Tag: events

Come out to my last events of 2025, and get ready for steampunk excitement in 2026

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Come out for my last two book signing events of 2025 to get some great gifts for the holidays!

November kicks off the holiday season, and with it, my last book signing events for 2025! This is an excellent opportunity to find some unique steampunk and fantasy holiday gifts for the book lover in your life. On Saturday, November 8, I will be at Barnes & Noble in the Shops at Stonewall in Gainesville, VA, from 12:00-3:00 p.m. I will be signing The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart and Corsair and the Sky Pirates. Stop by, say hello, and pick up a book if you’re so inclined. On Sunday, November 9, I will be attending my last 2nd Sundays Williamsburg from 11am to 4pm on the streets of historic Williamsburg, VA. You will find a variety of artisans, crafters, musicians, and food vendors filling the streets with holiday fare. I will have all my steampunk and fantasy books available for sale, so please stop by my tent, located on the corner of N Boundary and Prince George Street.

Come out for some steampunk excitement in 2026!

Now, for some good news! Looking ahead to 2026, I have already been accepted to two steampunk festivals that I am excited to attend. First up is the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, taking on the theme of the wonderfully mad Lewis Carroll, April 17-19, 2026, at the Wyndam Garden York in York, PA.

Welcome to the 4h annual Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, where clockwork alchemy meets magical curiosity in a world inspired by Alice in Wonderland! This year, we’re trading ravens for rabbits and madness for marvels as we debut our brand-new location in York, Pennsylvania. Join us for a weekend of fantastical frippery and marvelous mayhem!

Next up is my first visit to the Key City Steampunk Convention, taking place August 7-9, 2026, in Gettysburg, PA, at the Wyndham Gettysburg. I am so excited to be a part of a new convention for the very first time, and I will be debuting a new book

The Key City Steampunk Convention is the yearly gathering of Steampunk enthusiasts. Beginning in 2016 in Frederick, Maryland, the convention has continued to grow and evolve into one of the most prominent events on the East Coast, with attendees traveling from far and wide to join in the festivities. Currently hosted at the Wyndham Gettysburg, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the event continues to feature award-winning makers and panels, vetted and unique vendors, workshops, and most importantly, the opportunity for those in the community to interact and share their love of all things Steampunk.

I have a few more events I’ve applied for that I’m still waiting for confirmation on in 2026, so more dates are to come. However, these two are a significant start for me. I will have more news coming down the road, but in the meantime, I hope you can join me at my last two book signing events for 2025. I would love to see you, talk shop, or just say hello.

Traveling to Scotland for some much needed vacation and inspiration

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Castle Dunnottar in Scotland at sunset.

So, just a note to say I’ll be out of touch for the next two weeks while I’m traveling across the pond to visit the home of Robert Burns, J.K. Rowling, Sir Walter Scott, Braveheart, Outlander, and Princess Merida. My wife and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Scotland. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for both of us. I’ve been to England before, during my Navy career, but never to Scotland. We’re visiting Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Glasgow. It’s going to be a great adventure.

The Kelpies sculptures in Helix Park outside Edinburgh.

Besides the castles, Loch Ness, book stores (a must), the Writer’s Museum (another must), and a whiskey distillery (a major must), I am looking forward to simply walking through the history in the streets and castle walls and experiencing the mythology of this ancient land. The faeries, the kelpies, and other mythical creatures always enchanted me, and walking in the glens (forests), the lochs (lakes), the munros (mountains), and among the stones of these myths and legends that I’ve written about all these years.

On that note, I’ll be taking a break and not posting anything for the next two weeks, except for vacation photos on my social media. I encourage those interested in being ARC Readers for my upcoming fantasy book release, A Dance of Darklings and Demons, to sign up! You can also check out my books at the links above and order copies through the ‘Buy My Books’ link.

My next event is 2nd Sundays Williamsburg on Sunday, October 12, in historic Williamsburg, VA. This will be one of my last Events of the year, so I hope to see you in Williamsburg to end a great 2025.

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.