YOU ARE THE HERO makes the shortlist for the British Fantasy Awards 2015!

Having spent the day exploring the land of the Vikings, I was delighted to return to the Information Age this evening to discover that YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks has made the shortlist for the British Fantasy Awards 2015.

It's also great to see how many of m'colleagues have been nominated in various categories, including FF artist Les Edwards, SHARKPUNK contributors Gary McMahon, Ian Whates, Laurel Sills and Den Patrick, and of course Lavie Tidhar - and in more than one category!

In other news, the guys at Starburst Magazine have uploaded an interview I did with them about Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, as well as the podcast I recorded with Ed Fortune, Adrian Tchaikovksy, Producer Al and an audience of... half a dozen, at Edge-Lit 4, and Alex Davis (the organiser of Edge-Lit) also has a guest post on his blog from me today.

And last of all, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland now has less than £1,000 to raise to achieve funding.

Warhammer Wednesday: Mission Games Workshop - Derby and Warhammer World

Last weekend I was in Derby for Edge-Lit 4, so it seemed only sensible to pop into both the GW Derby store and the newly refurbished Warhammer World over at Games Workshop's Nottingham HQ.

I was made to feel very welcome at the Derby store where there was a great buzz around Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.

And then I got in the car and drove to Warhammer World, which was something else altogether...

Well I guess Games Workshop are committed to Age of Sigmar then.

Sharkpunk Saturday: Sharkpunk at Edge-Lit 4

Just a quick reminder that I shall be at Edge-Lit 4 today (Saturday 11th July 2015, from 10:00am) with copies of SHARKPUNK (not to mention YOU ARE THE HERO) in tow.

Indeed, SHARKPUNK is sponsoring the 5:15pn panel 'Short and Sweet – Writing and Selling Short Stories', featuring Andrew Hook, Kim Lakin-Smith (SHARKPUNK contributor), Alison Littlewood, and Gav Thorpe (GAME OVER contributor), with Adele Wearing chairing.

So if you're in Derby, or at the event already, please pop over and say "Hi!" and you can have one of my Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland flyers to take away with you. (One free with every purchase!)

A Summer of Events

I'm going to be appearing at a number of events over the summer, either in my capacity as a writer and designer of gamebooks, or as an editor of short story anthologies, or as an author of Steampunk novels.

Saturday 11th July 2015
Edge-Lit 4
SHARKPUNK is sponsoring the 5:15pn panel 'Short and Sweet – Writing and Selling Short Stories', featuring Andrew Hook, Kim Lakin-Smith (SHARKPUNK contributor), Alison Littlewood, and Gav Thorpe (GAME OVER contributor), with Adele Wearing chairing.

Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th July 2015
London Film and Comic Con
I shall be appearing in the Book Zone, talking about SHARKPUNK and Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland.

Friday 7th & Sunday 9th August 2015
Nine Worlds Geekfest
I will be appearing as a guest at this year's Nine Worlds. More details to be revealed later...

Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th August 2015
Weekend at the Asylum VII
This will be my fourth stay at the asylum. I will be appearing at the Westgate Academy, which is home to the literature and gaming zones, and the other authors, publishers, games companies and gamers will also be based here. Admission is by wristband only, and there is going to be a mini street food festival in the grounds of the Academy.

And don't forget...

Ending at 1.00pm BST Monday 3rd August 2015
Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland on Kickstarter

If you've ever wondered what would have happened if Alice hadn’t drunk from the bottle labelled ‘Drink Me’, or if she hadn’t joined the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse for tea, now you can find out. In Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, rather than becoming Alice yourself, YOU guide Alice through the fluctuating dream world, deciding which route she should take, which perils to risk, and which of Wonderland’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether Alice succeeds in her quest, or meets a dire end as the nightmare escalates, will be down to the choices YOU make. But remember, this book can't happen without YOU!

Sharkpunk Saturday - Under the Sea

How cool is this?

SHARKPUNK fan Richard Verby is also a fan of diving, and here he is diving with SHARKPUNK!

In other news, there's only a month to go until SHARKPUNK makes an appearance at Edge-Lit 4. Snowbooks is sponsoring the following panel at the event:

Short and Sweet – Writing and Selling Short Stories (5:15pm-6:05pm)
Those taking part in the panel are Andrew Hook, Kim Lakin-Smith, Alison Littlewood, Gav Thorpe and Adele Wearing.

Kim is, of course, also a contributor to SHARKPUNK, so come along on the day, pick up a copy of the book, and get two of us to sign it for you.

Sharkpunk Saturday - The first reviews

SHARKPUNK has been out for a couple of weeks now, and had its official launch at Forbidden Planet last Saturday, so plenty of people have had a chance to read the 20 short stories contained within, and here's what some of them have been saying.

"There is something for everyone here. Each of the talented authors involved has put their own unique twist on the concept of sharkpunk which contains literally every kind of shark you can imagine, and some you can't." ~ Geek Planet Online

"This collection is well worthy of your time. Every story is a winner in my opinion and they are all a great deal of fun. In all honesty I’d have great difficulty picking a favourite." ~ The Eloquent Page

"Each story will haunt you in a different way and may even change your opinion about sharks." ~ Ginger Nuts of Horror

You can pick up your copy of SHARKPUNK here, and if you come along to Edge-Lit 4 in Derby on Saturday 11th July, I'll even sign it for you, as will Kim Lakin-Smith, author of the short story Goblin, who will also be in attendance on the day.