Bonny Scotland
Hi everyone.
Well, this week I’ve mostly been relaxing. With the book finally out, I thought it a good time to take myself off and have some peace. Scotland was the destination, and more specifically, Comrie. Quiet, remote, quaint. And not a sniffle of phone reception to be had. Perfect.
We (me and Laura, that is) stayed in a little cabin just outside town with nothing but a unencumbered view of the countryside. We took walks up to the Devil’s Cauldron, a waterfall outside Comrie, and then climbed up to the Melville monument that looks over the town. It seemed like a good idea when we set off, but it was a loooong way up. However, when we reached the top, the view was totally worth it.
View from the top
As always when we go away, I took plenty of reading material. I’ve been really getting into the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman, so I took the next one of those, plus the next installment of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. But, I never got to that latter one. Instead, I read an ebook by one of my mutual Twitter followers called Pete Ford (aka @TheVirtualMcCoy). Reading someone else’s work is always dicey, I think. I don;t mind doing it, but I always feel wary in case the work they’ve poured their heart and soul into is…well…crap. Thank the Lord’s chin hairs, then, that Pete Ford’s Pavonis is a little slice of awesome.
I hope I can do the premise justice…
Pavonis is a habitable planet (M-class to you Trekkies ;D) which the human race have migrated to after Earth becomes poisoned by all manner of unsurvivable pollutions. Two hundred years after they land, and the people of Pavonis have lost their old technologies when a madman destroys the ‘libraries’, a collection of all of Earth’s scientific and cultural (and everything else) knowledge. And so, in an effort to survive, the Pavonis folk have to return to steam and hydrogen power to propel their xeppelins, carriages and seaskimmers. But that’s just where the story starts. It seems that some bright spark managed to smuggle a copy of the ‘library’ away and keep it safe. But the bad guys, and their sticky little fingers, want it. When our hero’s friend thinks that he has found the library, the aforementioned bad guys have him bumped off, and so our hero steps to the plate to figure out who killed his friend and colleague, reclaim the library, and kick some bad guy behind while he’s at it. Written in the first person perspective gives Pavonis a real retro Sherlock Holmesy feel to it, like the old memoir style pieces, with action and intrigue and soem great plot points and description. Basically, it’s ace. A really fun read. And it’s Steampunk! What more could you want!? Go get it HERE, among other places.
Anyways, so that’s what I read while I was away. I also plugged Greaveburn a bit more. I’ve added it to Book Crossing, a great site that lets your books roam around and people can find them ‘in the wild’. Brilliant idea. But while trying to find somewhere in Glasgow to put the book down, I came across the lovely people at Biblocafe in the West End. Not only did they take a stack of my cards to put on display, but they took the copy of Greaveburn and they’ll be passing it around their Indie Bookstore reading group before dropping it off wherever they like. How cool is that? Let’s hope they enjoy it and feel compelled to review…
Speaking of reviews…(see what I did there?)
Greaveburn got another good one. Here’s the watered down version, because it’s a long one:
Predictable is not a word that applies here. What I found particularly striking is that the characters are above all human…The ‘good’ characters have their faults–serious ones. The ‘bad’ ones are haunted by their failings and surpass themselves. Nobody is what they might at first seem; nobody is all white–but there are those that are solid black, through to the bone… The imagery is strong–heavy gothic architecture, steampunk machinery, and yet there’s the feeling that even a city like Greaveburn could have a Hogsmeade moment when Christmas rolls around…The pacing is good, the storyline solid. What really counts, as far as I’m concerned, is this: I had trouble putting Greaveburn down. I found myself reading at 2am and had to force myself to stop and get some sleep; the temptation was to read just one more chapter. I don’t come across many books that do that. Need I say more?
Awesome. Thank ya kindly! If they keep coming like this, my head’s going to explode! Well, that’s been my week, folks. Apart from preparing myself for the Weekend at the Asylum convention next week, I have nothing more to tell. Expect a blog post about what goes on in Lincoln while me and the IQ team are there. Fingers crossed I don’t make a fool of myself at the signing! 
Thanks for reading.
Budapest: Visit Greaveburn
My trip to Budapest, although only a few days, was the most surreal experience of my life. As some of you may know from my going-away post, I did absolutely no research about the city before going there. It was a literal out-of-the-hat type holiday. I didn’t know what places of interest to visit, what historical sites were there or any of the history of the country. I especially didn’t know the language. But when I got there, I realised that I DID know the city. In fact, for the last three years, I’ve been visiting Budapest in my head without even knowing it. Because, as I walked the streets, I realised that parts of Budapest were exactly how Greaveburn to look! I don’t just mean in a similar-kind-of-way. I mean in a This-is-what-was-in-my-head kind of way.
Here’s a gallery to show you what I mean, the captions, of course, are which Greaveburn buildings I relate to the real ones:
The Academe, where Greaveburn's scientific elite gather.
The Palace where Archduke Choler rules, and prison to Abrasia.
The exterior of Lord Happenstance's townhouse.
The Temple, once the centre of Greaveburn's philosophical endeavours.
That’s only four pics, but I’m afraid they’re quite high res and I can’t fit any more on. Maybe I’ll do another gallery on a separate page later on.
Anyway, you get the idea. And with the edits for Greaveburn coming back from Inspired Quill for the second time, everything’s starting to feel just a little too real. We’re getting closer and closer, folks. The time will soon be upon us. I may sound calm right now, but expect some serious panic-posts very very soon 
Anyway, now that I feel I’ve visited some of the places in my head, and that I may well be living in the Matrix, I’d like to suggest Budapest for your next trip. If you like to relax, but in a city environment, I can’t think of anywhere else I could suggest. It’s peaceful, despite being a big city. No one rushes around. The food is great. The exchange rate right now is pretty damn good. Just avoid the Austrian beer. NOT good. The local brew, Dreher, however, is great.
While we were there, we poked around just about anywhere we could. Especially in search of a good bar. But our strangest discovery was a little place called Verne’s, named after the incredible Jules Verne. And outside Verne’s, I found something that made me feel completely at home; a piece of Steampunk awesomeness:
A little piece of Steampunk in Budapest.
Great isn’t it? I dropped a Greaveburn business card into it for some unsuspecting Hungarian to find. Who knows? I might get a following over there! (I’m not holding my breath hahaha).
As always, I’d like to apologise for how long it’s been since I’ve posted. I know I’ve been slacking off. But, as you will soon see, it’s all for a good reason. The next time I post, I hope, it’ll be to show you my Steampunk costume for the upcoming Weekend at the Asylum Steampunk convention. I intend to look utterly ridiculous, and I can’t wait! Keep your eyes on this spot!
Thanks for reading.
Airports
Being in an airport terminal is as close to experiencing a Zombie Apocalypse refugee centre as it’s possible to be. People herded together, their only belongings crammed into a single case or carry bag; sweaty and tired, people move from one place to the next, searching for a place to rest among the masses. People group together into ill-fated tribes in an effort to survive. Stairwells and food courts become bedrooms. Pockets of tension errupt into arguments. Children swarm like urchins.
The only food comes in packets and swiftly runs out, prices hiked up to maintain some rudimentary economy which soon degrades into a barter system as people trade for sustainance. And the hopefuls, clustered to the huge windows, praying for salvation to arrive from the sky and carry them beyond the infection.
It’s a bleak, soul destroying place. The only thing missing is the Zombies. And that’s just a matter of time…
The road goes ever on and on…
As you lovely folk are reading this, I’m taking a trip. I know, it’s just another reason to be separated from my laptop and doing NO writing whatsoever, but I think this might have some great research potential. You see, dear friends, I’m off to Budapest today.
Can't wait to explore this!
I know NOTHING about the city. Nothing at all. And I think that’s why I’m so excited. New York last year was incredible and I can;t wait to go back, but one of the main problems was that I knew too much about it. Being the utter Film-Geek that I am, I knew where all kinds of movies were shot and OBVIOUSLY had to visit them, then hitting the tourist attractions because there’s a compulsion to at least see the big stuff. And then I absolutely had to see the National History Museum. It was great, but there was a lot of pressure to run around and not much time to chill.
Budapest should be the exact opposite. There’s no pressure to see anything or be anywhere, nothing I really must see. And so it’s going to be an utter chill out. More than that, I have a real love of going places which have a completely different culture to ours. Again with New York, it was great, but the culture is so similar, and the language identical, that I didn’t really feel like I’d left home at all. It was lovely and warm and cosy and friendly. Now and again, I like a bit of cultural and linguistic discomfort. I like struggling to get by. It makes me feel like an explorer, if only in a diluted way and for a few days.
And then there’s the research. Being in such a wildly different place with its own architecture and styles (and from what I’ve seen, quite a gothic style) will be a great boost to my creativity, I’m sure. Alan Shaw’s next adventure might even be based there. Who knows? We’ll just have to see. But you know I’m a sucker for a gothic facade and a network of alleyways. they make me go all gooey and goosepimpley Expect dark things to be walking abroad when I return.
Another reason for going somewhere different is to drop off a whole bundle of my writer’s business cards. Lets see if it works! By this time in a month, I might have a whole new bunch of Hungarian readers! Probably not, though… 
Anyways, folks, I’ll see you when I get back, and regale you with tales of Hungarian adventure. I hope you all enjoy your week!
Thanks for reading.
