Category: Festivals

Kicking off 2025 with Book Signings, Festivals, and Steampunk Events in the near future

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I am kicking off my 2025 book signing tour in February with bookstores, book festivals, and of course, steampunk! With nine books under my belt (and the 10th coming this year), I have a complete collection of books and series available to add to your TBR list.

I am returning to some familiar spots while visiting some new ones. For dates/times, check my social media or Events link. I update my calendar regularly.

Let’s start with a couple of bookstore events, including Fenwick Street Used Books & Music, on Saturday, February 1, from 11am to 3pm in Leonardtown, MD. Fenwick Street Used Books & Music is under new management but continues to provide the local community with books and music. I will have all my fantasy and steampunk books on hand. Then, on Sunday, February 9, I will be back at Barnes and Noble in Fairfax, VA, from 12-3pm. I will sign my latest book, The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, from Curious Corvid Publishing. 

After the bookstores, I’m heading into the first festivals of 2025. I’ll return to the Williamsburg Book Festival on Saturday, February 22, at the Stryker Center in historic Williamsburg, VA. Celebrating its 10th year, the festival strives to bring authors, publishers, and readers together to celebrate the literary arts.

As we head into March, the Suffolk Authors Festival in Suffolk, VA, kicks off on Saturday, March 15, at the Suffolk Conference Center at the ​Hilton Garden Inn, Suffolk Riverfront. This is where writers get a chance to connect with readers on a personal level.

March closes out with the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, March 29-30, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore North—Pikesville, MD. Best described as an alternative history of the Victorian era with an emphasis on creativity, the festival features authors, workshops, and panel discussions in a family-friendly atmosphere. 

Lastly, I’m returning for another year to 2nd Sundays Williamsburg Art & Music Festival, beginning on Sunday, April 13, from 11am to 4pm (new schedule starting in 2025) in historic Williamsburg, VA. This annual street fair of over 180 unique artisans, musicians, street performers, food vendors, and more in six blocks of downtown Williamsburg, Virginia. You’ll know where to find me!

 Click on the links for each event for more information and purchase tickets. Keep an eye on my Events page for updates and new additional dates. Plus, keep an eye out for information on new book releases, audiobook updates, and more.

Check out Buy My Books to pick out your next binge read!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other fantastic worlds as he weaves through a myriad of flights of fancy in his tales.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—are available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella, take flight in the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, the saga continues in The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel, his first YA fantasy, Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle, and the epic fantasy The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series from Curious Corvid Publishing. A Dance of Darklings and Demons is coming in 2025 from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Get Ready as the Gaithersburg Book Festival Kicks Off Summer Reading with your favorite authors

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Checkout my Events page for all my upcoming book signing festivals and other in-person events!

Get ready for the 15th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 18, from 10 am to 6pm in Bohrer Park, Gaithersburg, MD. The Gaithersburg Book Festival is “a celebration of the written word and its power to enrich the human experience. Our mission is to foster an interest in reading, writing and literary conversation.” This is my first time to exhibit at the festival and I am looking forward to meeting and interacting with new readers.

Since its inception in 2010, the Festival has quickly become one of the nation’s top literary events, attracting hundreds of award-winning and best-selling authors, poets and songwriters from across the country to its beautiful park setting.

The event was conceived and introduced by Gaithersburg Mayor (then council member) Jud Ashman, with the support of the Mayor and City Council and the Cultural Arts Advisory Committee. The Festival is produced by a core committee comprised of city staff and a dedicated group of volunteers who donate their time and talent.

Funded in part by generous sponsors and supported by the City of Gaithersburg, the Festival offers programming for all ages, is free to attend and is open to everyone.

Find me with the other authors in the EXHIBITORS section!

Award-winning children’s, teen and young adult authors will take center stage at the Gaithersburg Book Festival celebrates 15 years of inspiring a love of reading and writing. The Festival’s Children’s Village will be the place where youngsters can meet their favorite authors – and discover new ones – during interactive presentations, readings and book signings. They also can take part in story times, activities and games, and expert-led workshops that encourage creativity.

Activities will include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission is FREE, and free accessible shuttle service will be available from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall. Visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org for more information.

Check out my Events page for a complete listing of all my book signing events, including the Moravian Book Shop and 2nd Sundays Williamsburg in June, where I will be debuting my new YA fantasy, Gwen Iver & Pendragon’s Puzzle.

Check out Buy My Books to pick out your next binge read!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other fantastic worlds as he weaves through a myriad of flights of fancy in his tales.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—are available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella, take flight in the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and the saga continues in The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel from Curious Corvid Publishing. His first YA fantasy, Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle, and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series are coming soon from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

2024 Book Tour is underway and I am psyched to meet more readers this year

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I am excited to kick off my 2024 book tour with my first event, the Williamsburg Book Festival in Historic Williamsburg, VA. This event was great, and I would highly recommend it to any authors living in or near Hampton Roads. We had a great reception, myriad genres for people to choose from, and a chance to network with other authors and publishers for future events. We’re talking about potential author events at festivals, new brewery and distillery events, and new book festivals. This is a great time to be an independent author trying to make a name for themselves. The opportunities are endless. You must find them and get your feet wet in the river of possibilities!

So, what’s next for me? Well, you can find all my upcoming events listed on my Events page, but if you decide not to follow the link, let me tell you about it. Next is Awesome-Con, the biggest comic-con for Washington, D.C. (next to the clowns in Congress) March 8-10. First, the guest line-up is impressive (Hayden Christensen, Rosario Dawson, and Charlie Cox, to name a few). Then, it’s three days of pure, unadulterated geekdom, cosplayers, celebrities, and vendors. You can find me on Author’s Lane, B-24, to pick up one of my many fantasy and steampunk books, signed, of course. Visit awesome-con.com for more information.

We kick off April with two events, including the Annapolis Comic-Con at the Byzantium Center on Saturday, April 6, from 10am to 4pm. This is my first time attending this event, but I have had a great experience with the Southern Maryland Comic-Cons. I love these small cons for their intimate surroundings and small-town vibe. Plus, as a Navy Veteran, I can’t help but love the idea of going into the home of the U.S. Naval Academy. Visit mdcomiccons.com for more information.

My other April event is the kick-off to spring at 2nd Sundays Williamsburg, on Sunday, April 14, from 11am to 5pm, celebrating 20 years of bringing arts and music to Historic Williamsburg, Va. This is my first date for the 2024 season on North Beauregard Street, but the people of Williamsburg and the many visitors to this colonial town never disappoint. This is the first of several 2nd Sunday events I will be participating in this year. Visit 2ndSundaysWilliamsburg.com for a list of all the vendors and more information.

As always, I hope you will take the opportunity to dive into my fantastic imagination and read my carefully woven stories of fantasy and steampunk adventures. Head over to Buy My Books if you want to read more or visit my Events page to meet me at an upcoming festival or convention!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other fantastic worlds as he weaves through a myriad of flights of fancy in his tales.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—are available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella, take flight in the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and the saga continues in The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series along with his first YA fantasy, Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle, are coming soon from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Last days of summer for an indie author, plus a new short story contest from Ravens and Roses

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Check out my Events page for updates on festivals and conventions I’ll be attending!

As the last days of Summer ebb into the blustery Autumn, the Corsair and the Sky Pirates book tour will be coming to an end. It has been a great year for my first steampunk historical fiction adventure! Corsair has won with multiple awards from BookFest and Speak-Up Talk Radio, and recognized by my peers from BBYNA and Publishers Weekly BookLife for my novel. This marks a great end to 2023 with a few more Events lined up before the release of my next novel from Curious Corvid Publishing, The Last Magus: Dragonfire & Steel, coming this December.

First and foremost, you can find me in historic Williamsburg, VA, at 2nd Sundays – Arts and Music Festival through the end of 2023. These dates include August 13, September 10, and October 8. 2nd Sundays is a street fair of over 150 unique artisans, musicians, street performers and food vendors in six blocks of downtown Williamsburg along N Boundary Street from Richmond Rd to Lafayette Street, along Scotland from Armistead to N. Henry and in the 400 block of Prince George Street in Williamsburg, VA, on the 2nd Sunday of each Month (March- December)! Visit www.2ndsundayswilliamsburg.com for information about this monthly festival.

I also will be attending three comic-cons in the next two months, locally here in NORVA but also back in my hometown. The Fairfax Comic-Con is a two-day extravaganza, August 26-27, at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly VA. Besides exhibitors like yours truly, there will be an assortment of special guests including John Wesley Shipp (The Flash TV series), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman in Justice League Animated Series) and more. Visit www.fairfaxcomiccon.com for tickets and information. The Phillipsburg Comic-Con is not a huge convention, but it is on my hometown of Phillipsburg, NJ, on Saturday, September 23. It supports my alma mater (Phillipsburg High School) arts programs through their Comic Club, Anime & Manga Club, and Club Unify. I am proud to be a part of this convention. Visit www.phillipsburgcomiccon.com for more information. Lastly, we round out September with the Southern Maryland Comic-Con on Saturday, September 30, at the Capital Clubhouse in Waldorf, MD. Southern Maryland Comic-Con is a celebration of comics, toys, TV, film, art, cosplay, games, and all things nerdy, which includes yours truly. Visit www.mdcomiccons.com for tickets and information.

Finally, I wanted to make my fellow independent authors aware of a short story contest from Ravens and Roses Publishing. Last year, I entered their contest and my story, The Emissary, was selected for their anthology Tales Untold: Mythos Around the World. This year, their anthology theme this year is Underdogs of Society. They are accepting submissions for the anthology from July 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023. Unleash your creativity and do your best, but be original and creative in the story you deliver!

The maximum allowed word count per story is 8,000 words with a sweet spot between 5000-6,000 words. The short story must have a minimum word count of 3000 words. Visit the Anthology Guidelines page to learn more about submission criteria.

So, quick recap, plenty of chances to get a signed copy of my steampunk and fantasy books at conventions and festivals over the next few months. Check out my Events page for details. Plus, for indie authors and aspiring writers, check out the submission call for Ravens and Roses Publishing new anthology. Not much time left, so get writing!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds as he weaves flights of fancy in his tales.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—are available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Ocean Renaissance 2023 brings the “Seafarer’s Carnival” to Ocean City, MD this weekend

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You’re in for a treat this weekend at the Seafarer’s Carnival! Head to the beach in Ocean City, MD, for pirates, mermaids, gears and goggles. Ocean Renaissance 2023 is the annual oceanfront festival bringing steampunk, sea life, and fantasy under one roof. This year’s festival is being held at The Carousel Oceanfront Hotel and Condos. Daily passes are available at the door or special weekend passes can be purchased online at www.oceanrenaissancefoundation.org.

The Circus of the Seas brings musicians, magicians, jugglers, stilt walkers, aerialists, fire artists and other performance artists to dazzle you both indoor and out!

The Circus Siren Pod is a group of professional water artists that offer far more than your average mermaid show. Based out of Mid-Atlantic region, Circus Siren Pod members have performed across the country and even internationally. From the beaches of Hawaii, to the Aquariums of New York, to the resorts of Jamaica, they bring a magical show to audiences of all ages.

Swashbucklers and Scallywags of East Coast Pirate Entertainment will be there to plunder and perform on stage and wandering throughout the event.

Over 70 artisans and makers collected from all over the country during our many travels will converge to provide some of the most beautiful and unique handmade goods, clothing, accessories, art, and much more! Of course, you’ll find me there with all my steampunk and fantasy books for sale. You can pick up a signed copy of any of during the long weekend.

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.