Andy Frankham-Allen's Blog: The Welsh-Londoner, page 10

An Augury About The Gardan Saga

The Comic Guru is sucked into Seeker

A very good thing happened on 24th November, I met with a publisher. The result of said meeting was an interest in picking up The Garden saga of novels, beginning with book two. This will, of course, be great news to those who've read Seeker and eagerly await the second instalment (which, I'm happy to say, is at least 98% of the readers – always the first question I get asked is 'when's the next book?'). This also means I need to write, and so I am deep in the world of Jake, Sam, Celeste and the upyr once again. The book also needed a new title, and that has become Augury - a portent, an omen, but of what? Tune in next year to find out.

In other Garden news, Seeker was nominated for a Rainbow Award, that of Best Paranormal Horror 2011 (Gay). Alas, it did not win, but it did get an honourable mention, and one of the judges had this to say about it; ' Boy, there's quite a lot of story here. It isn't my usual type of read, but I thought the author did an excellent job of weaving so many details into an intriguing plot.'

Seeker has also been featured in this week's Comic Guru TV. The Comic Guru is one of the premiere comic shops in Wales, and is based in Cardiff. The owner, Kristian Barry, has been a supporter of Seeker since it was released back in March, and has, over the last six months or so, become a very good friend indeed. So big love and thanks to him for the continued support, and the wonderful comments in the webcast.

And now, just for you followers of this blog, a very exclusive treat. The first scene of Augury…

Jake was in a good place.

True, life could still be as tough as nuts, but he'd made it. Not to say his life was now perfect, it was far from that, but he was at least in a space he could call good. Well, compared to the two longest weeks of his life back in March. He tried not to dwell on those weeks too much now, but once in a while the memories and accompanying feelings would come around and smack him in the face.

'You still there?' Conrad asked.

'Yeah. Yeah, sorry, guy,' Jake said into the phone, his ubiquitous Californian lilt as affected as ever, as he opened the front door. It was all Conrad's fault anyway. They had been talking about how much things had changed since they'd first met, a topic that was always bound to bring back certain memories. Still, good place, he reminded himself. 'Come on, Curtis!' he yelled up the stairs, and said into the phone in a softer voice, after hearing Conrad's hiss of annoyance, 'ah, sorry.'

'Right, 'tis cool.'

Jake could hear Conrad's smile in his voice. Sometimes Jake reckoned that if Conrad was any more laid back he'd spend his whole life on his back. Jake grinned at the mental image that brought forth.

'So, yeah,' he continued, dragging his mind out of that particularly dirty gutter, 'we're heading off to the station now. He should be there soon.'

'Looking forward to it?'

'I guess. Haven't seen each other in what seems like forever.' Jake paused. He couldn't back down now, either way. 'Curtis is eager to see him, so yeah, should be fun.' As soon as he mentioned Curtis' name, the toddler came bobbing down the stairs. Jake didn't even bother with the safety gate that Willem had installed anymore. Curtis was walking so much better these days, full of the bubbly life a three-year-old was supposed to have. He'd changed a lot since Jake and Lawrencia had come to their 'agreement'. Jake smiled to himself; Will would be very happy to see his nephew, too.

Mock-Up Cover for 'Augury'

'What about you?'

'Huh?' Once again Jake was miles away. He seemed to do that a lot these days.

'Are you eager to see him?'

Jake didn't answer straight away. Sure, he was looking forward to it, but there was a part of him that…

'Okay,' Conrad said, cutting into Jake's thoughts, 'look, Jake…' He stopped abruptly, and Jake could just about make out someone trying to get Conrad's attention. Probably his sergeant. 'Yes, sir,' Conrad's muffled voice said. 'I need to book,' he continued to Jake, 'so text me soon, yeah? Let me know if tonight's defo on.'

'Sure thing,' Jake said, and ended the call.

Curtis stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing the jumper Jake had bought him for his birthday last month. He had told Curtis it was from 'undle' Willem, and Curtis had corrected him saying it was uncle. Getting the kid into playschool was paying off for sure. And since it was a present from his missing uncle, Curtis had decided that the jumper was his favourite and thus had to be worn almost every day. Or at least the three days he stayed with Jake, since Jimmy refused to allow the boy to wear it. Merely because it was ostensibly a present from Will.

'You ready, champ?'

Curtis shook his head. 'No. I get cold outside.' He stretched up for his coat hanging on the rack by the door, but couldn't reach.

Jake lifted the coat off the rack and held it higher. Curtis started jumping for it, but Jake kept moving the coat around, making Curtis jump and run around in circles. Laughing. Jake loved it. Such a happy kid now.

'Come on, let's wrap you up,' he said, and knelt down next to Curtis. As he zipped up the coat, Jake asked; 'Where we going?'

'We going to Paddytum, and get some mamylade for my toast for breakfast before school tomorrow.'

Jake grinned. 'Yeah, kind of.' They were certainly going to Paddington, that much was true, but not to get marmalade. Jake had already secretly stashed some in the glove compartment to give to Curtis later. The kid would never know. They were going to meet someone. A very special someone, and already in his mind Jake could see the big smile on Curtis' face when he saw who it was.

Curtis reached out for Jake's hand, and he took the chubby brown hand tightly. Curtis smiled up at him. Just before closing the door Jake glanced across the passage to the kitchen beyond. The house, Will's house, had his own touch to it now. He wasn't sure how Will would like it.

Space: 1889 & Beyond – Best Selling Series

Doctor Arnaud Fontaine uncovers secrets on Mercury...

It is with GREAT pleasure I write this entry.

Space: 1889 & Beyond continues to be a hit for Untreed Reads Publishing.

The best-sellers list for November is in, and I can reveal that at #1 is Mark Michalowski's 'The Ghosts of Mercury'. An impressive e-début for Mark! For the third month in a row my own 'Journey to the Heart of Luna' remains in the top ten, rising to #4, while KG McAbee's 'Vandals on Venus' enjoys its second month in the top ten, currently at #6.

A big thank you to all who've been following the adventures of Nathanial and Annabelle, but please, don't let this mean you can rest on your laurels. Go and tell all your friends about this best-selling series, and help us dominate the steampunk genre! And, as an incentive, all three titles can be purchased directly from the Untreed Reads Store with 15% off the RRP until December 15th!

Check out the list HERE!

'The Lunar Inheritance' Discovered Free

Now, before I share this with you, let me point out that I do not endorse this, and neither is it endorsed by anyone else involved in the production. However, it is free and, as far as I can work out, making no one else money, so I'm happy to share this with you. Simply because it'll be nice for people to hear this, unfortunately, unavailable audio drama I wrote back in 2006.

The Lunar Inheritance, my Space: 1889 debut (and, thus far, only audio play), can be listened to completely free of charge at 4shared.

Garden Poll

Thursday 1st December will be the day I officially start writing book two of The Garden saga. I've got a new publisher for it, although I can't say any more than that at this point. However, before it's release I shall be releasing an exclusive e-interlude, a short novella focussing on one of the lead upyr, in the same way that Serere, the e-exclusive prelude, focussed on Frederick and how he came to be obsessed with finding the Seeker.

Here's your chance to influence the focus of the new interlude. Vote below for the upyr you'd most like to read more about, and if you want to tell me what it is you wish to learn more about, then please comment in the box provided.

 

View This Poll

Space 1889 – Looking Back, part 2

In the second part of my look back at the Space: 1889 audio series, I talk to Richard Dinnick, my co-author on the final release from Noise Monster Productions, The Lunar Inheritance.

1) What interested you in Space: 1889 in the first place?

I am a complete sucker for "what if" scenarios and Space: 1889 slotted into that very well. The moment you and I got the gig from John, we ran all over the internet (metaphorically of course) seeking out information about the franchise. What we found really spurred us on: a fascinating environment with some wonderfully colourful characters and a huge scope for expansion. What else does a creative person need?

2) What difficulties did you face in converting a Role-playing Game scenario into a fully-fledged audio drama?

As John has said, he used the role-playing game books as a series bible. He sent this to us and we took a look. Remember, this isn't a case of adaptation, this was merely a case of coming up with a story within the confines of someone else's universe. In that respect it is just like writing for Doctor Who or Stargate with all the brilliant possibilities and sometimes limiting factors that come with that.

The one thing I was keen to do – having played a few role playing games myself – was keep that element of "how do we get out of this one?" or "in what way are they going to pull the rug from under us?" that embodies that relationship between player and games master. I guess I saw us as games masters and hopefully we managed to pull the rug by revealing that the Selenites were the Silanteans' (the moon men) modems.

3) Who are your favourite characters?

It must be said that Frank Chadwick has done a superb job in fleshing out his vision of a Victorian Space Opera with very three-dimensional characters. This made our job a great deal easier. Annabelle was great; she's feisty and well-capable of handling herself. Helen Goldwyn brought her to life splendidly. Her uncle – who was played by Garrick Hagon- wasn't in our story very much but Doctor Cyrus Grant had a key role to play and you – who wrote the prison cell scene – brought him to life magnificently.

Of course, I suppose I am bound to say that I liked the characters that we came up with best because we had created them and fleshed them out. If I remember things correctly, you were behind the creation of William Brooker while I handled Captain Nathaniel Blake. Originally the Naval officer commanding Indomitable was going to be James Carter played by Anthony Daniels from the first Space: 1889 (Jonathan Clements' Red Devils) audio drama! Alas, his schedule meant we had to create our own officer, which was a boon because I think he's a great character. Yes, Blake is my favourite.

4) Your three favourite moments in The Lunar Inheritance are…?

I don't think I will ever forget the email that said we had got the job. This was my first audio commission and I was extremely excited! So that has to be highlight number one.

The actual writing of the play took an age. We had a first draft and then a second (with changed and new characters to slot in and a new sub-plot to add) and then we had notes on that which had to be incorporated. It took a while, but it was an invaluable learning process and John was incredibly supportive, nurturing and positive.

There was one scene in the great elevator where I wrote a stage direction saying that there was balalaika music playing in the background. John said, "I'm not sure we'll be able to get that, Richard!", and that was when I realised that all the sound effects and music would have to be sourced and the job involved in that. It made me think about the ensemble team a lot more and served me well when I went on to write for Big Finish's Sapphire & Steel range. So, the second highlight? When I got the CD and sat down to listen to the finished version, there was the balalaika playing in the background as Blake and K'chuk try to bluff Colonel Molatov. Simon Robinson had come up trumps! I was stupidly happy about that!

Finally, being in studio for the recording was a massive buzz. I will never tire of hearing a script brought to life by a talented group of artists marshalled by an equally gifted director. That recording was great for so many reasons. It cemented my friendship with John and he introduced me to Nick Briggs, who has become a great friend and person to work for.

5) What's coming next from you?

I am beavering away at so many things right now. I was a finalist in a BBC Writers' Room opportunity to create a TV Show for CBeebies and I have been asked to deliver a revised script and tone document. I have a script and a book to write as well as a graphic novel idea and a drama series idea to pitch to the right people! And this is all by the end of November!

In terms of releases: The Big Finish Companion is out and we're launching it at the Dimensions convention in Newcastle before flying off to Chicago. Also before the end of November! The tour continues at the Gallifrey One convention in LA come February and thence at Big Finish Day 2, Invasion and Regenerations.

December sees my adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles released in the Big Finish Sherlock Holmes range. That's followed by my adaption of David Stuart Davies's The Tangled Skein. I am very proud of this series as I was also assistant producer on them under Nick.

Then I've got my First Doctor Companion Chronicle due in May – The Wanderer. At some point next year my Stargate audio will see the light of day along with three unannounced projects I am working on or will be working on soon!

Thanks to Richard for his time, and if you're curious about his latest work, why not pop over to the Sci-Fi Bulletin and check out their review of The Big Finish Companion.

Become a Villain Competition Results

And it's all over. Our first Space: 1889 & Beyond competition closed yesterday. A big thank you to all who took part and sent your answers in. The question we asked was simple enough; "which world bookends series one?" and the answer was, of course, Luna (featured in both the opening and closing stories of series one)! We had many responses, some wrong and some right. But, as is the way of things, there could only be one winner. And with the help of Mark Michalowski, author of this month's The Ghosts of Mercury, we picked out three names at random.

The 1st Prize was a chance to be immortalised in literature by becoming a villain in the second series of Space: 1889 & Beyond, and receive a free copy of the new book, The Ghost of Mercury. And the winner of that first prize is… LISBETH LARIVIERE!

The two runner-up prizes were free copies of The Ghosts of Mercury, and the winners of those are… GASPAR QUELHAS LIMA TAMEERIS and JASON HILTON.

Well done and congratulations to all three winners, and a final big thank you (again!) to all who took part.

Read the wonderful reviews of the latest book, at Sci-Fi Bulletin.

 

Mark Michalowski is BACK… with ghosts!

Thank you all for bearing with us, but now, at long last, we can announce that The Ghosts of Mercury is live!

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Born in 1963 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Mark Michalowski studied sciences at school with the bizarre idea of becoming a parapsychologist. He studied psychology at Sheffield University for two years and then hung about for a couple of years, having decided that his future lay in graphic design, and moved to Leeds.

He worked as a graphic designer for three and a half years before deciding that his future lay in teaching, so he got a BEd at Leeds Metropolitan University before doing a year's teaching – which convinced him that his future certainly didn't lay in teaching.

So, together with his then-partner, Mike, he started up Shout!, a gay paper for Yorkshire, which has been going steadily since 1995.

His first paid-for piece of writing was a short story, Digging Up The Past in the anthology, The Dead Men Diaries in 2000. Since then he's written several more novels, short stories, magazine article – and even a comic strip! These works includes the likes of four Doctor Who novels, and a novel based on the hit-BBC TV series, Being Human.

You can discover more about Mark's varied career at his official website, www.markmichalowski.co.uk

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I recently asked him a few questions about his work on Space: 1889 & Beyond…

AF-A: What interested you in Space: 1889 & Beyond in the first place?

MM: There was something fascinating about the mash-up between the Victorian era, with all its rampaging colonialism, repression and desire for exploration (and assimilation) – and space travel and futuristic technology that appealed to me. And once I started thinking about it, it seemed to fit perfectly with the philosophy of 'The Big Bad' in The Ghosts of Mercury. And what philosophy was that, you ask? Spoilers!!!

AF-A: What difficulties did you face in converting a Role-playing Game scenario into a fully-fledged prose novel?

MM: To be honest, I'd never played the game, but I'd heard – and loved – the Space: 1889 audio adventures – they had a real sense of wonder and derring-do about them. And, for me, there's always something more interesting about confronting a cast of characters with things utterly beyond their previous experiences, and having their worldviews challenged in a way that there isn't with experienced space-travellers.

AF-A: Who are your favourite characters?

MM: All of them have their fascinating sides, but – and I'll just take my modesty hat off for a moment and sit it on the desk beside me – I adore Arnaud Fontaine, a character that you asked me to create specifically for the series. In fact, I may be a tiny bit in love with him: he's irreverent, cheeky and seems to be the perfect foil for Nathanial.

AF-A: Your three favourite moments in The Ghosts of Mercury are…?

MM: Three favourite moments, hmmm…? There are so many to choose from (he says, eyeing up his modesty hat) – not necessarily great big whopping moments, but lots of little conversations and moments. I love writing dialogue more than action scenes, and my favourites are quiet scenes where the characters show us a little bit more about themselves.

It's really hard to choose, but I'll go with…

The first scene between Annabelle and Nathanial, as they're unpacking, seems to sum up the relationship between the two of them: a little bit sparky but with humour and real compassion for each other. They bicker like a married couple – almost like newlyweds on their honeymoon.

Annabelle's first proper encounter with a ghost – because it seems to sum up Annabelle's pluckiness with her genuine surprise and fear.

Our heroes' encounter with Hermes – where I get to have lots and lots of philosophising and talking! Science fiction, for me, is a genre of ideas, rather than action, so to have a whole chapter which is little more than dialogue is lovely.

And, of course, any scene between Nathanial and Arnaud! Ask me again in a few weeks and I'll probably find different scenes to pick.

AF-A: So, what can your fans expect next from you?

MM: Next? Well I'm already working on a story for the next season of Space: 1889 & Beyond in which I get to pick up one or two threads from The Ghosts of Mercury and take them a little bit further. I've been sprucing up my website, too, and have been asked to pitch for a short story collection edited by Paul Magrs, which, as always, should be great fun.

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And so, now, allow me to share with you an excerpt from The Ghosts of Mercury…

There was a sudden, sharp knock at the door. Nathanial looked from one colonel to the other. There was a moment of awkwardness before the ghost colonel suddenly caught on.

"Oh, you think I should go?"

"Probably wise," said the Shawbridge with a curt nod. "Whoever it is, seeing two of us in here might be a bit much—for now at least."

The ghost nodded. "Fair enough. I'll, um, see you chaps later then?"

"I do hope so, Colonel," said Nathanial.

And then, without a sound, the ghost simply winked out of existence. There was another, firmer, knock.

"Come in," said Nathanial, and the door was opened by Iris McConnon, looking very pale and shaken.

"Colonel," she said. "Professor Stone. Sorry for the interruption, but something very strange is happening and I thought you ought to know."

"What is it, Iris?"

"These ghosts, sir…"

"What about them?"

"You need to come and see. They're everywhere." Her eyes were wide and her face pale. "It's like we're being invaded."

*

Shawbridge and Nathanial followed Iris out into the gloom; in the distance, they could hear much muttering and a few astonished cries.

"They're everywhere," Iris said as they reached the main square of Princess Christiana Station. Little huddles of people were standing around, pointing and crying. Some of them were shouting, their fists raised.

And around each little group, there were ghosts.

Some of them were as solid and concrete as Shawbridge's own ghost had been earlier, but most of them were hazy phantoms, displaying the same flickering and shifting that had been reported in earlier sightings.

"Right!" bellowed Shawbridge at the top of his voice. "There's no need to panic."

A woman in a nurse's uniform with a coat wrapped around her shoulders came running over. "Sir," she said, her voice heavily accented. Nathanial caught sight of her name badge: Nurse Juanita Lopez. "I have seen one—and it was me!"

Shawbridge threw a glance at Nathanial. "Is that so, Nurse? Well trust me, there's no need to worry—"

"But it was me!" she repeated, patting her chest. "I am going to die, aren't ? I'm going to die!"

Mercury: a planet of two faces – one side cloaked in eternal darkness, the other blistered by eternal sunshine. And balanced between the two is the World River, encircling the globe.

Professor Nathanial Stone and his ward, Annabelle Somerset visit Mercury for what they imagine will be a pleasant trip to visit Annabelle's uncle.

But tragic death precedes them – a death that provokes a chain of mysterious and terrifying events that challenge Nathanial and Annabelle's long-held beliefs. Before long, they – with the assistance of French geologist, Arnaud Fontaine – discover something ancient and powerful that has designs on humanity.

"Michalowski inserts some soul into this latest steampunk adventure." – Sci-Fi Bulletin

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The Ghosts of Mercury is now available from the following e-stores;

The Untreed Reads Store (http://bit.ly/sGWqDu)

Amazon.com (Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon UK)

Scribd

DriveThruFiction.com

OmniLit.com

Barnes and Noble

Apple iBookstore (32 countries)

Lightning Source (a distributor, primarily North America)

… and will soon be available in every other e-book stockists out there.

The Ghosts of Mercury © 2011 Mark Michalowski and Untreed Reads Publishing.

Space: 1889 & Beyond © & ™ 1988/2011 Frank Chadwick.

All Rights Reserved.

In the meantime…

First of all, apologies. We were hoping to have 'The Ghosts of Mercury' released over Halloween, but a technical hitch to do with acquiring the ISBN has prevented us from doing so. The issue will be resolved soon, so I hope you'll bear with us all in the meantime.

So, a brief update of things relating to Space: 1889 & Beyond. First of all, as you can see, the cover has been unveiled. Once again it's by the excellent David Burson, this time featuring Doctor Arnaud Fontaine, Corporal Paul Heath and, finally, in the middle, our hero, Professor Nathanial Stone! In related news, the author, Mark Michalowski, has released his brand new website, so why not pop over and have butcher's at his other works.

There's also a new review of 'Journey to the Heart of Luna', from best-selling author of The Shadows Trilogy, Julieanne Lynch, which can be read here.

Author of story #6: 'Dark Side of Luna', JT Wilson, has two short stories out today, in the anthology Re-Vamp, about which more can be read here.

We're also pleased to announce the official commissioning of two more stories for series two (titles to be announced once contracts are signed). Story #5 by Mark Michalowski, and #6 by a newcomer to steampunk, although by no means a newcomer to fantasy fiction, Sharon Bidwell. On top of all that, we're on the verge of signing three more authors.  But more on that another time.

And, finally, a new addition to this blog can be found on your right. A list of all my professional works, which also happen to be links to places from which they can be bought (except for Sedna, which seems to be particularly hard to find).

So, while we're all waiting on the release of 'The Ghosts of Mercury', why not entertain yourself by visiting the websites above, and also enjoy the trailer…

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Exclusive Excerpt from "The Ghosts of Mercury"

 

 

I'm very excited about this release. We don't have a definite release date yet, but we're looking to getting the next Space: 1889 & Beyond book out for Halloween. In the meantime, please do enjoy this very exclusive excerpt…

[image error]He was there. Again. Standing silently in the corner of the room. There but not quite there.

When Corporal Heath looked directly at him, he seemed to jump, as if instantly whisked to some other part of the room that was now at the edge of his vision. Heath couldn't help but still try to catch it out, hoping that, just once, the ghost might forget to jump.

Heath ached—not only with the pain in his leg and ankle and chest, but with frustration. He had lost count of the number of times the ghost had vanished completely, and he'd found himself staring down at his white hands, balled up into fists, clutching the hospital sheets. He sensed something not altogether right, not happy about the ghost. There was a darkness there that he didn't like at all. Realising how tense he was, Heath consciously relaxed and let his chin drop to his chest, triggering a jolt of pain from the torn muscles around his collarbone—before looking up suddenly, another bolt of pain shooting down his left arm from his shoulder. There was something going on in the corridor; he recognised Doctor Schell's voice. The door to the ward was flung open and in swept the doctor, in his wake a slim, striking woman with black hair and the most hypnotic eyes Heath had seen for a long time. She had a healthy tan which immediately marked her out as a newcomer to Mercury. In her arms, she carried a large, buff folder, holding it close like it was the most important thing in the world. Behind them, hands flapping and a look of intense annoyance on her face was Nurse Lopez. She shot a glance at Heath as if to apologise for letting Schell and this new woman in.

"Heath!" beamed Schell coming to a sudden stop at the side of the bed and folding his arms. "How the devil are you, man?"

"Can't complain sir," Heath replied, knowing that an angel must surely have been looking out for him all those weeks ago.

"Good man," Schell said. "Good man. Been through the wars, haven't you? Good to see you on the mend, though. Bearing up, hmm?"

Schell turned to Nurse Lopez who stood there, glowering at him. By all accounts, Nurse Lopez' parents—and in particular her mother—were possessed of fiery Latin temperaments that their daughter had clearly inherited.

"This man is sick, Doctor Schell. I do not think you really need me to tell you that, do you? You are a doctor after all. He needs rest and time to recover, not being interrupted during dinner." Her English was impeccable with barely a hint of a Spanish accent. Doctor Schell looked up and down the bed and at the side-table. There was no sign of any meal, either fresh or half-eaten.

"Not hungry, Heath?"

"Not really, sir, no. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologise for not being hungry, you know," interjected the dark-haired young woman who sounded, from her accent, like an American. She smiled at him and gave him a wink.

"Well that just won't do," said Schell with a firm shake of his head. "You need to get something inside your belly. No man ever got better from not eating, now did he? And many have gotten much, much worse."

"Maybe later, sir."

Schell raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Nurse Lopez. "Well make sure you do—and if he doesn't, Lopez, I'll be wanting to know why."

"Corporal Heath is doing very well, doctor. He'll eat when he wants to."

The doctor nodded as if he'd just won that round and turned to the woman he'd arrived with. "Corporal Heath, this is Miss Annabelle Somerset. She arrived on Mercury today. She's a close family friend of the colonel, so make sure you show her some respect. She's here…" He paused and looked at Nurse Lopez. "That'll be all, thank you, Lopez. I'll shout for you if I need you."

Nurse Lopez pulled a sour face, looked Miss Somerset up and down as if appraising her as a potential rival—as women, in Heath's opinion, were wont to do—and then turned on her heel and left, letting the door bang behind her as a final gesture.

"Sorry about that," Schell apologised to Miss Somerset. "She gets very protective about poor Heath here. Good thing, I suppose, considering she's a nurse. But still… Anyway, the colonel says that Miss Somerset here would like to talk to you, if you feel up to it."

"What about, sir?"

"About your accident," said Miss Somerset. "And…and what's been happening to you since then."

Copyright 2011 by Mark Michalowski

Space: 1889 © & ™ Frank Chadwick 1988, 2011

All Rights Reserved.

The Ghosts of Mercury by Mark Michalowski, soon to be available from Untreed Reads Publishing.

 

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Space: 1889 – Looking Back

In the first of a two-part article, I shall be speaking to the creative minds behind Noise Monster Productions' audio series of Space: 1889, the inspiration for the series that eventually became Space: 1889 & Beyond.

Noise Monster, a fledgling production company, was set up by John Ainsworth in 2004. Ainsworth was well versed in audio production, having worked as director and producer for Big Finish Productions official range of Doctor Who audio dramas. The first property he decided to go for was Frank Chadwick's Space: 1889 in 2005. I spoke to him recently and asked him what it was that brought him to Space: 1889 in the first place…

JA: I think I was aware of Space: 1889 when it first came out. I was big Dungeons and Dragons player in my teens and, although I stopped playing regularly when I moved to London in my late teens, I did keep an eye on what was being published. Many years later I produced the Judge Dredd audio dramas for Big Finish and became aware that the authors were using the Judge Dredd role playing game books as their reference material for writing the scripts, rather than having to plough through thirty years worth of comic strips. This made realise that all RPG's were ready-made 'bibles' for telling stories of any kind, and not just for gaming.

And so he approached Frank, and a licence was worked out. As I've discovered myself while developing the eBook series, turning a role playing game into an ongoing fictional narrative has proven an interesting task. So I asked how he approached developing a RPG into a series of audio dramas…

JA: It was easy really. I bought multiple copies of the main Space: 1889 gaming book and gave one to each of my authors. I told them to write a story set in this universe. I wanted a large cast of characters that would populate the world. The intention was that they wouldn't all be in every story, or wouldn't always have a major role, but they would keep on cropping up as we progressed from adventure to adventure.

This principle is evident in the Mars Trilogy, but unfortunately the forth release proved to be the last. Was that always the intention?

JA: The intention was for the series to be an ongoing one, exploring the whole of the Space: 1889 universe with stories set on Mars, Venus, Luna, Earth and in space. I had a vague notion of bringing Queen Victoria to Mars on a Royal visit and was thinking of asking Pauline Collins to play the role. I was later amused to discover that she was subsequently cast in exactly this role for an episode of Doctor Who. So, someone was thinking along the same lines as I was!

Talking of the end of the series, I asked John what he felt contributed to its demise.

JA: Poor sales, plain and simple. It was quite a learning curve. I discovered that each time I released a new CD, the previous ones would sell as well. If that trend had continued, it would have begun to break even after around twelve releases. Unfortunately though, I didn't have the funds to keep the series going that long without seeing any return.

At this point I wondered, what with the growing popularity of steampunk and Space: 1889, would now be a good time to return to making audio dramas based on the property?

JA: Possibly. To be honest though, I think you're only going to get really healthy sales from audio dramas that are based on popular, existing franchises that already have a large fan following like Doctor Who, Star Trek or Star Wars. However, if I was to produce further Space: 1889 audios (although I have no plans to do so), I would release them as download only titles. This would greatly reduced the production costs as pressing CDs, printing covers and postage and packing is a very costly part of the business.

Looking back then, five years on, I wondered what John would consider his proudest moments as producer of Space: 1889.

JA: To be honest, I was proud to have done it at all. I thought all four titles were really good and Alex Mallinson's graphics and art were exactly what I wanted. I was particularly pleased with the casts who I thought were excellent and did some really good work.

Now we turn to the author of the very first Space: 1889 audio, Jonathan Clements. Like Ainsworth, Clements was no stranger to audio work, having written for Big Finish. I started out by asking him what interested him in Space: 1889 in the first place…

JC: I think it's the sense that the Victorian period is *already* science fiction. There isn't all that much difference between Mars and Africa or India for the Victorians, and there is this incredible sense of progress and adventure. It's fashionable now to regard the Victorian era as one of exploitation, folly and imperialism, and even in my script, there were elements of doubt about the justification for expansion and colonialism, but Chadwick's original has a sense of exuberance, a sense of fun about it.

And what difficulties did he face converting the RPG into a script?

 JC: Bottom line: sentences are longer. Victorian speech patterns are entirely different to our own. Only the servants talk remotely like we do. The upper classes have a literate, sedate, loquacious consideration to their speech, which made my script 10% too long on the first draft. But I came to love the luxury of being able to think aloud in speech. You can't do that with modern manners — everyone always interrupts each other.

As authors we all have favourite characters, so when asked who were his, Clements was quick and to the point.

 JC: The Professor and his daughter Georgina.

 Fair enough, and I have to agree. So, just to task him a little more, what would be his three favourite moments from Red Devils…?

 JC: Georgina rustling around the Professor's cabin and asking him if he's awake. And then there's a pause…. which turns into silence… and then he says "No". Ian Brooker's finest moment, not for what he says, but for how long he waits to say it.
 Georgina kicking off the resistance by slapping the pirate leader. It harkens back to an observation I made about Viking sagas, when if you actually look at the original text, you see that a lot of battles begin when women goad their menfolk into action.
 Williams' final speech to his executioners, a message from our century to that of the Victorians: "Your enemies are within, parasites that feed on your goodwill as gentlemen. Your enemy is Empire itself, and the evils it engenders in men of all races! Rise up, before your masters' intrigues send you to fight a raging storm of red dust! You are not servants of Britannia, you are her slaves, and Mars shall bury you!"

In ending this first part, then, I ask Clements what's coming up for him, for I know he's a very busy chap.

 I've written the first of the novel spin-offs from the TV series Spartacus: Blood & Sand. It's called Spartacus: Swords & Ashes, and it will be published in January 2012. A very different kind of speech pattern from the Victorian age, but just as intricate and just as much fun to work with.

You can discover more about Jonathan Clements from his website, www.schoolgirlmilkycrisis.com

And so, one final thing for Mr Ainsworth. When I told him that the Mars Trilogy has been acknowledged as running con-currently with the first series of Space: 1889 & Beyond, he had this to say…

 Well, that's great! I'm glad it's considered part of the wider Space: 1889 universe.

Many thanks to John Ainsworth and Jonathan Clements for their time.

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