Urban Mythic: Christopher Golden

Happy Halloween!  For those of you at WFC today, hello! And if you're not there, here's Urban Mythic author Christopher Golden for you!

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I've been a full time writer for twenty years.  I had the best job in the world, working at Billboard magazine in New York, but when I sold my first novel back in 1992--at the age of twenty-five--I jumped ship and never looked back.  I write horror, fantasy, mystery and thrillers for adults and teens, as well as comics and graphic novels.  I've also edited more than half a dozen anthologies.  My latest novel, Snowblind, will be out in January.

What was the idea behind "Under Cover of Night"?

I have an abiding love of folklore.  When the story was originally written, my task was to write three unrelated pieces all of which revolved around folklore in some way.  I've also always been…fascinated is the wrong word…let's say concerned by the way the United States conducts its relationship with Mexico.  The situation at our southern border is not healthy for either nation's people.  Finally, I just loved the idea of El Chupacabra preying on those who prey on those desperate enough to cross illegally into the U.S.

How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors?

There are two definitions of urban fantasy to me.  One is the more common modern definition, and of that class I love Charlaine Harris, Stacia Kane, Kelley Armstrong, and many others.  But the older version of urban fantasy is where I find myself going when I think about writing anything fantasy-related.  Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, Tim Powers…that's a whole different corner of urban fantasy.  De Lint has been a huge influence for me and is one of my favorite writers.

You’ve collaborated with Amber Benson, Tim Lebbon and Mike Mignola among others – what’s the appeal of joint authored projects and is there anybody you’d like to work with (living, dead or totally fictional!)

I always say writing is a solitary business and I'm not a solitary person.  I find myself chatting with friends and a lot of those friends are writers.  Invariably, some crazy-ass idea will come up and one of us will say, y'know, we should write that!  If it's an idea we like enough, then we do.  As for anyone else I'd like to write with, living or dead?  Larry McMurtry.  It'll never happen, but boy, I could learn a lot from that guy.

What are you up to next?

This January, my latest novel, Snowblind, will be out in the US and UK, as will Cemetery Girl, the first in a trilogy of graphic novels I'm writing with Charlaine Harris.  My anthology Dark Duets also hits that month.  It's weird when everything you've worked on for 18 months all comes out at the same time.  This November I'll be at World Fantasy in Brighton, UK, and I can't wait!

[Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Of Saints and Shadows, The Myth Hunters, The Boys Are Back in Town, and Strangewood.  He has co-written three illustrated novels with Mike Mignola, the first of which, Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, was the launching pad for the Eisner Award-nominated comic book series, Baltimore.  As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead, The Monster’s Corner, and 21st Century Dead, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, and screenplays.  His novel Snowblind will be published in January, 2014.  Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family.  His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world.  Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com ]

Urban Mythic: Jaine Fenn

Good morning groovers!  And what delights do we have for you today?  Why, it's Urban Mythic author Jaine Fenn in da house! :-)

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I mainly write Science Fiction, of the far future character-driven kind. My Hidden Empire novels are published by Gollancz, and for the last few years I've been focusing on them, but I also love writing short stories, and with these I range across the genre, having fun with everything from alt. history to, well, urban fantasy.

What was the idea behind "Not the Territory"?

It's a story I've been meaning to write for years. I've never lived in London, but I have commuted into both the City and the West End on a regular basis and to me, London has always been a fascinating other world, crowded with history, full of possibility. And if the bits you can see are intriguing, what about the stuff you don't get to see? Or at least, don't usually get to see ... I also love maps, possibly to an unhealthy extent; personally I'm not a fan of maps that don't tell you what you're getting into, but Phil and Astral (two characters I've written about before) are just the blokes to follow a map and see where it leads them. I also wanted to use the basement of the Guildhall as a setting; not many civic buildings have a Roman amphitheatre under them. That's the essence of this story: all those compacted layers of history and possibility, and how they interact.

How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors?

I have to confess that these days I don't read much urban fantasy. This isn't because I don't like it, just because I have limited reading time and so have to be extra picky about what books to add to my teetering 'to read' pile (OK, piles). I've enjoyed reading Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman and more recently Paul Cornell's London Falling, a book I highly recommend.

How important is music when you're writing and did "Not the Territory" have a particular backing track?

I always write to music, though I find anything with a clear vocal distracting. By default I use ambient and dub for the quiet sections and trance and rock for action sequences. Not every story has a particular backing track but this one does: the album Dead Cities by Future Sound of London.

What are you up to next?

The most recent Hidden Empire book, Queen of Nowhere, came out this autumn, and I've just started work on the next one. I've also got a YA space mystery which I describe as 'Lord of the Flies meets Silent Running meets the Midwich Cuckoos' but I don't have a publication date for that yet. Convention-wise, after World Fantasy I'll be at Novacon, then – having been to loads of cons this autumn – I'll have a bit of a rest. But I'm looking forward to Worldcon next year, in London.

[ Jaine Fenn is the author of the Hidden Empire series, far future SF published by Gollancz, which began with Principles of Angels. She also writes short stories in other genres, a number of which have been published professionally. Back when she had a proper day-job she spent too much time travelling on the Tube and London remains one of her favourite alien worlds. Her website can be found at www.jainefenn.com ]

Urban Mythic: Adrian Tchaikovsky

And today's Urban Mythic author dragged kicking and screaming into the light... The one, the only, Adrian Tchaikovsky!

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I’m mostly an author of epic fantasy, as far as long form fiction goes. So far that’s manifested in the story of the Insect-kinden, the Shadows of the Apt series, the 9th and penultimate book of which has just come out as War Master’s Gate. The world of the kinden is some way from a traditional fantasy setting – the kinden themselves are humans who take their powers and natures from various types of insect, and the series charts their rise into a sort of 20th century of technology and realpolitik. I put a lot of work into my worlds, the variety and the originality, and it seems to be something that my readers really respond to.

What was it that inspired “Family Business”?

Um, well. This is one of those questions writers get all the time – “where do your ideas come from?” – and normally it’s essentially impossible to point at any given thing and say “This! This was what made the story happen.” Except in this case, when it was absolutely the Scissor Sisters’ Return to Oz. I’m quite serious. I heard the song the first time while coming back from a wedding, I think it was, and was absolutely inspired by the weird imagery and emotional tone of it. And from that came “Family Business,” I kid you not. Of course that song is actually telling another completely different story, but when I hear songs full of odd metaphor and meaning I tend to translate them literally first, and get some very bizarre images.


How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors?

My favourite fantasy is secondary-world fantasy, and as most urban fantasy is real-world set, I’m fairly selective with what I pick up. I love Paul Cornell’s London Falling, though, and Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London and its sequels. And I’ve just discovered Emma Newman’s Split World series, which is excellent. And, lord, there’s Gaiman, who kind of invented the whole business about ten years too early with Neverwhere, and then retook it with American Gods. Beyond that, there is a whole neighbourhood of what was also called urban fantasy at one time, because it is generally city-based, but also usually in a secondary world. This is stuff like The Lies of Locke Lamora (one of the best fantasy books every written, IMHO) and there’s Mieville’s Perdido Street Station, Hulick’s Among Thieves and Hardinge’s Mosca books like Twilight Robbery.

Has your enthusiasm for larping and other gaming influenced what you write?

I suppose it’s given me an expanded toolkit. Pen and paper RPGs are very good for the creative side – making worlds and making characters, both. You often need to work at a level of detail a book might not demand, which then lends you a comfortable familiarity with the world that hopefully comes over on the page. Larp itself is a source of new experience, especially massed battles. And fun, of course.

What are you up to next? 

My convention calendar is very full this year and next. I’ve been to Nine Worlds, which is a new convention of astonishing scope and variety that I enjoyed immensely, and then I had Andromeda One in Birmingham, then the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. And of course there’s Worldcon coming to London next year … and as Nine Worlds 2014 is the weekend before I think there will be a whole “week of geek” in the London area strung between the two.

As for writing, I’m about to get the last Shadows of the Apt book back for edits, while tinkering with my standalone novel Guns of the Dawn which comes next, and I’m also finishing off the first book of a new series as well. It’s all go, basically.

[Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Lincolnshire, studied and trained in Reading and now lives in Leeds. He is known for the Shadows of the Apt fantasy series starting with Empire in Black and Gold, and currently up to book nine, The War Master's Gate. His hobbies include stage-fighting, and tabletop, live and online role-playing.] 

Catching up - October Edition

O!M!G!  It's not a post about Urban Mythic!  I know, it's been a while, right?

So, what' s been going on? Well now, I'm glad you asked.

Big main thing is the university year has started right back up and with only two modules left to do for my degree it's all very serious and researchy.  On the plus side, this year's module is Myth in the Greek and Roman world which is all kinds of awesome. seriously, why did no one tell me classics was so much fun. (Actually I did kind of suspect it, but it's been a bugger to find an actual course that wasn't medieval to modern history.) So, yes, I do classics now. Classics are cool. ;)

So too is accountancy. Though that one is more of a business necessity since some crazy person or persons to go unnamed decided to make the family business a limited company with employee on payroll and proper grown up serious stuff. Oy gevalt. This has made the book keeping a bit more complicated. Well, I say a bit, in the way that the Pacific is a bit wet... Still, I like a challenge, and anything that involves juggling numbers on spreadsheets and I'm definitely your girl. So I'm also working my way towards a professional bookkeeping/accountancy certification thingy. Cos why do things by halves, right? Right!  (Egads, there will be exams. Exams! Gah!)

Ooh, and the fabulous Shapeshifters anthology from Fox Spirit should be out soon, in which discerning readers will find a story by yours truly. Also many other funky peeps.

WFC is of course the hot topic of the season. I will, of course, be on registration duty again so expect plenty of completely forgetting the names of people I've known for years while trying to give sensible answers to random questions.

Ooh and I've booked up for next year's Nine Worlds Geekfest, cos how cool did this year's one sound.  Yes, going to an actual convention that I'm not working at! Stop fainting at the back there.  Might even attempt to do Edge-Lit next year as well.

But that's enough excitement for one day! ;-)

Urban Mythic: Graham Edwards

And today my lovelies, we have Urban Mythic author Graham Edwards...

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I have a day job as a graphic designer and try to fit the writing in when and where I can. At the moment that means early morning stints before work, plus as many other sessions as I can squeeze in. I guess my comfort zone is novels, but every time I force myself to write short fiction I’m always surprised by how much I love it. I’m generally labelled as a fantasy author (although I’ve written crime novels too) but I’ve never had much truck with labels. I just write what I write, you know?

What was the idea behind “A Night to Forget”? 

The story’s about Old Father Time. Most people see him as this old geezer with a scythe who bumbles around at the end of the year looking lost. I just got to wondering who he really is. At the same time, I was thinking about how sometimes people put their lives on hold – maybe following a traumatic event, maybe just because they’re waiting for some change to come. Sometimes we just want to stop the clock. Those two things came together in my head, and this story was the result.

How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors? 

I don’t necessarily think of my taste as ‘urban’, but I do prefer my fantasy to be grounded in reality. I like to have one foot in the real world and the other in, well, another. The books on my shelves that look the scruffiest – and which are therefore the most loved – are those written by Robert Holdstock, John Crowley and Stephen King.

You’ve worked as a multimedia producer for theme parks and visitor centres – what was involved in that and have your experiences there contributed to your fiction?

Some theme park rides use video content as an integral part of the ride experience. I’ve written storylines and scripts for such rides, and sometimes directed and created the content too, mostly using CG animation. The same with sit-down shows for heritage attractions, or simulators in science centres. Most recently, I wrote the script for the horror ride Nemesis Sub-Terra at the UK’s Alton Towers. My love of speculative fiction has certainly fed into that work, but I’m not sure the reverse is true. Yet.

What are you up to next? 

My new novel Talus and the Frozen King will be published by Solaris Books in March 2014. It’s a Neolithic murder mystery and I suppose it’s my attempt to push the boundaries of historic crime fiction as far back into the past as they’ll go. Right now I’m hard at work on a sequel. Also, as a card-carrying VFX gee, I’m thrilled to be writing a long article for visual effects journal Cinefex, taking a behind-the scenes look at Ron Howard’s new film Rush.

[Graham Edwards is the author of two fantasy trilogies – Dragoncharm and Stone & Sky – as well as a number of novels published under various pseudonyms. His short fiction has appeared in Realms of Fantasy, while The String City Mysteries, a series of fantasy detective novelettes, is available as a range of ebooks. Graham’s new novel, Talus and the Frozen King, will be published by Solaris Books in 2014. Graham blogs regularly about his writing. Also on his blog, he’s published an acclaimed series of articles reviewing the first forty issues of visual effects journal Cinefex.  Visit him at graham-edwards.com ]

Urban Mythic: Anne Nicholls

This morning may we present Urban Mythic author Anne Nicholls!

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I like writing uplifting, adventurous, exciting, humorous stories - all sorts of things that have a feel-good factor.  It's the creativity, I think.  Writers always get the best out of stories they write, even more than stories they read.  I guess writing is the 3-D version!

What was it that inspired "The Seeds of a Pomegranate"?

Two things: I like the idea of the exotic along with the cosmopolitan and the ordinary down-home all working together in our multi-racial society.  We're not the only folks who have a tradition of magic and fantasy so how great that there's this new enrichment coming into Britain!  Also the possibilities of creative magic, and the friendship aspects.

How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors?

I like all kinds of fantasy (and many other streams of fiction).  For urban fanasy I enjoy Benedict Jacka and I'm just getting into the Iron Druid books by Kevin Hearne.  Mercedes Lackey's Bedlam's Bard series are fun, as are her Serrated Edge books.

Tell us about your involvement with the David Gemmell Awards?

Dave Gemmell was a very dear friend who was our best man when Stan and I got married.  We miss him greatly.  We admired his spirit of "stand up and be counted" so that's what we wanted to do with the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: make it the readers' choice so it's as democratic as possible.  Anyone anywhere can vote for books in English so it's truly egalitarian and international.  The awards ceremony is a real pleasure in itself.  We get to meet people we might otherwise not have the chance to, for example, Olof Erla Einarsdottir who won the Ravenheart Award.  She flew over from Iceland just to be with us, which was fabulous!  Plus we wanted to raise the profile of fantasy fiction generally, and support artists and authors.  It's amazing how time-consuming the committee work is but good fun and rewarding too.

With your other hat on you’re a qualified counsellor and writer of self-help books – do you find this perspective impacts on your fiction?

It does and it doesn't.  That's to say, obviously it offers deep insight into people and their motivations, and it means I want to make ever piece of writing I do as emotionally rewarding for the reader as I can.  On the other hand I have to make sure counselling language doesn't intrude because it's more analytical than dramatic.

What are you up to next?

Right now I have all sorts of things to look forward to: the launch of three anthologies in which I have stories (Urban Mythic, Pulp Heroes II and Legends) at the World Fantasy Convention; the Gemmell Awards which are also at WFC this year; another story and a novel that I'm writing; doing more paintings; and just generally having fun with friends and family.  I also enjoy my counselling work as I love to see people making positive changes so they're happier and can achieve their goals.



[Anne Nicholls's published works include the acclaimed novels Mindsail and The Brooch of Azure Midnight.  Her short story Roman Games was reprinted in the Year's Best Fantasy.  She is now principally known for self-help writing  and for her paintings, which are also gaining a following.]

Urban Mythic at WFC!

I may have mentioned a few times that Urban Mythic is launching at WFC in Brighton next weekend.   Because, dudes! We're launching at WFC!  Friday 1st November!  Noon!  In Signing Alley!   (Along with Alchemy's other titles - Pulp Heroes 2 & Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac.)

But anyway, Urban Mythic, innit!  Lovely author people who will be floating around are: Jaine Fenn, Christopher Golden, Alison Littlewood, Anne Nicholls, Gaie Sebold, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jonathan Oliver, Ian Whates & Ben Baldwin.

But my lovely people-folks, that's not all.  Oh no!  Selected members of Team Urban Mythic will be doing a reading event on the Thursday!  From 2:00 - 2:30pm in Hall 8B.

And! Also! Our faaaabulous authors will be out and about doing other things at the WFC beast.  Here, for your author spotter notebook, is where else you can find them...

Artist:
Ben Baldwin          
SAT 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Newcon Press & Snowbooks (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
SAT 5:00-7:00 pm (Art Show)

Authors:
Jaine Fenn:
SAT 5:00-6:00 pm - Panel - Does SF Have a Future? (Cambridge)

Christopher Golden:     
THURS 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Strip Search (Oxford)
FRI 3:00-4:00 pm - Panel - Writing for the Franchise Market (Hall 4)
FRI 4:00-6:00 pm - Party - PS Publishing Bumper Book Launch (Regency)
SAT 3:00-3:30 pm - Reading - (Hall 8A)

Alison Littlewood:     
THURS 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Landscape of the Fantastic (Cambridge)
SAT Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - When the Fairies Come Out to Play (Cambridge)
SAT 3:00-4:00 pm - Launch - Constable & Robinson (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
SAT 11:00 pm-12:30 am - (mysterious unknown funky thing) (Chartwell)
SUN Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - How to Write that Second Book (Hall 4)

Anne Nicholls:
THURS 8:00 pm - Presentation - David Gemmell Awards (Oxford)
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)

Jonathan Oliver:  
SAT 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - You Can't Write, Edit an Anthology (Hall 4)
SUN 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Solaris/Rebellion (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
And you'll probably also find Jonathan at the Solaris table in the Dealer Room too!

Gaie Sebold:      
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)
FRI 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Broads with Swords (Cambridge)

Adrian Tchaikovsky:
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)
SAT 10:00-11:00 am - Panel - Best of All Possible Worlds (Cambridge)
SAT 5:00-5:30 pm - Reading (Hall 8A)
SUN 10:00-11:00 am - Launch - Fox Spirit Books (Hall 8/Signing Alley)

Ian Whates:     
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing  (Regency)
FRI Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - Surviving as an Independent Press (Cambridge)
FRI 5:00-6:00 pm - Interview - Life Achievement Award: Tanith Lee (Oxford)
SUN 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Solaris/Rebellion (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
And don't forget to find Ian at the Newcon Press table in the Dealer Room!  And also in the Dealer Room, on the Solaris table signing stuff on SAT 3:30 - 4:30pm

And also!
Look for Alchemy Publisher Peter Coleborn in the Art Show SAT 5:00-7:00 pm
And Editor Jan Edwards wandering around having fun!
And Editor Jenny Barber (hello!) lurking behind the registration desk Weds - Sat.

Urban Mythic: Ian Whates

And today Urban Mythic author Ian Whates answers a few questions....

Tell us a little about yourself and what you like to write.

I find it difficult to pinpoint my first exposure to science fiction and fantasy. I recall watching early episodes of Lost in Space and Doctor Who (back in the William Hartnell days), and I was always borrowing volumes of Greek and Norse mythology from the library. The writing of Andre Norton was key, I know, as was a serialised reading of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids on BBC radio, but which of these came first..? Suffice to say I grew up fascinated and inspired by all of these things and started writing my own stories from a young age. That has stayed with me throughout my life. I love to write in the same genres I read: science fiction, fantasy, a dash of horror … and if I can blend ingredients from all of those strands, so much the better.

What was it that inspired “Default Reactions”?

Good question. My partner, Helen, has a far higher tolerance for shopping than I do. One day a few years back (2006?) I sought sanctuary in a pub (now there’s a surprise) close to Covent Garden while she continued to satisfy her retail itch. As I waited, I jotted down the outline of a story that drew on our experiences and the people we’d encountered that day. Centring on the concept that there are many versions of London existing in close proximity which most of us are completely oblivious to, the story features a succubus and a character called ‘Chris’ who can sense and interact with the different Londons. I’ve grown fond of Chris, who, in the interim, has featured in a few further tales involving alternative Londons. The announcement of the Urban Mythic anthology coincided with a developing interest in the trans-cultural enigma that is the Green Man, and it occurred to me that this would be the perfect opportunity to write another Chris story. The narrative came together from there.

How urban do you like your fantasy and who are your must-read authors?

To be honest, it doesn’t have to be urban at all – I enjoy well-written ‘epic’ fantasy as well – but I’m never averse to a good bit of urbanisation! The whole post-Buffy vampire side of things has completely passed me by, though. To me, ‘urban fantasy’ still means the likes of China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station and Alan Campbell’s Scar Night (both excellent, incidentally). This is why I created my own ‘fantastical-city-with-a-personality’ in Thaiburley, the setting for my City of 100 Rows trilogy of novels. Thaiburley is very much its own creature and I didn’t set out to emulate anywhere else when creating it, but the city almost certainly owes a debt to Fritz Leiber’s classic Lankhmar – I still cherish every one of those tales. My single favourite (and sadly often-overlooked) urban fantasy is probably Megan Lindholm’s (aka Robin Hobb) Wizard of the Pigeons, set in contemporary Seattle, while if you’re looking for something a little more classical, I can’t fail to recommend Hope Mirrlees’ wonderful Lud-in-the-Mist.

As both a writer of short and long fiction, and editor of many publications, do you find yourself drawn to one of those things more than the others, and are there any fiction forms you want to try your hand at but haven’t yet?

I’m very much a writer first and foremost. The editing and publishing are things I stumbled into without really planning to. Having said that, I take a great deal of satisfaction from all aspects of what I do – otherwise I wouldn’t still be doing them. I cut my teeth writing shorts, but, equally, I enjoy writing novels as well. Hopefully, I’ll never lose the appetite for both forms. Yes, there are still plenty of areas of genre fiction I’d like to explore and write in. I’ve written space opera, military SF, urban fantasy, heroic fantasy, grimdark, slipstream, comic SF… I’ve written a ghost story and a vampire story, a time-travel story, a cyberpunk tale, a psychological horror and many others. But I’ve never written an alternative history piece, not really, I’ve only dabbled with steampunk, and I’d love to write a full-blown crime/thriller at some point. So, many sub-genres visited to date but just as many still to explore.

What will you be up to next?

Convention-wise, I’ll be at Andromeda One in Birmingham this September, Bristolcon in October, and World Fantasycon in Brighton over the Halloween weekend. At both the latter two events I’m holding launch parties for new titles, among other things. On the publishing and editing front, there are several NewCon Press titles on the way during the remainder of this year, including an Adrian Tcahikovsky collection, Feast and Famine, a Steve Rasnic Tem collection, Twember, one from Stan Nicholls, Shake Me to Wake Me, and a further collection from Tanith Lee: Colder Greyer Stones. In addition, I’ve just finished editing an anthology produced in honour of David Gemmell: Legends, featuring the likes of Joe Abercrombie, James Barclay, Tanith Lee, Storm Constantine, and all sorts of others – this is intended in part as a fund-raiser for the Gemmell Awards – and another anthology, Looking Landwards, of original SF stories examining the future of farming, agricultural engineering and food production; this latter volume produced to mark the 75th anniversary of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers. I’m also progressing ten different titles for next year (editing, commissioning and agreeing cover art, etc, etc), including novels, collections, and anthologies, as well as working on a third volume of Solaris Rising for Solaris.

Writing-wise, my latest novel, Pelquin’s Comet, is currently being considered by publishers. This is intended to be the first in a new space opera trilogy, so, all being well, I’ll have two further volumes to write. A 22,500-word novella featuring ‘Chris’ has recently been serialised over four issues of Aethernet magazine, and I’m considering expanding this into a novel. I have stories forthcoming in PS Publishing’s PostScripts and a couple of other anthologies, notably Solaris’ End of the Road, and I’ve just been commissioned to write a ghost story for a brand new publisher. Oh, and I’m one of the judges for next year’s Arthur C Clarke Award, which requires me to read around 80 novels over the next seven or eight months. So, I should be able to keep myself occupied for the foreseeable without too much trouble. I genuinely enjoy everything that I do, which is just as well, since I tend to do quite a lot of it.

[Ian Whates has two published novel series, the Noise books (space opera) from Solaris, and the City of 100 Rows trilogy (urban fantasy with steampunk overtones) via Angry Robot. Around 50 of his short stories have appeared in various venues; two were shortlisted for BSFA awards. His work has received honourable mentions in Gardner Dozois’ Years Best anthologies and featured in Tor’s ‘Best of’ Futures from Nature. His second collection, Growing Pains, appeared via PS Publishing in March 2013. Ian chaired the BSFA for five years and has served as a director of SFWA. He has edited titles in The Mammoth Book of… series and the on-going Solaris Rising series. In his spare time, he runs multiple award-wining publisher NewCon Press, founded by accident in 2006.  Visit his website at: www.ianwhates.co.uk ]