iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 16h

#OTD 28 years ago @2000ad.bsky.social featured a cracking cover by artist Siku. He painted a lush three-parter for Slaine and I wanted him to become the strip's main artist, but writer Pat Mills wasn't convinced. I still think it was a missed opportunity as the art below shows, but such is life...

Siku painted cover for 2000AD Prog 1113, dated 30 September 1998

Slaine painted art by Siku for The Swan Children 3-parter

260

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 16h

#OTD 29 years ago the Space Girls made their first appearance in @2000ad.bsky.social. I co-created this silly, short-lived series with artist Jason Brashill, John Tomlinson wrote the scripts. Despite only running 5 eps, the Space Girls enraged many readers - and got featured in French Elle Magazine.

Jason Brashill's cover art for 2000AD Prog 1062, dated 30 September 1997

030

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 23/09/2026

Separated at birth: David Seymour and Arnold Rimmer #nzpol

140

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 21/09/2026

I got the big D! Successfully defended my doctoral thesis at viva today and got an immediate pass, just a handful of typos to fix. A relief to be done having started my PhD journey in January 2017. Not officially a Doctor of Creative Writing until I graduate in December, but nonetheless: stoked!

David Bishop after his successful viva for City and f Vengeance

11442

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 17/09/2026

Thank you @franmcbookface.bsky.social for mentioning me in you @bloodyscotland.bsky.social interview for the newsletter - truly honoured!

Photo of Fran Woodrow beach the heading A Chat with Bookstagrammer Fran Woodrow

040

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 17/09/2026

Great preview of this year's @bloodyscotland.bsky.social by @crimebookgirl.bsky.social. The festival starts tomorrow (!) in Stirling, with the History in the Making panel (featuring me) 6.45pm at Made in Stirling (just up from The Golden Lion): crimebookgirl.com/2026/09/17/f...

Screenshot that reads:

If you’re keen to spot the stars of the future, the festival also includes possibly the most nerve-wracking event of the weekend: Pitch Perfect. This sees a group of writers pitch their novel to a panel of publishing industry figures. This year the event is sponsored by Whodunnit Magazine, and will award £500 to the winner. Pitch Perfect alumni include Alison Belsham, Matt Wesolowski, Kate Foster, Suzy Apsley, and DV Bishop. May Rinaldi, who is on this year’s Debut Prize shortlist, is also a previous finalist.

But maybe you also want to watch established authors talking about your favourite sub-genre – well, Bloody Scotland has something for you. Like historical? Get yourself to History In The Making with DV Bishop, Cressida Dowling and AE Goldin. Like spy stories? Rogue Agents with David Goodman, CJ Merritt, Kim Sherwood and Paul Warner is just the ticket. Maybe you want both together? Spies, Lies And Allies with Douglas Jackon, Catherine Merridale and Alan Parks has your historical espionage needs covered.

Fancy something a little cosier? Pop along to the Golden Lion on Saturday to see Janice Hallett, Steve Higgs and Olly Smith in conversation. Or for a twist on the familiar, with some more Golden Age stylings, try Returning Characters with Jack Anderson, Lucy Andrew and Vaseem Khan discussing taking on James Bond’s Q, Moriarty and the world of Jane Austen.

Bloody Scotland banners, crime scene tape and the outline of a dead body.

140

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 16/09/2026

The good news is the backlog of @2000ad.bsky.social progs has finally arrived - set thrill buffers to maximum! The bad news is my new Judge Dredd Megazine seems to have been used as a football en route…

130

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 16/09/2026

Pink Slip have pulled out of supporting Ed Sheeran.

010

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 15/09/2026

It seems the late, great @2000ad.bsky.social stablemate STARLORD appears in the new China Miéville novel The Rouse:

Screenshot of the first three paragraphs from a review of THE ROUSE on the Guardian website that states:

China Miéville’s epic new novel is presented as being “20 years in the making”. It is quite a testament to how extravagant – even Stakhanovite – his imagination is that during that period he also produced six novels (including The City & the City and The Book of Elsewhere, co-written with Keanu Reeves), two novellas, two series of graphic novels, a children’s book, a volume of short stories and two works of nonfiction, on the October Revolution and the Communist Manifesto.

It does not mean that these works were, as Graham Greene called The Third Man and Our Man in Havana, “entertainments” – Embassytown, to my mind, is the best translation of deconstructionist philosophy into science fiction – but certainly The Rouse is a quantum jump in terms of ambition, moral seriousness and stylistic bravado. It means that rather than classifying Miéville with “the new weird” or “speculative fantasy”, he ought to be compared to Roberto Bolaño or Mircea Cărtărescu. This new novel is equally maximalist, dense, disorienting and discomfiting, reflecting how surreal our reality seems to have become.

Readers acquainted with Miéville’s other work might be disconcerted by the first hundred pages: broadly speaking, they are social realism. We are in 1970s London and Maur, short for Maureen, gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Ewan grows up reading Rupert Bear and Starlord comics, watching Steptoe and Son and Rentaghost, and having Chinese takeaways with obligatory background racism.

030

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 15/09/2026

Fantomen is a fortnightly 32pp comic(some issues are 100pp, on sale for 4 weeks). Sadly, the days when every issue has a newly commissioned 32-page strip are gone due to declining sales; now it has 7-10 new 22pp strips a year at most. Currently working with ace artist Janusz Ordon from Poland.

110

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 12/09/2026

Ten years ago #OTD I discovered some kinds of Radox looked like blood when poured into the bath:

Red Radox pouring into clear bathwater, looks like blood

030

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 08/09/2026

Five brilliant books have been shortlisted for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize @bloodyscotland.bsky.social:

Five authors have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2026, including last year’s winner Tariq Ashkanani, who took home the gong for The Midnight King (Viper).

The McIlvanney Prize is Bloody Scotland’s annual prize awarded to the best Scottish Crime book of the year. This year, Ashkanani – who also won the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2022 – is shortlisted for The Hollow Boys (Viper), described as a “powerful evocation of small town America and a deftly handled plot with an impossibly chilling mystery at its heart.’”

He is joined on the shortlist by Gavin Bell, for 138 Main Street (S&S), a “genuinely unputdownable” serial killer novel; the “bold, vital and original voice” Frances Crawford, shortlisted for A Bad, Bad Place (Transworld); Philip Miller, with The Diary of Lies (Polygon), hailed for its “truly exquisite sense of pace and a strong female lead character”; and Zoë Rankin with The Vanishing Place (Viper), a “gripping story about a forgotten family, alone and vulnerable in the New Zealand wilderness.”

072

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 05/09/2026

Will the government be proscribing this lot of bell-ends as a terrorist organisation?

4135

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 04/09/2026

THE DARKEST SIN hits 1000 reviews and ratings on Amazon UK, which is nice…

070

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 02/09/2026

Last week I took my promo t-shirt for THE TRUE CONFESSION OF CONTESSA COLTELLO out to the @jennybrownagency.bsky.social summer party. You can pre-order the novel here: bertsbooks.co.uk/product/the-...

D V Bishop wears a black t-shirt with the words “Men. Such ridiculous creatures.” Written on it in dark pink

D V Bishop wears a black t-shirt with the words “Coming June 2027 - Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned “ in dark pink letters

031

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 02/09/2026

I see you Paul Morley and raise you Jim Carter

100

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 31/08/2026

Last week's newsletter about rejection was one of my most viewed ever, no Fautian pacts were involved, honest: dvbishop.substack.com/p/rejections...

040

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 31/08/2026

Authors, just in case you need more procrastination tools, you can put your book titles in what3words.com and find out where in the world they are.

Transposing my historical thriller CARNIVAL OF LIES into what.three.words takes you to the middle of nowhere, Western Australia.

Transposing my historical thriller RITUAL OF FIRE into what.three.words takes you to the north of Houston in Texas.

Transposing my historical thriller SHADOW OF MADNESS into what.three.words takes you to the outskirts of Josephine, Texas.

032

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 29/08/2026

Or it’s straight out of Judge Dredd and Mega-City One, right down to having Max Normal.

110

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 29/08/2026

A few favourite non-spoilery final sentences from chapters in my 2027 novel, THE TRUE CONFESSION OF CONTESSA COLTELLO (pre-order: bertsbooks.co.uk/product/the-...). Fellow authors, why not drop some final sentences from chapters of your WIP? @panmacmillan.bsky.social @jennybrownagency.bsky.social

022

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 28/08/2026

So, THE UPRISING is an origin story for the Luchador mask?

000

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 28/08/2026

These grim and gritty reboots are getting out of hand...

The poster for Avengers: Doomday, but the big titles have been replaced with the words BOOGIE BOOGIE, MY LITTLE FRUITBATS and the subheading is now METAL A.F.

000

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 25/08/2026

Best Star Trek crew, wrong answers only.

3110

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 23/08/2026

Got to wear my Contessa Coltello quote t-shirt last night at the @jennybrownagency.bsky.social 2026 summer party! Great to have a natter with Carolyn O’Brien, author of Rose & Renzo.

Carolyn O’Brien (author of Rose & Renzo) and D V Bishop at the Jenny Brown Associates 2026 summer part at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Bishop is wearing a black t-shirt bearing the words “Men. Such ridiculous creatures.” on it in dark pink.

1100

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 21/08/2026

I'm at Bloody Scotland on Friday 18th Sept for the History in the Making panel with A. E. Goldin, @cressidadowning.bsky.social and @marcorinaldi.bsky.social - book tickets here: bloodyscotland.com/booking/7327... @bloodyscotland.bsky.social @panmacmillan.bsky.social @jennybrownagency.bsky.social

093

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 20/08/2026

What’s your favourite Bible verse. Wrong answers only.

260

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 18/08/2026

I’m recording a kind of Desert Island Discs-style thing (not the actual show!), and they asked for six significant or favourite songs of mine. Let’s see who can decrypt the pattern! Alternatively, how many of these do you know without doing a web search?

110

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 17/08/2026

Interesting piece in @thebookseller.com about likely autumn bestsellers, noting the preponderance of special editions with sprayed edges and celebrity memoirs. Somehow they resisted typing 'Don't push me cos I'm close to the spredge' after the final sentence...

Screenshot of article from The Bookseller that concludes:

The Tolkienistas will no doubt descend on Andy Serkis’ My Pressures (Ebury Spotlight), the comedian Taylor Tomlinson is beloved by TikTok and she had a sold UK tour last year, so her Actually, Nevermind (Hodder) may run, while thrash-metal heads may flock to Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine’s In My Darkest Hour (Constable). Though this reporter is keenly looking forward to Grandmaster Flash’s Birth of a Culture (Simon & Schuster), but that might be too niche for a wider audience.

010

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 13/08/2026

Paul Johnson was a sad loss to comics when he stepped away from painting to become an acupuncturist.

Paul Johnson cover art for 2000AD Prog 1005

Paul Johnson cover art for 2000AD Prog 1023

Paul Johnson cover art for Third World War #4

231

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 13/08/2026

My new historical thriller SHADOW OF MADNESS just hit 100 reviews & ratings on Amazon in 35 days, which is nice. Gotta celebrate these wee milestones! @panmacmillan.bsky.social @jennybrownagency.bsky.social

D. V. Bishop with a SHADOW OF MADNESS hardback

Screenshot showing SHADOW OF MADNESS on Amazon UK with 101 reviews and ratings as of 13 August 2026

Close-up screenshot showing SHADOW OF MADNESS on Amazon UK with 101 reviews and ratings as of 13 August 2026

040

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 13/08/2026

A student from my Graphic Fiction class is crowdfunding their comic. If you've a spare quid (not easy these days, but still) do chip it in. Here's a wee glimpse: www.kickstarter.com/projects/the... @gustaffovargas.bsky.social @metaphrog.bsky.social @garyerskine.bsky.social @2000ad.bsky.social

154

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 12/08/2026

Twelfth scam email of the day isn't even trying... ...at least make the effort to insert a book title, lazybones!

Screenshot of scam email that reads:

Hi David,

I recently came across your book, [Book Title], and it caught my attention. Congratulations on your work!

I'm a professional beta reader, and I help authors strengthen their manuscripts by providing honest, reader-focused feedback on pacing, characters, plot, dialogue, and overall reader experience.

If you're working on a new manuscript or preparing one for publication, I'd be happy to read it and provide detailed, constructive feedback while preserving your unique voice.

240

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 12/08/2026

Clearly he should be playing Cesare Aldo, and Matilda De Angelis [from Lidia Poet] will be Contessa Valentine Coltello.

030

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 12/08/2026

Published #OTD 29 and 28 years ago respectively - Prog 1055 [l] featuring Simon Davis homaging the post for Heat with Sinister Dexter, and Prog 1107 [r] featuring Dermot Power as Dredd and Demarco get passionate @2000ad.bsky.social

Prog 1055 cover by Simon Davis homaging the post for Heat with Sinister Dexter

Prog 1107 cover art by Dermot Power as Dredd and Demarco get passionate

060

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 09/08/2026

Republican Congress must be faves for invertebrate of 2026. I mean, what else is more craven and spineless?

Screenshot of headline from The Guardian website
Invertebrate of the year 2026
'Panda of the insect worlds': the moscardón bumblebee creates buss for invertebrate of the year

120

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 09/08/2026

I’m sandwiched between Billingham and Bjørk in this reader’s library:

0100

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 09/08/2026

“Charcuterie swords”: TL synchronicity, featuring @blisterpearl.bsky.social & @gailsimone.bsky.social (click the pic for full effect)

010

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 07/08/2026

"Classic closed circle mystery ... the claustrophobic, gothic atmosphere of the draughty Ospedale is well evoked; even the minor characters are complex and nuanced ... the inexorable unravelling of the plot is masterful. Highly recommended" Lovely SHADOW OF MADNESS @histnovsoc.bsky.social review

Shadow of Madness

Written by D. V. Bishop
Review by Jasmina Svenne

Cesare Aldo is back – and this time it’s personal. In a quest to find out more about his background, he sets out in December 1540 to the Ospedale de’ Pazzi, an institution in the hills outside Florence, where a combination of monks, guards and nuns care for a small group of patients/prisoners deemed too insane to live in the outside world. Travelling with him is his partner – in life and love, as well as in his criminal investigations – the Jewish doctor Saul Orvieto, who is concerned about Aldo’s state of mind after months of following false leads. But when blizzards cut off the Ospedale from the outside world and their driver is found dead in ambiguous circumstances, it’s only the beginning of their troubles as a murderer starts to stalk the isolated community where everyone seems to be nursing a dark secret.

This is a classic closed circle mystery, where the culprit can only be one of a small number of suspects. As with all of Bishop’s books, there is enough information to allow the book to be read as a standalone, but since it is closely intertwined with two of his five previous novels, it might be advisable for new readers to start with the earlier books.

But the claustrophobic, gothic atmosphere of the draughty Ospedale is well evoked; even the minor characters are complex and nuanced (though I did have to flick back occasionally to remind myself what afflicts which mental patient) and the inexorable unravelling of the plot is masterful. I’m only sorry that my proof copy doesn’t contain the maps of the interior of the building that are evidently going to be in the published version, which might have helped me follow the action more precisely. Highly recommended.

130

SHADOW OF MADNESS out now! @dvbishop.com · 07/08/2026

Will be disappointed if there's no Robert Smith cameo.

Robert Smith from The Cure arrives to save South Park

Transformed Robert Smith battles Mecha-Streisand

010