Another Interview with the Ghostwriter

I've finished another edit. I've submitted another manuscript. That means I'm two-thirds of the way through my latest ghostwriting odyssey, with two novels of a middle-grade fantasy trilogy completed and one to go. Book One is due to be published this summer, with the sequels rolling out in 2016 and 2017 respectively. After finishing Book One, I … Continue reading Another Interview with the Ghostwriter

“Strange Cargo”

My latest Birotech drawing took me an hour, using the cheapest, nastiest ballpoint pen I could find. It appears to show some kind of strange containment apparatus disgorging an even stranger item of cargo. I've no idea what that thing with the tentacles is but, fortunately for all concerned, the team appears to have it under control.

Mike Batt’s “The Hunting of the Snark”

Rummaging through a forgotten drawer the other day, I dug out a dusty collection of ancient audio cassettes that hadn't seen the light of day for years. Among them was a real oddment: a concept album for a musical theatre adaptation of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark, which tells the story … Continue reading Mike Batt’s “The Hunting of the Snark”

“Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs” – Review

Demons walk among us, feeding off our misery. But we cannot see them. To us, they are ordinary human beings. To them, we are their next square meal. That's the premise of Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs, the feature directorial debut of Tom Woodruff Jr, an Academy Award-winning creature-maker whose track record includes films like Aliens, Predator … Continue reading “Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs” – Review

“Talus and the Frozen King” Sneaks into the ALA

I was delighted to discover today that I’ve got an honourable mention on the American Library Association’s list of the year’s best genre fiction for adult readers. While the “Mystery” category was won by Ashley Weaver’s Murder at the Brightwell, you’ll find my neolithic detective novel Talus and the Frozen King sitting proudly in the … Continue reading “Talus and the Frozen King” Sneaks into the ALA

“Interstellar”

Make no mistake, Interstellar is a big film. Big ideas, big images, big heart, all driven by the big ambitions of writer/director Christopher Nolan. Interstellar relies on what might, in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, have been a too-familiar series of science fiction tropes (doomed Earth, maverick ex-pilot, the perils and wonders of space). … Continue reading “Interstellar”

“Rusalka” – Free Short Story

Rusalka is a reimagining of the traditional Russian myth of the water nymph, or mermaid, of the same name. Depending which version of the legend you consult, Rusalka herself is variously an undead spirit, a lost soul, or a seductress bent on revenge. When you've read this short story, you'll know which aspect of her character appealed to me most. If … Continue reading “Rusalka” – Free Short Story

“Ear Wax Picker”

The earliest models of humanoid robot were so desperately primitive that they were unable to pick out their own ear wax. Hence this retrofitted device, which did the job for them. When I started drawing this latest piece of Birotech, I imagined it was some kind of futuristic hyperdrive. Then, halfway through, I tweeted a questions asking people to … Continue reading “Ear Wax Picker”

Revisiting Cinefex (Almost) Illustrated

In their original form, my Revisiting Cinefex articles, reviewing the first 40 issues of the classic journal of cinematic illusions, were just plain text. They contined no images except for the cover of the issue under discussion. Once I'd concluded my retrospective odyssey, I broke the articles into headed sections (one for each movie) and set myself the task of … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (Almost) Illustrated