Jonathan Blum
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Blum is an American writer most known for his work for various Doctor Who spin-offs
, usually with his wife Kate Orman
although he has also been published on his own. He currently lives in Australia
, where he moved after meeting and falling in love with Orman on the Doctor Who
newsgroup
rec.arts.drwho (RADW).
and attended The University of Maryland
. He is a member of Alpha Phi Omega
co-ed service fraternity.
series Doctor Who
, and in particular the spin-off range of novels the New Adventures
, and was mostly known for his discussions of the program and its spin-offs on RADW, and also for writing and starring in several fan films such as Time Rift, in which he impersonated Sylvester McCoy
as the Seventh Doctor
.
Blum has joked that he slept his way into the Doctor Who range—his first credited professional work was the BBC Books
' Eighth Doctor Adventure
Vampire Science
(BBC Books, 1997) written with his soon-to-be wife Kate Orman
, who had already made her name with several popular New Adventures. (He had contributed scenes to a couple of those books, Return of the Living Dad
and The Room With No Doors
, and been credited internally but not on the cover.) He has since written two further Eighth Doctor Adventures with Orman, Seeing I
(BBC Books, 1998) and Unnatural History
(BBC Books, 1999). Orman's 2001 solo novel The Year of Intelligent Tigers
was credited on the spine to Orman, but internally as "story by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman"; Blum provided the full outline and several interlude segments, as well as scenes for Orman's Blue Box (BBC Books, 2003).
Blum's work as a solo writer began with the short story Model Train Set from the first BBC Short Trips
collect in 1998. He has also written the novella
Fallen Gods
, published by Telos Publishing Ltd.
in 2003, which was highly popular and won the Aurealis Award
for Best Australian Science Fiction Novel in 2003: the novella is credited to both Blum and Orman, but both authors have acknowledged that Blum did the majority of the writing and Orman's input was limited.
Blum has also written for Big Finish
's range of audio adventures, with The Fearmonger
being released in 2000. Blum has also written several short stories for Big Finish's short story collections, Short Trips
, and stories and novellas for their Bernice Summerfield
and Iris Wildthyme
series.
He has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award
(winning once) and once for the Ditmar Award
.
His other novel work includes The Prisoner's Dilemma (2005), a novel based on Patrick McGoohan
's series The Prisoner
, co-written with his friend Rupert Booth and featuring an introduction by J. Michael Straczynski
.
More recently, Blum has returned briefly to the world of no-budget film production. In 2003 and 2005, he edited two no-budget, Doctor Who "inspired" indie shorts for Australian fan Andrew Merkelbach, The Curse of the Del Garria and Red. Though both films enjoyed premiere cinema screenings, neither is presently available to purchase or view. Blum also wrote several drafts of the Doctor Who spinoff BBV
production Zygon (2007) but asked for his name to be removed from the credits. He also assistant-directed and edited Kyla Ward's short horror-comedy Bad Reception, as shown at the A Night of Horror International Film Festival
.
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
, usually with his wife Kate Orman
Kate Orman
Kate Orman is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
although he has also been published on his own. He currently lives in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he moved after meeting and falling in love with Orman on the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
rec.arts.drwho (RADW).
Personal life
Blum grew up in MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and attended The University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. He is a member of Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...
co-ed service fraternity.
Work
Blum started out as a fan of the BBC TelevisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, and in particular the spin-off range of novels the New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
, and was mostly known for his discussions of the program and its spin-offs on RADW, and also for writing and starring in several fan films such as Time Rift, in which he impersonated Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor. As a comic act and busker he appeared regularly on stage and on BBC Children's television in the 1970s and 80s, but is best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1987 to...
as the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
.
Blum has joked that he slept his way into the Doctor Who range—his first credited professional work was the BBC Books
BBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
' Eighth Doctor Adventure
Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
Vampire Science
Vampire Science
Vampire Science is the second novel in the BBC Books series, the Eighth Doctor Adventures, based upon the BBC's long-running science fiction television series, Doctor Who...
(BBC Books, 1997) written with his soon-to-be wife Kate Orman
Kate Orman
Kate Orman is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
, who had already made her name with several popular New Adventures. (He had contributed scenes to a couple of those books, Return of the Living Dad
Return of the Living Dad
Return of the Living Dad is an original novel written by Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Chris and Roz, Bernice and Jason....
and The Room With No Doors
The Room With No Doors
The Room With No Doors is an original novel written by Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Chris....
, and been credited internally but not on the cover.) He has since written two further Eighth Doctor Adventures with Orman, Seeing I
Seeing I
Seeing I is an original novel written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(BBC Books, 1998) and Unnatural History
Unnatural History (Doctor Who)
Unnatural History is an original novel written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(BBC Books, 1999). Orman's 2001 solo novel The Year of Intelligent Tigers
The Year of Intelligent Tigers
The Year of Intelligent Tigers is a BBC Books original novel written by Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji.-Synopsis:...
was credited on the spine to Orman, but internally as "story by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman"; Blum provided the full outline and several interlude segments, as well as scenes for Orman's Blue Box (BBC Books, 2003).
Blum's work as a solo writer began with the short story Model Train Set from the first BBC Short Trips
BBC Short Trips
The BBC Short Trips books were a series of short story anthologies published by BBC Books based on the television series Doctor Who, following a pattern established by Virgin Publishing's Decalog collections. Three volumes were published between March 1998 and March 2000, before the BBC decided to...
collect in 1998. He has also written the novella
Telos Doctor Who novellas
The Telos Doctor Who novellas were a series of tie-in novellas based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, officially licensed by the BBC and published by Telos Publishing Ltd...
Fallen Gods
Fallen Gods
Fallen Gods is an original novella written by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor. It was released both as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition featuring a frontispiece by Daryl...
, published by Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series Urban Gothic in 2001...
in 2003, which was highly popular and won the Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for Best Australian Science Fiction Novel in 2003: the novella is credited to both Blum and Orman, but both authors have acknowledged that Blum did the majority of the writing and Orman's input was limited.
Blum has also written for Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
's range of audio adventures, with The Fearmonger
The Fearmonger
The Fearmonger is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
being released in 2000. Blum has also written several short stories for Big Finish's short story collections, Short Trips
Big Finish Short Trips
The Big Finish Short Trips are a collection of short story anthologies published by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC Television series Doctor Who, beginning with the collection Short Trips: Zodiac in December 2002 and ending with the loss of their license in 2009...
, and stories and novellas for their Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
and Iris Wildthyme
Iris Wildthyme
Iris Wildthyme is a fictional character created by writer Paul Magrs, who has appeared in short stories, novels and audio dramas from numerous publishers...
series.
He has been nominated twice for the Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
(winning once) and once for the Ditmar Award
Ditmar Award
The Ditmar Award has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction and science fiction fandom...
.
His other novel work includes The Prisoner's Dilemma (2005), a novel based on Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
's series The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, co-written with his friend Rupert Booth and featuring an introduction by J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
.
More recently, Blum has returned briefly to the world of no-budget film production. In 2003 and 2005, he edited two no-budget, Doctor Who "inspired" indie shorts for Australian fan Andrew Merkelbach, The Curse of the Del Garria and Red. Though both films enjoyed premiere cinema screenings, neither is presently available to purchase or view. Blum also wrote several drafts of the Doctor Who spinoff BBV
BBV
BBV is a video and audio production company specialising in science fiction drama, known for its links with the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
production Zygon (2007) but asked for his name to be removed from the credits. He also assistant-directed and edited Kyla Ward's short horror-comedy Bad Reception, as shown at the A Night of Horror International Film Festival
A Night of Horror International Film Festival
A Night of Horror International Film Festival is a genre specific film festival that is based in Sydney, Australia.There seems to be some consensus that the event is Australia's premiere, and possibly only, horror film festival...
.
External links
- Half-a-Dozen Lemmings Productions website (Jon's U.S.-based fan-made video production team)