Philippa Ballantine

It is a beautiful moment when an author sees that covers that will wrap around their words, and in the last two days I have seen one new and been able to reveal the other. One is the cover of the German edition of Phoenix Rising—which being from a foreign publisher I didn’t get to [...]

It’s a busy time of year for everyone, and the run up to the final days before Christmas are crazy. So I’m ever so pleased that Harper Voyager picked Phoenix Rising as one of ten books that they are discounting for a limited time to 99c. And best of all this is a cross platform [...]

Phoenix Rising is nominated for best science fiction of 2011 over on Goodreads.com. This is a big deal, and getting into the first round of competition is delightful and unexpected, but we need your help to get further. Getting the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences as much attention as possible goes toward getting more novels and [...]

It’s raining details over here right now…so here’s an update. Check out my appearances page for where and when I will be around. We have a selection of cool events Tee and I will be attending in 2012- the largest (so far) is DragonCon. It’s been awhile since I’ve dropped into the madness in Atlanta—2008 [...]

As you probably- or possibly- know I got married last week to my co-author Tee Morris. You’d think that would be enough of a week… But then we went to Comic Con. See my post for all about that. (Tor.com wrote up this review of the panel I was on Winter is Here) Then we [...]

Tee and I just got back from New York Comic Con. To say that it was an assault on the senses would be an understatement. Previous to this DragonCon was the biggest event I’ve ever been to. NYCC made that look like my Nana’s tea party. Held in the Javits Convention Centre, there were a [...]

One of the first things that we warn folks before they come to our house is ‘we have cats…five of them.’ It’s a strange thing that folks (readers and listeners) who don’t know me personally know about me. I share quite a bit about my life, and I was worried that I talked about the [...]

One of the joys of going to conventions, is the shot in the arm I often get to my creativity and way of looking at business. During WorldCon, Tee Morris and I sat down with our agent Laurie McLean, and we both realised we were missing a trick. You see, both Tee and I have [...]

I am currently at WorldCon in Reno Nevada, and having a fine old time, but none as fine as what happened tonight. The Chelsey Awards are the big award for fantasy artists and are presented by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors. Jason Chan’s work for my book Geist was nominated in the [...]

I had a lot of fun with Skiffy and Fanty. We talk Geist, Spectyr, Phoenix Rising and what lies ahead. We also giggle and enjoy ourselves far to much. Listen to the episode here. Hopefully I can go back on the show one day and do an update, and also be prepared when they break [...]

People have been asking Tee and I about getting hold of the audio version of Phoenix Rising. We’ve been doing a series of short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, and one of those stories by Nathan Lowell is nominated for a Parsec Awards. However the rights to the full [...]

Or a gentlewoman. As a steampunk author I am particularly keen on proper manners. I try and observe them as much as I can, so recent events have been rather disappointing. Politeness and civility go a long way in publishing. You want to be known as a professional, not as that person who bailed up [...]

I finally got the first rough draft of Wrayth off to Ace, and am heading into other editing projects, but along the way you will be able to find me in Reno, Nevada attending to WorldCon. This is a huge event in the convention calendar, with many publishers, editors, fans and writers attending. Last year [...]

This is the first in a series of blogposts, where I talk about what I have learned about the publishing industry, writing, and things I see that just irritate or make me want to pull my hair out. I’m not exactly known for my rants, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have those moments. They [...]

Here it is…the third book in nine months. Yep, here is Spectyr. Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance [...]

I’m happy to announce that my winners are Terri and Anita. They both get an advanced copy of Spectyr and a lovely Catherinette ring. I got some great entries to the competition, and it was great fun to see the people with Geist. I’ve put together a little collection of the entries that were particularly [...]

Spectyr is coming… Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. She and her partner, Deacon Merrick Chambers, find themselves chasing down rumors of geists, but long for a return to real action. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation sent to negotiate the terms [...]

May 2009- sold the Book of the Order series to Ace Books May 2010- sold the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series to Harper Collins.   Pretty good average for May. I joked to someone around Christmas “what could possibly happen in May 2011?” Be very careful what you wish for. It is with considerable delight [...]