Sorry for the lack of updates during December – the work is coming in thick and fast, and between that and Christmas, spare time suddenly became a thing of the (ghost of Christmas) past. But the good news is that 2012 will see the launch of several big projects that have been in the making during 2011, and represent an important milestone in my comic book writing.

I’ll create full blog post about it soon, but in the meantime have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Whew. What a weekend.

Thought Bubble was brilliant fun.In fact, I’m still very much trying to catch up with everything – it’ll take me a few days to take in the great new people met (hi guys! You’re all amazing!), various books I bought, biz cards traded, new opportunities made and so on.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with two things – the first is a brilliant (as always) write up by my super talented artist partner-in-crime Jennie Gyllblad, who has created a fantastic account of our experiences over the weekend right here. Not only is it funny, it’s also a very accurate description of what happened… drunks, awkward moments and all.

Secondly, a few pictures for you to look at, taken over the two days.

To everyone we met/passed by our table/had a chat with – a big THANK YOU for being so lovely. You made Thought Bubble as great as it was and hopefully we’ll get to catch up again soon…

Well, here we are in sunny (I think it’s sun. It could be mustard or something) Leeds, at Thought Bubble. Myself and my artist partner-in-crime Jennie Gyllblad are over in the Royal Armouries on table 67, armed with sweets, books (Skal, Magic of Myths and a couple other comic related goodies), artwork and… erm… a lucky bird. If you’re around, please do swing by and say hi.


Also, we’re swiftly approaching the final days of our crowdfunding effort for Clockwork Watch – a new perk has been introduced, where you can own some of the original artwork from the forthcoming graphic novels, The Arrival and Breakaway. Please contribute if you can, as every little bit helps in making this project take off! You can find the page here: http://igg.me/p/38052?a=221140&i=shlk.

Yep, Sergio and I have been so happy with the response to our fantasy series that we’ve dedicated ourselves to continuing the series. Magic of Myths: season two is in the works and will be released during summer 2012. You can read all about it over at the official site, where you can also subscribe to keep up to date with all the latest Magic of Myths news: http://wp.me/pSxcG-86‎

I’ll also be attending the Thought Bubble comic art festival on 19/20 November, so come on over and say hi.

Thanks for all your support!

We’re very pleased to announce that one of the adverts in the first part of Clockwork Watch’s story, The Arrival, is going to be an Olympic 2012 project on behalf of a country in the Commonwealth. There are a few slots left open, so if you have a business that’s suited to Steampunk, host events, design Steampunk gear or even want to weave your product / brand / events into our story, do get in touch!

We’ve also received the first batch of Clockwork Watch badges and patches which are part of the perks available to those who help fund the project:

Spread the word and join in the fun right here: http://igg.me/p/38052?a=221140&i=shlk

Now here’s an Unseen Shadows update you may not have been expecting…

Barry Nugent, novelist and mastermind behind the whole Unseen Shadows universe, has got TV presenter and writer Jonathan Ross to pen the introduction to the forthcoming Unseen Shadows anthology, Tales of the Fallen.

The anthology is already gathering some well earned and justifiable praise within the independent circuits, so it’s fantastic to get someone like Ross to write the foreword. While Stolen (an adventure/crime story written by myself and artist Cormac Hughes) won’t be in this edition, we have got a two page art preview in there, and the stories that made it into the book are superb – they would be, with the likes of Cy Dethan, Nic Wilkinson, Rob Carey, Dan Thompson, Vicky Stonebridge and many other excellent talents behind it.

So, you’ve no excuse now – make sure you pick up a copy of Tales of the Fallen at this year’s Thought Bubble convention or pre-order your copy right here.

And now for some Clockwork Watch news:

– Did you know you can be part of Clockwork Watch and get your face into scenes from the first part of the story, graphic novel The Arrival (adapted by myself and drawn by Jennie Gyllblad? All sponsors that have donated above $40 will be incorporated into the artwork of The Arrival or Breakaway as characters in the story. YOU are about to become part of your first comic and a transmedia story – so head over to http://igg.me/p/38052?a=221140&i=shlk and pitch your sponsor! Once you do, kindly send your photographs to “characters@clockworkwatch.com” and please include your name, address and a contact number – we MAY need to get in touch.

– General costume sketching has begun!

If you want to see more, pop over to http://jenspiration-now.blogspot.com/2011/09/clockwork-watch-it-begiiiins.html

Lots of stuff to report about Unseen Shadows, so let’s jump straight to it:

Stolen, an adventure/crime story written by myself and artist Cormac Hughes, is coming along nicely, with more excellent artwork pouring in as I type. There will be a few extra previews to show you soon, but there are a lot of exciting things happening behind the scenes which will be revealed as well in due time.

– The first Unseen Shadows anthology, Tales of the Fallen, is going to launch at this year’s Thought Bubble convention – and it’s looking rather sharp. Take a look:

“They are murderers, martyrs and mercenaries in the no-man’s-land between adventure and crusade – soldiers of fate and fierce honour, bound together in mystery, darkness and blood. Their enemies are shadows haunting the outermost borders of a darkening world, and as night approaches the shadows grow long.

“They are the Fallen, and these are their stories.”

Tales of the Fallen will launch on 19 November 2011 at Thought Bubble in Leeds. You can read some previews at the official Facebook page.

– Sticking with Thought Bubble, there will be an Unseen Shadows panel held during the festival. On 19 November 2011, 12:00pm to 12:45pm in the Alea Cinema Room, you can Meet The Team That Expanded The Universe. Here’s the blurb from the site:


“Learn how the self-published cult hit novel Fallen Heroes became the epicentre of one of the biggest transmedia experiments in the UK indie arts world comprising comics, prose, audio, live action and including trailblazing talent from all creative fields.”

– There is plenty of Unseen Shadows audio to sink your teeth into as well. You can listen to the first seven minutes of Empire of Blood – The Audio Drama, here, while the audio book version of novel, Fallen Heroes, can be enjoyed here. It’s all for free, so make sure you enter the shadows… 

You may have noticed a few changes on the site of late…

Yep, The Writer’s Block has gone through a little revamp. There’s still plenty of work to be done as new features are added and refinements made, but I hope you like the changes so far. Feel free to offer feedback as I’ll take any comments on board.

One of the big additions to the site is the menu bar near the top of the page which will detail various projects I’m attached to. It’s a work-in-progress, so there’s plenty more to come, with pages on Clockwork Watch, Unseen Shadows, Bayou Arcana and various other published stories to be added – but in the meantime, you can buy fantasy miniseries Magic of Myths: season one directly from me by clicking on the relevant tab. There’s also the option to purchase the super cheap digital version for £1.50 as well.

There’s plenty more to come soon, so why not stay up to date by subscribing via the menu on the right of this page?

Today we launch the funding for The Arrival, our first graphic novel in the epic transmedia project that is Clockwork Watch.

Drawn by Jennie Gyllblad and adapted by myself from filmmaker Yomi Ayeni‘s original script, The Arrival tells the story of a world struggling with technological and social change. New models of clockwork servants become ever-more advanced and human-clockwork hybridisation is the talk of the town; the clockworks are becoming more human, and not all humans are as human as they think they are…

You can literally become part of this experience spanning comics, film, theatre, games and more. Head over to http://igg.me/p/38052?a=221140&i=shlk for more info and please donate if you can, to help give this massive project life. And if you’ve not already done so, spread the word of the official Clockwork Watch: The Transmedia Experience Facebook page.

Love, Like, Live Clockwork Watch!

Follow Me