Russell Payne is an English writer and artist, author of humour, science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, weblogs, graphic novels, comics, and films. His notable works include weblog for the BBC and subsequent novel, , and the Prism award-winning . He collaborated with screenwriter Philip Railsback on a number of screenplays. Famous in writing circles for using a staggering number of pseudonyms, he argues that this helps keep his work fresh, ensures the writing stands on its own merit rather than his reputation and "irritates my publicist so much that it's become a self-destructive habit I can't give up". He is also the co-founder along with Darrell Till of the media production company Tiny Lapel.