More Vlogs

Here’s two more vlogs from my residency at The Word.

Vlog 2 – developing ideas

Vlog 3 – A busy day!

Writer in Residence at The Word

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been chosen as the first Writer in Residence at The Word, the National Centre for the Written Word.

I’m spending seven days at The Word and I’ll be creating a new short story while I’m there. The dates of my residency are:

Day 1 – Tuesday 21/3

Day 2 – Friday 24/3

Day 3 – Saturday 25/3

Day 4 – Wednesday 5/4

Day 5 – Sunday 9/4

Day 6 – Monday 10/4

Day 7 – Thursday 13/4

My writing will be inspired by the fantastic building and by speaking to the many people who use it – I’m particularly interested in what those people were doing before The Word was built, and what it is they do in the building now it’s here. I’ll be talking to people about their lives – I want to hear their stories.

Here’s my first vlog from Day 1.


If you’re visiting The Word please do say hello!

I am a Chair

I am a Chair.

Not a piece of furniture exactly, but the charismatic leader of a desperate band of rebels fighting the evil Federation.

Not the Author's North committee

OK, that’s not quite right. I’m now the Chair of the Society of Authors regional group, Authors North. I’ve been helping out with the events committee for the last year and it’s been a lot of fun. When John Rice, the former Chair, reached the end of his term someone had to volunteer to take his place. Well, volunteer is a strong word. I think it’s closer to the truth that everyone else took a step back and I found myself taking on the role. We officially handed over the non-existent Sword of Office at the most-recent Author’s North event in York. Now I have the power!!

What does this mean for you? Free bananas at your local primary school? Early finish on a Friday afternoon? Sadly, no. It’s business as usual. But if you come along to one of our Authors North events next year you’ll see my eager bald face grinning at you, introducing a few of the talks and generally getting in the way of an otherwise well-oiled event. I hope to see you there.

 

 

Recent Events

A new term means new school visits. Here’s some pictures from two recent events at King James Academy and Pentland Primary School. Both were great fun, and a chance to meet new readers. Thanks to both schools for arranging a visit.

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One of my creative writing workshops at Pentland Primary in full flow.

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Talking about how I wrote Sorrowline at Pentland Primary School.

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My assembly talk at Pentland Primary School also included lots of examples of my animation work.

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At King James Academy open evening. They had me in the library with tea and cakes! Perfection.

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Meeting parents and pupils at King James Academy

If you’d like me to visit your school, library, bookshop or literary festival, or for more details about event content, please email 

UKYA Extravaganza

Are you in Newcastle? Can you get to Newcastle? Maybe you own a helicopter or know how to drive a submarine. Perhaps you know of the secret Tunnel that Goes Wherever You Like (I find this one particularly handy.) If you enjoy books and aren’t put off by meeting actual authors then you should come along to the town where all the castles are still under warranty. Yes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne is home to this year’s UKYA and Children’s Extravaganza, or UKYACX 2016 as hip cats like me call it.

I’m one of many, many, many, many authors who’ll be there on the day. Tickets start at just £3! That like 9p (or something) per author! Amazing value. Don’t believe me? You do the math(s):

Look: lots of authors.

It’s like a beauty pageant, but for authors. Come along, say hello, let me know what you think of my swimsuit.

Timesmith Brazil

My copies of the Brazilian Portuguese translated edition of Timesmith have finally arrived! Called O Artifice Do Tempo the book was released in July last year, so I’ve been waiting with anticipation for my copies to arrive for some time.

Orbiting Buzz

I was born in the Lunar Age. By the time I’d made my appearance on the planet we’d already walked on the moon twice. (It would have been three times if not for the near-death accident that aborted Apollo 13’s moon shot.) Even though I was only two years old when the last man walked on the moon my childhood was dominated by imagery of space exploration. This was the silver days of the 1970s, when future moon bases and our expansion to the stars seemed plausible within my lifetime. Against a backdrop of Star Wars, Blake’s 7, Space 1999 and the developing Space Shuttle programme, I daydreamed about being an astronaut, of setting foot on the moon and beyond.

Buzz on moonAs I left childhood behind it seemed as if those ambitions fell away as well. We lowered our horizons. We stopped dreaming of a life in space. Only in the last few years does it feel like some of that urgency to move beyond the earth has returned to our collective culture. Maybe it’s not too late for it to happen in my lifetime after all.

Looking back, the Apollo missions feel almost dreamlike now, an era of can-do that squatted in the wrong century. There were just 12 men who walked on the moon, seven of them are still alive. So when the opportunity to see Buzz Aldrin came up I jumped at the chance. I saw it mentioned on Twitter; he was doing a talk at a school in Blackburn, one of just a handful of UK dates to promote his new book, No Dream is Too High. I didn’t expect to get a ticket, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they hadn’t yet sold out.

IMG_8581aSo last week I drove the hundred plus miles to Blackburn to watch the second man on the moon chat about his life and career. Buzz is 86 year’s old, but in remarkable form. He was interviewed by his manager, Christina Korp, who prompted him from time to time to recount particular anecdotes. It was obviously a familiar routine and Christina kept Buzz on course when he threatened to veer into the technicalities of orbital manoeuvres, or the feasibility of a Mars cycler. Their interactions had a warmth and a comedic familiarity not unlike that of a mischievous father and his irritated daughter.

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Buzz taking a selfie during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966

Afterwards I waited in line to get my book signed. We chatted briefly about the event and his book tour, shook hands, and then it was all over. I’d met my first moon-walker. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet another, or if I’ll ever join their number one day, but for a few hours I had those childhood feelings of unbridled optimism once more.
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Adventure at Buckingham Palace

Last week I was lucky enough to go to a garden party at Buckingham Palace. The actual Buckingham Palace. In London. Where the Queen lives. I know!

It all started last year when I volunteered to to join the committee of the Society of Authors sub group, Authors North. Since then I’ve helped out with planning and organising their future events. It’s been a lot of fun, nothing too onerous, and I’ve made some new friends along the way. I wasn’t expecting anything more in return. But in January I got an email from the Society asking if I’d be interested in going to a garden party. I’ve never been to a garden party before, not unless you count the sort where there’s a BBQ and I can wear a pair of shorts. This was an entirely different level of garden party, one where I’d have to be on my best behaviour and not cause an international incident. What could possibly go wrong? Obviously I said yes.

I heard nothing more for a few months, then a letter arrived…Queen invite

Suddenly it was real. We were going to the palace! We booked our train tickets and a hotel, Diane found herself a dress and I had to decide what I was going to wear. I could go for a new suit, maybe hire a top hat and tails, or maybe go for something a bit more fun. The invite said ‘national dress’ after all…

HighlanderYou see, my Dad’s from Scotland and, even though I was born in England, I’m very proud of my Scottish roots. So I decided to wear a kilt, for the very first time. I was nervous at first but I think I look OK in it.

On the day we arrived promptly, making sure we had time to explore the grounds. I was disappointed that the Queen’s back garden didn’t have any swings or a trampoline. Not even an old bag of compost. And where does she keep the bins? It was immaculate. We did find a bandstand which played the national anthem followed by the theme from Goldfinger (I’m not kidding!) and some of John Williams’ best work including Star Wars. Obviously the Queen is a bit of a film fan on the side.

We didn’t get to speak to the Queen but we stood very close to her. I think she wanted to chat but I guess she was nervous. You’ll be relieved to hear I behaved myself, was polite and reserved, and I kept the kilt in place. No international incidents. Well… almost none. Fortunately it had absolutely nothing to do with me. In fact we knew nothing about it at the time. It was only the next morning when it was front page news that we realised what had happened.Queen rude

But apart from that, and a bit of drizzle, we had a great day. And wearing a kilt felt very comfortable, something I may well do again at my next BBQ.

Waterstones Middlesbrough talk

Waterstones eventDo you live near Middlesbrough in the UK? I’m doing a free event in Waterstones Middlesbrough later this month with fellow author Stephen Aryan. Stephen is the author of the Age of Darkness trilogy. Battlemage, the first book in the series was published in September 2015 by Orbit books in the USA and UK. Book 2, Bloodmage, is due out on April 12th 2016.

The event is going to be a very relaxed discussion on books and getting published, and you can buy a book and get it signed if you like. Here’s the details, please spread the word and call the bookshop to let them know you’re coming along.

Join us for an evening of conversation with local sci-fi/ fantasy authors Stephen Aryan and Niel Bushnell. They’ll be talking and answering questions about their new books and how to get published.

The authors will also be signing copies of their books to anyone who would like to purchase one on the night.

The event is free but you will need a ticket to get in. Tickets can be obtained in store or by calling and speaking to a bookseller.

Further details: 01642 242682

My 2015 – just keep writing

Niel Bushnell Story Steps

Long time followers/sufferers of this blog (that’s me then!) will know that I’ve been doing an annual summary for the last two years. It’s a chance for me to look back at the passing months and make stuff up (in part) about what I’ve been up to. For completist with too much time on their hands you can read 2014’s post here and 2013’s here.

For the most part 2015 has been good to me. The only dark cloud is that I’ve not had a book out this year. In an ideal world the final book in the Timesmith Chronicles would have hit the shops by now, but this is not an ideal world and the last part of the story is still a way off. So 2015 has been dominated by the graft of being a writer without the glory of publication. I’ve filled my time with writing and editing, and I’m ending the year with two new books completed, albeit one of them just a first draft (currently it’s known as Project Artichoke). So I’m sat on the cliff of 2015 looking out with optimism over the green fields of 2016, keen to get down there and run through those enticing meadows and spoil it with my muddy boots. Sorry, I’ve been drinking a lot of Metaphor Mead over the holidays.

So without further embellishment here’s how 2015 worked out for me:

2015 JanJanuary

A new year, all fresh and full of promise! I greet it with a mouth full of chocolate and a heart full of dreams. Oh, and I dig out some old sketches. I don’t draw as much as I used to but I try to keep my hand in. I’m also planning on doing a picturebook when I’ve got the time.

2015 FebFebruary

I complete the third draft of my latest project, The Death of Goldilocks. I’ve been working on it for quite some time and it’s evolved a lot since the original idea. I email the third draft to my agent, Juliet Mushens, to see if she can find a home for it. I relax, thinking my work is done. I’m wrong.

2015 MarMarch

A partial eclipse over Britain leads to hysteria as all teenagers get up early and start washing dishes. The unnatural behaviour continues until every bedroom is hoovered and dusted. Parents throughout the land are paralysed with fear at the sight of this horde of polite cleaners. Fortunately I manage to find the reset switch hidden under a giant mountain shaped like a zit and normality returns in time for Pointless. Full story here.

2015 MarApril

I finally get to see the Amazing Story Steps on a return trip to the District CE Primary School in Newton-le-Willows where I’m Patron of Reading. I had a great time there, and tested out my picturebook project on them. I really must get round to finishing that one of these day.

2015 MayMay

I caught up with Cameron K McEwan, broadcaster, actor, and author of two books about Doctor Who, both of which are well worth buying. We talked at length about our favourite time-travelling TV show, which was just as well because I was there for the recording of his Doctor Who Podcast.

2015 JunJune

My short story, Scissors, is published on the National Literacy Trust’s website. Scissors is a creepy story about a boy who finds he’s not alone after a vivid dream. The story is told in ten chapters, each of which is meant to be read out loud to a class of children (9-12 years old) and leave them wanting more! Also this month, after feedback from my agent, I embark on an extensive edit of The Death of Goldilocks, and travel to London to research locations featured in the story.

2015 JulJuly

My second novel, Timesmith, is published in Brazil. It’s always great to see other editions of my books and I love how they’ve adapted the cover art for this edition. (As of December I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive. Ah, well.) My major edit of The Death of Goldilocks nears completion, and it prompts me to return to London again for one last reccy. I spend a lot a time looking suspicious in Hampstead Tube Station, leading to me being put under 24 hour surveillance. They’re watch me now…

2015 AugAugust

I come to the end of draft 4 of The Death of Goldilocks. But it’s not the end, it’s never the end! For starters the title’s going to change, and there’s more work to complete. Editing can be a chore but it always makes my work better, so I know it’ll be worth the effort.

2015 SepSeptember

I become a part-time spy. I’m kitted out with an invisible car, an exploding pen and a robotic eyebrow. Being shot at and hanging off planes while they take off is all well and good but the drinking cocktails and meeting exotic women is a bit of drag. After toppling a volatile extreme dictatorship and saving civilisation as we know it I decide to hang up my Licence to Kill and return to writing and drawing for a living. I also blog about the state of the VFX industry and how animation and visual effects are often maligned for all the wrong reasons.

2015 OctOctober

I start a regular(ish) video series called Writing and Stuff. It’s intended to be a forum for my exploits and adventures, covering my writing progress, any events I’ve been to and books I’m reading. By the end of the year I’ve only published two but I’m optimistic I’ll do more in the New Year because it’s been fun to do.

2015 NovNovember

Even thought it’s been published for almost two years it’s exciting to see Sorrowline feature in a Guardian Top 10 list this month. The article is Rhian Ivory’s top 10 books set in the past and the present, and features some excellent titles – go check them out!

2015 DecDecember

Being on the Guardian website is like waiting for a shark. You wait for ages and nothing bites, then suddenly two come along at once and rip your leg off… sort of. After last month’s Top 10 I’m agog to be featured on the Guardian’s website talking to Charlotte and Eva from the Millennium Riot reading group about being a writer, the power of reading, and casting Benedict Cumberbatch as a bad guy. Well, why not?

So, that was my year: me writing and editing. And I really enjoyed it! Where next? Come back next week and I’ll tell you my plans for 2016. Thanks for your support during 2015, and thanks for reading.

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