What better way to celebrate #Inventorsmonth this August then to take a whistle-stop tour of some of the astounding discoveries and marvellous inventions that came out of the Victorian era? The period was awash them, not least because of the technologies that were precipitated by the Industrial Revolution that preceded it and the boom of... Continue Reading →
On Publishing a Debut
Well it’s taken about 8 years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but my debut, The Procurement of Souls, finally went on pre-release this week in anticipation of my official launch on 1st July. It’s a funny mix of excitement and trepidation as one enters into this next phase of the journey but... Continue Reading →
Making Alternative-History Settings Believable: Useful Books for researching Georgian, Regency, and Victorian England
Useful Books for Research into the Victorian and Late Georgian Periods I mentioned at the end of my article, On Researching for an Alternative History Novel, that I would offer up some of the most useful titles I have come across when trying to construct a believable context from which my fictional worlds could grow.... Continue Reading →
Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl
Genre: Steampunk Publisher: Snowbooks When Gideon Smith’s father mysteriously disappears at sea, he unwittingly embarks on a journey worthy of his beloved penny dreadfuls. This rip-roaring adventure brims with narrative verve: the alternate-Victorian setting is nicely realised; the gothic well integrated. It smacks of YA but Bram Stoker, vampires, mummies, zeppelin-flying-sky-pirates, and automata all add... Continue Reading →
Recommendation: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Genre: Alternative Historical Fantasy Publisher: Bloomsbury 1806 and magic returns to England with the unravelling relationship between two contrary magicians. This book draws you in and immediately swallows you whole. Gothic-horror overtones and 19th century-pastiche prose conjure one enchanting read and the exquisitely detailed world practically steams from the pages. Pure sophistication: the ‘thinking wo/man’s’... Continue Reading →