Time's Champion

Shelf Life

2009-05-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I want to post about Shelf Life, which is another charity project in memory of Craig Hinton with proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. Shelf Life is an anthology of many Doctor Who short stories by old and new Doctor Who authors , including myself and Craig. The collection is a fine example of fiction in style of Craig Hinton - in a word, continuity-fests. Doctors 1-8 are featured, as well as accompanying artwork, tributes to Craig, prequels and sequels to television stories, and even an unpublished prologue to Time's Champion, the only text where Craig and I worked together to produce. I wholeheartedly recommend Shelf Life, which is available at http://shelflife.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
Copies are still in print, so please visit the site to find out how to obtain a copy for yourself.

Time's Champion on ebay

2009-04-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

David J Howe has posted this link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=220405754273 at Outpost Gallifrey as the place where a copy of Time's Champion is available for purchase. The proceeds are still for the British Heart Foundation, so all those who still wish to read the novel, here is your chance - there aren't many left! :)

A sign of times to come...

2009-03-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all. It's the end of March, and I have a title for something I'm thinking of, outside of Doctor Who. I call it The Mystery of Johnathon Sinclaire. More when I know more. :)

After the convention...

2009-02-28T08:40:00.001-08:00

Hello all! It's the end of a quick month, but it was eventful. At Gallifrey 20, I met Colin Baker and John Levene, and even said a brief shout of support to Frazer Hines in his hope to return as Jamie in the New Series. All in all, as we sold off the final copies of Time's Champion, I felt as if this was the end of something wonderful, and of course, the beginning of something better. So, onward!

2009 begins and a convention comes

2009-01-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2009 is shining bright for everyone. I will be at the GallifreyOne 20 convention on Saturday, February 14th. David and I will be selling off the last few copies of Time's Champion and I strongly suggest, if those who already have a copy would like theirs signed by me, then please bring your book to the convention and I will gladly do so. The signing should be around 11 am, after the Telos novels panel, which will also discuss Time's Champion. I hope to see and meet you all there! :)

Farewell to 2008, but not to this blog. :)

2008-12-31T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well, 2008 is about to disappear, and I'm so grateful yo have lived through this year. We saw the completion of Time's Champion, amongst many other great and wonderful things that happened, all far more important that the publication of a novel. But for me, in my life, to see this book come to light was the best gift I've ever received. For those who still have not yet received a copy of the book, and would like to read it, David J Howe and I will be at the GallifreyOne 2009 convention next February to sell the remaining copies. Until then, I hope all enjoyed their Christmas/Boxing Day, and have a Happy New Year! :)

Yet another review

2008-11-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all! It's been a busy few months, but the Thanksgiving holiday is sure to help us forget that with lots of food. :) About a week and a half ago, I spotted a new review of Time's Champion at the Ratings Guide site. Here's a link: http://www.pagefillers.com/dwrg/frames.htm This will take you to the main site (for some reason it doesn't change from page to page) and you can find the review under November 13th's batch of New Reviews; it's the third of five in this grouping. It's a nice one, and nicely positive! :) Enjoy!

Third printing is here

2008-10-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

The third printing arrived today and I've packaged them up to go off to everyone who ordered tomorrow.

I also sent emails to everyone waiting ... so hopefully you know that your copy is (or will very shortly be) on the way.

We still have copies left, so it's not too late to order if you haven't yet had the chance to get your hands on a copy. I am planning/hoping to bring some to the Gallifrey convention next year as well, so if you attend that, then you might be able to pick up a copy there, depending on demand and how fast I sell the ones I bring.

David

Two new stories

2008-10-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone. Sorry for not posting myself for a while, but I've been busy with school, work, and writing! :) Yes, on my related fiction site, which you can access on this blog via the link below the Time's Champion ordering link, you can now see two of my newest 9th Doctor continuity friendly stories: The Jaws of Flame, and Not Forgotten. Both feature familiar friends and enemies, with more on the way! :)

Third Reprint

2008-10-07T01:57:00.000-07:00

We have now received enough orders to justify a third reprint of the book! So thanks to everyone who has ordered. The reprint is underway at the moment and I hope to have copies around the end of October ... as soon as I get them, then they'll be sent to everyone who has ordered.

Also, I have now sent the first cheque off to the British Heart Foundation for the book. So far, and not including the third printing, we have raised £2026.81 for the charity.

Another Review

2008-10-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

Another review is online now:

http://www.sci-fi-online.com/2008_reviews/book/08-07-21_time-champ.htm

David

Reviews

2008-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Just seen the first magazine review for Time's Champion. It's from Total SciFi and can be found here:
http://www.dwscifi.com/reviews/2321-time-s-champion

The Reprint Has Landed

2008-09-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Just to let people know that the reprint edition of Time's Champion has arrived and copies are being despatched to everyone who has ordered it as soon as I can get that organised.

David

Sold Out

2008-08-31T02:37:00.000-07:00

The second edition of Time's Champion is now sold out. Demand has continued to be very high for the book, and so we are still collecting orders through September 2008. If we receive enough orders to justify another edition, then the title will be reprinted again, otherwise we will refund all monies received.

Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support of this project.

David

Multiple Copies

2008-08-27T02:35:00.000-07:00

I have had a few requests for multiple copies of the book. Because we are getting close to selling out of the reprint, I feel it's only fair to give people who do not have the book the chance to obtain it. Therefore anyone ordering multiple copies (or ordering a second/third copy when they already have one from the first print run) will have their orders reversed and refunded.

I hope people understand and appreciate the reasons behind this.

Cheers

David

Podcast

2008-08-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

Time's Champion is the main subject of the Doctor Who Podcast #84, which features a brief rundown of the book, and an interview between myself (Chris) and Trevor, the Australian half of the Podcast's duo. This was a joy to record and I've just listened to it today. So, please, to all interested, go and visit the Doctor Who Podcast and hear the latest session to hear me discuss Time's Champion in detail.

More information and download links can be found here:

http://www.thewhocast.com/podcast/

Reprint

2008-08-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

Just to let folks know that I have ordered up the reprint now. Hopefully enough to cover those orders I have in, plus some more from any reviews which might appear, and for me to bring some to the Gallifrey convention next year to sell. As soon as I get the reprint in stock, then I'll sort out mailing them to those waiting for copies.

Thanks to everyone for your support. As soon as I can get the accounting sorted, I'll let you know how much we raised for the charity on the book so far.

David

Epilogue

2008-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

It came to our attention once Time's Champion was printed, that somehow an Epilogue, which was contained in the original manuscript, was missing from the book!

Although it's absence in no way detracts from the book as a whole - the story it tells is still complete therein - it does close a couple of loops as far as the story of the Valeyard is concerned.

Therefore, anyone wishing to read (or even print off) the epilogue, can get hold of a PDF file of the two pages here:

http://homepages.which.net/~howe/timeschampion/epilogue.pdf

To read this in your browser you will need the Adobe PDF Reader plug-in to be installed, otherwise you may be prompted to save the file, and to read it you will need the free Adobe Reader software (or similar). Head to www.adobe.com to download these things if you need them.

REPRINT

2008-07-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

Just a quick rider to the above note ... it is actually not certain there will be another printing. I need to wait and see how the orders go I think. Then, if I can justify printing more, do so, otherwise it would be spending money on books which could go to the charity.

This is why we wanted people to order in advance. Most of you didn't ... and so we didn't have enough.

I should know in a couple of weeks what the status is and so I'll try and keep people up to date as best I can.

David

SOLD OUT

2008-07-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Due to unprecidented demand for the book, the initial printing is now sold out! I am ordering up a reprint, but we won't have these for 3 or so weeks, and so anyone who orders in the meantime will have to wait a little longer for their copy.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the book and ordered it.

We Have Books!

2008-07-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

The books arrived safely today and we have managed to get through all the UK ones which have now been taken down to the Post Office.

Just to whet your appetite ...

The pallet of books outside my house this morning ...

The first box of books opened to reveal the goodness within :)

David

PS: Strange but true: 8 people who ordered the books are registered to PayPal with 'unknown' email addresses - ie my message to them has bounced back.

Delivery Date

2008-07-17T03:16:00.001-07:00

I've just been told by the printers that the books should be delivered on Monday next week (21st July).

I'll try and start sending them out as soon as I can thereafter.

David

Kudos to Viking

2008-07-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give Kudos to Viking Direct. I ordered some Jiffy Bags today to mail the books out in, and when I explained that the project was all for charity, they kindly dropped their price by more than half for me. They didn't have to do that, and it was most appreciated, keeping the shipping costs as low as possible, and meaning that even more money can go to the charity.

David

Off to Print

2008-07-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

David here. Just a quick note to let people know that Time's Champion went off to print today - the cover and internals all now having been completed.

Some people were interested in what the cover looks like, so here it is in all its glory.

As has been mentioned, the spine and back cover have been designed to sit alongside the Virgin 'Missing Adventures', while the front cover is different as a) I'm not a fan of the design of the 'Missing Adventures' b) We wanted Alister to come up with a cracking piece of art for us and c) we can't use the Doctor Who logo as this isn't an authorised book. We hope that people are happy with what we have done though.

I'm hoping, barring any problems or issues at this stage, to get finished copies by the end of July, and as soon as I do get the books, then I'll start mailing them out to everyone who has ordered. What I will also try and do is to email everyone who has ordered to let them know that the books are ready for despatch.

Thanks to everyone who has ordered a copy, and at the moment there's still time to get your order in. The book is only being produced in limited numbers, and pretty much to the quantity that's required.

Absolutely Positively Wonderful News!!!!!! :)

2008-07-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all! This afternoon, I received confirmation from Alister Pearson, who in turn confirmed this on the Outpost Gallifrey forum, that the cover art for Time's Champion has been completed as of approximately 10:30 pm London Time on July 2nd, 2008. This was the final step before the publication process could begin. So what does this mean? After years of waiting, writing, and wishing, Time's Champion will soon - hopefully in a matter of weeks if all goes to plan - be published and available for shipping and reading! This is a dream coming true! :)

Mid-year status

2008-06-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm back from an Alaskan cruise and it was beautiful; Hubbard Glacier is like a gem floating on the sea. :) As for the book, we are laying down the final amendments to the text and are awaiting the final cover form. I can't promise any times, but more than likely we should see the novel ready within the next couple of months, perhaps during the Summer. I think it can be said this will happen. :) I'm soon going to figure out what I need to do with this blog after publication. I think we'll keep it up. :)

Cover Sketch

2008-05-31T01:46:00.000-07:00

Alister Pearson has kindly given his okay for us to reveal the cover sketch for the artwork he's currently working on for Time's Champion.

The artwork is well underway now, and further progress reports will be added here as we approach the printing stage.

One important note

2008-05-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

I should add, this prologue is not part of the published book. This is from the cutting room floor. :)

A lost segment

2008-05-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here, for the first time, is the Prologue to Time's Champion, featuring the Master roughly concurrent to The Mysterious Planet (from the Doctor's perspective). Enjoy! :)

Doctor Who
Time’s Champion
Prologue

Darkness was the natural state of the chamber — no light had broken its blindness for so many years; and during those long, uninterrupted years not a single soul had disturbed the silence of the machinery woven throughout the cavernous space, which silence deafened every surface, down to the very walls. Until now.
SPACEChuckling. A smile flashes. Happiness — not a welcome aspect of the Master’s nature, but satisfaction and success were more than capable of uplifting his face in triumph. This face was illuminated by the light which radiated around his head, casting sharp shadows across the terminal where he sat. His deep black suit reflected none of this light, thereby making the Master’s chiseled countenance the only visible object floating still in the space; the rest was darkness.
SPACEHe was amused by the sights which he saw, visions which the light about his head afforded him. The source of this light was an ornately decorated gold circle which floated around, without quite touching, the Master’s head. And through this circle, the Master’s mind would be crowned with the greatest tool at his disposal-Knowledge, knowledge which could only be bestowed by the Matrix.
SPACEThe Matrix. What a concept it truly was. At the thought of it the Master drew in a breath with the deepest pleasure. How could one describe the Matrix in simple terms? Indeed, there were many simplistic terms by which one could attempt to define this masterpiece of technology: a Brain Storage System, the Ultimate Computer; the Repository of All Knowledge; the Sum Total of all the thoughts and experiences of the Entire Time Lord race; The Perfect Machine.
SPACEYet anyone trying to confine the Matrix to such a basic design was nothing more than the lowest simpleton, for through the Matrix, One could comprehend the Infinite! Here, within this vaulted pinnacle of Time Lord Technology, all preconceived notions of reality were challenged, refuted and discarded, and in this freedom from all supposed natural laws, the Matrix was the law unto itself.
SPACE“And yet,” the Master admitted inwardly, with just a glare of disappointment, “if only I had been its architect. It could have been so much more.” The Master’s smile faded into the shadows.
SPACENo more time for the shortcomings of the past; now comes the long-awaited future. The Master tensed his body and steeled his mind for the journey which he was about to travel. True, he had wandered down the Matrix’s pathways before, but this time was different. On this occasion, he was authorized. Authorized … The Master bristled at the allowance, noticing nearly too late that the future was already there …
SPACEThe Matrix is accessed. The Master’s mind revolves around it, twists about, dives into, crawls through, consumes within. The Master? Who is he? Why is he here? Why be alone, why not merge into light? No. The light is great and brilliant. The darkness is deeper. Unseal the mind’s eye, become the event horizon, focus the vision, attract the light, consume the light!
SPACEContact.
SPACEA drop creates a ripple as it falls into the depths of the sea. The drop struggles to direct itself against the crushing pressure of the surroundings; the rising tide of time’s fulfilling revolutions. The drop finds its bearings, buoys itself upwards, bubbles itself outwards, bursts, and breaks forth from the surface of the sea with the force of a tidal wave. The Master rises up from the depths of ignorance and lifts himself up to the height of prophecy. He arrives successfully. Time to think normally now.
SPACEThe Master stared about himself and continued to feel disappointed — just as it was around his body outside the Matrix, so was there only a void of darkness around his mind within. All of the Infinite at his disposal and it could only present itself in such a predicable manner. No matter, there would be time for creativity shortly. His gaze fixed forward, The Master strode ahead, taking no notice of his new form; he already comprehended his appearance. Whereas outside he carried himself within the acquired body of the Trakenite Tremas (which all the power of that planet’s Source could not support for much longer), within this mindscape the Master formed himself as all of what could be, and what he should have been - before Terserus, before the fire, and the whelp … Enough.
SPACEHe was whole now, and possessed different purposes in being here, although, like everything in his Universe, and most likely beyond, the paths which the Master pursued led back to only one origin — The Doctor.
SPACEThe Master sneered at all levels of his being at the thought of his enemy — he even had to force himself not to conjure up a mental image of the current incarnation. He had seen enough of that one, with his ever-expanding ego and his (incredibly) deteriorating dress sense, to afford irritating himself at the moment.
SPACENevertheless, one man’s irritation was now the least of the Doctor’s concerns, especially when compared with the united paranoia of the entire Time Lord community. With one part amusement and another part annoyance, the Master recalled such a pure expression of paranoia on the face of the Time Lord who had first involved him in this dangerous speculation.
SPACEAt that very moment a bright light flared before the Master’s face and he saw a flaming orb suspended directly before him. The Time Lord halted in his tracks, reminded of his current location, where one’s most private thoughts were always in the public eye.
SPACE“I do not require rehearsals!” he shouted, his head and eyes snapping upwards intensely. “Nor my intelligence insulted!”
SPACEDespite his disapproval, the orb’s flames scintillated outward, isolating the Master’s mind from the Matrix gestalt and began to boil away the surface of his memory. Within the fumy haze of his mind’s view, the Master saw, forming from the smoke, the words, “Just so you don’t get any unwanted ideas into your head.”
SPACEThe smoke gathered thick and resolved itself into the very memory the Master had recovered just before the orb had intruded him: the paranoid face of the indignant Time Lord …

* * *

“Co-Ordinator Vansell of the CIA. How inventive of you to visit me in my TARDIS. Unfortunately for you, I do not welcome visitors here, even when they are the most unmemorable of guests.”
SPACEVansell, his hands tensing at his sides spoke with halting defiance, “Before you exercise your property rights on me, I have something of great importance which even you must value — The Doctor. Ah, I see that I’ve touched the right nerve. Good. You may lower your weapon now.”
SPACEThe Master walked slowly towards his former acquaintance and, being appreciably taller, lowered his TCE to hover directly before Vansell’s eyes.
SPACE“Of course,” the Master replied with suave, agreeable tones. The deep shadows of the Master’s TARDIS suddenly contrasted even more with the brighter shades of pale on Vansell’s face. He swallowed briefly, and stated, “Thank you.”
SPACE“Now,” Vansell continued with care, “in the interest of co-operation, I will be brief. The Doctor has embarrassed the High Council with his interfering for the final time, and as punishment for his behaviour it has been decided that he must, once again, face the justice of the Time Lords.
SPACE“As Co-Ordinator and Special Representative of the Celestial Intervention Agency, I am come to inform you that President Niroc has appointed you to the position of Prosecutor in the forthcoming Trial.
SPACE“Upon accepting this honourable opportunity, you will be authorized to use any information pertaining to the Doctor at your disposal, including full and complete access to the resources of the Matrix itself. There, I have done my duty, and I may say I missed the pleasure in doing so. Nonetheless, the offer stands — Will you or will you not accept it?”
SPACEThe Master stood rooted before Vansell, his eyes wide and his breathing perfectly pressurized. Such arrogance from the little man on any other occasion would have made his unimpressive size irrelevant. However, the urgency in his manner and the audacity in his arrival proved one thing — his honesty. At least as far as honesty went when employed by the Agency.
SPACE“So,” the Master summarized, “the Doctor is once again unbalancing the scales of Time Lord Justice. And the Lord President, or should I refer to him as “Your Puppet,” wishes me to tip him over permanently?”
SPACEAt the Master’s inference, Vansell’s hands clenched more tightly than usual.
SPACE“The Celestial Intervention Agency obeys the will of the President of the Time Lords at all times; we value loyalty as a guiding principle,” Vansell countered defiantly.
SPACE“Yes, just as both the CIA and its Lord President are subject to the whims of the Doctor,” the Master retorted with sardonic relish.
SPACE“And now your 'Lord President' so wishes to escape the Doctor’s authority that he has committed the obvious offense in soliciting my authority. How desperate he must be.” The Master chuckled, his dark eyes narrowing in grim amusement.
SPACE“As well he should be. Against the Time Lords alone, the Doctor can succeed in confusing your crippled system long enough to survive, or, especially given the quality of its current representative, escape with no harm done to him. No, there is no victory the Time Lords could offer me; I could destroy the Doctor on any occasion.
SPACE“However, it is an impossibility come true that full mobility within the Matrix is an acceptable part of your CIA’s bargain, Vansell; one that even I can scarcely overlook. And what new secrets I may discover to help finally humiliate and destroy the Doctor …”
SPACEIt was enough.
SPACE“Very well,” the Master spoke with resolution, “I accept the position.”
SPACE“We felt that you would, though I will say that you’ve exceeded my expectations,” said Vansell with a sneer, his tolerable reserves of confidence replenished.
SPACE“Now, if you will put away your defenses, we can discuss the time and place of your searching the Matrix to prepare your case.”
SPACEThe TCE did not waver. The Master chuckled, his eyes narrowing in amusement.
SPACE“No. That is not agreeable. I already am perfectly capable of using your resources. Therefore, this conversation is no longer necessary.”
SPACEA repulsive sneer stretched along the Master’s mouth.
SPACE“As for you, my transparent friend, be assured that although I can tuck you away at any moment,” the Master reached behind himself and deftly danced his fingers across the switches of a console panel, “I authorize the CIA to do that in my stead.”
SPACEBefore a protest could force its way from Vansell, as usual, the slight form of the Coordinator sifted itself out of sight. The Master smiled. Suddenly, he started, blinking rapidly several times as if aware of some new development.
SPACE“Vansell,” he barked as he snapped his gloved fingers. On command, the said Coordinator reappeared in the console room, looking like an intruder caught in the light of his own guilt.
SPACEThe Master, with furious intensity advanced on the small intruder and snarled, “You assume to hypnotize me while I wield the power of the Matrix?! You deny who I am?!” With lightning speed, the Master raised his hands which ignited into brilliant flames, an all-consuming inferno …

* * *

A cold wind softly rustled through the Master. He sighed with pleased satisfaction. As the Master knew, Vansell’s trust in him was far from full and complete. Of course, as the Master also knew, the CIA’s trust in Vansell was equally secure. There was always an advantage to press.
SPACE“It would have been such an easy pleasure to kill him,” he thought to himself, “but some pleasures must wait for their proper time.”
SPACEWith this in mind, the Master continued to press forward in the darkness. Except it was not just darkness anymore. The Master halted and raised his eyes. For one of the few times in memory, even he could only gaze around in amazement. The creativity of the Matrix had demonstrated itself more capably than he had expected. In fact, since his last visit, that capability had grown — as had the trees.
SPACEThe trees stretched themselves up high into the air. So high were the lengths of their trunks that they seemed to stretch into each other — they were infinite. Each tree possessed many branches and these branches were so full in number and thick with foliage that the sky itself was composed of the interconnected network of the tree tops.
SPACEYet for all this detail the Master could only just perceive the barest outlines of this forest — the deep darkness of the land still clung to every surface, muffling each outline with an almost fuzzy glow. Carved precisely into the bark of each trunk were deep red coloured symbols of a curious design, “The ancient language of the Time Lords,” breathed the Master.
SPACEWith mounting enthusiasm, the Master sprinted over to the nearest trunk and pressed his fingers against one of the symbols nearest to the ground. The grooves of the carving appeared to have been scorched into the trunk, and there was a deep red colour sealed between the grooves of the symbol.
SPACEThis red seal possessed a distinct shine to its surface which glinted across the Master’s eyes. Upon closer examination, the Master saw that this red material was also pulsing in soft, rhythmic vibrations. His enthusiasm congealing into careful curiosity, the Master slowly extended his fingers and reached within the symbol to touch the crimson layer.
SPACEUpon contact, the Master was convulsing, his body pulsing in time with the symbolic rhythms. For a moment the Master felt as if his fingers were stretching into the tree itself, like a parasitic fungi attempting to bond with an unsuspecting host. It was an exhilarating sensation.
SPACESuddenly, as his eyes widened in agony, the Master himself felt the pains of invasion as the crimson seal bubbled outwards and began to flow upwards along his arms. As if caught in the path of a flooding river, the Master’s mind overflowed with images of another life …
SPACEThrough the eyes of one filled with ambition, driven by the need to climb the rungs of the social structure, until an assignment too dangerous to accept yet too enticing to deny lures one into scenes of peace and the backgrounds of war, a whirlwind life of parties and schemes, and just as one’s social concern replaces social ambition, an assassin’s bullet pierces both hearts and one’s eyes close on the last thing it will ever see … the Doctor …
SPACEAnother Doctor, the confounded comedian! The long regenerated face of his foe pierced clear into the Master’s mind and cut short the vision of the crimson rhythm. Seared by the sudden disconnect, the liquid seal retreated back into the carved symbol on the bark of the tree. Retreating a step, but only a step, the Master took a moment to steady himself.
SPACEAfter that moment, the Master considered the meaning of his vision. A name, Serena, wisped about the surface of the Master’s mind, like a lone leaf tossed about in a storm. The Master quickly crumpled the thought — domestics were not his concern.
SPACE“Another traveling companion of the Doctor foolishly duped into believing that life with the Doctor offers complete freedom from the stringent rules of the Universe,” the Master summarized with sneering amusement. As he knew all too well, a life with the Doctor demanded its own set of special sacrifices, with death always following close behind. And these days, death was creeping ever closer …
SPACETurning his mind from such abstract thoughts, the Master mulled over the meaning of his vision and the insight it gave him into the Matrix’s current dramatic persona. As a theory began to develop, the Master dropped his head, and was aware of his almost imprisoned feet among the densely tangled roots of the trees.
SPACEIn a moment, the Master realized why he had not seen the structure of the trees in the darkness before — they were the darkness. Each tree and root and branch and leaf was composed of the densest black material he had ever laid eyes upon. It had simply taken his new eyes some time to adjust to the dark.
SPACE“Well,” thought the Master, “even I need a lamp for my feet,” as he roughly kicked at the largest root near his foot which broke away with thick crunch.
SPACEImmediately, there was a high-pitched, almost feminine, wail, and, as the Master stared with rapt satisfaction, the crimson liquid which had so nearly overcome him flowed freely from the broken tree vein. Within the coloured stream, the Master could see the same images which the vision had contained, and many more, enough for an entire household of lifetimes.
SPACEAfter several moments, the gushing subsided and the tree, drained of its fluids, collapsed within itself and sank into the soaked mire. Fascinated, the Master knelt down and, fingering a sample of the red liquid, raised it to close to his eyes.
SPACEIt was blood, within which had coursed the entire lifeline of a Gallifreyian family. And he, the Master, stood in center of it all. For an instant the Master was caught up in the concept — of himself, the true stem from which branched off all of the infinite and intricate root systems of the entire bio-history of the Time Lords …
SPACEExtracting himself from the Matrix’s fertile soil, the Master began to ponder the significance of his surroundings — as the Matrix was a psychic generator capable of infinitely expressing itself, and therefore the landscape around him must have represented the entire webwork of the Time Lord mentality.
SPACE“Assuming this as a model,” the Master processed,” the trees must represent the various Houses of our race, with the roots symbolizing some kind of genetic relationship between the various Time Lord lineages. The branches and leaves must therefore also stand for every individual Time Lord that has ever lived. Such a family history. And the Doctor’s particular family House is …” The Master began to search for the correct markings on the tree trunks.
SPACEAs he searched, the Master discovered that although all the trees shared the same dark colouring, each one was represented by a different species. Some trees were regal in shape and stature, recalling that Household’s high birth and ranking, while others were cast in more modest and unassuming molds, as if to convey their less distinguished yet respectable histories.
SPACEOthers lay askew with broken trunks and rotted branches. Some patches of ground were completely barren, without any signs of having ever upheld a Household. Yet in such places the Master could feel the imprint of life and the shadow of a premature pruning, a death unnatural. This was a common enough lot in Time Lord Lives.
SPACEUndisturbed, the Master scavenged on. After enough time had passed to make the Master feel as if he had wasted his time, he saw it standing before him, though he was almost certain it only just now appeared. It was the Doctor’s tree.
SPACEThe curious thing was that it was just the Doctor’s tree; the markings on the bark bore only two symbols, the Greek letters Theta and Sigma.
SPACE“So,” the Master surmised, “the Doctor has cast himself off from his ancestry home in all ways. How thorough of him.”
SPACEAn equally singular, if not unexpected aspect of the structure, was that, in stark contrast to its peers, this tree was white with smooth translucent bark.
SPACE“Typical of the Doctor, the Master grimaced, “always obsessing with the need to be obviously grandiose.”
SPACEGlancing downward, the Master also discovered an even more striking feature of his old foe’s Matrix abode — its solitude. No roots connected the giant sprout to its neighbours (as there were none even nearby), and no leaves fanned out from the bare branches. Even here, in the Matrix, the Doctor was alone, a man apart from the rest. Once again, the Master softly marveled at how similar he and the Doctor really were.
SPACEDrawing on experience over confidence, the Master stealthily crept towards the Doctor’s impersonal representative; taking care not to forget how creative the Matrix could be in copying the Doctor’s own cleverness. Eventually, the Master reached the tree, and softly touched the trunk. Nothing happened. The Master shook his head and softly chuckled; the place where the Doctor’s secrets were most visible and there was no defense!
SPACEWith smug disapproval of his old foe’s negligence, the Master began to examine the two symbols carved into the bark, scavenging for the same flow of information as this tree’s more anemic companions had offered. Nevertheless, the Doctor’s tree offered as many secrets as it did defenses - its carved symbols were merely dark shadows of the Doctor’s history. Yet deep within the shadows …
SPACEThe Master leaned up and into the tree, and peered through the center dividing line of the bark’s Theta mark. Through the carving, the Master felt the gentle wafting of a cool breeze — the tree was hollow, no wonder there was no lifeblood to draw out. But there was a sparkle of light …
SPACEThe Master pushed back from the trunk. There was something inside the empty trunk, he knew it. With growing excitement at the chance of tapping into new knowledge, the Master began to circle the tree with quick, precise steps, searching for any weakness or entrance into the structure.
SPACEHe found the latter almost immediately, in the form of a simple, man-sized roundel. However, the Master was certain that such a prominent feature had not been visible a moment before. No surprise there.
SPACESteeling himself, the Master focused his will, and pushed against the round entrance. Once again, the tree offered no resistance and the surface of the roundel dissolved into the ether. The Master held himself back; this was too easy access.
SPACEThankfully, even in his Matrix form he had come with defenses, and pulled out a perfect replica of his TCE. He fired several beams of the potent energy, amplified here in the Matrix’s unreality, into the dark, empty space within the white tree. Still, there was neither a positive nor a negative response. His own paranoia sated, the Master straightened himself, and crossed over the boundary.
SPACEAll was silent, absolutely silent. There was no temperature; simply an empty pressure about the void. The Master could sense nothing in the space. Nothing of the Doctor was there. His frustration mounting, the Master circled around, searching for any structure or object — even a patronizing note from the Doctor was preferable to being made the fool! Then, without noticing when he first saw it, the Master was watching the light.
SPACEIt was the same light he had seen through the Theta mark, but just as outside, he could not see immediately see the light’s source. He stood still and studied the illumination. It was a small, dim sparkle at first but it was quickly increasing in intensity. And sound. There were many, indistinct sounds now echoing in the chamber. Almost by instinct, the Master stepped forward to hear them more clearly, and almost collided with another body.
SPACESnapping back, the Master stood with his TCE at the ready and took advantage of the growing light to identify his opponent, who stood with equal defense. In the rising light, the Master saw himself through a dark glass. He was standing in front of a full-length mirror. After a moment of incredulity, the Master lowered his weapon, cursing himself inwardly for his gullible moment. The light was bright enough now that the Master could see the mirror in complete detail, and he approached it for a full examination.
SPACEThe mirror had no frame, but hovered motionless by itself in the air. It held itself in a simple, rectangular shape, which rose up about eight feet high and five feet across, yet seeming to lack almost any depth, which lent to the object and almost ghostly presence.
SPACEThis touch of the immaterial was supported by the uncanny substance which formed the mirror: a material so bright and slickly smooth that even the Master’s eyes almost slid away from its surface. Notwithstanding, his gaze was fixed on the surface of the mirror, which was now blazing with light. The Master realized that it was the mirror itself that was the source of the light within the tree, but what had ignited its brilliance, his intrusion perhaps? The most important unanswered question was if the mirror also served as the source of the cacophony of sound which now cascaded into the Master’s ears, above which flood of sound a single voice drowned out all the rest — the Doctor. His hands curling over his ears, the Master focused his senses towards the mirror, and pierced into the light …
SPACEThe Master falls into the currents of the mirror’s life, and through it, he sees and hears the Doctor, but not at that moment - he sees the memories long washed away by the time’s currents. And what memories they are. The Master sees the Doctor, when he was first formed. The Master sees himself, just as new. Even now, they meet time and time again. They are on Gallifrey, the children of the Current Age, the Pride of the Time Lord nobility. Other faces rush about him, too fast for anyone short of Time Lord to recognize. Many faces are friends then, most are foes now, for both of them. Some faces are foes even then, foes that taunt and attack. They are at a river bank. One foe is with them. There is one in the water; there is one in the fire …
SPACEEnough! The Master broke away his gaze from the mirror. The past held no terrors for him, but there was nothing that lay buried there that would help him build his theatrical defense against the Doctor in the present. Even so, this mirror, which apparently was the Matrix’s direct link rooted into the Doctor’s personal history, was a deliciously valuable resource. “Perhaps,” thought the Master with eager anticipation, “I can plot my own way through the course of events.” With this determination in mind, the Master’s mind dove again in the rushing motion of the Doctor’s lifetime …
SPACEThe speed is intense, it leaves afterimages of Time Known. The Master slices through all the familiar friends and terrors of the Doctor’s experiences. There are so many, how can the Matrix count and order them and have room for anyone else? Some images repeat themselves thanks to the emotions attached to them-an English junkyard, the Daleks and the Cybermen, the Brigadier, the Earth and the Master, with face upon face. The Doctor also uncovers his own faces underneath: one old, one shabby, one dashing, one eccentric, one open, and one proud, proud to live. This is the Doctor that lives now. The Master rides upon the wave of this Doctor’s memories, sights filled with violence and danger: a barren world ravaged by the Gastropods; time displaced Cybermen lurking in the Underground; different factions of Daleks fighting amongst themselves over Davros; their creator; a Fairground hiding the loneliness a Guardian himself — The Celestial Toymaker, his astonishing imprisonment; murderous creatures of sound and conquering concepts of language; all of which lead up into this single, current day as the Proud Doctor, on a dead, silent world walks in step with the wretched Miss Brown, with hair somewhat longer and curled in a vain attempt to appear more attractive. They speak of their curiosity of this particular planet and announce the name of the world — Ravalox. Ravalox?! The wave crashes over …
SPACEThe Master retracted his time partially from the mirror’s image, somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer freedom of information he had received, and the knowledge it provided. So, the Doctor was investigating into the history of Ravalox! Indeed the Time Lords now had reason to compound their disdain towards the Doctor with fear — what he would do once he discovered that world’s familiar secret! The irony of the Doctor’s current situation could not escape the Master — although not there in person, once again the Doctor had entangled himself in the Master’s affairs; he had no hope for the success of Glitz and Dibber’s mission now.
SPACEThe Master stroked his beard. Never before had he felt so completely satisfied with himself. At long last, he had discovered the means to finally humiliate and crush the Doctor, once and for all. Of course, this tool was still quite a blunt instrument, but in time the Master would sharpen its capabilities. And there were so many other secrets still to uproot …
SPACETsshhh.
SPACEA sharp sound sliced deep into the Master’s ears. His eyes widened and he looked closely towards the mirror. A thin, hairline crack now ran across its center. Could this be some sort of trap, he thought to himself? With stiff defiance of any opposition, the Master stepped close to the glass surface and studied the crack. Somehow, although so thin, he could almost see … something behind the fracture. For the first time, the Master felt a pang of uncertainty as he knelt down, and pressed his eyes against the crack to get a better view. There was something beyond the mirror, something moving. Suddenly, the Master saw the Doctor again. But he was not alone. There was another face. It was …
Contact.
SPACEThe Master screams in ripping agony as the mirror shatters and light bursts open his eyes. He falls into the oncoming brightness, and sees new sights, new sounds. He sees the Doctor as he is, and as he will be. He sees …

Some very exciting stuff...

2008-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning, at least for me anyway!

I have been contacted by a person named Dan Berry, who heads up a Sci-Fi review site called Unreality SF, and his site will host an interview with me on Time's Champion, complete with information about the book and a very brief extract from the text. This will have some minor spoilers but nothing concrete about the main plot. So, if you want a small taste of the novel, check out his site or the announcement (assuming there is going to be one) on the Outpost Gallifrey forums. :) I feel so scrutinzed! :)

Happy Brithday Craig!

2008-05-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today would have been Craig's 44th birthday, and we have much to be grateful for today: his life, his books, and in his memory both the Shelf Life charity anthology and Time's Champion, both of which are set to be published very soon. I miss you Craig, but on this day you are definitely remembered. :)

The word came down yesterday morning...

2008-05-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

Very good news: David has sent me the final edit of the text, which I have gone over and am very pleased with. The manuscript will very shortly be ready for typesetting and I have also seen in-progress sketches of the cover, which looks wonderful. This is now officially the final phase before publication! :) -Chris

Not the cruellest month...

2008-04-17T00:08:00.000-07:00

I just can't agree with T.S. Eliot on this one. :) I'm just chiming here to update that the final independent read-through of the book has been completed and David J Howe will soon send me the final text for my approval. We just have to wait for the cover and then...the book will enter the typesetting and printing phase! :) It's very close now! :)

A quick hello

2008-03-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all! It's the last day of March 2008, and I just want to stop by and give a small update: the first independent reader of the text has completed the read-through, and all seems well so far. :) One more person will look over the text (and this has been going on for about two weeks now) and in the next month or so that final reading should be ready. At this point, David J Howe will provide me with the provisional final draft for my final approval and then we will just have to wait for the cover before typesetting the text. So, the last steps are well underway! :)

Drafts and more...

2008-03-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

After two weeks, I'm back to tell the boring rest of the story. :)

The first draft of the book ended up containing 170,477 words, which David quickly told me was too much and he asked me to pare down the manuscript to about 90,000 words. David and I also worked on the detailed outline for the book, shaping and editing it to keep it consistent and to remove some more tangential aspects of the original proposal. With a completed outline, I finished up this second draft on December 27 2007, with about 115,000 words. Close enough? :)

Yes, and David accepted this and edited a third draft which I received about a month ago. This one had 103,000 words. When we met again at the GallifreyOne convention last month, he asked me to read through the draft and edit or input any changes I felt necessary. I quickly began and finished, and sent him the 4th draft in late February.

As of now, this draft is being read by an independent reader and will then receive a couple more final read-throughs and edits before final approval and type-setting, and then ... the book is ready for printing!

So, what now? Well, I'll have to think of strange (not really) and hopefully thoughtful things to say until I get word of the book. But wait until you see the cover ... :)

The determined time

2008-03-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, February really rushes by, doesn't it? It's been almost two weeks again since my last post, so, here I go again. :)

After Craig's death, I announced on the Outpost Gallifrey that Time's Champion was still going forward, and that I was the co-author. I received a lot of support and enthusiasm from fans on the site which really bouyed me at the time. I also received a message from Simon Guerrier, who told me of his interest in trying publish the book through Big Finish's Short Trips range, but he was kind enough to be honest enough to tell me the chances of this were slim, and in fact, when he checked with the BBC, it didn't work out. Still, I made a new friend. :)

However, I also got word from David J Howe, offering to help publish the book, in this case as a charity release for the British Heart Foundation. David also offered to help out with editing of the book. I accepted without a doubt. :)

David and I arranged to meet at the GallifreyOne convention in February 2007, and there we discussed these details and what he hoped me to do. In essence, that was to finish the manuscript. So, I went to work, hoping to finish this by May of that year. It took until August 27th. :)

How I met (the real) Craig Hinton

2008-02-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hi! To make up for the lost weeks, here's another segement of Time's Champion's backhistory (although I'm still ill :)).

In January 2005, I went to my second Gallifrey convention with the sole intent of meeting Craig to discuss Time's Champion. I met him after a panel discussing the (then upcoming) Series 1 of Doctor Who, along with Paul Cornell, Rob Shearman, and two other men I never found the names of (one might have been a dentist!).

Craig was as he'd described - he was average height, a bit portly, with black hair, sallow skin and black eyes with glasses, wearing jeans, a yellow shirt and black jacket - and we talked about the Valeyard. Craig said the plot of the story was easy enough to figure; it was the motivation of the Valeyard, what made him tick, that had stumped him. He told me, if anything, the Valeyard shouldn't be treated as evil, just amoral, and a lover of structure, order and procedure. The nicest thing was, whenever Craig introduced me to his colleagues, he called me his good friend. :)

For about three hours Craig and I spoke on the book, being a writer, the differences between American and English dialects and the strength of the pound vs. the dollar. Then came the time when he had to get back to his panels and we said our goodbyes. I asked if he'd ever be back to California, and he said he'd be sure to return soon.

Now, I had brought my camera and video recorder to get some pictures of Craig, but I'd forgotten to take pictures, but I figured I'd see Craig again in a year or so. However, just as I was leaving the hotel, I saw Craig standing outside the front door speaking with a person and I suddenly felt I needed to take a picture and shoot a brief video with him, just to say hi to my family. So, I did. That picture and video are the only physical memories I have of Craig now, and I cherish them so much. :)

Over the next year I plotted the book, and by August I started to write some brief scenes, including a 2 page prologue I sent to Craig which he edited, which appears in the forthcoming Shelf Life charity anthology in Craig's memory. Then, in January 2006, I started to write the actual text, while Craig began his training to be a maths teacher in the UK. He didn't make to the convention that year (nor did I) but we still continued to correspond by e-mail as always.

But throughout the year, I could tell that Craig's personal pressures and problems were catching up with him. I wasn't aware of all, nor do I want to detail those I did here, but suffice to say our original plan of co-planning the story's outline and co-writing the text became, to me, an increasingly unlikely outcome. I don't at all want it to sound as if Craig left me alone with the project or lost interest, not at all. He just slipped away from everyone.

So, I took the liberty of drafting the 2nd half of the book that Craig had never planned, with the intention of running it past him when his affairs were more in order. But by late October Craig stopped answering my e-mails. By late November he stopped posting on the Outpost Gallifrey forums. I began to worry, and sent messages to him seeing if he was all right. There was no reply.

Then, on the morning of Sunday, December 3rd, 2006, I visited Craig's author thread on the forum, and read a post from a friend of his who broke the terrible news: My and everyone's friend Craig Hinton was dead at 42.

I should stop here for now.

The real co-work

2008-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Sorry about the near two week break in posts but I have been, and still am, quite sick. Still, I feel up to posting after having visited the GallifreyOne convention on the 16th, and what a time that was! The people were very friendly and my editor David J Howe was extremely nice to talk with me for a few minutes on the current stage of publishing, which is nearing the end now. So soon... :)

Now, back to the story. :) By late August 2004 I was back from the mission in Texas and I had contacted Craig about the publication of Time's Champion. Sadly, he told me that it wasn't going to be published at all. I never found out the exact details but he told me it hadn't been rejected in the traditional sense, but nor was it being released. He was quite crushed.

I was devastated - here, with the book and story both he and I had dreamed of for years, just shy of publication, and it was gone. Well, take this for what you wish, I became immediately determined not to let this stand. So, about a week or so later, I decided to go back to the 6th Doctor/Mel story I had started to plot before I'd first spoken with Craig, but I felt it was only curteous to let him know and assure him I wouldn't use any of the ideas we'd shared without his permission.

Imagine my surprise and joy, when Craig said I could go ahead and write Time's Champion itself. It was just like that - no hassles, no uncertainties. Craig just said I could write the book. Now at the time we expected that this would only be a fun learning project, perhaps at most an e-book he might have posted on the website he was planning to set-up for himself. We didn't see, im 2004, this happening in 2008. If only he were here to see this.

So, with Craig's permission granted, in September 2004, I set out to plot and outline Time's Champion, taking Craig's notes and advice all the way. It was a very active way to finish the year. And then came January 2005, when, at an earlier GallifreyOne convention, I finally got to meet Craig Hinton in person...

The e-mail connection

2008-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

As 2002 began, I was in the loop for Craig's next Doctor Who novel, Time's Champion. Craig was so nice to me, and very open about his work, and life. We didn't just discuss Doctor Who; we talked about politics, cooking, differences between British and American culture, and religion. Craig was a deeply religious person who kept himself going forward through his many personal problems via his faith in God. He was very excited to hear about my then upcoming mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and wished me the best. I really appreciated that. :)

But, what about Time's Champion?

Well, as I said, Craig was very open with his work, and was willing to get my input on his book and progress with the plot. Over the next 9 months we pitched ideas and concepts to each other, primarily over the origin and nature of the Valeyard. I was very excited to see that our opinions on this point were very similar, if not the same.

As the day of my mission's start (in Fort Worth, Texas) approached (October 2nd, 2002) I asked Craig when he hoped the book would be published. Now, by mid 2002 the BBC had altered its PDA/EDA release schedule from 2 books per month to one a month, so the window for Time's Champion's publication (some time in 2003 for the series' 40th anniversary) had closed. This had made Craig a little discouraged, but he felt he would be able to get the book out in that year anyway. Plus, this gave him the oppurtunity to focus on two other novels he wanted to develop: an 8th Doctor/Fitz/Trix/Auton story called Synthespians, and a 7th Doctor/Mel story called Thy Kingdom Come, a sequel to his first MA The Crystal Buchepalus. So, Craig was ready for the future, and Time's Champion would be waiting. :)

So, in late September 2002, I said goodbye to Craig for 2 years and went to serve a mission in Texas. I had a wonderful and spiritual time, completely detached from Doctor Who, but when I returned in very late August 2004, one of the first things I did was to contact Craig and find out all the good news about Time's Champion.

Sadly, the news was only bad...

How I met (online) Craig Hinton

2008-02-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

So, like I said in my post, by September 2000 I had received a rejection slip to my Big Finish audio submission The Seventh Door. This made me determined to try again to solve the riddle of the Valeyard, and this time I decided to pair him up against the 6th Doctor. I toyed with the idea of the 6th Doctor and Mel being summoned to Gallifrey to deal with an impending doom forseen in the Matrix, but I didn't go too far before I decided that I needed to do more research to see if there had already been any 6th Doctor/Valeyard conflicts beyond the Trial.

This study brought to my knowledge the works of Craig Hinton and the concept of the Doctor as Time's champion.

Now I hadn't heard too much of Craig at this time, but I had heard of his novel Millennial Rites, which, by its cover, touched somewhat upon the 6th Doctor/Valeyard conflict. However, through my reading of reviews and analyses of this book, I came to the (innaccurate) conclusion that Craig viewed the Valeyard as the ultimate evolution of the 6th Doctor, an unstable, erratic and ultimately failed incarnation of the Doctor.

In reading several fans' posts (some of whom certainly seemed to see the 6th Doctor as an early Valeyard) on the subject at Outpost Gallifrey and the BBC website's Doctor Who forum of the 6th Doctor's fall into the Valeyard, which led to the 7th Doctor (supposedly) reverse engineering his own creation as Time's champion to thwart the destructive 6th Doctor, I began to feel that Craig and other authors of the '90s, perhaps unwillingly, had dealt the 6th Doctor a very bad literary blow.

So, I signed on the BBC's series forum and I began to post defences of the 6th Doctor, how he was not destined to become the Valeyard nor a failed Doctor etc. etc., and I slowly received the notice of other fans both for and against my arguments. I also received the notice of Craig Hinton himself. :)

To my delight he was very gracious and explained that his intentions for the 6th Doctor had been exactly the opposite that I assumed; that he had hoped to show the 6th Doctor as a strong, rallying hero against the shadow of the Valeyard. Once I read Millennial Rites and its sequel The Quantum Archangel in 2001, I realized how much Craig enjoyed the 6th Doctor and also the puzzling Valeyard. I hoped that he would write more on the two characters, even though at the time he stated in his posts that, in the wake of Matrix, there was little more that could be with the Valeyard.

Nevertheless, I decided to approach Craig directly on the subject, and, I asked him in his Ask the Author thread at Outpost Gallifrey if I could e-mail him. He agreed and in October 2001 I did just that, telling him my feelings on the Valeyard and my hopes for a successful conclusion to his storyline with the 6th Doctor.

In a very short time, Craig replied, and told me about the book he was starting to write, a book detailing the 6th Doctor's regeneration and re-match with the Valeyard, a book called Time's Champion ...

What happened next...

2008-01-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody. Here's what happened after 1999. :)

As I wrote before, I wasn't satisfied with the Valeyard's portryal in the PDA Matrix and I wanted to do something about it. I remembered at the GallifreyOne convention that there would be new audios from Big Finish Productions, and I looked into them. At the time, the company stated that they had some interest in bringing back the Valeyard, and in early 2000 they also announced an open story submission policy.

So I decided to write a story with the 7th Doctor and Ace, which I eventually called The Seventh Door. This was an audio which would have featured that TARDIS team, Gallifrey, the Matrix, Romana, Vansell, the Keeper of the Matrix and ... the Hand of Omega. Yes, I had set it up that the Valeyard was unknowingly Omega who had survived Arc of Infinity but in a multi-regenerative delirium believed that he was a future Doctor. (And this is 4 years before the audio Omega where something similar actually happens-no suspicions intended of course. :) )To tie this home, I would have also featured the 5th Doctor and Peri and the 6th Doctor and Evelyn in cameoes.

The whole story revolved around how the 7th Door is stolen and the Doctor is blamed, but the Valeyard is ultimately to blame and his Omega identity is revealed to all, but exposure to the Hand gives him a new matter body, and he escapes into the cosmos ...

Looking back, the story was a little silly and continuity-laden, but I put my effort into it and it was a joy to script. I sent this off to Big Finish in the summer and waited. On September 2, 2000, I received my first rejection slip. I was crushed, but I accepted the decision. However, I also refused to let that be the end ot it. :)

I decided immediately after to come up with another Valeyard story, but with a difference: instead of causing continuity problems with making another 7th Doctor/Valeyard story, I felt that the Doctor who actually faced him on screen deserved a re-match. My thoughts turned to the 6th Doctor and Mel, thoughts which brought into contact with one Craig Hinton...

Ordering Problems

2008-01-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Anyone having problems clicking through from the ordering page to Paypal and getting a 'Retry' page might like to try the following, as suggested by 'Cuddly Kroton' on Outpost Gallifrey:

1. Once I got the paypal "retry" page, I double clicked the little eye with the stop sign on it at the bottom of window
2. Click "Settings..."
3. Lower the privacy setting from "Medium" to "Accept All Cookies"
4. Untick the "block pop-ups" option.
5. Try again.

Don't forget to put your settings back to normal afterwards (when you reach the "Time's Champion: Success" page)

Good luck!

The site is open!

2008-01-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I've just announced on Outpost Gallifrey that this website is open to the public and I hope all may come and visit and order Time's Champion! :)

I also will be using these posts to answer questions readers may have in how this story came about and how I became partnered in Craig Hinton's final project. So as not to be long-winded, I will probably tell this story in parts.

Well, here's the first part. :)

I first learned about the Valeyard in late 1998 from the Doctor Who CD game Destiny of the Doctors, from the game's library section. The idea of a second Doctor co-existing with our Doctor, and co-exisiting without a story conclusion, led me to discover all I could about the character.

Immedaitely after this, in January 1999, I visited Gallifrey One's 10th convention, where the BBC 7th Doctor novel Matrix was announced as a story featuring the Valeyard, or the Ripper as he's called there. I bought and read this story, and though I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book, I didn't discover much new about the character beyond his being a lunatic sorcerer. When I watched the Trial of a Time Lord on video later that year, I was further confused as the Valeyard in 1986 seemed to be a far more rational, bureaucratic prosecutor. This major shift in the character, without any real explanation available, made me wish for more.

Plus, I wanted to know what the Valeyard really was! :) So, I decided to write my own story. More on that later ...

Meanwhile, please visit the link on the right to order a copy of Time's Champion.

A special day for Time's Champion

2008-01-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

Hi! You know, this may sound strange, but today, January 6th, 2008, is the day Time's Champion takes place! :) So now, after 6 years, Time's Champion is finally history. :) And soon, it will be a history available to all. :) -Chris

Welcome 2008!

2008-01-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I hope 2008 is starting great for everybody. :) It's amazing, but six years ago (December 31st, 2001) Craig Hinton sent me the first incomplete outline for Time's Champion, which was set in 2008 (present time zone). The story was to be released for the 2003 40th anniversary of Doctor Who. Now, with 2008 here, we've reached Time's Champion present day and the book will most likely be out this year for the 45th anniversary. This just shows how long you have to wait sometimes for a good thing. But it comes! :)

A note on the cover: as the front page says, what you see at the moment is not the final version, but we have sketch already and hopefully in the coming few months a final version, complete with the Valeyard's new costume! :) Yes, the Trial prosecutor robes are not the current fashion! :) I hope you like what is. :)

In any case, Happy New Year and onward to 2008 with hope and happiness! :) I will keep you informed on mine. :) -Chris

A Welcome and belated Merry/Happy Christmas from Chris McKeon

2007-12-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hi! This is Chris and I want to thank everyone beforehand (because no one knows about this blog yet) for their support and enthusiasm for Time's Champion. Craig and I never expected this project to become what it is right now, a novel length story. I wish he were alive to see his last story published, but I know he is happy for it. :)

I want to give my very special thanks to David J Howe for his invaluable support and help to me as an editor and guide - this story would not be here without him. I also wish to thank Simon Guerrier for his interest and efforts in this process as well. I hope to work more with these men in the future. Also thanks to Kate Orman for her friendship and insight, as well as her amazing closure story The Room with No Doors. Thanks to Paul Cornell and Robert Shearman for their kindness to me at Gallifrey conventions, the former for sharing his fond memories of Craig with me in 2006 and the latter for saying a recognizing hello at a signing after seeing me talk about the Valeyard with Craig in 2005. You are all very nice to me, someone who you never met before. :)

I will visit this blog regularly once we have a timetable for this book's publication ready and in the pipeline, so Merry and Happy Christmas and Happy New Year - 2008 is when we finally learn who and what the Valeyard really is and how the 6th Doctor really regenerated! Oh my, this is all such fun! :) -Chris

Welcome

2007-12-29T06:02:00.001-08:00

Hi. This blog has been set up to provide information about the new book Time's Champion being published in 2008.

More content will be added later on as the book nears publication, and you will be able to order it from here as well. Please note that at this time the ordering button is disabled while we get everything set up and working properly.

So check back from time to time for more details.