George Ivanoff
| Name: | George Ivanoff |
| Also Known As: | |
| Occupation: | author, fan writer, public speaker, journalist, actor |
| Medium: | fiction, interactive fiction, articles |
| Works: | You Choose Series, media tie-in, YA fiction |
| Official Website(s): | georgeivanoff.com.au/ |
| Fan Website(s): | |
| On Fanlore: | Related pages |
George Ivanoff is an Australian author, fan, writer, public speaker and journalist. He lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
He is the author of over 100 books for children and teenagers [1] and his past membership of science fiction clubs and conventions gave him early opportunities for publication.
He has written on fan topics such as Star Trek and Star Wars for fan publications and professionally, writing media tie-in stories and short fiction for Doctor Who and The X Files. He created the You Choose Series, interactive fiction books aimed at young adult readers. He has also written non-fiction such as the Survival Guides series, and school readers.
George is an active and diversified speaker. In 2023 alone, he conducted over 100 individual sessions across 40 schools, 5 libraries and 3 festivals/conferences.[2]
'Fan Boy' Background
George writes about his own background in fandom:
I discovered that there were other people just as obsessed as me. I joined the Doctor Who Fan Club of Victoria (which is still in existence, by the way) and inundated the organisers with my artistic creations. From there, I went on to join a swag of other fan clubs dedicated to all thing sci-fi, from Star Trek to Star Wars...It was this fan-fic that gave me my first amateur publications – a huge boost in confidence and a thrilling taste of what it was like to have others read my writing. I wrote more and more stories for these fanzines, and even ended up editing a few myself. It was a wonderful training ground in which to develop my skills and an enormous encouragement.
Eventually, many years later in the 1990s, I would make my first professional sale.[3]
Author Sue Bursztynski recalls George's background in fandom and his eventual success as a writer:
George's early involvement in fan fiction might be intuited through an early experience he had pursuing an opportunity to write a Doctor Who story. In 2013, he spoke of this background during an interview:
I went to a sci-fi convention and met a writer who had written several Doctor Who stories. I told him I was jealous and he said he would mention me to his editor.[5]
However, he lost that opportunity due to his extreme enthusiasm:
He thought he had blown his big opportunity when the editor contacted him and Ivanoff went into "complete fan boy overdrive" pitching several story ideas. He received a "don't call us, we'll call you" email in response. But he refused to quit his dream writing gig.[5]
In 2008, he was able to finally achieve his Doctor Who goal through dogged determination.[5]
Fan Publications
His published contributions include:
- Supervoc club zine (artist) published by Doctor Who Club of Victoria.
- Spock fanzine (writer and editor) published by Austrek.
- Captain's Log newsletter (contributor) published by Austrek.
- Frontier magazine (contributor)
- Lizards of Oz anthology (contributor)
- The Garden Spot of Ceti Alpha V anthology (contributor) published for Trekcon.
His tie-in works include:
- Down in the London Underground, a Doctor Who related picture book.[6]
- Memories of the Future, a novel set in The Lucy Wilson Mysteries, a Doctor Who spin-off book series.[7]
- The Lady Jessica Affair, a short story in UNIT: The Benton Files II, a Doctor Who spin-off book series.[8]
- Fear Frequency, a novel set in Lethbridge-Stewart, a Doctor Who spin-off book series.[9]
- Pure History, a short story in The Havoc Files: The Laughing Gnome, an anthology set in the Lethbridge-Stewart franchise.[10]
- Arcade, a short audio story for the Australian time travel audio comedy series Night Terrace.
- Another Man's Skin, a short story in Tribute Anthology to Deadworld and Comic Publisher Gary Reed, set in the universe of the Dead World comic book.
- An Eye For An Eye, a short story for The X-Files: Secret Agendas anthology.[11]
- Machine Time, a short story for Short Trips: Defining Patterns, a Doctor Who anthology.[12]
Fandom Gallery
Photos from Helena Binns collection and used by permission of her family
Austrek Xmas Party 1986 - Lining up for costume parade - George Ivanoff on right
Trekcon 3 Panel, March 1987 - includes (from left): Greg Franklin, unknown, Alison Wallace, George Ivanoff, unknown.
Photos by Jeremy Sadler.
Skyforce, 2000
Multiverse 3 Chocolate Panel 1998 (l-r): Glenn McCrabb, George Ivanoff, Karen Scott, Claudia Christian, Katharine Shade.
Multiverse 3 Chocolate Panel 1998 (l-r): Claudia Christian, George Ivanoff, Katharine Shade, Glenn McGrabb. Just out of shot to the left is Karen Scott.
High Priests of Kali-Ma by Kerri Valkova and George Ivanoff. "Best Fantasy in Show" (Master Class) Australian Costumers' Guild 6th Annual Ball (2001)
Awards
2020
- “Pure History” (Lethbridge-Stewart, The Havoc Files: The Laughing Gnome, Candy Jar Books, 2019) – SCRIBE awards shortlist (Short Fiction).
2019
- You Choose: Alien Invaders From Beyond the Stars (Random House Australia, 2015) — shortlisted for the REAL Awards (Fiction For Older Readers).
2018
- OTHER WORLDS: Game World (Random House Australia, 2018) — shortlisted for the K-Zone Toy of the Year Awards (Best Book).[13]
- You Choose: Footy Fever (Random House Australia, 2017) — shortlisted for the REAL Awards (Fiction For Younger Readers).
2017
- You Choose: Alien Invaders From Beyond the Stars (Random House Australia, 2015) — KOALA Honour Award (Fiction For Younger Readers).
- “An Eye For an Eye” (The X-Files: Secret Agendas, IDW Publishing, 2016) – SCRIBE awards shortlist (Short Fiction).
2016
- You Choose: Alien Invaders From Beyond the Stars (Random House Australia, 2015) — KOALA Honour Award (Fiction For Younger Readers).
2015
- You Choose: The Treasure of Dead Man’s Cove (Random House Australia, 2014) — winner, YABBA (Fiction For Younger Readers).
2014
- Gamers’ Rebellion (Ford Street Publishing, 2013)— winner, Chronos Award (Best Long Fiction)
- “Fairy Pie” (Stories for Girls, Random House Australia, 2013) — shortlist for Chronos Award (Best Short Fiction)
- “That was then, this is now: how my perceptions have changed” (Doctor Who and Race, ed: Lindy Orthia, Intellect Books, 2013) — shortlisted for William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review
2013
- Viewing Clutter — winner, Chronos Award (Best Fan Publication)
2012
- Gamers’ Challenge (Ford Street Publishing, 2011) — shortlist for Chronos Award
- “Vitality” (Dead Red Heart, ed: Russell B Farr) — Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror Honorable Mentions list
- “Trees” (Short and Scary, ed: Karen Tayleur) — Recommended Reading List, Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror
2010
- Gamers’ Quest (Ford Street Publishing, 2009)— winner, Chronos Award (Best Short Fiction) [The dividing line between short and long fiction in the Chronos Awards is 40,000 words, and Gamers’ Quest is under that limit.]
References
- ^ 'George Ivanoff' www.penguin.com.au
- ^ George Ivanoff speaking flyer, georgeivanoff.com.au, November 2033.
- ^ George Ivanoff, 'Small Beginnings 18: George Ivanoff', Firebird Feathers, Sophie Masson's Writing blog, 25 June 2016.
- ^ Sue Bursztynski, 'An Interview With George Ivanoff: The Gamers Trilogy', The Great Raven, 14 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Nell Walker, 'Who dares wins when rebellion is the name of the game', Chelsea Mordialloc News, 4 December 2013, p. 5.
- ^ "Down In The London Underground", freewebstore.org
- ^ "Memories of the Future", candyjar.co.uk
- ^ "UNIT: The Benton Files Book II", candyjar.co.uk
- ^ "Lethbridge-Stewart: Fear Frequency", candyjar.co.uk
- ^ "The Havoc Files: The Laughing Gnome", lethbridge-stewart.co.uk
- ^ "X-Files Anthology #3: Secret Agendas", goodreads.com
- ^ "Machine Time (short story)", tardis.fandom.com
- ^ Ivanoff, George. "2018 wrap up" georgeivanoff.com.au