To celebrate the release of the "Panda Book of Horror", Obverse Books
in association with the Outpost Skaro forum are giving you the chance
to win a copy of the book.

All you need to do is produce a picture, animation, or image that
promotes the book itself ...to be judged by Paul and I.

Closing date is publicaiton date of the book - so why are you waiting
..get busy as a Panda's life may depend on it :)

http://fwd4.me/2QC to take part and see examples.

NB I just realised that you need to be a member of Outpost Skaro to take part...

Stuart

Hiya-

Just to say that tomorrow sees the publication of my collection of short
fiction, 'Twelve Stories', by Salt books. (www.saltpublishing.com. They're a
very classy imprint!) It's at a very good price on Amazon.co.uk... and contains
a selection of my stories from the last twelve years, including 'In the
Sixties', which readers here might already know.

best
paul

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the transtemporal
group.

   File        : /iris_becks.jpg
   Uploaded by : lennyzer0 <sadouglas@...>
   Description : David Beckham's Iris tattoo

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transtemporal/files/iris_becks.jpg

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

lennyzer0 <sadouglas@...>

Very tempted - just deciding whether I can justify the expense of
driving there and back from London (which also means I won't be able
to drink during the day). I did look into trains but they're all very
expensive.

On 19 Sep 2009, at 18:28, Stuart Douglas wrote:

> So, is anyone else going to the Who Novelcon in Manchester next month?
>
> Stuart
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> New Official Iris Books: http:///www.obversebooks.co.uk
> For Iris information: http://www.iriswildthyme.thiswaydown.org/
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

I'll be there - but don't let that put you off. Looking forward to it.

Phil Craggs





--- On Mon, 28/9/09, paulmagrs2001 <p.magrs@...> wrote:

From: paulmagrs2001 <p.magrs@...>
Subject: [transtemporal] Re: Novelcon, October 2009
To: transtemporal@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 28 September, 2009, 5:29 PM






 





                   Hi everyone-



i'm sending out a rallying cry for NovelCon in Manchester, Sunday October 11th -

from 10am to 5pm. Gareth Kavanagh is hosting it in his lovely pub The Lass

O'Gowrie, and I've just come back from another planning meeting about the day.

It's going to be great - with bits of readings and chaired discussions - with

topic headings such as, 'Virgin versus BBC', 'Questions of Canonicity', 'Are

books Who's natural home' etc.



Lots of Who authors will be there to entertain you...! I think it'll be a great
day, and I'm really looking forward to chairing / chatting / reading / mingling
and signing whatever people bring to be signed!



best

paul m



--- In transtemporal@ yahoogroups. com, Stuart Douglas <sadouglas@. ..> wrote:

>

> So, is anyone else going to the Who Novelcon in Manchester next month?

>

> Stuart

>































[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi everyone-

i'm sending out a rallying cry for NovelCon in Manchester, Sunday October 11th -
from 10am to 5pm. Gareth Kavanagh is hosting it in his lovely pub The Lass
O'Gowrie, and I've just come back from another planning meeting about the day.
It's going to be great - with bits of readings and chaired discussions - with
topic headings such as, 'Virgin versus BBC', 'Questions of Canonicity', 'Are
books Who's natural home' etc.

Lots of Who authors will be there to entertain you...! I think it'll be a great
day, and I'm really looking forward to chairing / chatting / reading / mingling
and signing whatever people bring to be signed!

best
paul m




--- In transtemporal@yahoogroups.com, Stuart Douglas <sadouglas@...> wrote:
>
> So, is anyone else going to the Who Novelcon in Manchester next month?
>
> Stuart
>

So, is anyone else going to the Who Novelcon in Manchester next month?

Stuart

This counts as terrible own-trumpet blowing, but it's nice about
everybody, so I thought I'd reprint the latest review of the Celestial
Omnibus, by Max Shrek on Gallifrey Base, and then sit back in a fug of
sel-satisfied pleasure :)

"Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus
Edited by Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas

A Gamble in Wildthyme by Steve Lyons:

The story starts off with a bang and what a one too! This is really an
“all style, no substance” tale but that’s all-right. Given its
placement at the beginning, what’s important here is what it
establishes; the characters and mythology. Iris, Panda, MIAOW,
one-half of Iris’s terrible animal foes (the other half coming later
in the book). The only downside to this is Iris and Panda sort of
feel… peripheral; they’re the characters who say the plot and stuff
(which Lyons actually lamp-shades). Though both are written so
magnificently, it doesn’t matter.

The actual plot, what’s there anyways, is a lot of fun. The
Dogworlders from “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” appear and this time,
they’ve taken issue with the famous dogs-playing-poker painting! The
one cheating in the picture is a great hero; it’s offending to their
heritage! That’s hilarious; exactly the kind of stuff I’d expect from
“Mr. Conundrum.” Oh, and “The Oncoming Hangover” was so good I
immediately had to put the book down and tell my friends online. It
kind of lacks a beginning, kind of lacks an ending and at any other
place in the anthology, it would’ve felt light and jarring, but right
at the beginning, as a wild, crazy and above all, Iris-y prologue to
their universe, it’s perfect.

Sovereign by Mags L. Halliday:

Wow! Mags L. Halliday does it again! “History 101” and “Warring
States” are fabulous and so I had high hopes for this one. And does it
live up to my expectations? Boy, does it! The atmosphere is lovely.
The cold winter of a rural setting is brilliantly evoked; you can just
imagine reading this next to a fireplace with a nice cup of hot coco
in the middle of the night, while outside the wind howls and snow and
hail hit your windows. The story is bleeding out of the ears with
atmosphere and Mags, like a sculptor, gathers and shapes it
beautifully into the story we have here.

The characters are all so written so well; Belle was a fantastic
protagonist, someone who I could understand and relate to 100%. Both
of the objects of her affection are given good material and good/bad
qualities. There’s not a clear cut, “Oh, she should totally go for Mr.
White Hat!” The eccentric old ladies, including Iris, are all given
fabulous material. I love that while Iris does get a lot of page-time
and some great lines, there’s nothing explicitly confirming her stuff
to be real! She could easily be just some crazy old aunt with tall
tells about pandas (who I missed here, but can see why he wouldn’t
have fit) and the galaxy, though of course, the other supernatural
stuff kind of confirms it.

My only slight niggle with it is the ending. It just sort of… ends.
Belle’s going through this internal conflict, which does she chose,
which does she like more and then… the owl attacks, it’s Alex, it’s
her true love, happily ever after. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! I
wanted to see their next conversation, Luke’s reaction, her goodbye to
Luke, more of an epilogue. But other than that, this was
extraordinary. A standout in an excellent collection, this is
definitely one of my favorites.

The Unhappy Medium by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott:

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this, but I’m not complaining with
what we got! This is a story that knows it’s a short story and uses it
to its fullest advantage. There are no issues with pacing, the
beginning starts at exactly the right place and the ending stops at
exactly the right place. Iris and Panda have good, meaty roles yet
allow a side character to be the protagonist, someone whose story we
can know and relate to in the space of a couple pages. I really,
really like the story’s structure and the way it holds together.

The actual story is quite good as well. “Fake medium who can actually
talk to ghosts” is a great hook, a bit reminiscent of someone of the
earlier drafts of “The Unquiet Dead.” I love that Iris’s bus can go
into the Spirit Realm and the creatures that come out of it and infect
the audience are quite frightening! My favorite bit, I must admit, is
the bit of timey-wimey as the end. Taking advantage of time travel in
a story’s almost always a good thing, but using time travel in the
WRONG way, as a “totally shouldn’t happen” paradox to stop the bad
guys? Only Iris. This is a bit of fun, light and playful with a touch
of horror and a surprisingly touching ending. I must admit, I did
well-up a bit!

Future Legend by Stuart Douglas:

It’s perhaps not surprising that once we get a story by one of the
editors, we jump from nice, little, personal stories to a sprawling
epic at the end of the universe with robotic Pussyworlders! This was a
rousing adventure, spanning multiple planets and realities with a
great set of villains and tons of callbacks to old stories and
references. Panda’s narration is gold, absolute gold. Stuart Douglas
writes Panda to perfection. His witty, sarcastic and pompous voice was
easily digestible. I could read a whole Panda-first-person novel
someday.

This story really stretches the mythology. From the use of the Obverse
to how the universe (and Iris’s bus) will eventually end up, it really
felt like this was an important chapter in the Iris saga. I’m also
surprised by how much ideas and the like it uses and hints at from
Iris’s… sister mythology. From the segment “Key of the Clockworks” to
Tom on the freighter crashing into the dinosaurs to an
interdimensional void to the Acupuncturist with the phony anagram;
heck, even comparing the Obverse to a ship in a bottle instantly
brought to mind the “universe in a bottle” of Lawrence Miles fame
(especially “Dead Romance” which does the same thing).

The only thing I really didn’t like was what I felt to be a jarring
change in style about midway through. The first half of the story uses
the epistolary format, with some occasional gestures to Tom, to great
effect and then… it stops and becomes a rather more traditional
first-person. Now, I know why this was done, continuing the epistolary
format wouldn’t have fit but it just felt odd to me, like if a story
would switch from first to third-person halfway through. Other than
that, this wonderful little tale is probably the Iris equivilant of a
Greek epic.

Battleship Anathema by Phil Purser-Hallard:

We all know what this one’s about. Battlestar Galactica. A parody of
both the old and new series and how they relate to each other, it’s a
fascinating story. I’m someone who both respects and understands how
good the new series of BSG is, but at the same time, completely agree
with Iris. Making some grim and gritty doesn’t make it better; it
makes it darker, which (despite what some fanboys think) isn’t
necessarily better. The fact that something as silly and outrageous as
Iris can still provoke genuine and real human emotions is a testament
to that. So even if (according to his site), Philip doesn't agree with
me or Iris, I’ve still been waiting for someone to tell this story for
a while.

I’m still not sure on the “Subsequently…” part. I mean, I get (or at
least, think) that it’s a parody of “One Year Later…” in “Lay Down
Your Burdens Part II” but it just feels wrong. The beginning of the
story is building up this momentum… and then we get a series of
excerpts and then, the plot’s sort of in the finale. It just felt
awkward, I think. It sort of felt like a novel that’s been summarized
rather than an actual short story.

But don’t let that scare you away; this is by Philip Purser-Hallard, a
writer I greatly admire, so there’s still a lot of good in here. All
the parodies of BSG stuff are clever and chuckle-worthy, the Jane
Austen bit actually touched me quite a bit, had a lot of impact that,
and c’mon, the pandroids are awesome (though, and this kind of ties
into what I was saying above, it sort of feels like we’re being told
all about the pandroids, we don’t actually get to see them). Tons of
brilliant ideas and comedic scenes and heartfelt moments but I feel it
would’ve been better in something longer to flesh it out more
properly.

The Dreadful Flap by Paul Magrs:

Iris’s trip through modern sci-fi pastiches continues. Out of
Battlestar Galactica and into… Torchwood. With its “Dreadful Flap”
taking the place of the Rift, you have a wonderful parody of that
show, and rather like the Star Trek in “The Blue Angel,” we’re
introduced to a much more domestic version; the homely Darlington
sect, not Cardiff under the Millennium Centre. There’s also some
snides at the modern-day UNIT as well (since after all, a UNIT homage
was how MIAOW came out originally), with Jenny taking a much more
negatively spun Martha role. Oh, and I loved “It’s Weirdly S***.” I’d
pay good money to read a MIAOW series named that!

This is a busy, busy story but what else would you expect from Paul
Magrs? In addition to the Torchwood/UNIT stuff, we get Iris dealing
with a past companion and how they’ve changed since leaving her.
Barbara the Vending Machine from “Sick Building” triumphantly returns
and is hunted down. Noel Coward’s history’s been altered and the whole
of reality rests in his hands, which just so happen to contain
reality-devouring scissors. The day is saved, but in a predestination
paradox. Oh, and the villain is freaking DRACULA. A lesser author
would’ve been crushed by the weight of all these elements, but Paul
weaves them together perfectly in one, large tapestry.

It’s so clever too. I chuckled but kinda thought, “That’s a bit cheap”
at Panda’s “Who?” line… which is a just red herring and the actual
person she’s referring to is Noel Coward! Though, was it ever
explained why his history had been altered so that he was doing panto?
It was the scissors, I presume, but I don’t remember it ever being
properly explained and was a bit shocked when history didn’t “return
to normal” for him in the end! Still, one of the best of the
collection. What else would you expect from the man who created her?
Oh, and TIME C***.

And Not A Drop to Drink… by Steven Wickham:

A slightly mixed bag this one. There were lots of things I enjoyed,
but I think another reviewer’s comment that it’s “an extended joke”
hit the nail on the head. It’s got all the good trappings of a good
Iris story; a nice mystery, Panda being clear-headed while all Iris
can think about is alcohol, a spooky setting made out of something we
don’t usually consider a spooky setting, but… It kinda feels like it’s
going somewhere and in the end, doesn’t really. I thought the
revelation of what was making the distress signal was a bit
anti-climatic, though it did make for a good joke, which is all I
suppose matters in the end.

Oh, and… TARDIS! It actually says TARDIS! What? How did that happen?!
Throughout the book, it’s been clever and winking at hints and moments
in Iris’s ex’s program, and then they went out and used the T-word! I
was a bit disappointed that the foreplay had ended and climaxed, but
eh; mountain out of a mole hill probably. I will say that the image of
Iris swimming in a vat of alcohol is a stand-out image in the book,
the children story was lovely and looking back, I’m quite glad we got
a nice break where there was no reality-threatening chaos and the only
characters were Iris and Panda. If THIS is one of the lesser stories,
that says volumes about the excellence of this anthology.

Iris Wildthyme y Señor Cientocinco contra Los Monstruos del Fiesta by
Cody Schell:

Okay, let me begin with saying: Mr. 105 is amazing. What a fantastic
character! He’s a bit of a Mary Sue, the oh-so-perfect-guy who is
always charming and mysterious and everyone loves and can do anything,
but the story is so far-fetched that you accept it and the fact that
he’s a Mexican wrestler makes it more absurd that he’s Mr. Perfect,
thus better. He’s got so many great lines and moments and you
genuinely feel for him and his loneliness the whole way through. He
has to, has to, HAS TO appear again. There’s two ways about it. If
he’s not in “The Panda Book of Horror,” I will cry.

One thing that shocked me was that this was genuinely horrific. Other
stories so far, such as “The Unhappy Medium,” had horrific moments and
bits, but this was full on Hinchcliffe! Complete with mummy! There
were proper monsters in this, extremely creepy ones at that. The idea
of something as joyous as a celebration twisted and morphed into
something cruel and demonic is a terrible though, shown in great
effect by the details in the story (such as the game of Twister). And
Panda too! Mindless, feral Panda was… whoa.

There are so many other great moments, too. Too many to mention. Panda
sleeping with his eyes open, Iris bribing the little kid, how the
story handles 105 removing his mask, the “Inglourious Basterds”-esque
use of “Si” and “Señora” in places… In summary, Cody Schell, where
have you been my whole life? I really, really hope to read more from
you in the future as well as reading more adventures of your wonderful
creation, Mr. 105!

Why? Because We Like You by Jonathan Dennis:

My God (a.k.a. Haruhi). Iris does Disney World gone mad. From Walt
Disney-being-frozen alive to secret tunnels hidden beneath the Magic
Kingdom, this story takes all the urban myths and legends about the
Disney Empire and turns them into one glorious tale; one of thrones
and soldiers and children, not 100% out of place with the material
it’s parodying. And yet there’s also a survival horror aspect to this
as well, with various survivors huddling together, finding refuge,
working out the problem. It’s almost like a Romero zombie movie.
“Disney World of the Dead.” Oh, and Iris using a robot loop hole to
meet the cybernetically-enhanced had honcho reminded me of “Voyage of
the Damned.”

So many good one-liners and moments. “Reverse the polarity of the
moron flow,” “Or maybe he’s just an arse,” the brutal Presidents,
Suffragette City, “It’s written on your hat,” I could go on and on and
on… I did wonder if Iris putting the gin in “the Founder’s” tubes was
a bit cruel and out of character for her, but ah, well, how else would
they have ended it? But anyways, exactly the kind of thing you’d
expect from the man who (possibly… probably) created Michael
Brookhaven. A wonderful, twisted fairy tale. Appropriate, given the
subject material.

The Scarlet Shadow by Stewart Sheargold:

This story has a lot of interesting characters, but not enough time
spent on them. The idea of an ex-lover of Panda’s is an amazing one, a
Pussywordler making it even better (the spacesuit bit reminded me of
River Song) and she’s got a wonderful “catty” personality, but she
sort of appears around the halfway point and disappears shortly
afterwards. Marlene Dietrich trapped in the past is another lovely
idea, but she’s sort of relegated to an “ask the questions” companion
(though the idea of her and Von Sternberg making films out of “The
Scarlet Empress” and “The Blue Angel” is hilarious). The Duke of
Autumn is an excellent villain, a renegade Clockwork and a sort of
alchemical version of “The Deadly Assassin” Master, but he only really
appears at the end.

None of that really matters though because this is a less of an actual
short story and more of a Russian folktale. In that respect, there’s a
lot of good here; a lot of atmosphere and mood. The idea of the
Russian dolls coming to life was a bit too similar in concept to the
last story, with the “Small World” children, but the idea of the
living painting is still a good one. It feels like a genuine story
that old gypsies would tell each other around campfires, with the
beautiful daughter and the creepy old man and the roaring rampage of
revenge. But I also like that it was slightly sci-fi’ed up, with the
time spillage and the Museum of Absolutes (I’d love to see a story set
there… for the record, I’d also love to see the
“Iris/Panda/Marlene/Gemima” story as well). It’s not perfect; it’s
slightly boring in places and just feels like it could be… I dunno,
richer… but in terms of FEELING, it’s lovely.

Only Living Girls by Steve Cole:

Fandom. That’s ultimately what this story is about. Sure, it’s got all
the post-apocalyptic trappings, with a small group traveling an
ash-ridden world, scavenging the corpses of Earthly material, but
that’s all surface this. This is really about fans. These two girls,
despite arguing over stupid, little things like the number of times he
failed his exam, despite getting downright creepy about it sometimes
(and stealing the corpses of the cast members and setting them up like
they’re alive is… near the top of the creepy list), their sheer
enthusiasm, joy and LOVE for their program saved not only it, but the
entire world. For such a dark background, it’s very, very uplifting.

With Panda missing, Iris “borrows” another companion for this
adventure… Fit—err, sorry, “Fritz” (Kreiner, I presume). This was an
unexpected but excellent appearance from someone who, let’s be honest,
might never have appeared again. He doesn’t have that much to do here,
as I said he just becomes the companion role; he follows Iris around
and helps with stuff, but it was nice to see him nevertheless and
there are hints and shades at his classic personality throughout the
text (I love that image of the girls looking outside and seeing Iris’s
bus and his sports car).

I also like how there’s a more typical Iris adventure going on beneath
the surface, with glimpses and references made to it (Panda as the
guest star of a TV show! Between this and “Battleship,” I think the
“Panda as celebrity” idea is quite popular among the writers). Was
this story written rather late? I noticed quite a few typos in this
compared to the other stories (not least of which, the text actually
calling him “Fitz” at one point!). This is a story about fiction and
fandom and how the two relate to each other. That’s perfect country
for Iris, metafictional star, so just like “A Gamble in Wildthyme,”
here, as the finale of the book, it’s perfect.

Doctor Who anthologies have a reputation for not being… the best to
their abilities. Out of the ones I’ve read, I’m afraid I have to agree
on a lot of them. 1-3 absolutely brilliant stories surrounded by a
string of not BAD but mediocre, uninteresting ones. I have to say
“Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus” not only breaks this, it
shatters it. While not perfect (but what is?), every single story is
of exceptionally high quality. Full marks, Paul. Full marks, Stuart.
Full marks, writers. This was a wonderful, wonderful book. I am so
excited for “The Panda Book of Horror.” Who’s going to write for it?
I’d love to see Jon Blum or Lance Parkin return to the Iris fold and
ANY writer from this would be much welcomed, and of course, getting
new writers is very cool as well. Man, it can’t come soon enough!"

Good, eh? :)

Stuart

The latest book in Paul's Belle and Effie series - Hell's Belles - is
now available for pre-order on Amazon...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hells-Belles-Paul-Magrs/dp/0755346440/

And on the Iris front, the authorial lineup for Obverse's Iris book 2
- The Panda Book of Horror - has now almost been finalised and writers
are hard at work.  Further information on the ifnal line-up and
pre-ordering details as I get them...

Stuart

2009/7/1 Philip Purser-Hallard <timebeast@...>:
> Quoting Stuart Douglas <sadouglas@...>:
>>
>> No Iris involvement, but just a heads up that a collection of short
>> stories from Paul, entitled '12 Stories' and published by pretty
>> swanky imprint Salt Publishing i snow available for pre-order on
>> Amazon
>> (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelve-Stories-Salt-Modern-Fiction/dp/1844717208/).
>
> Oh wow.  Is that republishing "In the Sixties"?

Must be - the Amazon description says that one story was originally
printed in 'Walking in Eternity' and that's the only one I can think
of.

Which is especially cool since it's my favourite Who story.

Stuart

Quoting Stuart Douglas <sadouglas@...>:
> No Iris involvement, but just a heads up that a collection of short
> stories from Paul, entitled '12 Stories' and published by pretty
> swanky imprint Salt Publishing i snow available for pre-order on
> Amazon
> (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelve-Stories-Salt-Modern-Fiction/dp/1844717208/).

Oh wow.  Is that republishing "In the Sixties"?

PPH

No Iris involvement, but just a heads up that a collection of short
stories from Paul, entitled '12 Stories' and published by pretty
swanky imprint Salt Publishing i snow available for pre-order on
Amazon
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelve-Stories-Salt-Modern-Fiction/dp/1844717208/).

Also, this month's DWM has info on Paul's new five part  series of
audio plays for the BBC starring Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor!

Stuart

(though he probably claims otherwise)

http://unreality-sf.net/interviews/panda.html

Cheers

Stuart

Morning all,

It defintely looks like we'll now sell enough copies of The Celestial
Omnibus to pay for a second book, and consequently we can now announce
(fanfare, sound of trumpets) hat the second Iris Wildthyme anthology
from Obverse Books is going to be called 'The Panda Book of Horror'.

As with 'The Celestial Omnibus', it'll be edited by Paul Magrs and I
and, as with the CO, we're having an open submissions policy with the
aim of having one or two new authors in the mix.

If anyone from JP is interested, we'd prefer a short pitch with a
horror theme rather than a full story in the first instance and are
looking to get all pitches in by the end of June.

Get in touch via www.obversebooks.co.uk - there's a submissions form
on there. We promise to reply to everyone who submits.

Cheers

Stuart

I'm very much looking forward to receiving my copy!

On a side note can I ask why Outpost Gallifrey doesn't like posts about Obverse
Books?:

"What other kinds of posts are frowned upon?

6. All posts about The Who Shop, The Celestial Toystore, and Obverse Books (or
their Iris Wildthyme series) are strictly forbidden. [OG FAQ]"

I would have asked for clarification over there but I can't think of how to do
this without being frowned upon.

regards,

Mansoor

--- In transtemporal@yahoogroups.com, Stuart Douglas <sadouglas@...> wrote:
>
> *What is there left to say about Iris Wildthyme – transtemporal adventuress
> extraordinaire, metafictional explorer of texts and subtexts,
> double-decker-dwelling interstellar bag-lady, amnesia-prone political and
> sexual revolutionary, writer of wrongs, wronger of rights (especially
> copyrights), all-round champion of freedom, occasional nightclub singer and
> frequent barroom floozy?
>
> Well, there's always something...
> *
> Obverse Books are proud to announce the release of their first short story
> collection, 'Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus', edited by Paul Magrs
> and Stuart Douglas.
>
> Continuing the adventures of time traveller extraordinaire Ms Iris
> Wildthyme, 'The Celestial Omnibus' contains stories by such Who luminaries
> as former BBC Books editor Steve Cole; Mark Wright and Cavan Scott,
> producers of the Iris audios for Big Finish; and Iris creator Paul Magrs
> himself.  With an introduction from Katy Manning, the Omnibus travels from
> 1950s England to the last sun at the end of the Universe, encountering the
> crew of the Battleship Anathema,  a world full of cats and another of
> card-playing dogs, the sultry Marlene Dietrich and Panda's mysterious former
> lover, Gemma, on the way.
>
> Available in hardback, with an exclusive cover painting by legendary BBC
> costume designer June Hudson, 'The Celestial Omnibus' costs £10.99 plus
> postage from www.obversebooks.co.uk while stocks last!
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

*What is there left to say about Iris Wildthyme – transtemporal adventuress
extraordinaire, metafictional explorer of texts and subtexts,
double-decker-dwelling interstellar bag-lady, amnesia-prone political and
sexual revolutionary, writer of wrongs, wronger of rights (especially
copyrights), all-round champion of freedom, occasional nightclub singer and
frequent barroom floozy?

Well, there’s always something...
*
Obverse Books are proud to announce the release of their first short story
collection, 'Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus', edited by Paul Magrs
and Stuart Douglas.

Continuing the adventures of time traveller extraordinaire Ms Iris
Wildthyme, 'The Celestial Omnibus' contains stories by such Who luminaries
as former BBC Books editor Steve Cole; Mark Wright and Cavan Scott,
producers of the Iris audios for Big Finish; and Iris creator Paul Magrs
himself.  With an introduction from Katy Manning, the Omnibus travels from
1950s England to the last sun at the end of the Universe, encountering the
crew of the Battleship Anathema,  a world full of cats and another of
card-playing dogs, the sultry Marlene Dietrich and Panda's mysterious former
lover, Gemma, on the way.

Available in hardback, with an exclusive cover painting by legendary BBC
costume designer June Hudson, 'The Celestial Omnibus' costs £10.99 plus
postage from www.obversebooks.co.uk while stocks last!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,

Just a quick update to let you know that after a short delay caused by
a lost in the post cover proof, I've just approved the cover for
printing of 'Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus', and so should
have the book in my hands within the week.

Hope you all like it - and for those who've yet to order, remember
that we'll probably only do one print run so when they're gone,
they're gone! (I'm without shame, I know :-)

http://www.obversebooks.co.uk/celestial_omnibus.php  to order

Cheers

  Stuart (with apologies to anyone who ends up getting this twice)

O.K. I nipped...I bought.

I qualify for the free bus now, eight?:)
**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and Desktops!
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well we're all the same in that respect :)

2009/4/22 Cavan Scott <cavscott@...>:
>
>
> Unless you give him the glad eye...
>
> On 22 Apr 2009, at 22:49, Stuart Douglas wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> He can be a demon when roused, it's true.
>>
>> 2009/4/22 codyschell <codyschell@...>:
>> >
>> >
>> > In fact, I heard that if you don't click, Panda will punch you up
>> the
>> > hooter!
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

Unless you give him the glad eye...

On 22 Apr 2009, at 22:49, Stuart Douglas wrote:

>
>
> He can be a demon when roused, it's true.
>
> 2009/4/22 codyschell <codyschell@...>:
> >
> >
> > In fact, I heard that if you don't click, Panda will punch you up
> the
> > hooter!
> >
> >
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

He can be a demon when roused, it's true.

2009/4/22 codyschell <codyschell@...>:
>
>
> In fact, I heard that if you don't click, Panda will punch you up the
> hooter!
>
>

In fact, I heard that if you don't click, Panda will punch you up the hooter!

I'm paying him in miniatures of gin that I pinched from the Holiday
Inn.  He says they're a handy size for Adventures...

2009/4/22 Cavan Scott <cavscott@...>:
>
>
> But knowing Panda, he'll probably be wanting commission ;-)
>
> On 22 Apr 2009, at 22:22, Stuart Douglas wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Well we've finally got there! Some nine months or so after Paul and I
>> first discussed doing a new Iris Wildthyme short story collection, I
>> spoke to the printer this afternoon and sent our lovingly created
>> print ready pdf and Mark's brilliant setting of June's fabulous cover
>> art into their capable hands. All things being well, I should have
>> the finished book in my hands, ready to post out at some point during
>> May!
>>
>> Which is where you come in :) If no-one buys the book, this will all
>> have been a bit of a waste of time! So nip along to
>> obversebooks.co.uk and pre-order a copy for the bargain price of
>> £10.99 plus postage for 234 fantastic, fun-filled pages!
>>
>> Just click on the Panda to order...he says he doesn't mind, he likes
>> to do his bit.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Stuart and Paul
>>
>>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

But knowing Panda, he'll probably be wanting commission ;-)

On 22 Apr 2009, at 22:22, Stuart Douglas wrote:

>
>
> Well we've finally got there! Some nine months or so after Paul and I
> first discussed doing a new Iris Wildthyme short story collection, I
> spoke to the printer this afternoon and sent our lovingly created
> print ready pdf and Mark's brilliant setting of June's fabulous cover
> art into their capable hands. All things being well, I should have
> the finished book in my hands, ready to post out at some point during
> May!
>
> Which is where you come in :) If no-one buys the book, this will all
> have been a bit of a waste of time! So nip along to
> obversebooks.co.uk and pre-order a copy for the bargain price of
> £10.99 plus postage for 234 fantastic, fun-filled pages!
>
> Just click on the Panda to order...he says he doesn't mind, he likes
> to do his bit.
>
> Cheers
>
> Stuart and Paul
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well we've finally got there!  Some nine months or so after Paul and I
first discussed doing a new Iris Wildthyme short story collection, I
spoke to the printer this afternoon and sent our lovingly created
print ready pdf and Mark's brilliant setting of June's fabulous cover
art into their capable hands.  All things being well, I should have
the finished book in my hands, ready to post out at some point during
May!

Which is where you come in :)  If no-one buys the book, this will all
have been a bit of a waste of time!  So nip along to
obversebooks.co.uk and pre-order a copy for the bargain price of
£10.99 plus postage for 234 fantastic, fun-filled pages!

Just click on the Panda to order...he says he doesn't mind, he likes
to do his bit.

Cheers

Stuart and Paul

The full wrapround cover for the 'Celestial Omnibus', created by Mark
Michalowski from artowrk supplie dby June Hudson and Anthony Dry, can
be seen here: http://www.obversebooks.co.uk/images/Iris%20book%20cover.jpg

We're still on track for publication by the end of April, btw, when
copies of the book will be available direct from the Obverse Books
website..

Cheers

Stuart

[I thought I'd already posted this but I can't see it]

And travelling on the Bus this time round are...

[BIG DRUMROLL]

Introduction - Katy Manning
A Gamble with Wildthyme - Steve Lyons
Sovereign - Mags L Halliday
The Unhappy Medium - Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
Living Legend - Stuart Douglas
Battleship Anathema - Phil Purser-Hallard
The Dreadful Flap - Paul Magrs
Not A Drop - Steven Wickham
Iris Wildthyme y Señor Cientocinco contra Los Monstruos del Fiesta -
Cody Schell
Why, Because We Like You - Jonathan Dennis
The Scarlet Shadow - Stewart Sheargold
Only Living Girls - Steve Cole

Messrs Lyons, Magrs and Cole and the delightful Ms Mags Halliday will
be well known to Doctor Who book readers, while Mark Wright and Cav
Scott are in charge of the Big Finish Iris range. They and Stewart
Sheargold have written extensively for the Big Finish ranges.

Jonathan Dennis and Phil Purser-Hallard have both written Faction
Paradox fiction, with Phil also writing for novellas for Telos and Big
Finish.

Finally, introducing Cody Schell and Steven Wickham with their first
published pieces of Who related fiction, though Steven has appeared as
an actor in over a dozen Big Finish audios.

Oh, and me - but that's sheer nepotism so probably best glossed over
quickly...

With specially commissioned cover art by June Hudson, legendary Doctor
Who costume designer, and logo courtesy of the lovely Anthony Dry,
we're aiming for a publication date in early April.

Cheers

Stuart

Go on! You know you want to!

Seriously, we'd love to know what you think about the series.

All the best,

Cavan Scott
Producer - Iris Wildthyme

For those who haven't bought this but fancy it, its worth noting that
the boxset is now in stock on Amazon for under £20

http://tinyurl.com/cpvztf

Stuart

Paul's latest young adult novel is now listed on Amazon with a May
release date, and has a failry obvious Who - if not Iris - tie-in :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Dr-Who-Addict/dp/1847384129/

Stuart