Paul L. Mathews: Struggling On

I Remember Now

2011-10-21T14:48:00.001-07:00

Um. Hi.

I'm sorry if this all sounds a little vague, but I don't quite remember what this entry is supposed to be about. I know it had something to do with release of issue #18 of the award winning Murky Depths magazine. I'm also pretty sure I wanted to mention the fact you can get this latest issue and any other of your choice for only £10.00 (that's right. £10.00. Bargain!)

But there must have been another reason. I mean, let's face it, every other entry on this blog exists so I can blow my own trumpet. Why would this post be any different? Maybe issue #18's contents list contains some clues. Let's see...

Oh! What's this? It contains a 4 page steampunk comic entitled I Don't Remember, as written by myself and drawn by artist Dylan Williams? Ahhh! Now I remember. That's what I wanted to say:-

Issue #18 of Murky Depths. I'm in it. Buy one. And another issue of your choice for only £10.00. It's a bargain. And don't you forget it.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

The Magical Mystery Tour

2011-08-25T15:32:00.001-07:00

Hello and welcome aboard this whistle-stop tour of what's new(ish) in the Paul L Mathews' House of (Recycled) Ideas.

Looking to our right we can see that, since my last entry, the latest edition of the magnificent Murky Depths magazine includes my comic strip Desire, as drawn by the jazzy James McLean. Previous visitors will know that Murky Depths won last year's British Fantasy Society's award for Best Magazine/Periodical, and issue #17 shows exactly why. Edited by Terry Martin, Murky Depths is a mixture of comics and illustrated prose featuring zombies, demons, bullfighting and black flatworms amongst a whole load of other weird shit. All that and the stunning Dead Girls comic strip by Richard Calder and Leonardo M Giron. Well worth £6.99, don't you think?

To our left, we can see Polish sci-fi mag Nowa Fantastyka have released a Polish translation of my Victorian fantasy Weak. The tale of a fatally ill sorcerer and his wife as they attempt to evade a relentless killer, Weak has yet to be published in English. So, unless you speak Polska, you'll have to take my word that it's really really good...and read the English version in my forthcoming anthology Ten Cobbler's Tales.

Looking ahead, that purveyor and publisher of fine anthologies, Accent UK, is due to release both their Predators and Zombies 2 collections in short order. One of these tomes includes my WWII comic Clean, as drawn by the prodigious Pedro Lopez, and the other my one-pager iZombie, as drawn by the devilish David Golding.

A little further down the road... Can you see there, just toward the end of 2011? The beautiful Mirror Dance e-zine is scheduled to publish my historical fantasy Little Sister (Romans, alchemists and and golems! Oh my!) and issue #18 of Murky Depths will include my steampunk comic I Don't Remember. If that isn't enough for your inner maschocist, you may also wish to check out the forthcoming Mythos Dossiers RPG supplement. Released by Cubicle 7, it's a weird and wonderful collection of source material and background information for their excellent The Laundry Role Playing Game (itself based on the works of Charles Stross and HP Lovecraft). It also includes a bucket load of material by me! That's right folks, I've been let loose in a Lovecraftian sandbox. Oh, the tentacled lack of humanity!

And that concludes tonight's tour. I hope you've enjoyed your short stay with us, and we look forward to you travelling with the Paul L Mathews House of (Recycled) Ideas again in the near future. I know you had a lot of other blogs to choose from this evening, and I thank you for choosing mine.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

A Taste of Things to Come

2010-09-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Recently my partner-in-crime David Miles Golding and I collaborated on a one-off publication for San Diego Comic Con. Entitled Tales of Dynamic Adventure, it showcases not only Dave's incredible artwork with a fabulous collection of sketches, but also two short comics drawn by Dave and written by yours truly.

By chance Ain't It Cool News got hold of a copy. Their subsequent review, as seen on their world-famous website, went a lot like this:-

"Those of you lucky enough to pick up this little ditty at SDCC this year know what I mean when I say that the artist & writer featured in this book are definitely going places. This is more of a sketchbook with two short stories
than anything, but it is a perfect sample of the awesome talent of the gentlemen who put this book together.

Artist David Golding, who I’ve seen mature into an amazing artist in Dare Comics’ THE HUNTER and STARMAKER LEVIATHAN books shows here with his “Pardus: The Last of the Leopard Men” strip that he can do pulp just as well as he can do the cosmic. Pardus is an amazing jungle man character and this short story is overflowing with teeth-gnashing action and art that pops off the page and slaps you in the face. “Legendary Gods” written by Paul Mathews and drawn by Golding is a Kirby-ian tale of a cosmic conqueror in search of a world to overthrow. This book is old school comic booking and those who love those old NEW GODS and other Kirby greats will love all of the winks and nods to this type of story. There’s even a very cool TWILIGHT ZONE-like twist at the end which caused me to chuckle.

The rest of the book serves as a sampler of sorts with many character designs and pin-ups by Golding. Some we see the evolution of both the character and the artist’s style through the years. I fully believe that in the coming years, we’re going to be seeing a lot of David Golding’s stuff. The pages in this book look simply outstanding. "

If you'd like your very own copy of the limited edition Tales of Dynamic Adventure then please don't hesitate to e-mail me for details. Each and every one will include a unique sketch of any character of your choosing by Dave. You won't be disappointed. Just ask Ain't It Cool News...

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Flesh for Fantasy: A mini interview with Jonathan Green

2010-05-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

A freelance writer, Jonathan Green has written for the likes of Games Workshop, Abaddon Books, and the Fighting Fantasy series of adventure gamebooks. His other credits include not only non-fiction books but stories and gamebooks featuring popular characters such as Doctor Who and Sonic the Hedgehog.

PLM: Having written novels and short stories for the likes of Games Workshop and Abaddon as well as Fighting Fantasy books for Wizard Books, how does the challenge of writing an adventure gamebook differ from writing a conventional piece of prose?

JG: In some ways, writing an adventure gamebook is easier than writing long form fiction. Characterization is more straightforward, because other than the protagonist (who is the reader anyway) characters appear only very briefly. Also, psychologically you’re only ever writing a few hundred words at a time, per section, rather than several thousand words for one chapter.
The other thing I like about gamebooks (because I’m quite an indecisive individual) is that you can include every option of what could happen and what you would like to appear within a book.
However, plotting gamebooks is another challenge altogether. Then there’s balancing the game play and the whole muddling up the sections to accommodate clues, puzzle answers and illustrations evenly spaced throughout the finished book.

PLM: One assumes from the number of titles you’ve written for Abaddon and Wizard that you that you have a strong relationship with them. How important is it for writers to develop such a relationship their clients?

JG: I would like to think I have good relationships with all the various publishers I’ve worked for. If you want to make writing your living, then I think it’s very important to develop strong relationships with those who are likely to employ you. Partly because if people know you’re easy to work with and can take criticism well, and meet deadlines (although that last one isn’t always my strongest area), quite simply they’re going to be more likely to come back to you again in the future.
An example of this is that having written my Doctor Who Decide Your Destiny gamebook The Horror of Howling Hill, the editor I had worked with on that title approached me to write a Clone Wars DYD which became Crisis on Coruscant.

PLM: I understand you were a full-time teacher when you first started writing. How long did you wait before leaving your previous profession and becoming a full-time writer? Was it a difficult decision?

JG: Technically, when I started writing I was a full-time student. My first book was published when I was still at university. When I left uni I had a go at being a freelance writer for two years, doing supply teaching to pay the rent. However, I did end up teaching full-time for twelve years. I’ve been a full-time for two years now.
There was a fair bit of soul-searching involved in the decision to give up because I now have a young family. However, as a friend of mine said ‘You’ll never lie on your death-bed wishing you hadn’t given it a go’ and although things haven’t always been easy, I’ve never regretted the decision.

PLM: How challenging was it to balance the rigours of such a demanding job with the time required to get your writing career off the ground?

JG: Very hard. I would be in work for just after seven, leave about eleven hours later, then put the children to bed, have something to eat, do what school work I had to do for the next day and only then could I sit down to write – when I was feeling completely knackered.
And then the weekend came along and that was family time and everything else that’s involved in keeping house and home together.
While I was teaching I was writing one or two books a year. Now it’s about five plus various other projects.

PLM: And, finally, what advise can you offer nascent writers in a similar situation?

JG: If you want to be a writer you need to write – everyday. There’s no point talking about wanting to be a writer unless you’re prepared to put the work in. And you should read everything you can, and not just the sort of thing you want to write either. And develop a very thick skin, ready for all the times people reject your stuff. Oh, and good luck!

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

War of Words: A mini interview with Dan Abnett

2010-04-09T13:18:00.001-07:00

As a writer I've always wanted to be able to tell stories in different genres and in a variety of media. So, looking for a few tips and an insight into the mentality required, I approached one of the UK's most successful genre writers, Dan Abnett.

An industry veteran with more than twenty years experience in books, comics and audio plays, Dan Abnett has written for high-profile publishers like Marvel, DC, 2000AD and Games Workshop. His most successful creations to date include 2000AD's Sinister Dexter and Games Workshop's Eisenhorn trilogy.

PLM: How long had you been writing before you made your professional debut with Marvel UK.

DA: I’d always done it as a kid and a teenager. It was my ‘hobby’ - writing stories and drawing pictures (or doing both at the same times a hand drawn comics).

PLM: Whilst you’ve enjoyed very obvious success since then, were there darker days when it wasn’t apparent where the next cheque was coming from? How did you deal with these fallow periods?

DA: When you’re a freelancer, there are always tight times, especially in the early days. You work through them. You use the time to develop possible material of your own, and you pound shoe leather (metaphorically, usually, but on the phone and email) to develop contacts and find new lines of commission.

PLM: You now work for a variety of publishers including Marvel, DC, Rebellion and Games Workshop. Is it challenging switching genres and disciplines to meet the needs of these diverse employers?

DA: Yes, it can be, and it might not suit everybody. I find it keeps me fresh, and allows me not to get ‘stuck’ into one thing for so long it goes stale. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life...

PLM: With reference to your forthcoming titles from Angry Robot, how does working on our own original fiction differ from working on titles in a pre-defined universe like Games Workshop’s?

DA: It’s not all that different, actually, you simply have to set the rules yourself rather than follow someone else’s. It’s still a set of rules to work by, and it’s still a world that’s got to function and operate properly.

PLM: Finally, you’re a very prolific writer. Can you tell us an insight into how much time you spend at your desk each day to make your deadlines? And what do you do if you find your flow interrupted by, say, writer’s block or illness?

DA: I get to my desk between six and seven, work through until a lunch around twelve-thirty, and then again through until about six. Sometimes I do a morning or afternoon during a weekend too. I used to pull evenings and all-nighters, but I gave that up because I never used to see any of my family. It was also not a good idea getting over-tired when my epilepsy kicked in (I developed late-onset epilepsy last year). Writer’s block you simply have to write through. It may be something else you write to get the cogs moving, but that’s the only way.

PLM: Thank you very much indeed, Dan.

Dan Abnett's first work of original fiction, Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero was released in 2009 by HarperCollins' Angry Robot imprint. You can keep up to date with all Dan's future releases at both his website, and his blog.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

The Future: A mini interview with Dave Evans

2010-03-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Rejections are not only part and parcel of being a writer, but also of being an editor. I was curious to get an insight into what makes an editor choose one story over another, so I asked Dave Evans...

Dave is the editor of small press publisher FutureQuake, which publishes leading ttitles like Something Wicked, FutureQuake and MangaQuake. He is also the editor of 2000AD [Britain's leading sci-fi and fantasy comic] fanzines Zarjaz and Dogbreath

PLM: Why and when did you first begin work on FutureQuake, and has your role become more challenging since FQP took over the likes of Zarjaz and Dog Breath?

DE: FutureQuake began when Arthur Wyatt [FQ's founder] was trying to get work on 2000AD. He kept all his rejected ideas and decided to put them out himself. I first became involved in 2004 when I was asked to provide the artwork for a story that ran in FQ03. That story was written by a chap named James Mackay, with whom I had produced some Judge Dredd Fan fiction for the 2000AD Online website (now known as Barney). After FQ03 Arthur decided to stop as he was preparing to flee the country as a tax exile for the money he made in SPress.

James Mackay contacted me in October-or-November 2004 to ask if I would join him in picking up the reins from Arthur and carrying on. Along with also new editor Richmond Clements we started work and FQ04 launched at Bristol 2005.

As for the changing challenge since taking over Dogbreath and Zarjaz: It is difficult to say. There is a massive difference between the two sets of titles, with FQ being much more difficult due to the desire to produce the best comic we can. Zarjaz and Dogbreath are immense fun; we all get to play with these incredible toys that Tharg has given us, and as long as we don't go too far we are free to do as we please. My biggest problem with Zarjaz and Dogbreath is sharing: I want to keep it all to myself!

PLM: What are the highs and lows of your position at FQP? For instance, I'm sure that for every gem you discover you have to sort through a lot of dross...

DE: Highs: The first time I saw FQ04 in the box at the printer. I doubt anything can top that first issue for emotional impact for me.

Seeing the cover to FQ06 in the pages of the Megazine. An immense sense of pride seeing that, especially as I designed the character and had the initial plot ideas that were developed into the strip.

Getting TWO strips in as part of the Small Press section in Judge Dredd Megazine [2000AD's sister publicatiob]. As far as I'm aware we were the only team to get away with that.

There are loads of other things I could say. Having big name creators stop by and talk to us about contributing, meeting childhood heroes and finding them a pleasure to drink with, really it is a most rewarding pastime.

Lows: Personally I wish we sold more: not just for financial reasons, but because there is some simply amazing work in each an every issue and it is a crime that these guys and girls aren't getting paid.

PLM: What is you look for in a story? What makes a successful submission to FQ?

DE: That is difficult to say, as each of us on the editorial team will often see something different in every script. Ideally for me I want to read a script that keeps me guessing till the end. If I work it out on page 1 then I lose interest unless the writing is very good.

PLM: Matt Smith of 2000AD has stated in the past that Britain only produces one good writer per year. Is this a theory you subscribe to?

DE: Matt knows what he's talking about: after all he is Tharg's mouthpiece on this planet. Many writers that have appeared in the pages of 2000AD have their roots in SPress: Al Ewing, Arthur Wyatt, Alec Worley, Michael Carroll, and probably more that I can't think of right now, have all worked on SPress titles. The chance to have scripts in print and get feedback from peers is a great way to learn and progress ready to try out for Tharg.

PLM: And finally, what does the future hold for both you and FutureQuake? Do you, for instance, keep a covetous eye on Matt Smith's job should he ever move on?

DE: The Future? Heh, more comics. FQ is hopefully going to be three times a year for the next year or so, to capitalise on the Hi-Ex convention in Inverness that is co-run by my good compadre Richmond Clements (http://www.hi-ex.co.uk/) as well as new issues for MangaQuake and Something Wicked alongside Dogbreath & Zarjaz.

As for Tharg's avatar: he has my email. Let's just leave it at that.

PLM: Thanks, Dave.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Still in Love

2010-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day 2010 marks the third birthday of The Valentine Chronicles...and no birthday is complete without gifts, right? And no, I don't mean chocolates or flowers. I'm talking a really, really cool gift...

As with last year's Valentine's Day celebration, I'm very proud to present the Chronicles's brand new gallery, which features sketches and artwork by some of the UK's best talent, including:-

Alan Davis (ClanDestine, Excalibur, Marvelman)
Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy, Judge Dredd, New Statesmen)
Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies, Hellblazer, Third World War)
Jon Hodgson (Dragon Warriors, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering)
Staz Johnson (Civil War: War Crimes, Catwoman, Detective Comics)
David Hitchcock (Gothic, Springheeled Jack, Spirit of the Highwayman)
Dylan Teague (Judge Dredd Megazine)
James McLean (Quarry Grove, Beowulf, M.A.S.K.)

Also I'm thrilled to announce rising Filpino star Dexter Wee (Swerve, The Reserves, Anna Chronistic) has also graced the gallery with a fantastic sketch of the Witch of Bleakwinter!

As ever, all this good stuff is FREE, and on a site devoid of ads and pop-ups. Now that's what you call a Valentines present!

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Mister Writer: A mini interview with Paul Cornell

2009-11-30T14:36:00.001-08:00

Best known for his work on Doctor Who and Bernice Summerfield, British writer Paul Cornell is now making his mark at Marvel Comics. His work can currently be seen in new titles Black Widow: Deadly Origin, Dark X-Men, and The Indomitable Iron Man.

PLM: Can I start by asking you at what age you decided you'd like to be a writer, and what inspired that decision?

PC: I was eighteen, and I'd just flunked my first term of astrophysics at UCL and left the course. I had no other way to earn money, so I had to turn my hobby into my profession. I think being flung in the deep end like that is a very good way for a young writer to learn quickly, but I wouldn't encourage it.

PLM: So how did you cope with the pressures of turning that hobby into a hard cash? How long did it take to start earning something like a healthy crust?

PC: It was about six years before I started selling anything meaningful.I lived in poverty, basically, helped by the Enterprise Allowance scheme.

PLM: During the time you were struggling, did you have a mentor figure to guide you through the vagaries of writing, or have you relied purely upon talent and your own natural evolution as a writer?

PC: I think my earliest mentor was Hilary Salmon at the BBC, who tried very hard to get me writing something else that could be made after my early competition win. Then Steven Moffat came along, and introduced me to his producer then, Sandy Hastie. Through her I met Russell Davies, and everything went from there, really. Moffat's responsible for a lot!

PLM: And what were the best bits of advice they gave you?

PC: I couldn't pin particular advice to particular people, but I think the best thing I was ever told was to listen and change when someone gave you reasons they'd rejected a particular piece. Someone who goes 'no,you see, what I was trying to do...' is delayed the point where they can start being a writer.

PLM: So, almost two decades and God knows how many words later, having worked on the likes of Doctor Who, Captain Britain & MI-13, and Black Widow: Deadly Origins, you're now in the position where you've been labelled as the man who might 'lead...the next British invasion of writers in Amercian comics'. Do you have any parting words for those just beginning their career, or struggling to progress, which might help or inspire them to reach the same levels of success?

PC: Well, I sum it up in one line: 'listen when an editor tells you why they've turned down your story, do not make excuses, change as a result of what you hear.' And it's also true to say that, while it's very difficult to succeed, it is possible, and showing up for every opportunity and keeping on trying is the only way it happens.

PLM: Thank you very much indeed, Paul.

Please join me in a toast to Paul. I've had the pleasure of meeting Paul (albeit briefly!) a few times now, and he really is a fabulous chap. You can follow his success on his website.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Hero: a tribute to the late Edward Woodward

2009-11-16T12:28:00.001-08:00

This post probably doesn't belong here. It is an entry concerned with neither the technical aspects of writing, or the grind, or advice from illustrious peers. It is a tribute to a hero who passed away today.

From Moorcock and Williams Blake's bat-shit unity of vision, to the lyrical narratives of Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waites, and Barry Adamson, many men have influenced the type of writing I do, but very few have influenced the type of characters I use. Edward Woodward was one such man.

Pretty much every project I've conceived has had one archetype in there somewhere. He may or may not be a major character, but somewhere amongst all the lunatics, thieves, deviants, murderers and rapists there'll always be The Decent Man. Sure, his name is always different, but he's easy to spot once you know who you're looking for. He'll have a shot of Harry Morant's barely contained outrage, a dash of David Callan's social disposition, and a healthy dose of Robert McCall's wearied inability to escape his 'trade'. He'll always be over the hill, have few friends, and maybe even have something of the pathetic about him, but he'll always pursue what's right...or fight tooth and claw against the powers that make him do otherwise. Compared to most of the other self-serving freaks and schemers that litter my work, that makes him a rarity.

And why does this Decent Man occupy my work? Well, words like 'Towering' and 'Masterful' are often misused when applied to actors, but not in Edward Woodward's case. When I first saw him in Breaker Morant, he blew me away. I was so used to laconic, laid-back American actors like Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford, that this British man--with his gravitas and authority--was unlike anything I'd seen with the possible exception of Bond or Obi Wan. Woodward was so much more intense. Morant was intense. Callan was intense. McCall was...well, The Equalizer was the first TV series I became truly hooked on, and all because of the boiling rage of Robert McCall. This wasn't some cool-hand rogue or vigilante who kissed the girls and killed the baddies with a yanky drawl and a sense of boredom. This was a man who railed at the world and kicked against it with a British accent and a scathing fury. This was my type of hero.

The Morant/Callan/McCall hybrid will always be there in my work, but sadly Edward Woodward is no longer with us. All I can do is thank him, because he shaped a unique aspect of my output, and occupies a unique place amongst the pantheon of men who will always be an influence to me. I only hope I can do that influence some justice.

Edward Woodward, I salute you, and, more then that, I thank you.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Running in the Family: A mini interview with Leah Moore and John Reppion

2009-10-22T10:22:00.001-07:00

As a new/struggling writer, I'm always intrigued to learn how the big names go about their trade. So, I contacted one of the comic-book industries best known duos--Leah Moore and John Reppion--to ask them.

PLM: I think I'm right in saying you only had a Tesla Strong short in Terrific Tales to your names when you both decided to pack in your day jobs and start writing your first Wild Girl mini-series for Wldstorm. What made you go for it in such a big way? That must have required serious cahoonas!

Leah: I had done a Solomon story for Terrific Tales #5, and a Paul Saveen story for Tom Strong #19 so I only had 16 pages of comic under my belt at that point… Yes, looking back it does seem slightly premature to pack in the day job and go for comics all the way. Our rationale was that with both of us working different hours at our part time day jobs, there wouldn’t end up being much time where we were both together, and we wouldn’t get much work done that way. We were really new to the whole process and we were still really cautious at all the different stages of writing the issues, so they took ages to write. If we hadn’t given up our jobs I doubt we’d have got all 6 issues of Wild Girl even written!
The other factor is that the dollar to pound exchange rate was pretty good back then, and Wildstorm page rates are pretty good anyway, so the money from doing an issue of Wild Girl seemed like plenty to live on at that point, compared to our part time wages anyway. Then the pound went into freefall and we had to learn to write faster, which can only be a good thing, and now we are faster, and the rate is pretty much what it was in Wild Girl days, so all worked out okay in the end. Scary looking back on it though!

PLM: I'm intrigued by the dynamic of co-writing with your partner. I know a lot of couples who can't agree on what to have for tea, never mind what to put into something like Albion or The Whispering Gallery. Do you have many "artistic differences", and, if so, how do you get around them? Do you ever have those uncomfortable "going to bed in silence" moments?

John: We do disagree about work sometimes but really it’s just like the other things you mentioned – eating or going shopping or whatever. We spend about 99% of our lives together and, naturally, we don’t always agree on everything but, for the most part, it’s never anything so huge that we actually end up not speaking to each other. We completely fell into co-writing – it was just a natural thing – so we don’t have any rules or special methods or protocols. We just do it. I don’t think we’ve ever disagreed in terms of a story because we’re both on a very similar wavelength. Most of our disagreements come from a frustration that we’re not able to communicate telepathically.

PLM: It's great to see a pair or writers like yourselves--who are crafting an increasingly respectable resume--taking the time to write for small press anthologies like Accent UK's Monsters and Predators, and to attend not just the big conventions like BIC and Thought Bubble, but small ones like Manchester. What is it that makes you keep in touch with the grass-roots of the industry?

Leah: Well the first thing is always the opportunity to meet and work with new people, and to get involved in interesting projects. I think a lot of people use these criteria but only apply them to paying gigs, but we have always enjoyed putting together small stories for people or going to small events just because it's fun. The people you talk to at a small event are no less likely to figure in your later career than the people you meet at larger events, and to be honest you are more likely to meet people who are relatively unknown in the wider industry and grab a chance to work with them on a little unpaid project before they get scooped up by a big publisher to go and be famous! The short stories we do always let us have a break from the big series we are working on the rest of the time, so they let us relax and stretch different muscles than normal, and it's no bad thing to have a portfolio of different stories in different genres to be able to point people at. We have done some really quirky stories for Accent UK that we would never have had the chance to write otherwise, and now they exist, and people can see what we do when we aren’t under a contract, or being paid to fulfil a brief.

PLM: I imagine working on your own characters is a lot easier than working with established characters like Dracula, the Doctor, Archie and the like. Do you feel any pressure from things like fan expectation and these characters' inherent baggage?

John: There’s definitely pressure and a weight of responsibility when writing a character like Doctor Who but at the same time there’s this vast pre-defined universe that you’re able to draw upon which sort of make things easier. If you’re writing an original character you have to establish everything and you have to try to hook the reader in – keep them interested and wanting to learn more – at the same time as telling your story. I think the most fun we have is when we’re allowed to expand an existing universe like we have with Holmes because you get the best of both: you can nod and wink at all these past cases and characters but, at the same time, you can re-define certain aspects. To be honest though, we always have fun whatever we’re writing – the most important thing is always to find the aspect of the project which interests you the most and concentrate on that. Certainly you want to please fans of Dracula or The Darkness or whatever but you’ve got to be enjoying it yourself as well. People can really tell if you’re not.

PLM: Thank you to you both. I look forward to seeing you at Thought Bubble!

For more information on Leah and John, please visit their website...and marvel at John's marvellous moustache!

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Follow You, Follow Me

2009-03-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

I think my life is drawing to a close...

I was driving home the other night, and it suddenly occured to me that I've hit that awkward age where navy blue doesn't seem that bad a colour, Genesis don't seem to be that bad a band after all, and the speed limit is (almost) quite fast enough, thank you. Oh dear. It'll only be another few years and I'll be tootling along country lanes at 15mph followed by a crocodile of angry young men in Suburu Penises and BMW Wankers. They'll be venting their frustration by tooting their horns whilst I remain oblivious in my bobble hat as I hunch over the wheel and piss into a plastic bag. I can't wait.

I'll also be one of those old men who seems to struggle with the most rudimentary of technology. Mind you, I'm not a million miles way from that now. For a man who runs a website, I barely know how to string two bits of HTML together, never mind how an FTP works.

With this in mind, it is with some surprise that I can announce The Valentine
Chronicles (AKA the best British sci-fi the British have never heard of!) now has not only its own Facebook group, but a Twitter thingy as well! Gosh!

Admittedly, I have very little to so with these developments, and all kudos must go to Mister Matthew Birdsall AKA Mr B, or Hellbelly, depending on who you ask. I've known Mr B since I was 9, and he's stuck with me through even the darkest moments in my personal development (Dragonlance, Phill Collins, poncey shirts) to become one of my staunchest supporters. I can honestly say that without the encouragement of mates like Mr B, there wouldn't even be a Valentine Chronicles. He's also a flippin' good photographer. Matt, mate, I salute you.

So, please, show Mr B your appreciation and head over to the Facebook group, and follow The Valentine Chronicles on Twitter. As for me, I'll see you in a few year's time. In my rear-view mirror...

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

I Love You

2009-02-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

It's Valentines Day again, and that means The Valentine Chronicles is celebrating its second birthday. So it's time I gave you a gift or two, right?

Well, how about I give you the conclusion to our current serial, Frozen? And what about a brand NEW gallery, one that features sketches and artwork by some of the UK's best talent, including:-

Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy, Judge Dredd, New Statesmen)
Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies, Hellblazer, Third World War)
Frazer Irving (Gutsville, The Simping Detective, A Love Like Blood)
Peter Doherty (Batman & Superman: World's Finest, Judge Dredd, Armitage)
Jock (Green Arrow, The Losers, Lenny Zero)
D'Israeli (Stickleback, XTNCT, Lazarus Churchyard)
Dylan Teague (Judge Dredd Megazine)
Wynn Ryder (Cannibal Island, Flight of Moths)
James McLean (Quarry Grove, Beowulf, M.A.S.K.)

Would you like that? And would you like to get all this good stuff, for FREE, on a site devoid of ads and pop-ups? You would? Okay. Take them. They're yours.

Because I love you.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please consider making a donation to my preferred charity, the Myasthenia Gravis Association. Thank you.

Do You Love Me?

2009-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

As ever, Screaming Dreams (the publisher of the fine Estronomicon eZine) is holding its annual Dead of Night Awards, and yours truly is humbled to be included in the list of nominees for "Best Author".

So, if you fancy voting for me, then please e-mail steve[at]screamingdreams[dot]com and let him know. I'll love you for ever if you do. If not, then you can kiss my arse, you snivelling ingrate. ;0)

Exposure

2009-02-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

This week sees the release of the latest Twisted Tongue magazine. This latest edition brings you a great article on the evolution of the Valentine Chronicles, detailing the site's initial conception through to the creative juggernaut you see today. Have a gander and you'll see not only the mammoth team effort behind the Chronicles, but also how devilishly handsome the creators are!

If that weren't enough, you also get a corking variety of fiction and poetry from more then FIFTY authors, as well as articles, interviews, and another fine cover from the uber-cool Steve Upham.

As ever, you can download Twisted Tongue for FREE from Lulu, or pay a scant £4.50 for a printed copy.

This is Halloween

2008-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

As an affect of the peculiar time lag that haunts my blog, I am now able--albeit a week after the event--to announce the Halloween issue of the excellent Estronomicon e-zine features my story Ein Normales Leben.

I urge you to download this fine e-zine and indulge yourself. It is, after all, both completely free AND a damn good read.

Time

2008-11-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I'm late again, aren't I? You came here expecting to hear all about my new course, and how it's changed my writing and transformed me into a god astride the your puny world, right?

Wrong? Probably just as well, because instead you're getting this: a blog about time.

Now, for the word 'blog', you can substitute any of the following: whinge, rant, diatribe, moan, beef, lament, grumble and all the other words my handy Thesaurus can recommend. Because that's essentially what I'm going to do today: complain.

Recently I've stumbled upon a happy place in my work. I'm getting bits and pieces in print (with more on the way!), the Valentine Chronicles continues to gain more and more hits per month, and I'm happy with the way my writing's developing. I've noticed a hardening in that little kernel all writers must nurture; that belief that maybe--after all the rejections and hard work and self-doubt--just maybe, I can make it. It's a belief I hope other writers I admire like Lee Moan and Allyson Bird have discovered: the belief that they can take the next step and make this writing lark a career. Because that's what I'm starting to believe. I could do it, I really could. If only I had the time...

And that's the thing, isn't it? If I didn't have to work do a Normal Job to pay all the bills and loans and mortgages that make a Normal Life, I could just and concentrate on my work. I could produce tale after glittering tale of wonder and daring do. I could write that "third time lucky" novel, or that comic series, or finish the Valentine Chronicles etc. But, dammit, Real Life just keeps getting in the way, doesn't it?

I'm sure this is a barrier all successful writers must overcome... have overcome... and I'm sure that, if I am to succeed, I have to as well. Maybe this is the biggest test? Maybe the next barrier isn't the material I'm producing, but finding the time to produce it?

Only time will tell.

Lead a Normal Life

2008-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

There are highs and lows to any given pursuit. Be it a leaning toward sporting excellence, a high standard of artistic accomplishment, the satisfaction of a job well done, or the thrill of a well cooked meal, each carries presents us with those days when we throw our hands in the air and decry a cruel and petty world that thwarts our every move.

God knows I'm no stranger to that feeling. From the time I was a young illustrator chasing that Big Break, to my present endeavours as a writer, there have been times I've almost wept with frustration. I've torn up rejection letters in fits of pique, I've hurled abuse at my unsuspecting computer monitor, I've stamped around the house like a petulant child, all the while pulling at what little hair I have left (hey, don't feel sorry for me; it's ginger. the sooner I lose the damn stuff the better). It's at times like those that little voice pipes up in the back of my mind, the one that always ask me if it's all worth it, if I wouldn't be happier leading a Normal Life.

You've heard of the mystical Normal Life, haven't you? One where your moods and outlook aren't so dependant on the opinions, whims, and needs of various editors. One where you can just enjoy a few hours relaxation without feeling guilty because you're not writing. One where those little flashes of inspiration and insight are left safely tucked away in your head and aren't exposed to the indifference and ridicule of others. You know: a kinda... well, boring life.

There are highs and lows to every pursuit, and the highs always make the lows worth while. This past week, for instance, I've been blessed with two bits of great news: two bastions of the UK's proud indie circuit, Twisted Tongue and Estronomicon, want to publish pieces of my work (brand new stories On the Air and Ein Normales Leben, respectively). This, my friend, is what it's all about. The feeling that somebody, somewhere, likes that little idea that you've nurtured, that little flash of inspiration, enough to publish it, to share it with their readers who trust them to entertain and challenge them. That's what it's all about.

Yes, the lows are frustrating, but aren't the highs worth it? Yes, I could lead a Normal Life, but wouldn't that be boring?

Here's to many more lows, and the highs that make them worth it.

Whore

2008-07-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

Hey, haven't I been here before? Didn't I used to write some sorta blog, or something? Is 'blog' the right word? Back in my day, 'blog' was shorthand for 'bolognese', but, then again, I remember when Dr Who wasn't camper than a row of tents.

So, how y'been? You look... a lttle tired. Shouldn't you be in bed at this hour?

Me? Well, I'm not too bad. I do, however,have a confession to make.

It may suprise you to know that I'm essentially a very shy person. Yes, really. I write under a pseudonym. I draw under a pseudonym. For all my burning desire for my stories and characters to dominate the world, I'm quite content to stay in the background. You won't be seeing me hog the red carpet when the Valentine Chronicles film premieres. I couldn't. I hate attention.

With this in mind, I'm deeply embarrassed to announce that the latest issue of Twisted Tongue magazine features an interview with yours truly (as well as the usual array of great stories and excellent value for money). It's a strange feeling. It makes me feel a little... exposed. Does that make sense? Is this, I wonder, what I can look forward to when my career takes off?

Is that part of parcel of being a writer? The ability to whore yourself without hesitation or shame?

I wonder if it's too late to employ a body double ....

Growing Up

2008-02-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day for me. Today my little baby website, www/thevalentinechronicles.com, is one year old.

This is a big deal for me. A year ago I had no web-presence, a questionable knowledge of HTML and a little ambition. A year on, nothing's really changed, but at least I chug on!

I'm sure one day I'll look back at the Valentine Chronicles and cringe. I'm sure the stories, like new serial Hearts and Bones will seem badly written and embarrassing, but, right now, I don't care. All writers grow up in public, stamping their feet and crying for attention, and the Valentine Chronicles is no different.

Here's to many more years, and many more embarrassing stories.

Cinematic Soul

2007-12-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

A sleepless night later (memo to self: Avoid hotels in Golders Green run by Russians. They tend to have all the amenities and creature comforts of an Eastern European doss-house circa 1960) and my lovely wife and I headed into the heart of London. We spent most of the day in the British Museum’s Terracotta Army exhibition (well worth it—do make sure you go if you get the chance) and had lunch in a miniscule Chinese restaurant in Soho (now that’s what you call Chinese food!). A quick trip back to chez Stasi for a change of clothes and a freshen-up, and then we headed back to the concert venue for the second night of our Barry Adamson pilgrimage.

Entitled These Are a Few of My Favourite Themes, the set was an odyssey through Adamson’s favourite themes from TV and film (including The Man from UNCLE, Dirty Harry, and Shot in the Dark) and a selection of his own instrumental work. A plethora of guest stars were also on offer, including David McAlmont, Sarah Stanton and the inimitable Nick Cave (who, manic as ever with his waving arms and bared teeth, put me in mind of a militant Magnus Magnussen).

As with the previous evening, Adamson and his band were in awesome fettle, and it was a pleasure to be there. The highlight for me, however, was Adamson’s rendition of Elmer Bernstein's The Man With the Golden Arm. It’s a great track in itself, and it’s been one of my favourite tracks since it appeared on Adamson’s Moss Side Story album, but it was made so much better by the guest appearance of Immodesty Blaize.

For those who don’t know, Immodsty is a burlesque dancer of some stature. As opposed to the generic vanilla of Dita Von Teese, she's all double chocolate chip, with a stunning, voluptuous, and brazenly healthy figure. As her name suggests, she’s certainly not backward in coming forward, and she gave a bravura performance that ended up in a gyrating explosion of hips, nipple tassels and cellulite. God love her.

The night, however, wasn’t over. As mentioned in the previous blog, Adamson would be reading a short story after the show (a tale of—as he put it—“Griminality and woe”), and I was intrigued to hear what his work would be like.

Half an hour later, and the story had been read to a jazz backing. Once he’d finished, I felt drained—and confused. This story challenged everything I know about writing, from maintaining your perspective, to staying in character, and staying in one tense. Everything about it, technically, was wrong—but it was bloody good.

The story, like the jazz accompaniment, was free and unfettered, and its components parts were tight and so well written as to be astounding. He jumped from first to third person narration with wanton abandon, from tense and character at will, and there seemed to be no obvious plot, instead happy to move from vignette to vignette, all the while painting such a vivid and acutely observed portrait of the dregs of London life it was painful. Exhibiting a startling skill for regional accents, he brought us Poles, Jamaicans, Mancs, Scousers, Cockneys and Brummies as he painted a vivid picture of desperate, down-trodden and devious individuals bouncing off one another in an East-end suburb. His insight into the mind of the obsessive-compulsive main character was a fine an example of “Show, don’t tell” as I’ve ever encountered.

This lead to another sleepless night as chez Stasi—and much introspection since. If Adamson’s story could be seen as an analogy for jazz (free, well-written, crafted, an exhibition of peerless skill), then surely I was wrong about jazz, and finally I was getting an insight into just what it was my Grandfather enjoyed in those records and endless concerts. Thus, by extension, was I wrong about poetry, which I’ve so often likened to jazz? For all my dismissive attitude toward these little snap-shots that “don’t go anywhere”, that “pose and pontificate”, was I blithely ignoring the qualities that make poetry such a widespread and appreciated art-form—and one which is so hard to master? Does my brazen lampooning of poetry say more for my paucity of depth and skill, and an inability to read and decipher subtler texts that aren’t all tits and spaceships?

Jazz Devil

2007-12-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t go to Uni last week. Not because I was still struggling with a heavy cold, but because I was in London to see a two night show by the awesome Barry Adamson.

I’ve been listening to Adamson since I was fifteen (yes, that’s nearly twenty years. Yes, I bought his first album on cassette, and, yes, we had electricity in those days. Smart-arse), and ever since I’ve loved the unique combination of narratives (Vermillion Kisses, A Gentle Man of Colour, Here in the Hole etc), instrumentals (The Man With a Golden Arm, Checkpoint Charlie etc) and flamboyant, clever songs (Here Am I, Can’t Get Loose et al) a new Barry Adamson album presents. He’s always been on my ‘Wish-list’ of artists I wanted to see live, so you can imagine how excited I was.

Unfortunately, before Mister Adamson came on stage, we had to sit through the support act. Now, as Barry quite likes—and is influenced by—jazz, he had a jazz four-piece as his support. I just don’t get jazz, and my opinion of it can be summed up with the following quote from Otis Lee Crenshaw: “I fuckin’ hate jazz. Jazz is what you get when you push a blues quartet down a flight of stairs.”. To me it belongs in the same category as poetry. What’s the point? To me, it’s just laziness and an inability to construct something with a beginning, middle and end. Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe I’m just opinionated, ignorant and blinkered…

I have no idea if this particular quartet was good or not, but the audience seemed to appreciate it. The only thing I could say for certain was the drummer needs to get laid. I have never seen a man look more orgasmic hitting some pig-skin with a stick. He hit every single irregular beat like it was some sort of money shot, and he got so carried away that, at one point, the bassist had to slap him to stop the poor lad from jazzing all over the sax solo.

Finally (thankfully), the support vacated the stage, the Ron Jeremy/Dave Grohl amalgam on drums so bereft he had a tear in his eye, and Barry Adamson’s show got under way.

The first of two nights, this first evening was split into a sampling of tracks from his new album, and a small collection of his older stuff—and jolly good it was too. He had a tremendous band, and keyboardist Nick Plytas blew me away. Never mind this writing crap—that’s what you call talent.

It was, as these things always are, over too quickly. I enjoyed it tremendously, but that leaves me with an odd dilemma. The jazz influences on Adamson’s work are so obvious as to be glaring, but why do I enjoy his music and not, say, John Coltrane or Sunny Rollins?

Part of me knows the answer: Adamson’s music is very narrative, there’s a definite beginning, middle, and end, whereas most jazz I’ve encountered (and I grew up with jazz, as my Grandfather was a clarinet player in a jazz band and had more jazz records than God) seems so directionless and meandering. I’ve already made the analogy between jazz and poetry and—although I like Blake because he has a fierce, javelin narrative that rattles through a story at a breathless pace—most poetry I know just seems to sit with its hands in its lap lamenting this or observing that and being so awfully clever—and I hate being talked down to. By anybody.

With Adamson, however (as with Blake), I don’t feel patronised. I feel like I’m being entertained, like I’m being invited into a story or piece of music and shown something secret and shiny, as opposed to being told “I’m clever, and you’re base. You can’t understand my work. Go back to your workhouse, plebeian,” by some poet or jazz wanker. Anybody who’s read my work knows there’s nothing clever or highbrow about it—it’s straight cut adventure with some neat characters and no heirs and graces.

With this in mind, I left the concert that evening looking forward to the following nights performance. Entitled “These Are a Few of My Favourite Themes”, it was labelled as a collection of Adamson’s favourite TV and movie instrumentals, with some of his own cinema work thrown in as well. More than that, however, after the concert he would be reciting a short story he had written. Having, for many years, admired the narratives on his albums, I was looking forward to this a great deal.

Little did I know how much it would challenge my perceptions of story telling, jazz, and poetry...

O Superman

2007-11-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

So, as I mentioned in my last entry, Paul Cornell held “An Audience With…” affair at our University last week, and—as a student on the Creative Writing degree—I received free tickets. Whoop!

A writer for TV (Dr Who, Robin Hood, and Holby City,) comics (Dr Who, 2000AD and Excalibur) and novels (Dr Who, Something More and British Summertime), Paul talked for just under two hours about—and this came as a surprise to me—how his work has been (mainly) influenced by two things: being bullied at school, and being an Anglican. Now, I don’t know why I was surprised that he was a bullied Anglican (why would you want to bully an Anglican? That’s like kicking a puppy!), but there y’go. He also talked at length about how almost all his work, at some stage or other, involves him rewriting Superman II—and he cited his Dr Who story Human nature/Family of Blood as a good example. Again, and it made sense. Superhuman become human, falls in love, sacrifices humanity to fight three baddies, three baddies get their asses kicked and imprisoned. It’s all there when you look at it. Except Dr Who doesn’t have Terrance Stamp or Sarah Douglas in it. Which is a shame.

I have to admit, I did leave the audience a little disappointed. I wanted to learn a little about his technique, about his work ethic, about how he tackles Show, Don’t Tell and dialogue. Instead most of the questions directed at him were mainly by geeks and included incisive gems like “Who’s your favourite Doctor?” (apparently it’s a toss-up between Peter Davidson and Sylvester Mc Coy, which, again, is a surprise because McCoy’s just sh… it doesn’t matter, let’s move on), “Having written for Dr Who and upcoming issues of the Marvel comic Excalibur, how does it feel writing established characters like the Doctor, Captain Britain et al?” (“It’s intimidating, but you have to be able to meet a challenge like that if you’re going to be a successful genre writer.”), and my personal favourite “Where do you get your ideas from?” (“A little shop in Croyden. They do mail-order.”) Oh, and he spent a bit of time plugging his new novel, British Summertime.

Anyway, slight disappointment or not, Paul was a lively, engaging and very genuine speaker, and—having been a fan of Excalibur when Claremount and Alan Davis were on the title—I find myself looking forward to a new issue for the first time since I left school. I can’t wait to see how he’ll work Superman II into it.