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I’m here, there and everywhere in August. A big chunk of it will be taken up by the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon for short), which is coming to the SEC in Glasgow. 

Sandwiched between Chengdu, China a year ago and Seattle, USA next year, this is a big thing. The Hugos for example, which you could say are the equivalent to the science fiction Oscars, are held here. 

Dates are Thursday 8th August thru Monday 12th August. I have a table for the duration at Block A, Hall 5, SEC Glasgow. I’ll be tucked away in one of the corners next to Eight Light Minutes Culture and not too far from the Glasgow Gin exhibit (I hope this is not some sort of sign)! I’ll also be part of a Group Book Launch on Thurs 8th at Argyll 3 at 5.30pm (I’ll be promoting my AI-themed anthology Rerun to Eden). Also, I’ll be part of a panel From Prose to Pow! on Fri 9th August at Argyll 2 at 11.30am. We’ll be discussing the transition from writing prose to writing comics and back again. 

It’s exciting. You can still buy tickets for the 5-day event, or weekend or single day tickets. Check out the website to follow. Maybe see you over the extended weekend. 

Glasgow 2024, a Worldcon for Our Futures

Later in August, I’ll be at MegaCon in Carlisle and Kirkcaldy Comic Con, which have both been good to me in the past. Details to follow:

Date: Sat 17 August 2024

MegaCon (Carlisle)

Time: 12pm-6pm

Venue: Richard Rose Central Academy, Victoria Place, Carlisle CA1 1LY

Tickets are a fiver. You can buy in advance or pay at the door. Details here:

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/58993

Date: Sat 31 Aug 2024

Kirkcaldy Comic Con

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Mercat Shopping Centre, Kirkcaldy KY1 1NJ

This is a free event. You can read more here:

Kirkcaldy Comic Con

Some publishing news (well it’s news to me), and details of appearances in July in Perth and Preston to follow.

It’s a new day and a new anthology to bother you with. Bomb Scares#1, published by Time Bomb Comics, has been out for a wee while now (but it’s the first I’ve heard about it, so here we are). It features The Samurai by yours truly and indie powerhouse Luke Cooper. The eagle-eyed among you might recognise the strip was originally published by Planet Jimbot in a comic book of the same name, but that’s been out of print for a wee while now, so it’s nice to see The Samurai back doing what Samurais do best. Some blurb to follow:

Returning from war, his village wiped out, the Samurai must seek revenge against rancorous marauders and monsters yet unknown, in this award-winning writer’s epic tale!

You can read more about it (with lots of preview pages) on downthetubes:

Crowdfunding Spotlight: Bomb Scares revamped, new numbering, ace line up

If it tickles any of your bones, funny or otherwise, you can buy it here:

Bomb Scares 3

In other news, I’ll be doing Perth and Preston on the same weekend, specifically Saturday 6^th July (Perth) and Sunday 7^th July (Preston). Are you ready Perth? Are you ready Preston?

Date: Sat 6 July 2024

Perth Comic Con

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Dewars Centre, Glover Street, Perth PH2 0TH

Details here:

Perth Comic Con

Date: Sun 7 July 2024

Preston Sci-Fi Comic & Toy Fair

Time: 12pm-5pm

Venue: Samlesbury Hotel, Preston New Road PR5 0UL

Pay at the door. Adults £3 Children £1.50

There’s not been much love for my online Etsy shop recently. So, if it’s okay I’m going to give it a plug here. You can order a signed copy of one of my books, and ask for a dedication made out to a friend, associate, or loved one (and for that you can certainly include yourself). I can send it on to an address of your choosing. Just keep me right and I’ll do the rest.

At the shop you’ll find physical and digital copies of GoodCopBadCop (A crime novel with a Jekyll and Hyde twist where the good cop and bad cop are the same person), Good Cop (the follow up), the Light (Exploring a world where you wake up and know this is the day you die), Rerun to Eden (an AI-themed short story collection), Savant (Apocalypse Now-themed Graphic Novel) and Gabriel (Angels and Demons are real).

Have a gander here:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PlanetJimbot

It’s June, so the sandals will be out, and my travels will take me to Edinburgh, Falkirk and Manchester for the Traffic Comic Con. Details to follow:

Date: Sat 1 June 2024

Cymera (Edinburgh)

Time: 10am-5pm

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard · 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ

This is a free event. See you there.

Date: Sat 22 June 2024

Falkirk Comic Con

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Howgate Shopping Centre, High St, Falkirk FK1 1HG

This is a free event. See you there.

Date: Sun 23 June 2024

Trafford Comic Con

Time: 11am-4pm

Venue: Beactive Urmston, Kingsway Park M41 7FJ

You can pay at the door. See you there.

Best,

Jim A

I just received a royalty payment from Disney (who own Marvel) for my story Song of Storm, which appeared in the graphic novel collection X-Men:X-Verse X-Women. The story was first published by Marvel 25 years ago in Uncanny Origins#9 and to date has been reprinted three times (first there was Uncanny Origins: Myths and Magic, then there was Ororo: Before the Storm, and latterly X-Verse X-Women from last year. Value of money from the length of the titles alone!

Royalties this time around amounted to the sum of 168 USD and 56 cents (which equates to about £100 Scottish pounds). I mean, not world changing or anything, but you know what it’s still enormously gratifying to get anything from something I wrote half a lifetime ago. The story is good, by the way, if I do say so myself (a retelling of Storm’s origin story where she goes from street urchin to X-Man and arse-kicking goddess). Check it out if you can.

I’m a guest at Back Issue Bonanza on Sat 25 May. Time is 11am-3.30pm & location is Renfield Centre on Bath Street, Glasgow. Other guests include Stref (AKA Stevie White), David Alexander (no relation), Jim Stewart (definitely no relation), and John Lees (everyone’s second favourite comic books writer). Plus we have traders selling back issues covering just about everything and anything that has ever been published anywhere! What’s not to like. See you there! More details here: https://www.facebook.com/backissuebonanza

The Insignificance of Time Travel, a short story from my book Rerun to Eden is available to read here on this website. You’ll also find a homemade audio of the story posted there as well. So, please, get in there and check it out:

The Insignificance of Time Travel

The reason behind this is that I’m attending WorldCon 2024 in Glasgow in August. WorldCon is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). WorldCon 2023 was held in Chengdu and WorldCon 2025 will be held in Seattle, so it’s a big thing that it’s coming this year to Glasgow.  

If you’re a current WSFS member then it would be a great honour if you’d consider The Insignificance of Time Travel for nomination for Best Short Story at the 2024 Hugo Awards (which will be held at WorldCon 2024).

And if you’re not, feel free to give the story a read and let me know what you think. If you like the story then you could do a whole lot worse than check out my short story collection Rerun to Eden. Details here:

WorldCon is not until August, but I’ll be appearing at Dunblane Comic Con in February. Come along if you fancy a wee chinwag:

Dunblane Comic Con

Date:  Sat 17 February 2024

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: The Dunblane Centre, Stirling Road, Dunblane FK15 9EY

Details here:

ttps://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/event/dunblane-comic-con-2024/

Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one.

Gabriel, a Graphic Novel written by me with art by David Hill and Mick Trimble, is a Top Five Book (Amazon Cult Graphic Novels). Mind you, earlier in the week it did get as high as #4, although last I looked it’s fallen to #7. Still, it’s a brilliant effort. I should mark the event with a commemorative tea cloth or something. 

In other news, I’ve made a tentative start on Bad Cop, which will bring the GoodCopBadCop saga to its end. Currently I’m doing a little bit of plotting, a tiny bit of writing, some character development. I’m hoping it’ll all come together. At some point. Hopefully sometime this year.

And I’m back on the road late January. My first excursion takes me to St Helens in Merseyside. I’ve never been there before. It’s exciting, but I’ll be keeping one eye on the weather. Details to follow:

St Helens SciFi Comic & Toy Fair

Date:  Sun 28 January 2024

Time: 11am-4pm

Venue: Mercure Hotel, Linkway West, St Helens WA10 1HG

Free Parking/Pay at the door/Adults – £3/Children – £1.50/Organiser’s website is:

www.mseevents.co.uk

The first review of my new book Rerun to Eden (short story collection with an AI theme) is now available. “Rerun to Eden”, Piaras says in his review, “is a collection that captivates the imagination, offering stories that spark both wonder and trepidation.” 

The review has been posted on the Amazon page and you can read the full review here:

The book has only been out for a couple of weeks, but it certainly seems to be striking a chord if my time recently in Dumfries and Kirkcaldy has anything to go by. It’s exciting times. 

I’m packing it in November and this month I’m Newcastle, Maryhill, Dundee and Dunfermline bound. Details to follow. Dunfermline will be my last appearance of the year and then I’m due some much needed hibernation 🙂 Maybe see you on the road somewhere?

Newcastle Comic-Con

Date:  Sun 12 November 2023

Time: 11am-5pm

Venue: Newcastle United FC, St James Park NE1 4ST

https://www.unleashedtickets.co.uk/ourshop/prod_8017310-Newcastle-ComicCon-Advanced-Day-Tickets.html

Maryhill Comic Con

Date:  Sat 18 November 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Maryhill Burgh Halls And Glasgow Club Maryhill

Maryhill Comic Con

Dundee Comic Con

Date:  Sun 19 November 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Dundee International Sports Centre

Dundee Comic Con NEW DATE

Dunfermline Comic Art Fair (DCAF)

Date:  Sat 25 November 2023

Time: 11am-5pm

Free Entry

Venue: Abbot House, The Maygate, Dunfermline

https://allevents.in/dunfermline/dunfermline-comic-art-fair/200025394082143

It’s been two years in the making, but I’m delighted to announce my new book Rerun to Eden is now out and about. A collection of original short stories with an AI theme. These stories aren’t about a Skynet-infused AI apocalypse. They take a more nuanced view where AI and humanity come together, but with a realisation that this won’t always be the case. The day is coming when each will go their own way. 
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or is that reading). It will be exciting to hear what you all think in the coming months. 
This is the official blurb:   

Humanity is dying out. The cause of our extinction is unclear. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now the dominant construct, and it is timeless. And time is a luxury people do not have. Will AI decide to help, and do all it can to prolong the lifespan of humanity? This is a collection of short stories that examines our relationship with AI and in so doing, reflects on what is to be human.

Available in paperback and digital formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, and lots of other places, including the Planet Jimbot online shop.   

Here are some links for starters:

Amazon:

Print:

Digital:

Planet Jimbot on Etsy:

Print:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1578644832

Digital:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1578663288

In the meantime I’m on the road over the next few weeks with Dumfries and Kirkcaldy on the radar. Details to follow. 

Dumfries Comic Con

Date:  Sat 28 October 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: David Keswick Athletic Centre

Dumfries Comic Con

Kirkcaldy Comic Con

Date:  Sat 4 November 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Mercat Shopping Centre

Kirkcaldy Comic Con

In August I’ll be here (Perth on the 5^th), there (Forge Shopping Centre in the East End of Glasgow on the 12^th & 13^th), everywhere (Carlisle on the 19^th) and, umm, somewhere else (Darlington on the 26^th), so maybe perhaps see you there.

A prize for whoever turns up to all four! (So, a prize for me, basically).

Perth Comic Con

Date:  Sat 5 August 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Dewars Centre, Glover St, Perth, PH2 0TH

Perth Comic Con

Forge Shopping Centre Comic Con

Dates:  Sat 12 & Sun 13 August 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: 1221 Gallowgate, Parkhead, Glasgow G31 4EB

Forge Shopping Centre Comic Con

Megacon Carlisle 2023

Date:  Sat 19 August 2023

Time: 12pm-6pm

Venue: Richard Rose Central Academy, Carlisle

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/39633

Darlington Comic Con

Date:  Sat 26 August 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Dolphin Centre, Horse Market, Poole, Darlington DL1 5RP

Darlington Comic Con

Busy month June. It starts off in Ayr, finishes in Strathclyde Park, with Edinburgh and Loch Lomond in the middle. 

Ayr was really good last year. It was great being next to the sea, with the smell of salt in the air. Ye cannae beat it.

Ayr Comic Con

Date:  Sat 3 June 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Citadel Leisure Centre

Ayr Comic Con

I’ll be at the Cymera Science Fiction and Horror Festival on Sunday 4th June. I’m there all day, mostly located in Creators Hall, but I’ll also be fitting in a Brave New Words reading from my new short story collection Rerun to Eden.  My reading is the support act for a cyberpunk panel featuring M.R. Carey. I haven’t finalised what I’m going to read yet, it might even be a surprise to me 🙂 Details to follow…

Your event: CyberJunk with M.R. Carey, David Cooke and Ever Dundas

Date: Sunday 4th June

Start Time: 1:30pm

Duration: 5 Minutes

Room: Theatre

Event URL: https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera23-events/2023/6/4/cyberjunk-with-mr-carey-david-cooke-and-ever-dundas

The following weekend sees me in sunkissed Loch Lomond. Sunkissed that is unless it’s raining. I’m outside for this one on Loch Lomond Shores, and a good tip to save your precisous books from being at the mercy of the elements is to cover your table with clingfilm. Honestly, this is a thing. Comic Cons according to Bear Grylls. 

Loch Lomond Comic Con

Dates:  Sat 10 & 11 June 2023

Time: 10am-4pm

Venue: Loch Lomond Shores, Ben Lomond Way, Balloch

Loch Lomond Comic Con Weekend 1

And finally, the last weekend in June I’ll be at M&D’s, which has rides, inflatables, adventure golf, tenpin bowling and for a limited time…a Comic Con.

M&D’s Scotland’s Theme Park

Comic Con

Dates:  Sat 24 & 25 June 2023

Time: 10am-5pm

Venue:  Strathclyde Country Park

M&D’s Comic Con