James Blaylock

James P. Blaylock
Born (1950-09-20) September 20, 1950
Long Beach, California, United States
Occupation Writer
Nationality American
Genre Fantasy, Science fiction
Literary movement Steampunk
Website
www.sybertooth.com/blaylock/

James Paul Blaylock (born September 20, 1950) is an American fantasy author.[1] He is noted for a distinctive, humorous style, as well as being one of the pioneers of the steampunk genre of science fiction. Blaylock has cited Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens as his inspirations.[2]

He was born in Long Beach, California; studied English at California State University, Fullerton, receiving an M.A. in 1974; and lives in Orange, California, teaching creative writing at Chapman University. He taught at the Orange County School of the arts up until 2013. Many of his books are set in Orange County, California, and can more specifically be termed "fabulism"  that is, fantastic things happen in our present-day world, rather than in traditional fantasy, where the setting is often some other world. His works have also been categorized as magic realism.

He and his friends Tim Powers and K. W. Jeter were mentored by Philip K. Dick. Along with Powers, Blaylock invented the poet William Ashbless. Blaylock and Powers have often collaborated with each other on writing stories, including "The Better Boy", "On Pirates", and "The William Ashbless Memorial Cookbook".

Blaylock is also currently director of the Creative Writing Conservatory at the Orange County High School of the Arts, where Powers is Writer in Residence.[3]

He has been married to his wife, Viki Blaylock, for more than 40 years. They have two sons, John and Danny.

Awards

Blaylock's short story "Thirteen Phantasms" won the 1997 World Fantasy Award for best Short Fiction.[4] "Paper Dragons" won the award in 1986.[5]

Novels

The "Balumnia" Trilogy

Whimsical fantasy inspired, according to the author, by Wind in the Willows and The Hobbit.

The "Narbondo" Series

Sharing the character of villain Ignacio Narbondo; the first is contemporary fantasy set in 1960s California, while the remainder are Steampunk novels set in Victorian England.

The "Christian" Trilogy

Present-day fantasy using Christian elements, such as the Holy Grail and the silver coins paid to Judas.

The "Ghosts" Trilogy

Present-day Californian ghost stories.

Others

References

  1. Mark Wingenfeld, "James P. Blaylock" in Bleiler, Richard, Ed. Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003. (pp. 89-98) ISBN 9780684312507
  2. http://www.thegeekgirlproject.com/2013/05/23/interview-with-james-p-blaylock/
  3. http://www.thegeekgirlproject.com/2013/05/23/interview-with-james-p-blaylock/
  4. World Fantasy Convention (2010). "Award Winners and Nominees". Retrieved 4 Feb 2011.
  5. http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/1986.html

External links

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