BBC Technology Expert takes the fiction world by storm with her debut novel. Mostly Harmless? Not a bit

June 7, 2014 - PRLog -- Kate Russell, a familiar face from our TV screens, just turned her expertise in a whole new direction. Her debut novel, Elite: Mostly Harmless, has just been published by Fantastic Books Publishing. TV viewers will know Kate from her weekly appearances on the BBC reporting for their technology programme Click as well as seeing her as a regular expert on the sofa at ITV’s Daybreak.

Kate’s interest in fiction is a result of a long-standing bond with the space trading computer game, Elite whose original 1980s incarnation changed the face of computer gaming and rivalled Star Wars in popularity. Kate says, ‘The original game of Elite was what inspired my love of technology.’ When a long-awaited and brand new incarnation of the game, Elite: Dangerous, was announced along with a small number of licences to write authorised fiction, Kate put her idea forward. Frontier loved it and Fantastic Books snapped up Kate into their Elite author group.

As befits Kate’s expertise, the technology in the world of Mostly Harmless is fascinatingly credible, the world of the book peopled by vivid characters you won’t easily forget. The story follows the travels of Commander Angel Rose and her robot, DORIS, as they lurch from disaster to calamity, dogged by the ambitions of an imprudent mother and the intentions of an appalling suitor.

The book is available as an ebook, paperback, hardback and as an audiobook. The latter is read by Kate herself and features a cameo from David Braben, founder of Frontier Developments.

Kate will be appearing at sci-fi extravaganza, Fantasticon, in August in Hull where Fantastic Books Publishing will be holding an official launch party for Kate and all their authorised Elite fiction at a convention featuring celebrities from the worlds of Elite, Star Wars and Dr Who. https://www.facebook.com/events/715235208506964/

About the book: Mostly Harmless is available from Fantastic Books Publishing at http://www.fantasticbookspublishing.com/store/ebook-2/elite-mostly-harmless-eb/

About the author: Kate Russell presents BBC Click and is a regular technology expert on the sofa at ITV’s Daybreak and various other TV and radio stations. She also writes columns for National Geographic Traveller magazine and Web User magazine. Her first book ‘Working the Cloud’ and companion blog workingthecloud.biz is the ultimate collection of online tips, tricks and resources for small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs who want to get ahead online. Learn more about Kate on her website: http://katerussell.co.uk

About the game: Further information about Elite: Dangerous can be found in Kate’s interview with David Braben: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/24/elite-dangerous-david-braben-interview/