris Books' new anthology of horror stories set on various Underground networks, The End of the Line, edited by Jonathan Oliver, hit the shelves earlier this month and is already selling well.

However, the Official Launch is tomorrow - Tuesday 16 November - at Foyles in London, starting at 6.30pm. (The Gallery, upstairs at Foyles in London, at 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0EB)


Pat Cadigan, Adam Nevill and Chris Fowler will be there, signing copies of the anthology and of their latest books, as will anthologist Jon Oliver and cover artist and designer Luke Preece. (Then right after the launch finishes, we're all hopping to the Phoenix Artists' Club right over the road for a swift pint or two.)

Anyway all this is free - yes, FREE - and tickets are still available from Foyles, but they're running low. If you have been considering coming but haven't committed yet, now's the time. Email Foyles at events@foyles.co.uk. Maybe I'll see you there...

The Cruel Fate of Jared Shurin

As followers of this blog will already know, Jared Shurin (he of Pornokitsch fame) won a walk-on part in the forthcoming Pax Britannia: Dark Side. That walk-on part turned into a major role in the novel, as you can read for yourself later this month.

Last night I was very lucky to attend a special presentation for Jared's recent birthday, for which his wife had produced a unique anthology of works based upon a story Jared wrote as a child. I had contributed a short story, as had as author Rebecca Levene and editor-cum-author Jonathan Oliver.

Jared is desperate to learn the fate of his namesake in Dark Side but I didn't give anything away, tempted as I was all the same. And you, like Jared can discover what happens when the book is published later this month.

Jonathan Oliver 'On Books'

Andy Remic (ace Solaris author) interviewed Abaddon editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver at World Horror Con this year and has now turned it into a video for all to enjoy. And you can enjoy it here...

Abaddon's Pax Britannia Podcast

On Thursday I headed over to Oxford, specifically to the Abaddon Books dungeon, to record next month's (or maybe it was this month's) Abaddon/Solaris podcast. This time the focus is on the Pax Britannia line, so I found myself answering various questions about the genesis of the series and my thoughts about steampunk in general.

Al Ewing was also there, as the only other author to have contributed to the Pax Britannia line to date. Al, Jon Oliver (Abaddon's editor-in-chief) and I had a great time recording the interview (and adding a couple of Jackanory-style extract readings); I only hope there was enough usable material to create something that can be posted on iTunes.

Al Ewing - Abaddon's Mr Sex
(don't ask)

M.C. and Abaddon Overlord Jon Oliver

We certainly managed to fill the interrogation chamber with our 'Geek miasma' (as Jon O put it) and it was great to hear about Al's plans for El Sombra, Doc Thunder and the world of Pax Britannia.

Al and I and the whole of the Abaddon editorial team were then released - blinking, into the light - to take some sustenance and discuss the future of PB - which included mention of heat rays, Andy Warhol and howling commandos. It was great to catch up with Jon, Jenni and David and a discussion with Al (whilst giving him a lift to the station) about dinosaurs and King Arthur gave my creative gears the kick they needed for another future project.

Where the magic happens... Jenni, Jon and David mastermind the Abaddon/Solaris takeover of the publishing world

As you can see, much important thinking took place on Thursday

The latest Pax Britannia novel Blood Royal is out now, while Al's Gods of Manhattan is out in July. To get an idea of just how good this book is, you should read editor Jenni's blog-spurge here, on the Abaddon news page.

The SFX Weekender

So, I drove down to Camber Sands yesterday for the second half of the SFX Weekender (I mean why else would you go to Camber Sands?) and had a great time.

I hooked up with David Moore and Jonathan Oliver of Abaddon/Solaris Books and signed some stock, as well as giving away some Pax Britannia badges, and was interviewed for a forthcoming podcast. I met ace Slaine artist and Preacher cover artist Glenn Fabry (who happens to think he's quite good). I was welcomed by Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers and ran into these interesting-looking fellows...


I listened to China Mieville talk about writing for the YA market (or not as the case may be), I listened to Jon Oliver read from his first novel The Call of Kerberos, I watched the fantastic Moon (starring the even more fantastic Sam Rockwell), I listened to a Q&A session with Toby Whithouse, creator of Being Human, having just watched a sneak preview of tonight's episode, and listened to a panel discuss the various merits, or otherwise, of tie-in and spin-off fiction (or tie-off, as one of the panellists called it).

Tom Baker regaling the crowds

Jon Oliver - lord of all he surveys

Glenn Fabry talks comic special effects budgets

Al Ewing - fellow Abaddon author

The 2000AD stand - Clint Langley and Leigh Gallagher draw for your entertainment

To conclude, here's a list of ten things that I now know as a result of the SFX Weekender that I didn't know 48 hours ago:

1) You can buy a bespoke Dalek for £3,000 but it'll take at least 10 weeks to make.
2) Glenn Fabry's thinking of becoming a teacher.
3) The novelisation of Snakes on a Plane was Black Flame's best-selling title.
4) Tom Baker gets chatted up in Waitrose by ladies of a certain age (that means they're in their 70s, I think).
5) Ianto Jones actor Gareth David-Lloyd was unaware of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre's version of Torchwood, which they call Torchwool.
6) Cosplay is really just what my 3 year-old calls dressing up (but done by adults).
7) Gareth David-Lloyd would like to play Lion-O in a live-action version of Thundercats.
8) He-Man is camp.
9) Leigh Gallagher can't draw as quickly as Clint Langley.
10) This Christmas will see the release of the first Pax Britannia Ulysses Quicksilver omnibus.

Abaddon & Solaris Books podcast

The first Abaddon & Solaris Books podcast has been released and can be downloaded from iTunes. Simply click on your iTunes browser and search for Abaddon or Solaris.

Listen to editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver and desk editor David Moore talk about all things genre in fiction, including Jon's first novel, The Call of Kerberos. Oh, and Pax Britannia gets a mention too.

And dig those tribal rhythms!

So what are you still doing here reading this? Check it out now!

Where the magic happens

This week I travelled up to Oxford to meet with the guys at Abaddon Books to talk about all things Pax Britannian. I had a good chat with editor Jon Oliver during which we discussed the next Ulysses Quicksilver novella, and story arcs for the next (censored!) books in the series. We also met with head honcho Jason Kingsley and talked about a possible Pax Britannia (censored!)! It was an inspiring conversation indeed.

Where the magic happens

While I was in Oxford I also took the opportunity to do a little research for the story I'm going to be writing next - yes, I do research my books, you know - which took me to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. If you've not been, you really should. It's an incredible building with some interesting exhibits, including one all about the Oxford Dodo. And even better than that, it is attached to the Pitt Rivers Museum (although that part closed until 2009 for refurbishment, as I only discovered when I got there on the day).

The main exhibition hall of the OUMNH, with a statue of the Prince Consort in view, along with the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex

More news from Abaddon

Abaddon editor and all round top bloke Jonathan Oliver has posted a comprehensive missive about the part he played in the recent Fantasycon and Abaddon's plans for the Twilight of Kerberos series. So, if you want to find out what red wine, red faces, Operation Motherland and a quartet of trilogies have in common, then click here.