Ian  S.  Bott

Writer and artist

Welcome to my worlds!

I write science fiction, some near future and Earthbound, some far future where Earth is no longer even a memory. There are worlds and space ships, technology and gadgets, but my stories are very much about the people that bring those worlds to life.


I love stories that immerse me in other worlds as if I lived there. I love complex, larger-than-life characters who are credibly driven by their own inner logic - heroes and heroines in their own stories. Even the bad guys. And I love the everyday influence of far-out technology. Not gizmos to be set on a pedestal and geeked over, but tools to be used, part of the furniture, taken for granted like computers and cell phones today.

Join me, and feel what it's like to live the future...

Artwork

>> Visit the art gallery


There's some background to my art, and each painting has a brief description of what was going on in my mind at the time ... or not.

Behind the scenes...

Worldbuilding notes from The Long Dark.


Facts, trivia, and some of the research that went into Tiamat's Nest.

>> Visit Tiamat's world
Worldbuilding notes, facts and trivia from Ghosts of Innocence.

>> Visit Shayla's world

If you live in the Victoria (BC) region...

I have paperbacks available for direct sale (avoiding the shipping charges added by most online stores).

I am also happy to give talks and readings. I have talks prepared on The Critique Survival Guide, A Writer's Visual Toolkit, and Unblocking Writer's Block.

Please contact me through the message form on the Contact page.

News...

May 2023
Wrath of Empire is available in e-book formats. Paperback version to follow.
April 2023
Wrath of Empire is ready for publication.
2022
Edited Wrath of Empire and started first notes for The Videshi Dilemma.
2021
Drafted Wrath of Empire and started posting it for detailed critiques.
2020
Published The Long Dark.
Started outline and preliminary scenes for Wrath of Empire, a prequel to Ghosts of Innocence.
2019
Published Breaking the Block.
Finished first draft of The Long Dark and completed a round of critiques.
2018
Published The Ashes of Home.
Started work on The Long Dark and Breaking the Block.
Gave The Critique Survival Guide talk at the Greater Victoria Public Library, and held a worldbuilding workshop at the Sidney library.
2017
Tiamat's Nest featured in the Emerging Local Authors program, at the Greater Victoria Public Library.
Gave a talk entitled Unblocking Writer's Block at the Sidney library.
Worked on The Ashes of Home throughout the year.
2016
Published The Critique Survival Guide in ebook form.
Completed a first draft of The Ashes of Home, a sequel to Ghosts of Innocence.
2015
Published Tiamat's Nest.
Gave a talk entitled A Writer's Visual Toolkit at the Sidney library.
2014
Published Ghosts of Innocence.
Gave a talk entitled The Critique Survival Guide at the Sidney library.