| Ian Whates |
[Sep. 16th, 2008|02:12 pm]
jjarrold
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The latest client of the John Jarrold Literary Agency is UK author and editor Ian Whates.
In the mid-1980s, Ian started submitting stories to science fiction and fantasy magazines, several of which appeared in small press publications Dream and New Moon Quarterly. The second to be published, “Take Two”, was subsequently nominated for the British Fantasy Award.
Nearly two decades later, he determined to make a more resolute attempt to fulfil his ambitions as an author and, in August 2004, joined the Northampton SF Writers Group, chaired by Ian Watson. He has since become the vice chairman of the group. That same year he attended his first SF convention, Novacon, and was instantly smitten.
He sold 25 stories to a variety of venues over the next two years, including two to the science journal Nature, one of which was included in Tor Books’ ‘Best of’ anthology Futures from Nature.
In 2006, Ian also established small press publisher NewCon Press, commissioning, editing and releasing anthologies of original stories from some of the UK’s best writers of speculative fiction. The first such, Time Pieces, boasted a cover by Hollywood conceptual artist Chris Baker, which won the BSFA Award for best artwork. Sarah Singleton’s story from that book, “The Disappeared”, was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award.
Two stories from 2007’s anthology, disLOCATIONS, were shortlisted for the BSFA Award (Chaz Brenchley's and Ken MacLeod's) which, Ken's won. Two were included in Gardner Dozois' latest Year's Best anthology (Ken MacLeod's and Brian Stableford's) and one (Pat Cadigan's) made the Locus recommended reading list as one of the best shorts of 2007. The book’s cover, by Andy Bigwood, again won the BSFA for best artwork.
Ian’s story “One Night in London” was nominated for the BSFA Award in 2008, while another, “The Gift of Joy”, went one better and appeared on the five-strong shortlist. It eventually lost out to Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out” from one of Ian’s own anthologies. Ian’s story “Knowing How to Look” has also been nominated for the British Fantasy Award.
Easter 2008 saw Ian simultaneously release two new anthologies: Celebration, commemorating 50 years of the British Science Fiction Association and Myth-Understandings, a book themed on communication which showcases women authors. A fifth anthology, Subterfuge, will be launched this October during Newcon 4, and several other projects are in the pipeline.
Ian is a member of the Society of Authors and is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the BSFA, for whom he edits the news and media webzine Matrix. He has recently been commissioned by Robinsons to compile and co-edit (with Ian Watson) a new anthology in their ongoing Mammoth Book of... series – The Mammoth Book of Alternative History Stories.
Ian lives in an idyllic Cambridgeshire village with his long-suffering partner, Helen, along with a manic cocker spaniel and a tailless black cat. He has recently completed his debut novel, an urban fantasy with hefty steampunk and SF overtones entitled City of Dreams and Nightmare, and he is currently busy organising the SF convention NewCon 4.
‘Ian is a ball of energy,’ said John Jarrold. ‘He’s also a very good writer, with ideas leaping from every orifice. Welcome aboard, Ian!’ |
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