To Nanowrimo or not to Nanowrimo, that was the question. On the one hand, with stacks of outstanding stuff to do should one spend a month frantically writing 50,000 words of variable quality just because it sounds like a fun thing to do; or should one ignore the whole thing and use the excuse of non existent spare time?
Well, the clocks went back, which means waking up earlier, so more time in the morning to get things done, which means new optimism for achieving things... so you guess!
*
Went to the Heffers in Cambridge thingy the other night (spent all yesterday recovering!) and it was a great li'l event. Lovely BFS authors were there and as friendly as always, other authors were there too - had the beginnings of a nice chat with Mike Carey about Lucifer but got struck down by the usual forgetting everything about everything, else I'd have drifted into Hellblazer chat too (but couldn't remember if he'd done any, even though I kinda thought he had...)
Had many many books bought for me as November is birthday month so the perfect excuse for a book binge. (Though I'm not going to have much time to read them until after Xmas! Yipes!)
Had most of the books signed, too! I never get books signed. I was in shock!
Also had the opportunity to bounce ideas about next years potential Reading BFS thingy. First couple of weeks of July was suggested as a good time. Venue, possibly, to be Reading Town Hall as there's a bunch of (reasonably priced, according to my expert) function rooms, plus it has its own cafe/bar, plus it's in the next street from the station so there's fairly easy transport links. We've got a BFS committee meet on the 18th so will be thrashing things out then.
Personally, would love to have a Reading event of any sort (alas, no Fcon in Reading as the only 2 suitable hotels are being asses about the accomodation rates...)
Oh, talking of events, did you hear that Eastercon '07 in Liverpool has been cancelled. There's mumblings about someone emergency organising a scaled down Eastercon , possibly in the Britannia in Docklands. Thought it's all theoretical at the moment, I think.
Ansible has the best updated info on it, as well as links to related news...
04 November 2006
15 October 2006
Ok, so not completely offline... need the stress relief...
And, as expected, holiday cover has already driven me beyond batty... seems to get worse every time they go...
On the bright side, waiting for tenants to finish moving out (dudes! you knew what time you had to be out... the appointment was booked months ago!) and waiting for them to turn up (ditto!) does give plenty of time to catch up on the for-fun reading...
So I've managed to read both Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House (v. good, though not quite as scary as I'd been led to believe. Great storytelling, though.) and Stan Nicholl's Orcs Omnibus... a comment on the BFS forum said the books were improved by having them all together in the omnibus edition, and I agree... but then, most series are better if you can binge read them...
Anything else not biz related I haven't had a chance to look at in great detail yet... got an offer for help for the next batch of H&N submission reading, which is fab. (Thanks mate!)
Sorted out piles of things that need dealing with... (including the shock revelation that the income tax self assessment deadline was 30th September! Yipes! Missed that one...)
Had to wake up briefly to deal with some complete arse and their totally incorrect claims and rants... which just gets a tad wearing...
Robin Hood eppy 2 was marginally better than eppy 1. Which isn't saying much. Good god, people, it can be done miles better than that...
Saw a trailer for eppy 2 of Torchwood (yay!) on Youtube somewhere - looks fun!
Had a frantic moment when I thought I'd broken the business mobile... (the boss'd kill me!) but seems to be working ok now...
Hating the Reading roads with a passion... they've started fiddling around ready for this reworking of the IDR they reckon they're going to do (idiots!) so a couple of main access roads have now been bus-lane-ised and there's only one route out of Reading. Which is a terrible road. Terrible. And if you want to get to Caversham (where one of our other main agents is based... also there's a not bad independent bookshop that way...) there's, like, 1 decent road to use now... and of course everyone uses it... and getting to the agents in Reading is almost as nightmarish as finding parking for them...
I'm a Wokingham girl, me. Really. Despite quirks in the address, Lower Earley is technically in the Wokingham district. (Don't ask me what that's about... we pay taxes to Wokingham, but Royal Mail has us down as Reading...) And it's a lovely little town (used to have my market stall there... and hated it as no bugger ever spent anything! And I'm a lousy saleswoman. Y'know, if you don't want it, I'm not going to force you into it... ) and the roads and the parking is nice and civilised.
Just give me the amazing power of teleportation and my life would be sooo much easier... :->
And, as expected, holiday cover has already driven me beyond batty... seems to get worse every time they go...
On the bright side, waiting for tenants to finish moving out (dudes! you knew what time you had to be out... the appointment was booked months ago!) and waiting for them to turn up (ditto!) does give plenty of time to catch up on the for-fun reading...
So I've managed to read both Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House (v. good, though not quite as scary as I'd been led to believe. Great storytelling, though.) and Stan Nicholl's Orcs Omnibus... a comment on the BFS forum said the books were improved by having them all together in the omnibus edition, and I agree... but then, most series are better if you can binge read them...
Anything else not biz related I haven't had a chance to look at in great detail yet... got an offer for help for the next batch of H&N submission reading, which is fab. (Thanks mate!)
Sorted out piles of things that need dealing with... (including the shock revelation that the income tax self assessment deadline was 30th September! Yipes! Missed that one...)
Had to wake up briefly to deal with some complete arse and their totally incorrect claims and rants... which just gets a tad wearing...
Robin Hood eppy 2 was marginally better than eppy 1. Which isn't saying much. Good god, people, it can be done miles better than that...
Saw a trailer for eppy 2 of Torchwood (yay!) on Youtube somewhere - looks fun!
Had a frantic moment when I thought I'd broken the business mobile... (the boss'd kill me!) but seems to be working ok now...
Hating the Reading roads with a passion... they've started fiddling around ready for this reworking of the IDR they reckon they're going to do (idiots!) so a couple of main access roads have now been bus-lane-ised and there's only one route out of Reading. Which is a terrible road. Terrible. And if you want to get to Caversham (where one of our other main agents is based... also there's a not bad independent bookshop that way...) there's, like, 1 decent road to use now... and of course everyone uses it... and getting to the agents in Reading is almost as nightmarish as finding parking for them...
I'm a Wokingham girl, me. Really. Despite quirks in the address, Lower Earley is technically in the Wokingham district. (Don't ask me what that's about... we pay taxes to Wokingham, but Royal Mail has us down as Reading...) And it's a lovely little town (used to have my market stall there... and hated it as no bugger ever spent anything! And I'm a lousy saleswoman. Y'know, if you don't want it, I'm not going to force you into it... ) and the roads and the parking is nice and civilised.
Just give me the amazing power of teleportation and my life would be sooo much easier... :->
11 October 2006
Hold that thought...
Shall be completely offline and not even haunting the usual online places for the next week due to reasons of:
a) necessary finishing off of outstanding catch up work... (almost beaten the submissions!)
and
b) it's that horrible time of year when I get sole charge of the family biz while everyone else nicks off to Lanza-grotty for some sun... (honestly, they already did a week back in, what, May was it? 2 in one year's just greedy!)
...not that I mind the people going off on hols bit... it's the bloody estate agents and landlords and tenants and rebellious staff and emergency last minute we need it first thing tomorrow morning jobs... and having to answer calls from 7.30am to 8pm, 7 days a week...and the paperwork... god, you wouldn't believe the paperwork... keeps you working til late night, gets you started early morning ... drives you utterly mental... and I do not want to be spending my evening arguing with a tenant about why they have to pay for the whacking great hole they kicked in someone's wall because the estate agent is too chicken to do it... or explaining over and over to the landlord why they can't charge the tenant for a new carpet because of a couple of minor marks on an ancient and already ratty pre-existing floor, because the agent is too chicken to do it... (hmm, a trend emerges...)
Chanting for a quiet week... (oh please, oh please, let it be a quiet week this time... nothing like the bloody chaos of the last time... quiet... calm.... quiet... calm...)
Shall be completely offline and not even haunting the usual online places for the next week due to reasons of:
a) necessary finishing off of outstanding catch up work... (almost beaten the submissions!)
and
b) it's that horrible time of year when I get sole charge of the family biz while everyone else nicks off to Lanza-grotty for some sun... (honestly, they already did a week back in, what, May was it? 2 in one year's just greedy!)
...not that I mind the people going off on hols bit... it's the bloody estate agents and landlords and tenants and rebellious staff and emergency last minute we need it first thing tomorrow morning jobs... and having to answer calls from 7.30am to 8pm, 7 days a week...and the paperwork... god, you wouldn't believe the paperwork... keeps you working til late night, gets you started early morning ... drives you utterly mental... and I do not want to be spending my evening arguing with a tenant about why they have to pay for the whacking great hole they kicked in someone's wall because the estate agent is too chicken to do it... or explaining over and over to the landlord why they can't charge the tenant for a new carpet because of a couple of minor marks on an ancient and already ratty pre-existing floor, because the agent is too chicken to do it... (hmm, a trend emerges...)
Chanting for a quiet week... (oh please, oh please, let it be a quiet week this time... nothing like the bloody chaos of the last time... quiet... calm.... quiet... calm...)
07 October 2006
More Fcon blather
So one of the (as yet unnamed) GoHs we were relatively sure of getting, probably won't be able to (ironic, given that the date we chose was because that was his only free weekend next September... )
So now we argue about who else to get in, and it's fun and it's frustrating and just how do you choose who'll make the best guest?
There's economics... you want a guest that will tip people over from 'meh' to 'ooh, just got to go to see X' so you want someone bordering on interstellar...
But what if the author you really adore isn't quite interstellar? How do you decide who's big and who isn't?
What if the not so interstellar one will be better entertainment?
And then there's keeping balances. Between horror and fantasy. Between
the ones that might possibly be at Fcon anyway and those that wouldn't. Between the ones you love and the ones you've not heard of but rumour has it they could be good.
And then there's the interesting point of non author guests. If we're really to cover the full lot what about comics guests or artist guests or media guests or editor guests? There's a limit to the amount of people we can afford to have a GoHs, so do we go for a bunch of authors, or delicately balance the authors with the others?
And that's without the tricky business of overseas guests...
So one of the (as yet unnamed) GoHs we were relatively sure of getting, probably won't be able to (ironic, given that the date we chose was because that was his only free weekend next September... )
So now we argue about who else to get in, and it's fun and it's frustrating and just how do you choose who'll make the best guest?
There's economics... you want a guest that will tip people over from 'meh' to 'ooh, just got to go to see X' so you want someone bordering on interstellar...
But what if the author you really adore isn't quite interstellar? How do you decide who's big and who isn't?
What if the not so interstellar one will be better entertainment?
And then there's keeping balances. Between horror and fantasy. Between
the ones that might possibly be at Fcon anyway and those that wouldn't. Between the ones you love and the ones you've not heard of but rumour has it they could be good.
And then there's the interesting point of non author guests. If we're really to cover the full lot what about comics guests or artist guests or media guests or editor guests? There's a limit to the amount of people we can afford to have a GoHs, so do we go for a bunch of authors, or delicately balance the authors with the others?
And that's without the tricky business of overseas guests...
05 October 2006
Flying visit...
Just a quickie, as I'm mid submission reading (hallelujah!) - so expect to see the Slushblog updated in 2 or 3 days...
So Fcon again (what? I'm a girl obsessed, I know!)
We've got confirmation and are announcing the first 2 guests and MC....
GoHs: Michael Marshall Smith & Stephen Jones; MC: Peter Crowther.
And we've got 2 more GoHs in the pipeline, plus a possible extra one, maybe, possibly...
(We weren't going to have so many for next year... but you know how these things go, they snowball... gonna be a great lineup, and that's without some of the attendees we know are going to be there but can't announce yet!!)
And the website has already been updated with the first lot of details (gotta love that picture of Pete... it's something about the hat...) but if you have any suggestions, complaints, general comments or the like, please pop over to the BFS board as that's where you'll get the quickest and best answers!
Random girlie blather...
...so, apparently, the reason my feet were absolute murder over Fcon was because my old trainers were past it. Discovered I had a whacking piece of plastic sticking up through the inner sole... (no, I don't know why I didn't notice it before either...) so this week have had to go through the torture of buying new shoes... I hate live shopping if it's not for books. I especially hate shoe shopping because unlike most other things, experience proves it can't be done online because sizes are just too variable... was going between size 6 to size 8 depending on the shoe and the shop.... and it really couldn't be put off as I only own the one pair of shoes...! So 4 shops later, finally found the perfect pair. Phew. That's me good for another 6 or 7 years then!
Just a quickie, as I'm mid submission reading (hallelujah!) - so expect to see the Slushblog updated in 2 or 3 days...
So Fcon again (what? I'm a girl obsessed, I know!)
We've got confirmation and are announcing the first 2 guests and MC....
GoHs: Michael Marshall Smith & Stephen Jones; MC: Peter Crowther.
And we've got 2 more GoHs in the pipeline, plus a possible extra one, maybe, possibly...
(We weren't going to have so many for next year... but you know how these things go, they snowball... gonna be a great lineup, and that's without some of the attendees we know are going to be there but can't announce yet!!)
And the website has already been updated with the first lot of details (gotta love that picture of Pete... it's something about the hat...) but if you have any suggestions, complaints, general comments or the like, please pop over to the BFS board as that's where you'll get the quickest and best answers!
Random girlie blather...
...so, apparently, the reason my feet were absolute murder over Fcon was because my old trainers were past it. Discovered I had a whacking piece of plastic sticking up through the inner sole... (no, I don't know why I didn't notice it before either...) so this week have had to go through the torture of buying new shoes... I hate live shopping if it's not for books. I especially hate shoe shopping because unlike most other things, experience proves it can't be done online because sizes are just too variable... was going between size 6 to size 8 depending on the shoe and the shop.... and it really couldn't be put off as I only own the one pair of shoes...! So 4 shops later, finally found the perfect pair. Phew. That's me good for another 6 or 7 years then!
03 October 2006
Eeuurrggghhh...
I am that Shaun of the dead zombie...
Gosh, where did last week go? Fcon recovery only happened yesterday, as everything between then and Fcon is a blur of slipping in and out of consciousness (apparently it's the M.E. relapse - happens every so often. Bah. Humbug. I spit on your M.E. relapse. When I have the energy.)
And now we're talking about next year!! Venue is confirmed as Britannia, Nottingham. Date is confirmed as 21st - 23rd September 2007 (did I say this already here?) and we've got 1 guest and the MC confirmed, are waiting to hear back from guest 2, and are discussing guests 3 and 4. Guest 3 is someone most have been nagging us about for years... guest 4 is a wee bit unusual for an Fcon - if we can get him.
The official announcement will be made in a couple of weeks, I think. Once we've heard back from at least 2 of the outstanding guests...
And if you want to have a nosy and what people thought of Fcon check out the BFS forum thread here - http://www.marieoregan.net/bfsdiscuss/index.php?topic=806.0 where someone with improper use of awake time has dug out blog links and the like for peeps that talked about Fcon... (ok, so it was me...) There's links to Juliet & Clive's speeches too.
-
So with Fcon both gone and upcoming nicely covered for the time being, onto other things...
Prism & DH STILL at printers! Will have to check to make sure they haven't sent them to Finchley as well... (They (the printers) been taken over by someone new and there seems to be a few teething problems... so may have to find a new printers! Arrgh! They used to be so good too...)
Next Prism will now be 1st week of November (ish - have to carefully time it to come between the Prism/Dh mailing and the Xmas mailing) - with Fcon report and reviews and columns from James Barclay and Mark Morris and hopefully a debut author section. Would also like to do a complimentary old masters type section so authors published about 15 years or more ago can have a wee bit of exposure. Sort of a who's been an influence and why type thing - (useless at explaining it - Juliet managed to wrap it neatly up at the AGM but can't for the life of me remember what she said!) Want to have a review of one their books plus a short blurb on their influence either on the genre or on someone personally - or if they're still alive, a short interview! (volunteers to write one please speak! Or send something in on spec.) And the new mantra is - please remember that DH is the place for the longer features etc. - Prism only gets the really short stuff as we're news, reviews and the odd views! Zat is the law!
--- BFS bit ends!
All things Bradan...
So now that all that is under control, I can finally get to grips with all this other outstanding stuff... and you know how this goes so a little more bearing with me... there's Ish 8 to finish off, the subs, the emails, the odd outstanding stuff that I thought I'd sorted but obviously hadn't...
And, seriously chaps, if anyone wants to volunteer to help me out with the mag, let me know. No money will change hands, alas, but if someone with a quirky taste in fiction wants to help out on submissions reading & replying ... I'm waiting to hear from you!!
I am that Shaun of the dead zombie...
Gosh, where did last week go? Fcon recovery only happened yesterday, as everything between then and Fcon is a blur of slipping in and out of consciousness (apparently it's the M.E. relapse - happens every so often. Bah. Humbug. I spit on your M.E. relapse. When I have the energy.)
And now we're talking about next year!! Venue is confirmed as Britannia, Nottingham. Date is confirmed as 21st - 23rd September 2007 (did I say this already here?) and we've got 1 guest and the MC confirmed, are waiting to hear back from guest 2, and are discussing guests 3 and 4. Guest 3 is someone most have been nagging us about for years... guest 4 is a wee bit unusual for an Fcon - if we can get him.
The official announcement will be made in a couple of weeks, I think. Once we've heard back from at least 2 of the outstanding guests...
And if you want to have a nosy and what people thought of Fcon check out the BFS forum thread here - http://www.marieoregan.net/bfsdiscuss/index.php?topic=806.0 where someone with improper use of awake time has dug out blog links and the like for peeps that talked about Fcon... (ok, so it was me...) There's links to Juliet & Clive's speeches too.
-
So with Fcon both gone and upcoming nicely covered for the time being, onto other things...
Prism & DH STILL at printers! Will have to check to make sure they haven't sent them to Finchley as well... (They (the printers) been taken over by someone new and there seems to be a few teething problems... so may have to find a new printers! Arrgh! They used to be so good too...)
Next Prism will now be 1st week of November (ish - have to carefully time it to come between the Prism/Dh mailing and the Xmas mailing) - with Fcon report and reviews and columns from James Barclay and Mark Morris and hopefully a debut author section. Would also like to do a complimentary old masters type section so authors published about 15 years or more ago can have a wee bit of exposure. Sort of a who's been an influence and why type thing - (useless at explaining it - Juliet managed to wrap it neatly up at the AGM but can't for the life of me remember what she said!) Want to have a review of one their books plus a short blurb on their influence either on the genre or on someone personally - or if they're still alive, a short interview! (volunteers to write one please speak! Or send something in on spec.) And the new mantra is - please remember that DH is the place for the longer features etc. - Prism only gets the really short stuff as we're news, reviews and the odd views! Zat is the law!
--- BFS bit ends!
All things Bradan...
So now that all that is under control, I can finally get to grips with all this other outstanding stuff... and you know how this goes so a little more bearing with me... there's Ish 8 to finish off, the subs, the emails, the odd outstanding stuff that I thought I'd sorted but obviously hadn't...
And, seriously chaps, if anyone wants to volunteer to help me out with the mag, let me know. No money will change hands, alas, but if someone with a quirky taste in fiction wants to help out on submissions reading & replying ... I'm waiting to hear from you!!
25 September 2006
Fantasycon...
Gosh. How cool was that? I know I said last year was best Fcon ever - but dudes! This year! Totally, absolutely, BEST FCON EVER!!! (Apart from my feet - been killing me ever since Friday lunchtime and was v. painful to walk for the whole weekend...) but apart from that...
Chaz Brenchley & Juliet McKenna!!! Hands down, the best double act in the world. Ever ever. Their interview should have gone on longer... And I got to sit with Juliet at the Banquet! She's totally, totally fab!
And Chaz was totally on form! There could be some mega-cool BFS/WF combi events in the pipeline if conversations can continue... (and apols for the high school teen speak that will be peppering this post - it's early, I'm excited...)
We made £1000 on the raffle (split between Black Dust and Daisy's Dream)
Neil Gaiman - what a terrific chap! I shook his hand! And talked to him!
Clive Barker - great guy! What a trooper! He was poorly all weekend but still managed to come up with an on the spot after dinner speech... and when he signs books he draws pictures!
Ramsey Campbell! Shorts in September! The only man I know who can make a story about cheese toasties sound entertaining!
Ray Feist - fun guy! Looked like he really enjoyed it and could be found hanging in the bar chatting to everyone! Great sense of humour, that man!
Garry Charles! Thanks for the CD!
Steve Jones - total sweetie!! And his reaction when he won the Special Award was just excellent!
Dave Howe - worked his ass off! Buy his books!
Awards! While I remember (although, this is from memory, so I may have mixed up winners and categories and the like...)
2006 BFS Award Winners are:
And we surprised Debs & Rob too!
And the hotel was brilliant (the bar staff were a bit dodgy - we got one of them fired!!) - we're pretty much 98% certain we're using it again next year (and how cool would it be to have a permanent Fcon home for a while?) but just need a couple more discussions. As soon as it's booked, we'll announce the date and first two guests...
And I actually did a banquet! And could eat the food! (That never happens!)
And the food stayed hot and was good quality (which, apparently, hardly ever happens!)
And we had a bunch of people join up as new BFS members!
And we sold things off the BFS table!! Lots of things!!! (Can't remember the last time that happened!)
And didn't get into the dealers rooms to spend money due to the headless chicken thing but there looked like a whole heap of great stuff!!
And the raffle went on *forever*!
And other lovely guys and gals: Mark Morris! Andrew Hook! John L. Probert! Nick Lermentov! (Sorry, can't remember his real surname!!), John Connolly, Mark Chadbourn, the guy from Chronicles Network whose name slips my brain (and his business card is stashed in the luggage somewhere), Paul Cornell (dropped in for a surprise visit on the Saturday and would have been squeezed onto a panel if we could have thought of one!!!), Paul 'also worked his ass off' Campbell, Mike Chinn, Peter Coleborn, Chris Teague, Jan Edwards, Nicki Robson, Sandy Auden, Mandy Slater, Anne Sudworth, Talking Dead Bob, Erik Arthur, and many more...
And the AGM was terrifying - huge room, we were up on stage, with microphones!! Arrgh! Next year it's going in one of the smaller rooms. I am organiser, that is the law!!
And we were overrunning before the AOB bit so that was waaay shorter than expected -I'm sure we must have forgotten something...
We voted in a non-fiction award, no one raised the Newcomer award that was talked about, though, and I only remembered about it on the way home last night... I think the whole DG newcomer award thing was being done independentally or something.. I dunno, brain went into meltdown..
And, Fcon and Prism (ie. my report areas) got the most discussions on them... you gits! Did I mention I hate talking into microphones? Suggestions were made, notes were taken... beyond that, my brain is going hazy...
And I don't have the final attendee count but it's got to be around the 350 mark! Gosh!!
And there were loads of new people there!
And you were all so nice! And thanks for coming!!!
Gosh. How cool was that? I know I said last year was best Fcon ever - but dudes! This year! Totally, absolutely, BEST FCON EVER!!! (Apart from my feet - been killing me ever since Friday lunchtime and was v. painful to walk for the whole weekend...) but apart from that...
Chaz Brenchley & Juliet McKenna!!! Hands down, the best double act in the world. Ever ever. Their interview should have gone on longer... And I got to sit with Juliet at the Banquet! She's totally, totally fab!
And Chaz was totally on form! There could be some mega-cool BFS/WF combi events in the pipeline if conversations can continue... (and apols for the high school teen speak that will be peppering this post - it's early, I'm excited...)
We made £1000 on the raffle (split between Black Dust and Daisy's Dream)
Neil Gaiman - what a terrific chap! I shook his hand! And talked to him!
Clive Barker - great guy! What a trooper! He was poorly all weekend but still managed to come up with an on the spot after dinner speech... and when he signs books he draws pictures!
Ramsey Campbell! Shorts in September! The only man I know who can make a story about cheese toasties sound entertaining!
Ray Feist - fun guy! Looked like he really enjoyed it and could be found hanging in the bar chatting to everyone! Great sense of humour, that man!
Garry Charles! Thanks for the CD!
Steve Jones - total sweetie!! And his reaction when he won the Special Award was just excellent!
Dave Howe - worked his ass off! Buy his books!
Awards! While I remember (although, this is from memory, so I may have mixed up winners and categories and the like...)
2006 BFS Award Winners are:
British Fantasy Award for Best Novel: The August Derleth Award
Neil 'shocked, delighted, bemused' Gaiman, ANANSI BOYS
British Fantasy Award for Best Novella:
Stuart 'Shocked and utterly speechless' Young, THE MASK BEHIND THE FACE
British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology:
Allen 'I've just scored the winning goal!' Ashley, THE ELASTIC BOOK OF NUMBERS
British Fantasy Award for Best Collection:
Joe 'twice in one day!' Hill, TWENTIETH CENTURY GHOSTS
British Fantasy Award Best Short Fiction:
Joe 'the plaque's dropped off' Hill, BEST NEW HORROR
British Fantasy Award for Best Artist :
Les 'share the glory with the other artists present!' Edwards
British Fantasy Award for Best Small Press:
Peter 'back in the game!' Crowther, PS PUBLISHING
And the Karl Edward Wagner Special Award went to a very surprised Stephen Jones! Who took at least 5 minutes of persuading before he'd believe we were actually trying to give an award to him! (You had to be there... :-> )
The Committee also decided to present 4 Special Founders Awards this year in appreciation of the people whose hard work and enthusiasm got the BFS rolling in the first place: Keith Walker, Rosemary Pardoe, Phil Spencer & David A. Sutton. Dave accepted on everyone else's behalf... and what a sweetie he is.
And we surprised Pete & Jan with champagne and gifts...And we surprised Debs & Rob too!
And the hotel was brilliant (the bar staff were a bit dodgy - we got one of them fired!!) - we're pretty much 98% certain we're using it again next year (and how cool would it be to have a permanent Fcon home for a while?) but just need a couple more discussions. As soon as it's booked, we'll announce the date and first two guests...
And I actually did a banquet! And could eat the food! (That never happens!)
And the food stayed hot and was good quality (which, apparently, hardly ever happens!)
And we had a bunch of people join up as new BFS members!
And we sold things off the BFS table!! Lots of things!!! (Can't remember the last time that happened!)
And didn't get into the dealers rooms to spend money due to the headless chicken thing but there looked like a whole heap of great stuff!!
And the raffle went on *forever*!
And other lovely guys and gals: Mark Morris! Andrew Hook! John L. Probert! Nick Lermentov! (Sorry, can't remember his real surname!!), John Connolly, Mark Chadbourn, the guy from Chronicles Network whose name slips my brain (and his business card is stashed in the luggage somewhere), Paul Cornell (dropped in for a surprise visit on the Saturday and would have been squeezed onto a panel if we could have thought of one!!!), Paul 'also worked his ass off' Campbell, Mike Chinn, Peter Coleborn, Chris Teague, Jan Edwards, Nicki Robson, Sandy Auden, Mandy Slater, Anne Sudworth, Talking Dead Bob, Erik Arthur, and many more...
And the AGM was terrifying - huge room, we were up on stage, with microphones!! Arrgh! Next year it's going in one of the smaller rooms. I am organiser, that is the law!!
And we were overrunning before the AOB bit so that was waaay shorter than expected -I'm sure we must have forgotten something...
We voted in a non-fiction award, no one raised the Newcomer award that was talked about, though, and I only remembered about it on the way home last night... I think the whole DG newcomer award thing was being done independentally or something.. I dunno, brain went into meltdown..
And, Fcon and Prism (ie. my report areas) got the most discussions on them... you gits! Did I mention I hate talking into microphones? Suggestions were made, notes were taken... beyond that, my brain is going hazy...
And I don't have the final attendee count but it's got to be around the 350 mark! Gosh!!
And there were loads of new people there!
And you were all so nice! And thanks for coming!!!
21 September 2006
One of those Friends/elbows moments...
EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! (That's me joyously screaming) :-> It arrived! With one hour to spare! Despite the fact that half the boxes were addressed to one of the other houses on our road (thank god we got a smart delivery driver!) A bit battered, but all there.
Phew.
And now I really am going...
EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! (That's me joyously screaming) :-> It arrived! With one hour to spare! Despite the fact that half the boxes were addressed to one of the other houses on our road (thank god we got a smart delivery driver!) A bit battered, but all there.
Phew.
And now I really am going...
Almost there...
1 day to go. And darlings? We must be nothing short of fabulous!
...and I'm back to that state of disturbing calm now... we're leaving in a few hours, as much paperwork as I can think of is done, boxes are packed and inventoried (yes, I'm that much of a control freak... coded by area of operations, with contents lists etc! They've been laughing at me... but they'll see... :-> )
Still haven't got the Fcon mag... hopefully it will arrive this morning, if not, the old man or one of the staff will be bringing it up to Nottingham tonight...
Will things go wrong? Probably. Will I have forgotten things? Definitely. It's inevitable. Do I care at this point? Nope. Done everything I can, covered the important things, after that, I'm stopping worrying...
I've got an ARC of Juliet's latest to read tonight once all the heavy lifting has been done, (love those Prism perks!) ; I've just heard that Mark Morris is going to do me a horror column for Prism (so that's v. cool!); I've listed out what I need to say in the various reports at the AGM on Sunday (genius! And it was such an obvious worry-buster, doing this preperation thingy I keep hearing so much about...)
So this is the last you'll hear from me until Fcon is over (unless we get the Fcon mag in the next couple of hours, then I'll be back to scream joyously...) - if you're coming, see you there, hope you have fun... if you're not, I'll talk to you next week when things have calmed down...
1 day to go. And darlings? We must be nothing short of fabulous!
...and I'm back to that state of disturbing calm now... we're leaving in a few hours, as much paperwork as I can think of is done, boxes are packed and inventoried (yes, I'm that much of a control freak... coded by area of operations, with contents lists etc! They've been laughing at me... but they'll see... :-> )
Still haven't got the Fcon mag... hopefully it will arrive this morning, if not, the old man or one of the staff will be bringing it up to Nottingham tonight...
Will things go wrong? Probably. Will I have forgotten things? Definitely. It's inevitable. Do I care at this point? Nope. Done everything I can, covered the important things, after that, I'm stopping worrying...
I've got an ARC of Juliet's latest to read tonight once all the heavy lifting has been done, (love those Prism perks!) ; I've just heard that Mark Morris is going to do me a horror column for Prism (so that's v. cool!); I've listed out what I need to say in the various reports at the AGM on Sunday (genius! And it was such an obvious worry-buster, doing this preperation thingy I keep hearing so much about...)
So this is the last you'll hear from me until Fcon is over (unless we get the Fcon mag in the next couple of hours, then I'll be back to scream joyously...) - if you're coming, see you there, hope you have fun... if you're not, I'll talk to you next week when things have calmed down...
20 September 2006
AARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!
... yes yes, 2 days etc...
And I had gone back into eerie calm this morning - right up until we phoned the printer to find out where the Fcon mag was.... Apparently they tried to deliver it to Finchley yesterday! Finchley?! Who lives in Finchley?! (Well, ok, that was Marie's old place last year...)
But why Finchley? In every email, phone conversation, and accompanying document to files I'd put very clearly that delivery and invoice was to me at my address.... But still... Finchley... and as it's out for redelivery today (to Finchley!!) we've no chance of getting it near Reading until tomorrow (we're leaving tomorrow!! Argh!!) Even then, they're not sure we'll get it to our house... but "at least it will be in the Reading area" W.T.F!!?!
We did suggest we could drive up to their depot tonight to pick it up, but no, apparently the driver may just go straight home and not return to the depot with his van...
And it's not as if they don't know me - they're the ones that we use for Prism, DH & H&N and last years Fcon mag.... and everything has always been delivered to my address...
And we finally hear from one of our missing goodie bag people -apparently that's going out with the courier today - so, what, another thing arriving tomorrow morning then...?
Talk about sailing close to the wind....
... yes yes, 2 days etc...
And I had gone back into eerie calm this morning - right up until we phoned the printer to find out where the Fcon mag was.... Apparently they tried to deliver it to Finchley yesterday! Finchley?! Who lives in Finchley?! (Well, ok, that was Marie's old place last year...)
But why Finchley? In every email, phone conversation, and accompanying document to files I'd put very clearly that delivery and invoice was to me at my address.... But still... Finchley... and as it's out for redelivery today (to Finchley!!) we've no chance of getting it near Reading until tomorrow (we're leaving tomorrow!! Argh!!) Even then, they're not sure we'll get it to our house... but "at least it will be in the Reading area" W.T.F!!?!
We did suggest we could drive up to their depot tonight to pick it up, but no, apparently the driver may just go straight home and not return to the depot with his van...
And it's not as if they don't know me - they're the ones that we use for Prism, DH & H&N and last years Fcon mag.... and everything has always been delivered to my address...
And we finally hear from one of our missing goodie bag people -apparently that's going out with the courier today - so, what, another thing arriving tomorrow morning then...?
Talk about sailing close to the wind....
19 September 2006
Of lists and things...
...3 days... 3 days...3 days to go.... arrrrrggggghhhh!
And disturbing calm has left the building as we're well and truly into panic mode again! (I say we, in actuality, everyone else seems to still be fairly calm about things, it's only me getting all het up... not that I'm highly strung... oh no...) 2 and half days til we set off (Thursday lunchtime, with a man & van) and there's lists and lists and lists to do... Running order for the awards has changed slightly since last we knew (no, I don't know who's won... I do know who's getting the Karl Edward Wagner Special award and I'm not telling so nyah!), last minute banquet issues, preparation for next year, prep for the AGM (Agh! 3 reports!! Please don't ask anything. Let's just move along to AOB...) and trying to think of all those little things we might need like plasters or a bottle opener/corkscrew or aspirin or decent pens for the writing of name badges or posters and signs beyond the usual... and where are we putting the reg. desk - due to an item that got more complicated that previously anticipated where we were going to go will have to change from originally anticipated... will it be secure over night, are we going to have to do nightly shifting of the good stuff into the lockable bit? And what about storage overnight in the hotel on Thursday... I'm wildly paranoid about that one. And what about the noise from the Con bar? Are the walls thick enough to block it from the main room? We did tests last time we were up and it seemed to be ok. But there was only a few of us shouting...
Will we be able to get the PA system to work (we've lost Handy Andy due to a work training course so we're on our own for technical stuff... arrgghh!)
And why is it only now I think of those fun little touches that it would have been better to have thought of a couple of weeks ago to do them properly...
And boxes! Why did we throw out all those cardboard flats last month - we need them now! Stupid stupid stupid!!
And a chunk of promised goodie bag hasn't turned up, but we've also had a couple of surprising additions at the last minute...
And I'm just worrying about EVERYTHING!
...3 days... 3 days...3 days to go.... arrrrrggggghhhh!
And disturbing calm has left the building as we're well and truly into panic mode again! (I say we, in actuality, everyone else seems to still be fairly calm about things, it's only me getting all het up... not that I'm highly strung... oh no...) 2 and half days til we set off (Thursday lunchtime, with a man & van) and there's lists and lists and lists to do... Running order for the awards has changed slightly since last we knew (no, I don't know who's won... I do know who's getting the Karl Edward Wagner Special award and I'm not telling so nyah!), last minute banquet issues, preparation for next year, prep for the AGM (Agh! 3 reports!! Please don't ask anything. Let's just move along to AOB...) and trying to think of all those little things we might need like plasters or a bottle opener/corkscrew or aspirin or decent pens for the writing of name badges or posters and signs beyond the usual... and where are we putting the reg. desk - due to an item that got more complicated that previously anticipated where we were going to go will have to change from originally anticipated... will it be secure over night, are we going to have to do nightly shifting of the good stuff into the lockable bit? And what about storage overnight in the hotel on Thursday... I'm wildly paranoid about that one. And what about the noise from the Con bar? Are the walls thick enough to block it from the main room? We did tests last time we were up and it seemed to be ok. But there was only a few of us shouting...
Will we be able to get the PA system to work (we've lost Handy Andy due to a work training course so we're on our own for technical stuff... arrgghh!)
And why is it only now I think of those fun little touches that it would have been better to have thought of a couple of weeks ago to do them properly...
And boxes! Why did we throw out all those cardboard flats last month - we need them now! Stupid stupid stupid!!
And a chunk of promised goodie bag hasn't turned up, but we've also had a couple of surprising additions at the last minute...
And I'm just worrying about EVERYTHING!
17 September 2006
Fantasycon News!
Clive Barker Ticket Talk!
To be held on the saturday 23rd September 2006, 8.30pm - 9.30pm
It's a Q & A with Clive Barker and Simon Bamford, (otherwise known as Butterball from Hellraiser and Ohnaka from Nightbreed!) Hosted by Paul Kane.
Places strictly limited to no more than thirty, please email Marie O'Regan (marie@marieoregan.net) to secure a place at what promises to be a unique event.
Places given on a first come, first served basis.
And, oh yes, there's only 5 days to go...
Clive Barker Ticket Talk!
To be held on the saturday 23rd September 2006, 8.30pm - 9.30pm
It's a Q & A with Clive Barker and Simon Bamford, (otherwise known as Butterball from Hellraiser and Ohnaka from Nightbreed!) Hosted by Paul Kane.
Places strictly limited to no more than thirty, please email Marie O'Regan (marie@marieoregan.net) to secure a place at what promises to be a unique event.
Places given on a first come, first served basis.
And, oh yes, there's only 5 days to go...
16 September 2006
A million and one BFS type things*
(*so if you're not interested in such, you can skip this post...)
So the wedding yesterday was fab - Pete & Jan are now officially hitched! Scary! They had a Corpse Bride wedding cake which looked fab, half the guests were late due to the evilness of the M6 but it was still a brilliant day... didn't get to talk to half as many people as I wanted to (due to hiding in corners)... really wish I'd gone down the pub with the folks before the registry office thingy... having working batteries for the digital camera would have really helped too...
And uncle Pete had to have a hair cut! Hee! All dressed up in the suit he looked like a super corporate business man! Jan looked fantastic. And we got a tour of the new house as it's next door to the pub where the reception was...
And, naturally, any visit to Pete & Jan's has me coming back with boxes of BFS publications they've found and want rid of...
...of which, suddenly I'm not so jaded about the whole Stockholder job... cos there were some treasures in the pile of stuff I got this time... I've now got bits and pieces going back to the 70s! Yeah baby! Been trying to rebuild up the BFS archive of pubs cos we're missing loads from pre early 90s... but now we're starting to fill out... (really got to put a missing list together for publication in various places in case anyone's got any spare copies they want rid of... - off the top of my head - the '81 - '82 BFS Bulletins, Volumes 9.3, 9.4 & 9.5 as Dave S. did history of the BFS articles in them...)
And, ooh, the Newsletters and Chills and Fantasycon stuff! Fcon mags going back to '77, PRs, programmes... just a brief flick through the Fcon stuff has got my mind buzzing with ideas for next years event..
And, gosh, the photos... everyone was so much... hairier* ... way back then... and was that really Dave Sutton with shoulder length hair and a velvety sweatshirt? And Graham Joyce looks totally different with the 'tache. And Steve Jones & Jo Fletcher done up in monster makeup for one of the Fcons!! And Stephen King looks very very young! And Ramsey Campbell! Crikey! And Clive Barker looks like a completely different person (his cigars have gotten bigger, for a start... :-> ). And so does Robert Holdstock (except without the cigar)
*except Kim Newman, who bucks the trend and was short of hair and 'tache.
And the horror vs fantasy debate has been going on since at least '81.
The 'oh no, not more fantasy first-book-in-a-series' has been going on since at least '84
And there were really meaty book & film columns!
And they really knew how to do the whole cover art thing back then... even the Fcon PRs look gorgeous!
And back in 1984, Fcon was Britains longest running fantasy conference... which means it still must be!
And membership apathy has been going on since the 70's.
And, yes, newsletters and the like came out late even way back then... so it's not just me... :->
And apparently sometimes it was due to typewriter problems... a precurser of computer problems... heh!
And we had all kinds of different logos before the current dragony one...
(*so if you're not interested in such, you can skip this post...)
So the wedding yesterday was fab - Pete & Jan are now officially hitched! Scary! They had a Corpse Bride wedding cake which looked fab, half the guests were late due to the evilness of the M6 but it was still a brilliant day... didn't get to talk to half as many people as I wanted to (due to hiding in corners)... really wish I'd gone down the pub with the folks before the registry office thingy... having working batteries for the digital camera would have really helped too...
And uncle Pete had to have a hair cut! Hee! All dressed up in the suit he looked like a super corporate business man! Jan looked fantastic. And we got a tour of the new house as it's next door to the pub where the reception was...
And, naturally, any visit to Pete & Jan's has me coming back with boxes of BFS publications they've found and want rid of...
...of which, suddenly I'm not so jaded about the whole Stockholder job... cos there were some treasures in the pile of stuff I got this time... I've now got bits and pieces going back to the 70s! Yeah baby! Been trying to rebuild up the BFS archive of pubs cos we're missing loads from pre early 90s... but now we're starting to fill out... (really got to put a missing list together for publication in various places in case anyone's got any spare copies they want rid of... - off the top of my head - the '81 - '82 BFS Bulletins, Volumes 9.3, 9.4 & 9.5 as Dave S. did history of the BFS articles in them...)
And, ooh, the Newsletters and Chills and Fantasycon stuff! Fcon mags going back to '77, PRs, programmes... just a brief flick through the Fcon stuff has got my mind buzzing with ideas for next years event..
And, gosh, the photos... everyone was so much... hairier* ... way back then... and was that really Dave Sutton with shoulder length hair and a velvety sweatshirt? And Graham Joyce looks totally different with the 'tache. And Steve Jones & Jo Fletcher done up in monster makeup for one of the Fcons!! And Stephen King looks very very young! And Ramsey Campbell! Crikey! And Clive Barker looks like a completely different person (his cigars have gotten bigger, for a start... :-> ). And so does Robert Holdstock (except without the cigar)
*except Kim Newman, who bucks the trend and was short of hair and 'tache.
And the horror vs fantasy debate has been going on since at least '81.
The 'oh no, not more fantasy first-book-in-a-series' has been going on since at least '84
And there were really meaty book & film columns!
And they really knew how to do the whole cover art thing back then... even the Fcon PRs look gorgeous!
And back in 1984, Fcon was Britains longest running fantasy conference... which means it still must be!
And membership apathy has been going on since the 70's.
And, yes, newsletters and the like came out late even way back then... so it's not just me... :->
And apparently sometimes it was due to typewriter problems... a precurser of computer problems... heh!
And we had all kinds of different logos before the current dragony one...
14 September 2006
...8 days...
Am now well past disturbing calm and into just plain dazed... (I've been catching up on various accounts this morning so millions of spreadsheets is probably why... Plus, just heard Rob won't be able to make it for the AGM so that means I get landed with doing the Treasurers report as well as the Prism report and Fcon reports... Gah! Short and sweet, that's the key. No one cares much about them anyway, they all want the AOB bit... which is fine by me! Except, we would like some Fcon feedback during the Fcon bit as we're considering using the Nottingham hotel again so if there's problems with the hotel or Nottingham in general, we need to know over the weekend... otherwise we'll be booking it. Probably. Lord knows. I'm not even thinking about that bit yet...)
Wembley, yesterday, was fun... the roads up there are utterly, utterly mad. Especially near the stadium (which was where we had to be)... never mind...
So, got a bootload of raffle prizes (some great stuff!) and have now decided we definitely need to hire a van... (an Fcon first for us!) and, actually, the thought occurred, somewhere on the M40, why not make it a man & a van... and handily enough, we happen to know someone so that's a whole heap of worry that's just disappeared.
So that means that BFS members copies of Cinema Macabre AND BFS: Celeb book will both be given out to members that are at Fcon. We were going to give them out when y'all sign in... we may have to rethink given the amount of peeps we're now expecting so it may turn out to be a 'come here from xpm on Sat and get your books.. I'd rather we gave them out at sign in though as it means we remember to give 'em you. Which means I'll be stapled to the desk most of the weekend as I'm a control freak and will be wielding my clipboard to keep track of about a million different things...
Slow Motion Wars won't be ready for Fcon, after all that... (waaah!) Plus side, it means there's more time to tease you with proper details...
Prism and Dark Horizons are at the printers still, but as they're prioritising the Fcon mag they said it's unlikely the other 2 will be back before Fcon... (double waaah!)
Oh, back to Wembley... Mr J. is a lovely lovely guy, and his house is excellent! Books everywhere and probably the hugest collection of monster movie memorabilia I've ever seen... Wish I'd had more time for a nosy around, cos I love looking at the books on other peoples shelves... (It's lethal, in the day job if we happen to get a house where people have left books in situ, I get ever so distracted seeing what they've got... drives the big boss mental...)
Actually it kind of reminded me of uncle Dave's house - except with him it's Dr Who memorabilia and a million books...
Oh and it's the wedding tomorrow... happily it's an informal thing - registry office, then travel half an hour to the pub opposite their house for the reception... should be fun :->
Am now well past disturbing calm and into just plain dazed... (I've been catching up on various accounts this morning so millions of spreadsheets is probably why... Plus, just heard Rob won't be able to make it for the AGM so that means I get landed with doing the Treasurers report as well as the Prism report and Fcon reports... Gah! Short and sweet, that's the key. No one cares much about them anyway, they all want the AOB bit... which is fine by me! Except, we would like some Fcon feedback during the Fcon bit as we're considering using the Nottingham hotel again so if there's problems with the hotel or Nottingham in general, we need to know over the weekend... otherwise we'll be booking it. Probably. Lord knows. I'm not even thinking about that bit yet...)
Wembley, yesterday, was fun... the roads up there are utterly, utterly mad. Especially near the stadium (which was where we had to be)... never mind...
So, got a bootload of raffle prizes (some great stuff!) and have now decided we definitely need to hire a van... (an Fcon first for us!) and, actually, the thought occurred, somewhere on the M40, why not make it a man & a van... and handily enough, we happen to know someone so that's a whole heap of worry that's just disappeared.
So that means that BFS members copies of Cinema Macabre AND BFS: Celeb book will both be given out to members that are at Fcon. We were going to give them out when y'all sign in... we may have to rethink given the amount of peeps we're now expecting so it may turn out to be a 'come here from xpm on Sat and get your books.. I'd rather we gave them out at sign in though as it means we remember to give 'em you. Which means I'll be stapled to the desk most of the weekend as I'm a control freak and will be wielding my clipboard to keep track of about a million different things...
Slow Motion Wars won't be ready for Fcon, after all that... (waaah!) Plus side, it means there's more time to tease you with proper details...
Prism and Dark Horizons are at the printers still, but as they're prioritising the Fcon mag they said it's unlikely the other 2 will be back before Fcon... (double waaah!)
Oh, back to Wembley... Mr J. is a lovely lovely guy, and his house is excellent! Books everywhere and probably the hugest collection of monster movie memorabilia I've ever seen... Wish I'd had more time for a nosy around, cos I love looking at the books on other peoples shelves... (It's lethal, in the day job if we happen to get a house where people have left books in situ, I get ever so distracted seeing what they've got... drives the big boss mental...)
Actually it kind of reminded me of uncle Dave's house - except with him it's Dr Who memorabilia and a million books...
Oh and it's the wedding tomorrow... happily it's an informal thing - registry office, then travel half an hour to the pub opposite their house for the reception... should be fun :->
12 September 2006
... 10 days left... probably... I don't know, my brain's gone...
And I'm having one of those disturbing calm moments now... got to go up to Wembley tomorrow to pick up the raffle stuff... which should be fun cos I'm itching to see our humble benefactor's house.
Oh and the joys of editorship... meant to say the other day, on editing the Fcon mag... which has been heaps of fun... not least, I had the pleasure of sorting through some photos of Clive Barker to pick what was going in... and I do mean that... his bloke is a professional photographer so there was some gorgeous photos in the stack... you'll see which ones were picked when you get your Fcon mag next week... some great poses to choose from and Clive photos very well... yum! :-> Shame they had to be converted to greyscale...
For those of you that won't be at Fcon, I'll nag the webguy and get copies of the mag up on the site for sale (£2.50) after Fcon. I'll also try and remember to post a contents list up on the Fcon thread of the BFS forum so you can see what's in there... 84 pages! 6 interviews! 5 bits of fiction! Some funky articles! And photos!! And the exclusive Clive art for the cover! (Thanks Marie!)
(Quite liking this obsessive posting of ToCs on the forum... totally weird!)
And the TTA forum standards thread moves along nicely. (And I started a 'stupid questions' type thread over there too, cos they get so many pro editors over there it's seems daft not to tap their brains about stuff... )
Something from the TTA forum spilled into the BFS forum after the TTA thread got deleted, other than that, the BFS forum has gone all quiet again. Shame. I was quite enjoying the hecticness of it a couple of weeks ago.
And Marie got herself a Wordpress blog here - must remember to add a link to the website next time I'm in update mode... Apparenly Paul K.'s getting one too, soon.
And I read somewhere (on Ansible, maybe?) that the hotel Eastercon were going to use for next year, they may not be because of security issues... ooo er... we briefly considered using that one ourselves... (and, no, still no news on the '07 venue - like I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago... we're pursuing a couple of interesing options...)
And just got my copies of Triquorum 1, and An Occupation of Angels from Pendragon... won't have time to read them until after you-know-what... also gonna pick up a copy of their Molehills of Madness thingy at the F-word. If I remember. Never seem to remember to go near the dealer room these days... too busy with the reg. desk and the like... hell, I rarely get to see panels these days either... which just seems soooo wrong...
And I'm having one of those disturbing calm moments now... got to go up to Wembley tomorrow to pick up the raffle stuff... which should be fun cos I'm itching to see our humble benefactor's house.
Oh and the joys of editorship... meant to say the other day, on editing the Fcon mag... which has been heaps of fun... not least, I had the pleasure of sorting through some photos of Clive Barker to pick what was going in... and I do mean that... his bloke is a professional photographer so there was some gorgeous photos in the stack... you'll see which ones were picked when you get your Fcon mag next week... some great poses to choose from and Clive photos very well... yum! :-> Shame they had to be converted to greyscale...
For those of you that won't be at Fcon, I'll nag the webguy and get copies of the mag up on the site for sale (£2.50) after Fcon. I'll also try and remember to post a contents list up on the Fcon thread of the BFS forum so you can see what's in there... 84 pages! 6 interviews! 5 bits of fiction! Some funky articles! And photos!! And the exclusive Clive art for the cover! (Thanks Marie!)
(Quite liking this obsessive posting of ToCs on the forum... totally weird!)
And the TTA forum standards thread moves along nicely. (And I started a 'stupid questions' type thread over there too, cos they get so many pro editors over there it's seems daft not to tap their brains about stuff... )
Something from the TTA forum spilled into the BFS forum after the TTA thread got deleted, other than that, the BFS forum has gone all quiet again. Shame. I was quite enjoying the hecticness of it a couple of weeks ago.
And Marie got herself a Wordpress blog here - must remember to add a link to the website next time I'm in update mode... Apparenly Paul K.'s getting one too, soon.
And I read somewhere (on Ansible, maybe?) that the hotel Eastercon were going to use for next year, they may not be because of security issues... ooo er... we briefly considered using that one ourselves... (and, no, still no news on the '07 venue - like I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago... we're pursuing a couple of interesing options...)
And just got my copies of Triquorum 1, and An Occupation of Angels from Pendragon... won't have time to read them until after you-know-what... also gonna pick up a copy of their Molehills of Madness thingy at the F-word. If I remember. Never seem to remember to go near the dealer room these days... too busy with the reg. desk and the like... hell, I rarely get to see panels these days either... which just seems soooo wrong...
11 September 2006
H&N
Don't faint... :->
I knew it was tempting fate, making these public delclarations of BFS only brain until Fcon... while you're waiting for me to pull myself together, I've woken up the slush blog so if you haven't heard back from me on submissions, you can at least see the basic status of things...
If your name's not on the list, either I think I've replied to you or never got it.
(Finally got the bradanpress email addy working this afternoon too... so it's possible some emails have disappeared in the ether...)
If you've withdrawn your piece and it's still on the list - email me and let me know...
Any other outstanding queries, please hang on a little longer... thanks!
Don't faint... :->
I knew it was tempting fate, making these public delclarations of BFS only brain until Fcon... while you're waiting for me to pull myself together, I've woken up the slush blog so if you haven't heard back from me on submissions, you can at least see the basic status of things...
If your name's not on the list, either I think I've replied to you or never got it.
(Finally got the bradanpress email addy working this afternoon too... so it's possible some emails have disappeared in the ether...)
If you've withdrawn your piece and it's still on the list - email me and let me know...
Any other outstanding queries, please hang on a little longer... thanks!
...11 days... (hyperventilating)
Take it as given that I'm feeling guilty about blogging...
Now that we've got past that... grammar, standards and the small press... what do you think? (the TTA boards are having that discussion at the moment so drop by and contribute...)
Now, in theory, I'm all for keeping up as professional a standard as possible... not just the grammar, or the tight phrasing, or the spelling; but layout & design and everything else too. (yes, that means submission response times, despatch times and the general courtesy of replying to emails before everyone dies of old age...)
In practice, it's not really working is it? Let's face it - H&N and any related parts of its working, are a mess. Everything I do is frequently done at the last minute so there's just no time to dedicate the time that I should to give it the care it needs. This isn't another whinge. Sincerely. Or yet another declaration of trying to get better - because you can take it for granted that every issue of the mag has me trying to get things in order so that things run smoother from then on.
Actually, I'm not sure what this is about... what I want (what I really really want :-> ) is to put out 2 issues of the mag regularly each year. To have submissions read and replied to within about a month of having received them. To have no outstanding queries whatsoever. And have the website looking better. And get the secure forum up and working so peeps have a place they can get quicker answers to questions if the email screws up on me again. (Actually, on that, have found a forum and downloaded the various software bits to put it together... have to do a crash course in mySQL to get the installation finished properly - it's on my list of post-fcon jobs..)
And then to build up the fantasy book side of Bradan. That's what I really want.
(and world peace, of course :-> )
Take it as given that I'm feeling guilty about blogging...
Now that we've got past that... grammar, standards and the small press... what do you think? (the TTA boards are having that discussion at the moment so drop by and contribute...)
Now, in theory, I'm all for keeping up as professional a standard as possible... not just the grammar, or the tight phrasing, or the spelling; but layout & design and everything else too. (yes, that means submission response times, despatch times and the general courtesy of replying to emails before everyone dies of old age...)
In practice, it's not really working is it? Let's face it - H&N and any related parts of its working, are a mess. Everything I do is frequently done at the last minute so there's just no time to dedicate the time that I should to give it the care it needs. This isn't another whinge. Sincerely. Or yet another declaration of trying to get better - because you can take it for granted that every issue of the mag has me trying to get things in order so that things run smoother from then on.
Actually, I'm not sure what this is about... what I want (what I really really want :-> ) is to put out 2 issues of the mag regularly each year. To have submissions read and replied to within about a month of having received them. To have no outstanding queries whatsoever. And have the website looking better. And get the secure forum up and working so peeps have a place they can get quicker answers to questions if the email screws up on me again. (Actually, on that, have found a forum and downloaded the various software bits to put it together... have to do a crash course in mySQL to get the installation finished properly - it's on my list of post-fcon jobs..)
And then to build up the fantasy book side of Bradan. That's what I really want.
(and world peace, of course :-> )
10 September 2006
07 September 2006
...15 days...
... and I shouldn't be here... not getting so distracted as I am... why oh why is Fcon not a week later... that's all I need... H&N is definitely going to have to be after Fcon.
So next years hotel suddenly got a bit complicated... (don't ask)... which means it's now getting close to unlikely that we can announce details at this years Fcon (of which I'm mildly bitter and twisted about...) cos can't announce guest until date confirmed, can't confirm date until hotel confirmed... it's a bitch of a chain...
Of course, we may catch a break and have something... (y'know, just once, I'd have liked us to have the next years details this year... bah!)
Prism, thankfully, seems to be motoring nicely - for the next one (or possibly the one after that...) I've just got confirmation that a fabulous fantasy writer is going to be writing a regular opinion column... woohoo! (Goes along with the news that Chaz B. is now too busy to continue with his DH column... awww...) And from what my spies tell me, the line up of the next couple of DHs under Pete & Jan is going to be pretty stonking!
And, arrghh, one of the weddings is next week (there goes one day of work...) and double-aaargh... have to spend half a day picking up raffle stuff... (all in a good cause, and we're very glad it's being donated, cos it's going to be a hell of a lot of stuff in one hit...) I'm just having one of those phases when any time spent not working is cause for a major guilt fest. (What do you want to sleep for? Honestly!)
So, about mid afternoon on the 23rd I'll start calming down... and then I'll be unconscious on the 25th...
... and I shouldn't be here... not getting so distracted as I am... why oh why is Fcon not a week later... that's all I need... H&N is definitely going to have to be after Fcon.
So next years hotel suddenly got a bit complicated... (don't ask)... which means it's now getting close to unlikely that we can announce details at this years Fcon (of which I'm mildly bitter and twisted about...) cos can't announce guest until date confirmed, can't confirm date until hotel confirmed... it's a bitch of a chain...
Of course, we may catch a break and have something... (y'know, just once, I'd have liked us to have the next years details this year... bah!)
Prism, thankfully, seems to be motoring nicely - for the next one (or possibly the one after that...) I've just got confirmation that a fabulous fantasy writer is going to be writing a regular opinion column... woohoo! (Goes along with the news that Chaz B. is now too busy to continue with his DH column... awww...) And from what my spies tell me, the line up of the next couple of DHs under Pete & Jan is going to be pretty stonking!
And, arrghh, one of the weddings is next week (there goes one day of work...) and double-aaargh... have to spend half a day picking up raffle stuff... (all in a good cause, and we're very glad it's being donated, cos it's going to be a hell of a lot of stuff in one hit...) I'm just having one of those phases when any time spent not working is cause for a major guilt fest. (What do you want to sleep for? Honestly!)
So, about mid afternoon on the 23rd I'll start calming down... and then I'll be unconscious on the 25th...
05 September 2006
...17 days to go....
arrggghhh! And naturally, today is the day that my laptop decided to give up the ghost... and so did the old back up computer as well... last couple of months I've been juggling my work between the two as some programs work on one, some programs work on the other... but now... nothing works anywhere... luckily they've both been making death rattles over the last couple of weeks, and I know *exactly* what my luck's like with machines so I've been backing up like a paranoid backer upper...
And, also luckily, Comet has a back to school sale on so I've finally had to bite the bullet and buy a spanking new machine... quarter of the price and ten times as powerful as the last computer I brought... which is just wrong... but oh so right!
So once I finish loading things on, should be able to work much faster...
arrggghhh! And naturally, today is the day that my laptop decided to give up the ghost... and so did the old back up computer as well... last couple of months I've been juggling my work between the two as some programs work on one, some programs work on the other... but now... nothing works anywhere... luckily they've both been making death rattles over the last couple of weeks, and I know *exactly* what my luck's like with machines so I've been backing up like a paranoid backer upper...
And, also luckily, Comet has a back to school sale on so I've finally had to bite the bullet and buy a spanking new machine... quarter of the price and ten times as powerful as the last computer I brought... which is just wrong... but oh so right!
So once I finish loading things on, should be able to work much faster...
03 September 2006
...19 days... (wibble)
...and we may, in fact, be in Nottingham next year... will know more next week.
And, damn, but apparently I missed a good BFS Open Night on Friday (almost went, couldn't because there's just way too much that needs doing and really couldn't spare the few hours off...)
But Prism is done and at the printers, Dark Horizons is 80% done (just waiting for the cover art, an interview and a story to be sent over from the boss...), Fcon mag is, oh, let's say, 70%/80% done - contents in and proofed, just need to pretty it up, and we're waiting on an excellent *exclusive!* piece of cover art. And copy for one of the ads.
So just Fcon micro newsletter and all things Bradan left. (oh bugger, and the VAT return, and mailing of stuff...)
Back to the F. word...
If you're attending this year, you'll be please to know we've been overwhelmed with donations of stuff... so not only will the raffle be rather good this year... but we may end up having to give out 2 goodie bags per person! (or, possibly, making them goodie sacks!) If all the promised stuff turns up...
And god knows how we'll get it all down there... may need to hire a van or persuade the old man to lend his car...
I'll be there Thursday night (it's the only way I can stay sane on the Friday... :-> ), Debs and Vicky are aiming to get there Friday morning around 11ish... so it'll be fun...
...and the AGM... lawksamussy, that's going to be interesting this year... we've had all sorts of proposals come in so we may actually get people turning up and wanting to debate things for a change... (instead of the usual turn up halfway through and doze through it...)
...sorry, I'm rambling... I'll stop...
...and we may, in fact, be in Nottingham next year... will know more next week.
And, damn, but apparently I missed a good BFS Open Night on Friday (almost went, couldn't because there's just way too much that needs doing and really couldn't spare the few hours off...)
But Prism is done and at the printers, Dark Horizons is 80% done (just waiting for the cover art, an interview and a story to be sent over from the boss...), Fcon mag is, oh, let's say, 70%/80% done - contents in and proofed, just need to pretty it up, and we're waiting on an excellent *exclusive!* piece of cover art. And copy for one of the ads.
So just Fcon micro newsletter and all things Bradan left. (oh bugger, and the VAT return, and mailing of stuff...)
Back to the F. word...
If you're attending this year, you'll be please to know we've been overwhelmed with donations of stuff... so not only will the raffle be rather good this year... but we may end up having to give out 2 goodie bags per person! (or, possibly, making them goodie sacks!) If all the promised stuff turns up...
And god knows how we'll get it all down there... may need to hire a van or persuade the old man to lend his car...
I'll be there Thursday night (it's the only way I can stay sane on the Friday... :-> ), Debs and Vicky are aiming to get there Friday morning around 11ish... so it'll be fun...
...and the AGM... lawksamussy, that's going to be interesting this year... we've had all sorts of proposals come in so we may actually get people turning up and wanting to debate things for a change... (instead of the usual turn up halfway through and doze through it...)
...sorry, I'm rambling... I'll stop...
31 August 2006
I'm not here. You haven't seen me. I'm really hard at work somewhere else...
... and can I just say... 22 days to go!
Fcon 2007
Have just discovered that the Birmingham possible is out of the price range, so it's definitely the Quality at Bentley for next year. (Probably!) Have got to sort things out with them, see what they can do, then by this year's Fcon we should have confirmation of date, place and 1st GoH. Which'll be nice.
Other BFS bits
(because I'm soooo not going to be able to concentrate on much of anything else until 25th September...)
Prism is pretty much done, DH is halfway done... which is a relief, so just the Fcon mag (won't take long as it's mostly done) and the Fcon micro newsletter (really won't take long... I hope).
Having the reviews back for Prism as from Oct will be pretty interesting... (and ex-editor Debs will probably think it's terrific revenge for me to have to chase up the reviewers, as I used to be abominable when I was Small Press editor.... but you're really not surprised about that, are you?)
Ooh, and I'm trying to get a regular opinion column thingy from a wicked UK fantasy author... and also trying to get a regular column from a horror author chap for balance.. (balance in Prism is a constant concern... check out the discussions on the BFS forum about perceived BFS inbalance... best I can do, is keep my area stable...)
Although, persnonally, I'm waaay biased towards the fantasy side so the trick will be to make sure I get enough horror stuff in to keep the half of the members happy.
Bradan bits
Slow Motion Wars still looking good for Fcon... definite details on it very shortly...
H&N #8, though... unless a minor miracle happens (and you never know, there's 22 days for it to happen...) will probably be bumped to the couple of weeks *after* Fcon.
Damn but all of this is just too much fun... :->
... and can I just say... 22 days to go!
Fcon 2007
Have just discovered that the Birmingham possible is out of the price range, so it's definitely the Quality at Bentley for next year. (Probably!) Have got to sort things out with them, see what they can do, then by this year's Fcon we should have confirmation of date, place and 1st GoH. Which'll be nice.
Other BFS bits
(because I'm soooo not going to be able to concentrate on much of anything else until 25th September...)
Prism is pretty much done, DH is halfway done... which is a relief, so just the Fcon mag (won't take long as it's mostly done) and the Fcon micro newsletter (really won't take long... I hope).
Having the reviews back for Prism as from Oct will be pretty interesting... (and ex-editor Debs will probably think it's terrific revenge for me to have to chase up the reviewers, as I used to be abominable when I was Small Press editor.... but you're really not surprised about that, are you?)
Ooh, and I'm trying to get a regular opinion column thingy from a wicked UK fantasy author... and also trying to get a regular column from a horror author chap for balance.. (balance in Prism is a constant concern... check out the discussions on the BFS forum about perceived BFS inbalance... best I can do, is keep my area stable...)
Although, persnonally, I'm waaay biased towards the fantasy side so the trick will be to make sure I get enough horror stuff in to keep the half of the members happy.
Bradan bits
Slow Motion Wars still looking good for Fcon... definite details on it very shortly...
H&N #8, though... unless a minor miracle happens (and you never know, there's 22 days for it to happen...) will probably be bumped to the couple of weeks *after* Fcon.
Damn but all of this is just too much fun... :->
26 August 2006
26* days and counting...
*well it is if you have to leave on the Thursday... for Fcon, that is!
And Fcon panic has well and truly set in.... in the next couple of weeks I've got to get Prism, Dark Horizons, the Fcon Mag, the Fcon micro newsletter, H&N #8 and Slow Motion Wars all finished and off to the printer so that I can have them all back before Fcon.... (cue the annual chorus of whhhhhyyyyyyy do I always leave things to the last minute....?)
Then there's the Prism/DH/Cinema Macabre mailing to do, the trade orders for the BFS celeb book to despatch, and all those other tasks I keep putting off but need done before Fcon. (Like answering emails...)
And we've got to get the Fcon '07 hotel prelim. sorted as well. Definitely looking like the Quality in Bentley, with a return to a city venue for '08 (which we're also starting to plan...)
Happily, the ever so wonderful Chris of Pendragon has hooked me up with a cracking artist that I can grab for both BFS and Bradan things... round of applause for Steve at Estronomicon...
And for some light relief.... Desert Island Books.... what would you take?
Short stories...
So one of the other things I've been doing, is trying to read the entries for the BFS short story comp (there's a bunch of us who, long ago, volunteered for first round reading... what were we getting ourselves into...?! We've sent the shortlist off to the celeb judges now, so at least that's one thing off the long list of things to do...) - and that, along with catching up with the last few H&N subs has had me going quite potty... so many stories have good ideas in them that are let down by writing that could have been sooo much tighter. By language that could have just been... better. Or beginnings that take 3 pages before anything happens.
Not good. For a short story to work (or at least, for it to keep me reading past the first page) it needs to stop meandering and get right to it...
Actually, Nick 'Lermentov' who posts on the BFS boards, says it much better in his blog ... he's talking about books, but it goes for short fic as well... to steal one of his sub titles from the short essay "A Plot (to paraphrase Woody Allen on relationships!) Must Be Like A Shark: if it isn't constantly moving forward, it dies.."
Enough blather... things to catch up on...
*well it is if you have to leave on the Thursday... for Fcon, that is!
And Fcon panic has well and truly set in.... in the next couple of weeks I've got to get Prism, Dark Horizons, the Fcon Mag, the Fcon micro newsletter, H&N #8 and Slow Motion Wars all finished and off to the printer so that I can have them all back before Fcon.... (cue the annual chorus of whhhhhyyyyyyy do I always leave things to the last minute....?)
Then there's the Prism/DH/Cinema Macabre mailing to do, the trade orders for the BFS celeb book to despatch, and all those other tasks I keep putting off but need done before Fcon. (Like answering emails...)
And we've got to get the Fcon '07 hotel prelim. sorted as well. Definitely looking like the Quality in Bentley, with a return to a city venue for '08 (which we're also starting to plan...)
Happily, the ever so wonderful Chris of Pendragon has hooked me up with a cracking artist that I can grab for both BFS and Bradan things... round of applause for Steve at Estronomicon...
And for some light relief.... Desert Island Books.... what would you take?
Short stories...
So one of the other things I've been doing, is trying to read the entries for the BFS short story comp (there's a bunch of us who, long ago, volunteered for first round reading... what were we getting ourselves into...?! We've sent the shortlist off to the celeb judges now, so at least that's one thing off the long list of things to do...) - and that, along with catching up with the last few H&N subs has had me going quite potty... so many stories have good ideas in them that are let down by writing that could have been sooo much tighter. By language that could have just been... better. Or beginnings that take 3 pages before anything happens.
Not good. For a short story to work (or at least, for it to keep me reading past the first page) it needs to stop meandering and get right to it...
Actually, Nick 'Lermentov' who posts on the BFS boards, says it much better in his blog ... he's talking about books, but it goes for short fic as well... to steal one of his sub titles from the short essay "A Plot (to paraphrase Woody Allen on relationships!) Must Be Like A Shark: if it isn't constantly moving forward, it dies.."
Enough blather... things to catch up on...
22 August 2006
BFS Chat
Blimey... it's up to 12 pages now... the monster thread, I mean. Looks like it's slowing down now.
Although, the David Gemmell Memorial Award proposal thread on the BFS forums looks like it's taking the traffic...
Also, something came up in the DGMA thread about UK fantasy mags (look, I couldn't resist throwing in a reply when it was mentioned.) and so, crawling slowly towards the point... I started a fantasy mags in the UK thread in the Independent Press section of the BFS forum. Please pop over there and add your thrupenny bit...
Fcon 2007
So still waiting on prices for the Birmingham possible, but as a committee we're strongly leaning towards the Quality at Bentley...
Oh, and guess what... Alex Davis, he of the Alt.fiction event in Derby, will be officially joining the Headless Chickens for the 2007 Fcon! How cool is that!
H&N
Almost almost almost there with the submissions... by Fcon everything will be clear. All the queries, the orders, submissions reading...
Blimey... it's up to 12 pages now... the monster thread, I mean. Looks like it's slowing down now.
Although, the David Gemmell Memorial Award proposal thread on the BFS forums looks like it's taking the traffic...
Also, something came up in the DGMA thread about UK fantasy mags (look, I couldn't resist throwing in a reply when it was mentioned.) and so, crawling slowly towards the point... I started a fantasy mags in the UK thread in the Independent Press section of the BFS forum. Please pop over there and add your thrupenny bit...
Fcon 2007
So still waiting on prices for the Birmingham possible, but as a committee we're strongly leaning towards the Quality at Bentley...
Oh, and guess what... Alex Davis, he of the Alt.fiction event in Derby, will be officially joining the Headless Chickens for the 2007 Fcon! How cool is that!
H&N
Almost almost almost there with the submissions... by Fcon everything will be clear. All the queries, the orders, submissions reading...
21 August 2006
BFAs 2006
Rightio chaps, just got the official shortlist for the BFAs for this year...
Rightio chaps, just got the official shortlist for the BFAs for this year...
nb. Where the list has more than 5 nominations, this is due to voting ties for one or more runner-up places...
British Fantasy Awards 2006
British Fantasy Award for Best Novel: The August Derleth Award
Ramsey Campbell, SECRET STORIES
Mark Chadbourn, THE HOUNDS OF AVALON
Hal Duncan, VELLUM: THE BOOK OF ALL HOURS 1
Neil Gaiman, ANANSI BOYS
George R. R. Martin, A FEAST FOR CROWS
Mark Morris, NOWHERE NEAR AN ANGEL
British Fantasy Award for Best Novella:
Guy Adams, DEADEAT
Jeffrey Ford, THE COSMOLOGY OF THE WIDER WORLD
Joe Hill, VOLUNTARY COMMITTAL
Paul Kane, SIGNS OF LIFE
Paul Meloy, DYING IN THE ARMS OF JEAN HARLOW (THE
COMING OF THE AUTOSCOPES)
Sean Wright, DARK TALES OF SPACE AND TIME
Stuart Young, THE MASK BEHIND THE FACE
British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology:
Allen Ashley, THE ELASTIC BOOK OF NUMBERS
Peter Crowther, FOURBODINGS
Gary Fry, POE’S PROGENY
Stephen Jones, THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR 16
Stephen Jones, DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHT
British Fantasy Award for Best Collection:
Leigh Brackett, SEA-KINGS OF MARS & OTHER WORLDLY STORIES
Simon Clark, HOTEL MIDNIGHT
Joe Hill, 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS
Andrew Hook, BEYOND EACH BLUE HORIZON
Tim Lees, THE LIFE TO COME
Stuart Young, THE MASK BEHIND THE FACE AND OTHER STORIES
British Fantasy Award Best Short Fiction:
Ramsey Campbell, JUST BEHIND YOU
Joe Hill, BEST NEW HORROR
Paul Kane, HOMELAND
John Lucas, APPROACHING ZERO
Will McIntosh, SOFT APOCALYPSE
Marie O’Regan, CAN YOU SEE ME?
Sean Wright, THE NUMBERIST
British Fantasy Award for Best Artist :
Clive Barker
Randy Broecker
Les Edwards
Dominic Harman
Richard Marchand
Robert Sammelin
British Fantasy Award for Best Small Press:
Andy Cox, TTA PRESS
Peter Crowther, PS PUBLISHING
Andrew Hook, ELASTIC PRESS
D. F. Lewis, NEMONYMOUS
Christopher Teague, PENDRAGON PRESS
16 August 2006
Gosh, the BFS forum's getting some action today... (3 pages worth of posts in one afternoon...blimey...)
So there's this one thread that started out as a discussion on the BFS awards process and has now turned into a debate on the genre split of the BFS and is there one, and are we too horror and if you've got an opinion please drop over and add something.... We're here...
So there's this one thread that started out as a discussion on the BFS awards process and has now turned into a debate on the genre split of the BFS and is there one, and are we too horror and if you've got an opinion please drop over and add something.... We're here...
15 August 2006
Fcon again...
... because we just can't get enough....
First up - the banquet is now sold out! Crikey oh riley. When's that ever happened?
Next up: the events schedule (which I've also remembered to post to the Fcon blog and BFS boards...)
*nb. all guests appear subject to other commitments, panel personnel may alter slightly by the time we go live…
... because we just can't get enough....
First up - the banquet is now sold out! Crikey oh riley. When's that ever happened?
Next up: the events schedule (which I've also remembered to post to the Fcon blog and BFS boards...)
*nb. all guests appear subject to other commitments, panel personnel may alter slightly by the time we go live…
Main events (all hosted in the Albany Suite, unless otherwise specified)
(nb. [the 2nd], some panels listed as being 1 hour long, will actually be 50 mins/55 mins to allow for short break between items…)
FRIDAY
18:00 – 19:00 Registration (suite foyer)
19:00 – 19:30 Welcome to FantasyCon 2006 – David Howe welcomes all, plus launch of the BFS: A Celebration book
19:30 – 20:30 Genre Quiz – join a team to break the ice, or just sit back and heckle
20:30 – 21:30 Panel: UK v US – Neil Gaiman, Juliet E. McKenna, Ramsey Campbell & Raymond E. Feist discuss fantasy on both sides of the Atlantic (moderated by Cheryl Morgan)
21:30 – 22:30 Interview: Guest of Honour Ramsey Campbell interviewed by John L Probert
22:30 – 23:00 Reading: late night reading from John L Probert
23:00 – 23:30 Reading: Tales from the Cryptkeeper – Ramsey Campbell sends you to bed with some nightmares …
SATURDAY
10:00 – 11:00 Panel: Children’s Fantasy – Terry Edge, Neil Gaiman, Juliet E McKenna & Amanda Hemingway
11:00 – 12:00 Interview: Guest of Honour Raymond E Feist interviewed by Sandy Auden
12:00 – 13:00 Scriptwriting Improvisation: Stephen Gallagher, Paul Finch, Clive Barker & others TBA
13:00 – 14:00 Official Lunch break
14:00 – 15:00 Interview: Guest of Honour Neil Gaiman interviewed by Paul Kane
15:00 – 16:00 Panel: Indie v Mainstream Editing – Allen Ashley, Peter Crowther, David Howe, Andrew Hook, Jo Fletcher & Piers Blofeld
16:00 – 17:00 Interview: Guest of Honour Clive Barker interviewed by Paul Kane
17:00 – 18:00 Panel: Crime in Fantasyland – James Barclay, Chaz Brenchley, Neil Gaiman, Raymond E Feist & Juliet E McKenna
18:00 – 19:00 Monster Book Launch: come and see what’s new! (suite foyer/dealer’s room)
19:00 – 20:30 Official Dinner Break
20:30 – 21:30 Interview: Guest of Honour Juliet E McKenna interviewed by Chaz Brenchley
21:30 – 23:00 The Fabulous FantasyCon Charity Raffle: great genre prizes to be won!
23:00 – 23:30 Reading: Late Night Fantasies – with Alison Davies
23:30 – 00:00 Reading: Stay Up if You Dare – Tina Rath takes over the helm with her own special brand of storytelling …
SUNDAY
10:00 – 11:00 Panel: The Changing Face of Horror – Ramsey Campbell, Simon Clark, Mark Morris, & John Connolly
11:00 – 12:00 British Fantasy Society AGM: come along and make your voice heard
12:00 – 13:00 Telos Book Launch – celebrate new books from Telos and meet some of the authors - includes launch of their charity anthology
13:00 – 15:00 Banquet
15:00 – 16:00 British Fantasy Awards – all welcome
16:00… Clear Up & Dead Dog Party – for those who aren’t ready to go home yet!
Other Events:
Saturday, 10am - 5pm: one to one literary appointments (room TBA)
Saturday, 5pm - 6pm: Play - Frankenstein in Love (Gallery Suite)
Saturday, Midnight: Indie Film Show (Gallery Suite)
There will also be a couple of extra events on Saturday, but details for those are still being worked out.
Also, have just noticed that we've got the scriptwriting improv thingy down as only an hour... and I know we planned on it being hour and half as it tends to go on a bit... so cue frantic discussion with the Headless Chickens Brigade and will let you know what's happening with that...
Also also... the AGM - if you've points to raise, motions for changes to things, or just general BFS questions could you PLEASE let one of us know (either Marie or me, for preference) before the event so we can make sure we have the right information on stuff with us on the day, thus ensuring a proper discussion instead of ...oh, er, um, we'll get back to you.... :->
14 August 2006
Technical Whinge
...because, really, computers hate me and this is cheaper than throwing the bastard thing out of the window...
So, apparently I can't send email from the bradan email account, can't pick up email from the fcon@jennyb address and I've recently had reports from people that emails I've sent from the demon account have arrived 2 months after they've been sent (so it's not always me being a bit slow, then...) I mean, where do they go for 2 months? I have these weird visions of a bunch of recalcitrant emails sitting around in a cyber-bar somewhere getting totally mullered and going 'ey up, think I'll just stay for the next round...')
Mind, the first two problems will be related as they're both on the same server, so a bit of grouting around the techie support area should help there.
God knows what's up with the demon account though...
And... (yes, there's more... it's like buses, isn't it...) the machine's been acting gronkier than usual ever since I downloaded a service pack from them who we don't mention. Should have known better as I've been religiously avoiding downloading things since the mass virus damage last year but one of them computer doctor types got all in a tizzy when he found out mum hadn't ever upgraded her machine's software (and then promptly charged her way too much for doing it) so I figured, why not, and spend hours (still in the stone age with dial up) downloading things.
And lordy, it's just so slow to open files and the like at the mo... I can get a couple of pages of reading done while I wait for a doc to open, and that can't be right...
...because, really, computers hate me and this is cheaper than throwing the bastard thing out of the window...
So, apparently I can't send email from the bradan email account, can't pick up email from the fcon@jennyb address and I've recently had reports from people that emails I've sent from the demon account have arrived 2 months after they've been sent (so it's not always me being a bit slow, then...) I mean, where do they go for 2 months? I have these weird visions of a bunch of recalcitrant emails sitting around in a cyber-bar somewhere getting totally mullered and going 'ey up, think I'll just stay for the next round...')
Mind, the first two problems will be related as they're both on the same server, so a bit of grouting around the techie support area should help there.
God knows what's up with the demon account though...
And... (yes, there's more... it's like buses, isn't it...) the machine's been acting gronkier than usual ever since I downloaded a service pack from them who we don't mention. Should have known better as I've been religiously avoiding downloading things since the mass virus damage last year but one of them computer doctor types got all in a tizzy when he found out mum hadn't ever upgraded her machine's software (and then promptly charged her way too much for doing it) so I figured, why not, and spend hours (still in the stone age with dial up) downloading things.
And lordy, it's just so slow to open files and the like at the mo... I can get a couple of pages of reading done while I wait for a doc to open, and that can't be right...
12 August 2006
Ah, much calmer.
H&N stuff
Have almost broken the back of the last H&N submissions... have 20 stories left to read and hope to be emailing people Sunday about assorted bits. Also hope to get the next H&N out before Fcon too. (I'm a very hopeful person...) :->
Fcon stuff
And of course, you do realise that every Fcon post from now til kick off will have at least some small portion of panic in it... panic is good, it focuses the mind.
So... did I mention that the Britannia is completely sold out? Think I did. We've got a deal going with the Rutland next door.
Have also got confirmation on meal times from the Britannia (which I'll post on the Fcon blog in a mo.) (But they're still teasing us about midnight munchies... we only asked them back in March... and of course, the person we were dealing with has left so we have to go through everything all over again with the new one. Which has happened with every Fcon I've been involved in. Sheesh!)
If you want to volunteer to help us set up on the Friday, we need to know beforehand - we start at 10am on the Fri, but mainly need the manpower around early afternoon for help with goodie bag stuffing (as the morning is usually full of swearing and trying to remember how the PA system works and pestering the hotel for the hundred and one things they should have done, and that table goes there and what the **** is up with the air con... )
And just when we thought we had the programme completely locked down, a couple of surprise items had to be squeezed in... we just love a challenge... :->
And we have a short play. And an indie film show.
And I've still got the Fcon Reporter to do... (this weekend. Definitely.)
Happily the Fcon mag is going ok - we're still waiting for Ray Feist's stuff but other than that, crossing fingers that all will be nice and smooth there.
No news on Fcon 2007 hotel yet (and can you hear the edge of hysteria creeping into my voice there...? Ah-ha... that's the panic bit then.)
Other BFS bits
So the next Prism & DH are due for publication first week of Sept. Prism will be fine, cos I'm putting it together now, DH I'm mildly worried about as it takes more time and the wait for stuff from t'other editor gets a bit nervewracking... :-> Hence, doing Prism now.
Oh, and on top of the reviewer appeal I've done elsewhere, we currently have a shortage of book reviewers for the fantasy titles - email Chris Teague if you're interested.
Still need help with news for the comics/RPG/DVD/film/events sections. See BFS messageboard, the Sept Prism topic.
We've agreed that the BFS edition of Cinema Macabre will be posted out with the Sept mailing - which will save space in the car for Fcon. (Need a tardis car for packing things in and some big stong men for unloading, cos, seriously, I hate unloading. Too many years doing markets. Ah well.) Oh, how the BFS edition differs from the PS editions... 1) it's a members only trade paperback edition and will not be available for sale (as, y'know, PS did theirs for sale!) 2) New cover by Les Edwards 3) introduction by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan (instead of Jonathan Ross who did the PS edition). Think that's it.
Oh, the BFS Celebration book thingy (that's getting launched at Fcon), is, indeed, super lovely. Have flipped through it and there's some nice things been said about the BFS and Fcon by various contributors (which was rather heartwarming, esp. since it's v. easy to get jaded doing this volunteer malarkey.) Haven't had the time to read any of the fiction in it, though.
BFS Awards - if you're a BFS member, you've still got time to vote. I'm reliably informed that you can find online voting details at http://www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk/info/vote2006.htm
Other stuff
Gosh, you want more? :->
Erm... apparently the Discworld convention has been sold out... (damn... wanted to go, but the timing was dodgy so was putting off booking...)
Next years Alt.fiction event in Derby is motoring along nicely. Check out Alex Davis' blog for the latest gossip. (Mental note: this time, don't book the Fcon hotel meet for the same day...)
Emerald City is closing.
Mark Chadbourn has gone off on a research break so Ariel is taking over his blogging duties.
Oh, and Mark C.'s Jack of Ravens is utterly, utterly, brilliant. (Ye-gads, I'm such a fan-girl...)
H&N stuff
Have almost broken the back of the last H&N submissions... have 20 stories left to read and hope to be emailing people Sunday about assorted bits. Also hope to get the next H&N out before Fcon too. (I'm a very hopeful person...) :->
Fcon stuff
And of course, you do realise that every Fcon post from now til kick off will have at least some small portion of panic in it... panic is good, it focuses the mind.
So... did I mention that the Britannia is completely sold out? Think I did. We've got a deal going with the Rutland next door.
Have also got confirmation on meal times from the Britannia (which I'll post on the Fcon blog in a mo.) (But they're still teasing us about midnight munchies... we only asked them back in March... and of course, the person we were dealing with has left so we have to go through everything all over again with the new one. Which has happened with every Fcon I've been involved in. Sheesh!)
If you want to volunteer to help us set up on the Friday, we need to know beforehand - we start at 10am on the Fri, but mainly need the manpower around early afternoon for help with goodie bag stuffing (as the morning is usually full of swearing and trying to remember how the PA system works and pestering the hotel for the hundred and one things they should have done, and that table goes there and what the **** is up with the air con... )
And just when we thought we had the programme completely locked down, a couple of surprise items had to be squeezed in... we just love a challenge... :->
And we have a short play. And an indie film show.
And I've still got the Fcon Reporter to do... (this weekend. Definitely.)
Happily the Fcon mag is going ok - we're still waiting for Ray Feist's stuff but other than that, crossing fingers that all will be nice and smooth there.
No news on Fcon 2007 hotel yet (and can you hear the edge of hysteria creeping into my voice there...? Ah-ha... that's the panic bit then.)
Other BFS bits
So the next Prism & DH are due for publication first week of Sept. Prism will be fine, cos I'm putting it together now, DH I'm mildly worried about as it takes more time and the wait for stuff from t'other editor gets a bit nervewracking... :-> Hence, doing Prism now.
Oh, and on top of the reviewer appeal I've done elsewhere, we currently have a shortage of book reviewers for the fantasy titles - email Chris Teague if you're interested.
Still need help with news for the comics/RPG/DVD/film/events sections. See BFS messageboard, the Sept Prism topic.
We've agreed that the BFS edition of Cinema Macabre will be posted out with the Sept mailing - which will save space in the car for Fcon. (Need a tardis car for packing things in and some big stong men for unloading, cos, seriously, I hate unloading. Too many years doing markets. Ah well.) Oh, how the BFS edition differs from the PS editions... 1) it's a members only trade paperback edition and will not be available for sale (as, y'know, PS did theirs for sale!) 2) New cover by Les Edwards 3) introduction by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan (instead of Jonathan Ross who did the PS edition). Think that's it.
Oh, the BFS Celebration book thingy (that's getting launched at Fcon), is, indeed, super lovely. Have flipped through it and there's some nice things been said about the BFS and Fcon by various contributors (which was rather heartwarming, esp. since it's v. easy to get jaded doing this volunteer malarkey.) Haven't had the time to read any of the fiction in it, though.
BFS Awards - if you're a BFS member, you've still got time to vote. I'm reliably informed that you can find online voting details at http://www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk/info/vote2006.htm
Other stuff
Gosh, you want more? :->
Erm... apparently the Discworld convention has been sold out... (damn... wanted to go, but the timing was dodgy so was putting off booking...)
Next years Alt.fiction event in Derby is motoring along nicely. Check out Alex Davis' blog for the latest gossip. (Mental note: this time, don't book the Fcon hotel meet for the same day...)
Emerald City is closing.
Mark Chadbourn has gone off on a research break so Ariel is taking over his blogging duties.
Oh, and Mark C.'s Jack of Ravens is utterly, utterly, brilliant. (Ye-gads, I'm such a fan-girl...)
04 August 2006
Excuse me a moment while I sit here in mild shock. And I shouldn't be really, because I was warned. I was expecting it. I've been at things long enough to know what the score is. But still...
This morning, on the way out to work, a lorry pulls up. (Timing could have been better as I was running late and really didn't have time to be doing anything other than jumping in the car and racing off to the first appointment...which was going to be a nasty one, anyway, by all accounts...)
I was expecting the BFS Celeb book. That was fine. I was expecting there to be rather a lot more boxes than there usually is with a BFS book because the book's thicker and a larger format than we usually do. That was fine too. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be delivered with the BFS edition of Cinema Macabre that's going out as a members only freebie. 50 odd boxes worth of stuff.
Still, even that would have been ok. Book boxes (and indeed, magazine boxes for that matter) are generally small and manageable, even if there's rather a lot of them. They can be sneakily stashed behind chairs and under tables and piled up in corners with table cloths thrown over to disguise them... And at the very least, the nice delivery men always tote them into the hallway for you...
However, this particular time, they all came shrinkwrapped in one large pile on one large pallette and fork lifted onto the road and bye bye lorry. Oh what fun. And it must be time for the annual threat of eviction as nobody likes *that* many boxes in the house...
Sigh. And I so don't have my logistics head on to deal with the whole mess yet. Not after the horrible week that's just been.
But enough of the self indulgent whingery (which, alas, has been too common an occurrence lately... but, crikey, I'm just so damned *tired* and there's still a zillion things that need doing, all to be ready for exactly the same time. Or possibly even earlier. Or 4 months ago.)
Happy book things
Before the week that's best forgotten, was book binge week. Otherwise know as the annual Summer Spending Spree.
So, the very short version: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is so much better than the hype. I didn't think I could be that impressed by a book. But wow. It's truly, totally, utterly fantastic. Chock full of I-gotta-read- a-bit-mores...
Keeping it Real by Justina Robson is also fab.
Bridge of Dreams by Chaz Brenchley is excellent with some delicious language in it. Can't wait for the next one in the series.. (according to his blog... LJ.... thingy... he's just finished pruning the 2nd one...)
Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton (look, I know I said I wasn't going to, but it was on sale...) is actually better than expected. Skip the inevitable and relentles sex scenes and you have some interesting continuances of the vamp & shifter politics, and that's one of the things I like about the series. At this point, I'm hanging on to see how she resolves the mother of all vamps plot arc cos Anita as a protag is getting too whiny and the continued oops-there's-another-super-power is getting boring.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman was also better than expected.
Broken by Kelley Armstrong was... strange. Never been all that keen when it's Elena the wolf's turn to narrate as I find the character almost as irritating as Paige the witch. But it was...ok.
Other bits
Ooh, the Write Fantastic have started up their group blog thing.. that's lovely stuff.
(No, sorry, that's all I got... unable to think while my brain cycles between stressed and depressed and back again.)
This morning, on the way out to work, a lorry pulls up. (Timing could have been better as I was running late and really didn't have time to be doing anything other than jumping in the car and racing off to the first appointment...which was going to be a nasty one, anyway, by all accounts...)
I was expecting the BFS Celeb book. That was fine. I was expecting there to be rather a lot more boxes than there usually is with a BFS book because the book's thicker and a larger format than we usually do. That was fine too. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be delivered with the BFS edition of Cinema Macabre that's going out as a members only freebie. 50 odd boxes worth of stuff.
Still, even that would have been ok. Book boxes (and indeed, magazine boxes for that matter) are generally small and manageable, even if there's rather a lot of them. They can be sneakily stashed behind chairs and under tables and piled up in corners with table cloths thrown over to disguise them... And at the very least, the nice delivery men always tote them into the hallway for you...
However, this particular time, they all came shrinkwrapped in one large pile on one large pallette and fork lifted onto the road and bye bye lorry. Oh what fun. And it must be time for the annual threat of eviction as nobody likes *that* many boxes in the house...
Sigh. And I so don't have my logistics head on to deal with the whole mess yet. Not after the horrible week that's just been.
But enough of the self indulgent whingery (which, alas, has been too common an occurrence lately... but, crikey, I'm just so damned *tired* and there's still a zillion things that need doing, all to be ready for exactly the same time. Or possibly even earlier. Or 4 months ago.)
Happy book things
Before the week that's best forgotten, was book binge week. Otherwise know as the annual Summer Spending Spree.
So, the very short version: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is so much better than the hype. I didn't think I could be that impressed by a book. But wow. It's truly, totally, utterly fantastic. Chock full of I-gotta-read- a-bit-mores...
Keeping it Real by Justina Robson is also fab.
Bridge of Dreams by Chaz Brenchley is excellent with some delicious language in it. Can't wait for the next one in the series.. (according to his blog... LJ.... thingy... he's just finished pruning the 2nd one...)
Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton (look, I know I said I wasn't going to, but it was on sale...) is actually better than expected. Skip the inevitable and relentles sex scenes and you have some interesting continuances of the vamp & shifter politics, and that's one of the things I like about the series. At this point, I'm hanging on to see how she resolves the mother of all vamps plot arc cos Anita as a protag is getting too whiny and the continued oops-there's-another-super-power is getting boring.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman was also better than expected.
Broken by Kelley Armstrong was... strange. Never been all that keen when it's Elena the wolf's turn to narrate as I find the character almost as irritating as Paige the witch. But it was...ok.
Other bits
Ooh, the Write Fantastic have started up their group blog thing.. that's lovely stuff.
(No, sorry, that's all I got... unable to think while my brain cycles between stressed and depressed and back again.)
18 July 2006
Hot hot hot.....
So hot, in fact, that we now have one of those grown up sized paddling pool thingys set up in the garden. Which is fun. Especially with the addition of a couple of rubber ducks...
Meantime, I hide in my shady cave and find 101 things to do on the laptop.
F'rinstance: just found out that Juliet McK's got a blog as well! Okay, well technically it's a LiveJournal thingy but is there really much of a difference? Has the term 'blog' become a catchall term for any version of online blather or is it limited to things hosted on blogspot? And what's with this Myspace thingy that I keep hearing about? Lordy, must try not to get too distracted... bad enough I spent too many hours yesterday browsing through the Barbelith boards... well, there's a lot of fascinating stuff there...
Still no sign of DH48... really hoping it'll come today.
As for the Fcon reporter... well, I got a wee bit distracted so instead of working on that beastie, I ended up reading a mass H&N subs! So I can confidentally say that I've now got only 58 email subs to read then we're clear! Then I've got 2nd reading on some of them to do, as well as sorting out which of the accepted are going in which issue, and then, of course, actually emailing people back to let them know! Started out the reading pile getting a bit depressed as there were quite a few wobbly submissions... then I hit a batch of utterly fab ones which cheered me up no end!
BFS Reviewers:
Which reminds me... meant to say in the last blog entry... have talked to the chaps, and they all need reviewers for their various areas... So if you want to volunteer to be a BFS reviewer please let me know (via the BFS messageboards, I think, to save the guys getting email spam through nasty little web-bots). We need reviewers for: Books, comics/graphic novels, Indie Press/RPGs & media. Cheers
Other stuff
Health warning: do not, under any circumstances, read The Younger Gods (David & Leigh Eddings). You'll need a brain scrub afterwards.
Not that I have anything against Eddings, generally. I have very fond memories of reading the Mallorean etc. when I was wee lass. But after (gibber) the Redemption of Athalus, I pretty much decided against picking up another Eddings book.
Except I got given a copy of Younger Gods the other day (and thank god I didn't actually pay money, cash, for it.) Oh. My. God. What the hell was that then? Fought my way through the preface, managed about 3 pages of chapter one and had to throw the thing away at great speed. Relented a bit later and picked it up again - initiating emergency reading measure #2 - ie. if the beginning gives you jip, flip to the middle and take it from there. Sometimes it works. This time, no chance. It got even worse. Even took the drastic measure of flipping to the end to see if there was, actually, a point. Evidentally not.
Apparently it's about 3rd? 4th? of a series, so maybe it would have helped to have read the ones before, but, personally, I'm not going to bother, thanks.
So hot, in fact, that we now have one of those grown up sized paddling pool thingys set up in the garden. Which is fun. Especially with the addition of a couple of rubber ducks...
Meantime, I hide in my shady cave and find 101 things to do on the laptop.
F'rinstance: just found out that Juliet McK's got a blog as well! Okay, well technically it's a LiveJournal thingy but is there really much of a difference? Has the term 'blog' become a catchall term for any version of online blather or is it limited to things hosted on blogspot? And what's with this Myspace thingy that I keep hearing about? Lordy, must try not to get too distracted... bad enough I spent too many hours yesterday browsing through the Barbelith boards... well, there's a lot of fascinating stuff there...
Still no sign of DH48... really hoping it'll come today.
As for the Fcon reporter... well, I got a wee bit distracted so instead of working on that beastie, I ended up reading a mass H&N subs! So I can confidentally say that I've now got only 58 email subs to read then we're clear! Then I've got 2nd reading on some of them to do, as well as sorting out which of the accepted are going in which issue, and then, of course, actually emailing people back to let them know! Started out the reading pile getting a bit depressed as there were quite a few wobbly submissions... then I hit a batch of utterly fab ones which cheered me up no end!
BFS Reviewers:
Which reminds me... meant to say in the last blog entry... have talked to the chaps, and they all need reviewers for their various areas... So if you want to volunteer to be a BFS reviewer please let me know (via the BFS messageboards, I think, to save the guys getting email spam through nasty little web-bots). We need reviewers for: Books, comics/graphic novels, Indie Press/RPGs & media. Cheers
Other stuff
Health warning: do not, under any circumstances, read The Younger Gods (David & Leigh Eddings). You'll need a brain scrub afterwards.
Not that I have anything against Eddings, generally. I have very fond memories of reading the Mallorean etc. when I was wee lass. But after (gibber) the Redemption of Athalus, I pretty much decided against picking up another Eddings book.
Except I got given a copy of Younger Gods the other day (and thank god I didn't actually pay money, cash, for it.) Oh. My. God. What the hell was that then? Fought my way through the preface, managed about 3 pages of chapter one and had to throw the thing away at great speed. Relented a bit later and picked it up again - initiating emergency reading measure #2 - ie. if the beginning gives you jip, flip to the middle and take it from there. Sometimes it works. This time, no chance. It got even worse. Even took the drastic measure of flipping to the end to see if there was, actually, a point. Evidentally not.
Apparently it's about 3rd? 4th? of a series, so maybe it would have helped to have read the ones before, but, personally, I'm not going to bother, thanks.
16 July 2006
First person to say 'displacement activity' (or should that be 'work avoidence') gets a smack. :->
So, where are we this week? Slightly calmer than last I posted. Prism came back from the printers Thurs, DH48... has yet to appear. Am hoping it gets delivered to me Monday as the mailing really really does have to go out, like, yesterday. Awards deadline has been officially extended to 15th Aug. So we may just have covered our asses on that one.
The Fcon Reporter mini mag will have to be mailed out in a seperate mailing though, as I've not done it yet. Today and tomorrow is my plan. Which means, it'll be done Weds or Thurs and mailed out the week after, if usual line of things plays true. I should really have learnt by now about optimistic work schedules... they never work.
So next on the list is catching up on Fcon and (at last, at last!) H&N stuff, of which there is many and multiple things.
Fcon: have several fine details to get confirmed, several others to check on. And really, really, really have to update the Fcon blog.
And kicking Cafepress would be nice too. We've been trying to get some Fcon merchandise up on a cafepress store as we thought it would be fun... got the account set up, no problem, but have we been able to do anything else. Have we buggery. 4 different computers with various ISPs and still we get 'sorry, but your connection may have timed out' type messages when we try and set up the products. Gah!
And there's hotel visits with the 2007 potentials that need sorting because we need the date finailised, because it would be really nice to actually have next year details to advertise this year. Oh, and we had one guest confirm that he was free and willing, one guest that he was willing but we're checking on stuff with his publisher (I think... that's the trouble with switching off on one area to get another one done, totally lose track of, oh, everything else...) one guest said the timing was out but he was honoured to be asked (bless) and one guest with no reply, so I think we're assuming it's a no.
Oh, and I've got to interview Juliet McK. for the Fcon mag, which should be fun (and also a little scary as it'll be the first interview I've ever done...) Luckily, I'm a fan of her work so that's one side of the background research done.
(Actually, techinically, the Dave Sutton interview in the upcoming Prism should have been my first interview, but I chickened and appealled to the lovely Pete Coleborn for help so he did the questions....) Sorry, where were we....
H&N then - yes, I really did mean it when I said fiction submissions were now closed (got to update the website...) I've got a block of submissions reading time next week - which means, I hope, that I should be able to get all outstanding submissions cleared in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Frustrating as it is, this is how I tend to work best, doing these blocks of dedicated [whatever] sessions, so when I finally get my H&N time, it'll be solid, dawn to dusk, nothing but the mag (and the Slow Motion Wars). I've got a bunch of subs that have been read but need a second reading to decide properly on. And there's Issue 8 to put together. And emails to answer. But you know all this already, so I'll shut up and get on it.
Other stuff
...because sometimes you need to switch off before you can switch back on again.. (otherwise known as, feeling guilty about doing things for fun when I know what work still needs doing...)
Actually read a proper book last week. (I know, it's been so long since I've had the time to squeeze it in!) Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts which has been hyped to the hills (pun not intended!) - maybe it's me, but I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. (Had a similar problem with Jonathon Norrell as well - everybody seems to love it, I don't.)
Ok, there were a couple of good stories in the Joe Hill, but mostly I found the stories to be average to meh. And the endings... oy, the endings. Most of them not very satisfying... either coming to soon, or just too so-what. The Balloon boy story was good up until the last couple of pages. Voluntary Committal (haven't got the book to hand, so my recollection of titles may be a little off) was, I think, probably my favourite one - loved the ideas in it, and the ending wasn't bad.
The telephone one could have done with being longer, building the suspense a bit more. The title story (I think - it was the one about the movie theatre ghost...) was ok, but nothing startling.
So, for the while, I'm butterflying through Juliet McK's Western Shore, 2 pages at time when time allows. Then after that I've got Chaz B's Bridge of Dreams (available from his website or standard places in the US), and then Mark C's Jack of Ravens is out on the 20th! Woohoo!
And apparently Danse Macabre gets even worse for erotica minus plot so I think I can wait a while for that. (Reviews and other comments I've read so far suggest that it suffers from too much setting it up, and too few plot resolutions - more a bridge to the next book.)
Other things I'd love to be able to squeeze in - catching up on Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking series - read the first one ages back, would like read the rest. Also the new Justina Robson one (didn't really get on with her earlier stuff, but the last couple she's done look good!)
Stephen King's Cell is also on the list. The latest Jasper Fforde one, cos it's set in Reading! Fun! Also, the 3rd book in the Jonathan Stroud Bartimaeus trilogy; the Mike Carey 'Felix Castor' book that's just come out; that Lies of Locke Lamora thingy that's seems to be on it's way as the latest amazing thing (just like thieves as main characters, meself); the Joe Abercrombie thingy (as you can see, I've got a great memory for names and titles!); and one day I'll get around to picking up the rest of the Simon Green Deathstalker books - read the first one, loved all the political stuff in it, and he's got a cracking sense of humour in his books... I'm a huge fan of the Hawk and Fisher series...
Of course, I'd then need to find a way to read in my sleep to fit them all in...
What else before I leave you...? Gosh, but aren't the BFS forums deader than dead? Someone please go and post something. And TTA are getting that way too... but their problem, I think, is more to do with the constant spam assault they're getting.
Have been having to haunt the SFX boards for my fun. (Actually got around to posting something there, too.)
Enough. There's work to be doing....
So, where are we this week? Slightly calmer than last I posted. Prism came back from the printers Thurs, DH48... has yet to appear. Am hoping it gets delivered to me Monday as the mailing really really does have to go out, like, yesterday. Awards deadline has been officially extended to 15th Aug. So we may just have covered our asses on that one.
The Fcon Reporter mini mag will have to be mailed out in a seperate mailing though, as I've not done it yet. Today and tomorrow is my plan. Which means, it'll be done Weds or Thurs and mailed out the week after, if usual line of things plays true. I should really have learnt by now about optimistic work schedules... they never work.
So next on the list is catching up on Fcon and (at last, at last!) H&N stuff, of which there is many and multiple things.
Fcon: have several fine details to get confirmed, several others to check on. And really, really, really have to update the Fcon blog.
And kicking Cafepress would be nice too. We've been trying to get some Fcon merchandise up on a cafepress store as we thought it would be fun... got the account set up, no problem, but have we been able to do anything else. Have we buggery. 4 different computers with various ISPs and still we get 'sorry, but your connection may have timed out' type messages when we try and set up the products. Gah!
And there's hotel visits with the 2007 potentials that need sorting because we need the date finailised, because it would be really nice to actually have next year details to advertise this year. Oh, and we had one guest confirm that he was free and willing, one guest that he was willing but we're checking on stuff with his publisher (I think... that's the trouble with switching off on one area to get another one done, totally lose track of, oh, everything else...) one guest said the timing was out but he was honoured to be asked (bless) and one guest with no reply, so I think we're assuming it's a no.
Oh, and I've got to interview Juliet McK. for the Fcon mag, which should be fun (and also a little scary as it'll be the first interview I've ever done...) Luckily, I'm a fan of her work so that's one side of the background research done.
(Actually, techinically, the Dave Sutton interview in the upcoming Prism should have been my first interview, but I chickened and appealled to the lovely Pete Coleborn for help so he did the questions....) Sorry, where were we....
H&N then - yes, I really did mean it when I said fiction submissions were now closed (got to update the website...) I've got a block of submissions reading time next week - which means, I hope, that I should be able to get all outstanding submissions cleared in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Frustrating as it is, this is how I tend to work best, doing these blocks of dedicated [whatever] sessions, so when I finally get my H&N time, it'll be solid, dawn to dusk, nothing but the mag (and the Slow Motion Wars). I've got a bunch of subs that have been read but need a second reading to decide properly on. And there's Issue 8 to put together. And emails to answer. But you know all this already, so I'll shut up and get on it.
Other stuff
...because sometimes you need to switch off before you can switch back on again.. (otherwise known as, feeling guilty about doing things for fun when I know what work still needs doing...)
Actually read a proper book last week. (I know, it's been so long since I've had the time to squeeze it in!) Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts which has been hyped to the hills (pun not intended!) - maybe it's me, but I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. (Had a similar problem with Jonathon Norrell as well - everybody seems to love it, I don't.)
Ok, there were a couple of good stories in the Joe Hill, but mostly I found the stories to be average to meh. And the endings... oy, the endings. Most of them not very satisfying... either coming to soon, or just too so-what. The Balloon boy story was good up until the last couple of pages. Voluntary Committal (haven't got the book to hand, so my recollection of titles may be a little off) was, I think, probably my favourite one - loved the ideas in it, and the ending wasn't bad.
The telephone one could have done with being longer, building the suspense a bit more. The title story (I think - it was the one about the movie theatre ghost...) was ok, but nothing startling.
So, for the while, I'm butterflying through Juliet McK's Western Shore, 2 pages at time when time allows. Then after that I've got Chaz B's Bridge of Dreams (available from his website or standard places in the US), and then Mark C's Jack of Ravens is out on the 20th! Woohoo!
And apparently Danse Macabre gets even worse for erotica minus plot so I think I can wait a while for that. (Reviews and other comments I've read so far suggest that it suffers from too much setting it up, and too few plot resolutions - more a bridge to the next book.)
Other things I'd love to be able to squeeze in - catching up on Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking series - read the first one ages back, would like read the rest. Also the new Justina Robson one (didn't really get on with her earlier stuff, but the last couple she's done look good!)
Stephen King's Cell is also on the list. The latest Jasper Fforde one, cos it's set in Reading! Fun! Also, the 3rd book in the Jonathan Stroud Bartimaeus trilogy; the Mike Carey 'Felix Castor' book that's just come out; that Lies of Locke Lamora thingy that's seems to be on it's way as the latest amazing thing (just like thieves as main characters, meself); the Joe Abercrombie thingy (as you can see, I've got a great memory for names and titles!); and one day I'll get around to picking up the rest of the Simon Green Deathstalker books - read the first one, loved all the political stuff in it, and he's got a cracking sense of humour in his books... I'm a huge fan of the Hawk and Fisher series...
Of course, I'd then need to find a way to read in my sleep to fit them all in...
What else before I leave you...? Gosh, but aren't the BFS forums deader than dead? Someone please go and post something. And TTA are getting that way too... but their problem, I think, is more to do with the constant spam assault they're getting.
Have been having to haunt the SFX boards for my fun. (Actually got around to posting something there, too.)
Enough. There's work to be doing....
06 July 2006
Good: Mark Chadbourn has a new blog! And Chaz Brenchley has moved to live-journal and he's writing more in it.
Fcon has now got over 200 registered people (which is nice) and the hotel is completely booked (which is scary) and we managed to get a contract going for the same prices at a nice hotel next door for overflow (which I really must update the Fcon blog with - unless one of the others has already...)
Fcon '07 has been narrowed down to Derby (a spit away from the station) or Birmingham (not city centre, but just close enough to work. )
Just heard that 2 old friends are going to get married this year! Plus a pair of fairly new friends are engaged, to be married next year. Plus ma cousin James is now a daddy. (A baby girl, hah! That'll teach you.)
Ooh and, finally, after a bit of a lacklustre few episodes, Dr Who got good. Good gosh did you see the last 10 minutes of last weeks one? I managed to not be spoiled (which hardly ever happens) so ended up swearing at the telly. Profusely Can't wait for this weeks one.
And actually managed to find 3 minutes or so to read something new! (Faint's in shock!) When in severe overwork mode, graphic novels keep me sane (and DH and Prism was done to the stabilising force of the entire run of Transmet, Mystique, Lucifer and The Authority) So this week I managed to get hold of the first two volumes of The Authority: Revolution and one of the original Stormwatch volumes I'd managed to miss... Jenny Sparks rocks! Jenny Quantum gets better with age. And the party with the Doctors and the Jennys was genius! The Engineer just gets more irritating though.
Waiting for Promethea volume 5 to come out (not sure if I'll have the patience to wait for the PB, so may have to see who's selling the HB cheap on Amazon...), Fables: Arabian Nights, the next Lucifer, Mark C.s Jack of Ravens, and LKH's Danse Macabre (although hoping the erotica gets dialled down so we can actually get a decent story in somewhere). Think there's a new Kelley Armstrong out now as well. (You wouldn't think I was the same girl that just spent hours compiling forthcoming book lists for Prism, would you. Swear to wotsit, the thing went off to the printer, and all information dilligently researched for it dribbled out of my ears...)
And we've just officially announced the funky dunky BFS book to be launched at Fcon. Check out BFS web page / cyberstore / BFS Publications and it's right at the top. There's an utterly gorgeous cover by Dominic Harman, and it's a trade paperback! And it's 300 pages. And I'm about faint at the thought of mailing that puppy out!
And it's after May, so H&N is closed for fiction submissions... (phew!)
Bad: Good gosh, there's so much outstanding work. Had to concentrate on the paid stuff to stop people screaming at me (which just about worked) and now everything else is urgently needing doing. DH 49 and the next Prism need putting together ready for mailing out, DH48 and Prism expected back next week (see the BFS messageboards for the full blah-blah on all that). And there's always Fcon stuff to do.
Then after Fcon, Prism is getting the reviews (yeesh!) So if you've got stuff that needs reviewing, or fancy being on the team of reviewers, the people to talk to are: Mike Chinn- Graphic Novels/Comics (don't think he needs reviewers though), Andrew Hook - Media reviews (DVD/film/TV/radio/other odd things), Craig Lockley - RPG and Indie Press (games, books and magazines), Chris Teague - Main Books (I'll get contact details sorted out for the lads soon...)
I'd also like some volunteers to help out with various other Prism sections (full list on BFS messageboards!)
And if anyone wants to volunteer for doing BFS mailouts, that's up for grabs too.
And, oh lordy, I got to the bottom of a pile of stuff on my desk and found 3 envelopes with H&N #7 in that should have been mailed ages ago.... god, how did that happen?
And there's a stack of H&N submissions still to read. And reply to. And orders to send out.
And the thought of the BFS AGM is, quite frankly, terrifying. I don't mind admitting I've mucked up. But I don't do well in front of audiences...
Oh, because, I somehow managed to miss the fact that the BF Awards voting deadline was 1st Aug (when I thought it was 31st Aug) - cos if I'd realised it, then I'd've done a seperate mailing of the forms a couple of weeks ago while we're waiting on the DH & Prism that was going to go out with them. So we're extending the deadline. And it's all my fault... (sobs...) (see the TTA message boards/ Elastic Press awards thread...)
Send in the clones....
Fcon has now got over 200 registered people (which is nice) and the hotel is completely booked (which is scary) and we managed to get a contract going for the same prices at a nice hotel next door for overflow (which I really must update the Fcon blog with - unless one of the others has already...)
Fcon '07 has been narrowed down to Derby (a spit away from the station) or Birmingham (not city centre, but just close enough to work. )
Just heard that 2 old friends are going to get married this year! Plus a pair of fairly new friends are engaged, to be married next year. Plus ma cousin James is now a daddy. (A baby girl, hah! That'll teach you.)
Ooh and, finally, after a bit of a lacklustre few episodes, Dr Who got good. Good gosh did you see the last 10 minutes of last weeks one? I managed to not be spoiled (which hardly ever happens) so ended up swearing at the telly. Profusely Can't wait for this weeks one.
And actually managed to find 3 minutes or so to read something new! (Faint's in shock!) When in severe overwork mode, graphic novels keep me sane (and DH and Prism was done to the stabilising force of the entire run of Transmet, Mystique, Lucifer and The Authority) So this week I managed to get hold of the first two volumes of The Authority: Revolution and one of the original Stormwatch volumes I'd managed to miss... Jenny Sparks rocks! Jenny Quantum gets better with age. And the party with the Doctors and the Jennys was genius! The Engineer just gets more irritating though.
Waiting for Promethea volume 5 to come out (not sure if I'll have the patience to wait for the PB, so may have to see who's selling the HB cheap on Amazon...), Fables: Arabian Nights, the next Lucifer, Mark C.s Jack of Ravens, and LKH's Danse Macabre (although hoping the erotica gets dialled down so we can actually get a decent story in somewhere). Think there's a new Kelley Armstrong out now as well. (You wouldn't think I was the same girl that just spent hours compiling forthcoming book lists for Prism, would you. Swear to wotsit, the thing went off to the printer, and all information dilligently researched for it dribbled out of my ears...)
And we've just officially announced the funky dunky BFS book to be launched at Fcon. Check out BFS web page / cyberstore / BFS Publications and it's right at the top. There's an utterly gorgeous cover by Dominic Harman, and it's a trade paperback! And it's 300 pages. And I'm about faint at the thought of mailing that puppy out!
And it's after May, so H&N is closed for fiction submissions... (phew!)
Bad: Good gosh, there's so much outstanding work. Had to concentrate on the paid stuff to stop people screaming at me (which just about worked) and now everything else is urgently needing doing. DH 49 and the next Prism need putting together ready for mailing out, DH48 and Prism expected back next week (see the BFS messageboards for the full blah-blah on all that). And there's always Fcon stuff to do.
Then after Fcon, Prism is getting the reviews (yeesh!) So if you've got stuff that needs reviewing, or fancy being on the team of reviewers, the people to talk to are: Mike Chinn- Graphic Novels/Comics (don't think he needs reviewers though), Andrew Hook - Media reviews (DVD/film/TV/radio/other odd things), Craig Lockley - RPG and Indie Press (games, books and magazines), Chris Teague - Main Books (I'll get contact details sorted out for the lads soon...)
I'd also like some volunteers to help out with various other Prism sections (full list on BFS messageboards!)
And if anyone wants to volunteer for doing BFS mailouts, that's up for grabs too.
And, oh lordy, I got to the bottom of a pile of stuff on my desk and found 3 envelopes with H&N #7 in that should have been mailed ages ago.... god, how did that happen?
And there's a stack of H&N submissions still to read. And reply to. And orders to send out.
And the thought of the BFS AGM is, quite frankly, terrifying. I don't mind admitting I've mucked up. But I don't do well in front of audiences...
Oh, because, I somehow managed to miss the fact that the BF Awards voting deadline was 1st Aug (when I thought it was 31st Aug) - cos if I'd realised it, then I'd've done a seperate mailing of the forms a couple of weeks ago while we're waiting on the DH & Prism that was going to go out with them. So we're extending the deadline. And it's all my fault... (sobs...) (see the TTA message boards/ Elastic Press awards thread...)
Send in the clones....
17 May 2006
BFS Stuff
Dark Horizons moves on apace.... have had discussions and after the one I'm working on, there's one more from the current editors (July ish) then that's it. The new editors will be Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards, and it'll be a total DH revamp - new submission guidelines, new time table, the lot. There's also mooted to be a bit of a contents juggle between Prism & DH, but things on that will go into effect after this years Fcon.
Fcon 2006
We're having fun with it at the moment! A little bit of re-shifting of things after the schedule discussions of last week, but still looking good.
Just collated the results of the Fcon questionnaire thingy we did - some were as expected, some were a bit surprising... I'll bung a summary in the next Prism.
Fcon 2007
The hopeful hotel option turned out too small, we've spent the last couple of days doing a manic hotel sweep all over the place... Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester (not giving up hope on that one yet - there's a nice looking place overlooking the waterfront, just off Trafford Road... but there's not a room big enough to hold the dealers.. maybe 2 smaller dealers rooms next to each other....?), Leicester, Coventry, Derby and there's a potential near Gatwick/Crawley as well (it claims to be far enough away from the airport so as not to be disturbed...)
The problem we're getting is the affordable ones (for accomodation) are either too small, or out in the boonies ala the Walsall one.
We still have the Walsall one as an ultimate reserve for next year, if we're really reallllly desperate!
Guests though - we've pretty much agreed on who we want...3 guests, one MC... one guest and the MC we're fairly confident in getting, one guest could go either way... and one guest is someone who I'd never in a million years have thought of in connection with Fcon. So that'll be fun! Apparently we know someone who knows someone....
Other stuff
Ranting is definitely good for clearing the brain - been getting so much useful stuff done since last weeks little self-indulgent whinge... :->
And the paid for website I did went down well - apparently they didn't mind that it wasn't overly pretty - they wanted simple, basic and someone that talked in English to them about it.... so there you go. Bodge a job does it again!
And now 3 of their mates have said they want websites too... I keep saying I'm not a web designer... cos I'm not... you've seen the H&N website... it goes dodgy when viewed in Firefox, the amazon button pretty much NEVER appears on the front page and I never know how to do images properly.
And I keep telling them this... but apparently they don't give a monkeys... they just want something online.
It's a bit embarassing actually, having to charge people when I know I'm lousy at it. (I will, though, but it just feels incredibly weird...)
Of course, this is an opportunity to spend some time to actually learn how to do it properly... when I have a minute....
Dark Horizons moves on apace.... have had discussions and after the one I'm working on, there's one more from the current editors (July ish) then that's it. The new editors will be Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards, and it'll be a total DH revamp - new submission guidelines, new time table, the lot. There's also mooted to be a bit of a contents juggle between Prism & DH, but things on that will go into effect after this years Fcon.
Fcon 2006
We're having fun with it at the moment! A little bit of re-shifting of things after the schedule discussions of last week, but still looking good.
Just collated the results of the Fcon questionnaire thingy we did - some were as expected, some were a bit surprising... I'll bung a summary in the next Prism.
Fcon 2007
The hopeful hotel option turned out too small, we've spent the last couple of days doing a manic hotel sweep all over the place... Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester (not giving up hope on that one yet - there's a nice looking place overlooking the waterfront, just off Trafford Road... but there's not a room big enough to hold the dealers.. maybe 2 smaller dealers rooms next to each other....?), Leicester, Coventry, Derby and there's a potential near Gatwick/Crawley as well (it claims to be far enough away from the airport so as not to be disturbed...)
The problem we're getting is the affordable ones (for accomodation) are either too small, or out in the boonies ala the Walsall one.
We still have the Walsall one as an ultimate reserve for next year, if we're really reallllly desperate!
Guests though - we've pretty much agreed on who we want...3 guests, one MC... one guest and the MC we're fairly confident in getting, one guest could go either way... and one guest is someone who I'd never in a million years have thought of in connection with Fcon. So that'll be fun! Apparently we know someone who knows someone....
Other stuff
Ranting is definitely good for clearing the brain - been getting so much useful stuff done since last weeks little self-indulgent whinge... :->
And the paid for website I did went down well - apparently they didn't mind that it wasn't overly pretty - they wanted simple, basic and someone that talked in English to them about it.... so there you go. Bodge a job does it again!
And now 3 of their mates have said they want websites too... I keep saying I'm not a web designer... cos I'm not... you've seen the H&N website... it goes dodgy when viewed in Firefox, the amazon button pretty much NEVER appears on the front page and I never know how to do images properly.
And I keep telling them this... but apparently they don't give a monkeys... they just want something online.
It's a bit embarassing actually, having to charge people when I know I'm lousy at it. (I will, though, but it just feels incredibly weird...)
Of course, this is an opportunity to spend some time to actually learn how to do it properly... when I have a minute....
11 May 2006
Catching Up
Let April now be known as the month of the meltdown.... meaning that things are running late everywhere....
So currently, DH, Prism & Fcon Reporter are all getting their layout finished. I know Prism is a month late. I know that's appalling for my second one. I'm offloading other stuff to make sure it doesn't happen again...
(And, happily, the co-editing DH is a temporary thing - we've got new editors lined up to take over at Fcon, we just have to get through the next couple of issues...)
I've got a Ken Bulmer memorial book I'm putting together for the BFS that's in its early stages. I've got the Fcon mag to get artwork for and a couple of non guest related articles to commission. (Anyone want to write me a fun article for the Fcon mag? On conventions, or the genre in general or something. Even on Nottingham if you want!)
I've got a BFS newsfeed to sort out.
I've got a couple of outstanding queries on H&N 7 that I haven't replied to yet - guys, I know you're there, give me another couple of days please...
I've got H&N 8 that's shaping up nicely for the end of May. Or at the latest, early June :->
I've got all those H&N submissions to read - haven't read anymore since the last blog post... will try and squeeze them in shortly. And I know I haven't replied to any H&N stuff for a while, so, yes, I've most likely received your email/submission, just haven't had the time to concentrate on it properly...
I've got some work to do on Slow Motion Wars (Hi boys!)
I've got a mess on the BFS Cyberstore to sort out - some bastard decided it was good idea to use it to try and run some fraudulent credit cards... 96 hooky transactions... (faints)
I've got to chase down some BFS history bits and try and get in a visit to Liverpool to check out Andy Sawyer's SF library. Incidentally, anyone got any BFS Bulletins/newsletters/Fcon mags etc. from 1971 to 1995? If so, can I borrow them - I'll send them back, honest! I just want to get photocopies. Or, if you know someone who has any and wants rid permenantly, let me know.
(Who said the BFS takes over your life... oh, sorry, that was me... ) :->
I've got 3 end of year income tax accounts and 1 VAT return that needs doing.
I've got 2 people wanting websites done for them - why me? I'm crap at web design. I've told them I'm crap at web design. They said keep it simple and basic, they just need something online. And they *are* paying jobs (gosh, can't remember the last time someone actually paid me to do something... usually it's... Jeeeeeennnn, can you just do me a...)
Then there's Fcon...
We got in a visit to the hotel at the weekend (timing could have been better, as I really wanted to get up to the Alt.fiction day in Derby... but that was the only date everyone could do...)
So, full news about Fcon visit on the Fcon blog and BFS msgeboards, so I won't repeat it. Looking good though. Nottingham's got a good atmosphere by day. And there's a Forbidden Planet and Games Workshop around the corner from the hotel, and huge Waterstones a couple of streets away. Bar food is good, too. So you don't need to go near the hotel restaurant at all (and who has the time to actually leave the hotel during Fcon...? Oh, right, that's just me then... )
We've got the events schedule mostly sorted now, we just have to ask a few people if they can do things and we're good. Tell ya, squeezing in 5 GoH interviews is an interesting experience... :->
Fcon 2007 - there's actually hope of a venue! We're looking into things now.
2007 committee is Debs, Vicky, Marie, Paul, me and Pat.
Same time of year. No guests sorted yet. If you've thoughts on panels or guests or whatever for next year, please pop along to the BFs msgboards and post things in the 2006 thread)
Fun Stuff...
(cos enough of the whinging already!)
Dr Who - how cool is that! Not usually a rabid Who fan - the older series I missed out on seeing when they originally broadcast, so catch up on bits on Sky ocassionally... and Ecclestone took some warming up to last year, but woah, David Tennant is brilliant. Totally off his head.
Is it me or, in the New Earth eppy, was Billie Piper actually better when doing the 'possessed by Cassandra' thing.
The werewolf one was a bit irritating though and the Torchwood blurb at the end went beyond heavy-handed... (Looking forward to Torchwood though...)
Loved the swimming pool confrontation in the Sarah Jane eppy and the Mdme Pomp one on Sat. was great fun.
Lost - have just discovered it (there's a really really bad joke in there somewhere, I know!)
Yay for E4 running repeats of S1 to warm people up for S2. Seriously bored with Jack & Kate. Can we please focus on someone else.
Liking the whole larger mystery thing, though from recaps I've read of S2 on television without pity, it's dragging a bit.
American Gothic is finally out in UK format DVD - if only I could afford to buy it :->
Heard rumours somewhere that they're going to do another sequel to both the Resident Evil and Tomb Raider movies. (Which...yay! Cos they're fun!)
Did managed to stretch the credit card to pick up a copy of the latest Lucifer graphic novel (Crux). Gotta love that Lucifer! Glad it's a limited series so we can get some wrap up on things. (Although it was probably a mistake to look at the Vertigo website/upcoming issue section cos there's a couple of minor spoilers on future events. And Lucifer is one of the few things I don't usually hear spoilers for)
Got sent a freebie copy of Telos' Charmed book - not as good as some of the other guides they've done, alas. Also hear they're doing an updated Stargate guide to cover things up to the 8th season. Now, their Stargate guide I liked so look forward to seeing that.
Telos also have a charity anthology coming out at Fcon - but then, so do the BFS so I have to pimp the BFS one more! At least, I will when I'm allowed to make it official. It's bloody good, the BFS one. Absolutely stunning. BFS members, will of course, get sent one free with the nearest mailing to Fcon (don't know if it'll be before or after - probably after.. depends what Marie and Paul want to do about the launch...) But, also of course, if you buy one at Fcon, some of the authors will be there so you can get it signed by them....
Oh, books and Fcon... the BFS edition of the PS Publishing Cinema MAcabre is now slated for being ready for mailing to members around Fcon time.
(And, of course, the fabulous Bradan book - Slow Motion Wars is being launched at Fcon too - just in case you forgot!)
Things I want to do next year with Bradan - Terrible Tourists - a comic fantasy anthology - covering fantasy and SF really, probably. I just like the idea of stories about people visiting other worlds, or, conversely, having to deal with the accidental tourists that are visiting.
Also, a comic fantasy anthology roughly themed 'Tough Magic' - none of your pansy wizards... jobbing mages, criminals with the odd weird talent, that kind of thing.
Naturally, these are just odd thoughts at the moment - so when I get them fleshed out I'll put out proper gls etc..
Main point being - I like fun fantasy. I want to publish it! :->
Let April now be known as the month of the meltdown.... meaning that things are running late everywhere....
So currently, DH, Prism & Fcon Reporter are all getting their layout finished. I know Prism is a month late. I know that's appalling for my second one. I'm offloading other stuff to make sure it doesn't happen again...
(And, happily, the co-editing DH is a temporary thing - we've got new editors lined up to take over at Fcon, we just have to get through the next couple of issues...)
I've got a Ken Bulmer memorial book I'm putting together for the BFS that's in its early stages. I've got the Fcon mag to get artwork for and a couple of non guest related articles to commission. (Anyone want to write me a fun article for the Fcon mag? On conventions, or the genre in general or something. Even on Nottingham if you want!)
I've got a BFS newsfeed to sort out.
I've got a couple of outstanding queries on H&N 7 that I haven't replied to yet - guys, I know you're there, give me another couple of days please...
I've got H&N 8 that's shaping up nicely for the end of May. Or at the latest, early June :->
I've got all those H&N submissions to read - haven't read anymore since the last blog post... will try and squeeze them in shortly. And I know I haven't replied to any H&N stuff for a while, so, yes, I've most likely received your email/submission, just haven't had the time to concentrate on it properly...
I've got some work to do on Slow Motion Wars (Hi boys!)
I've got a mess on the BFS Cyberstore to sort out - some bastard decided it was good idea to use it to try and run some fraudulent credit cards... 96 hooky transactions... (faints)
I've got to chase down some BFS history bits and try and get in a visit to Liverpool to check out Andy Sawyer's SF library. Incidentally, anyone got any BFS Bulletins/newsletters/Fcon mags etc. from 1971 to 1995? If so, can I borrow them - I'll send them back, honest! I just want to get photocopies. Or, if you know someone who has any and wants rid permenantly, let me know.
(Who said the BFS takes over your life... oh, sorry, that was me... ) :->
I've got 3 end of year income tax accounts and 1 VAT return that needs doing.
I've got 2 people wanting websites done for them - why me? I'm crap at web design. I've told them I'm crap at web design. They said keep it simple and basic, they just need something online. And they *are* paying jobs (gosh, can't remember the last time someone actually paid me to do something... usually it's... Jeeeeeennnn, can you just do me a...)
Then there's Fcon...
We got in a visit to the hotel at the weekend (timing could have been better, as I really wanted to get up to the Alt.fiction day in Derby... but that was the only date everyone could do...)
So, full news about Fcon visit on the Fcon blog and BFS msgeboards, so I won't repeat it. Looking good though. Nottingham's got a good atmosphere by day. And there's a Forbidden Planet and Games Workshop around the corner from the hotel, and huge Waterstones a couple of streets away. Bar food is good, too. So you don't need to go near the hotel restaurant at all (and who has the time to actually leave the hotel during Fcon...? Oh, right, that's just me then... )
We've got the events schedule mostly sorted now, we just have to ask a few people if they can do things and we're good. Tell ya, squeezing in 5 GoH interviews is an interesting experience... :->
Fcon 2007 - there's actually hope of a venue! We're looking into things now.
2007 committee is Debs, Vicky, Marie, Paul, me and Pat.
Same time of year. No guests sorted yet. If you've thoughts on panels or guests or whatever for next year, please pop along to the BFs msgboards and post things in the 2006 thread)
Fun Stuff...
(cos enough of the whinging already!)
Dr Who - how cool is that! Not usually a rabid Who fan - the older series I missed out on seeing when they originally broadcast, so catch up on bits on Sky ocassionally... and Ecclestone took some warming up to last year, but woah, David Tennant is brilliant. Totally off his head.
Is it me or, in the New Earth eppy, was Billie Piper actually better when doing the 'possessed by Cassandra' thing.
The werewolf one was a bit irritating though and the Torchwood blurb at the end went beyond heavy-handed... (Looking forward to Torchwood though...)
Loved the swimming pool confrontation in the Sarah Jane eppy and the Mdme Pomp one on Sat. was great fun.
Lost - have just discovered it (there's a really really bad joke in there somewhere, I know!)
Yay for E4 running repeats of S1 to warm people up for S2. Seriously bored with Jack & Kate. Can we please focus on someone else.
Liking the whole larger mystery thing, though from recaps I've read of S2 on television without pity, it's dragging a bit.
American Gothic is finally out in UK format DVD - if only I could afford to buy it :->
Heard rumours somewhere that they're going to do another sequel to both the Resident Evil and Tomb Raider movies. (Which...yay! Cos they're fun!)
Did managed to stretch the credit card to pick up a copy of the latest Lucifer graphic novel (Crux). Gotta love that Lucifer! Glad it's a limited series so we can get some wrap up on things. (Although it was probably a mistake to look at the Vertigo website/upcoming issue section cos there's a couple of minor spoilers on future events. And Lucifer is one of the few things I don't usually hear spoilers for)
Got sent a freebie copy of Telos' Charmed book - not as good as some of the other guides they've done, alas. Also hear they're doing an updated Stargate guide to cover things up to the 8th season. Now, their Stargate guide I liked so look forward to seeing that.
Telos also have a charity anthology coming out at Fcon - but then, so do the BFS so I have to pimp the BFS one more! At least, I will when I'm allowed to make it official. It's bloody good, the BFS one. Absolutely stunning. BFS members, will of course, get sent one free with the nearest mailing to Fcon (don't know if it'll be before or after - probably after.. depends what Marie and Paul want to do about the launch...) But, also of course, if you buy one at Fcon, some of the authors will be there so you can get it signed by them....
Oh, books and Fcon... the BFS edition of the PS Publishing Cinema MAcabre is now slated for being ready for mailing to members around Fcon time.
(And, of course, the fabulous Bradan book - Slow Motion Wars is being launched at Fcon too - just in case you forgot!)
Things I want to do next year with Bradan - Terrible Tourists - a comic fantasy anthology - covering fantasy and SF really, probably. I just like the idea of stories about people visiting other worlds, or, conversely, having to deal with the accidental tourists that are visiting.
Also, a comic fantasy anthology roughly themed 'Tough Magic' - none of your pansy wizards... jobbing mages, criminals with the odd weird talent, that kind of thing.
Naturally, these are just odd thoughts at the moment - so when I get them fleshed out I'll put out proper gls etc..
Main point being - I like fun fantasy. I want to publish it! :->
09 March 2006
Eurgh... the roof is leaking and the constant dripping's driving me mental!
And the guy can't come out to fix it until next week. (And have you seen the weather at the moment - absolutely persistantly! And hailstones too!)
In happier news... announcing the first Bradan Press book... wahey!
It's called Slow Motion Wars and it's a collection of rather funky stories written by Andrew Hook and Allen Ashley. We'll be launching it at Fcon so pop along and buy one! I'll get order details up on the site as soon as we've got them firmed up...
And the guy can't come out to fix it until next week. (And have you seen the weather at the moment - absolutely persistantly! And hailstones too!)
In happier news... announcing the first Bradan Press book... wahey!
It's called Slow Motion Wars and it's a collection of rather funky stories written by Andrew Hook and Allen Ashley. We'll be launching it at Fcon so pop along and buy one! I'll get order details up on the site as soon as we've got them firmed up...
06 March 2006
H&N (again)
Needless to say, I hate writing rejection notes. Sometimes the stories get rejected because, although the story is well written, it's just not to my taste. I'm not much of a fan of slow, moody pieces - and this includes classic style ghost stories; traditional epic fantasy has to have something special for me to say yes to it; romance? bah, humbug!
Give me snappy, fun stories. Things that move fast. Anything with sarcastic humour sneaking around it. Adventures and monsters and really weird things. Things that made me laugh out loud. Things that entertain.
Of course, sometimes it's just a case that the author is taking forever to get to a point, using 8 paragraphs where 2 would do. And over-long sentences... oy, I hate those.
Get to your point. Don't waste words. A little atmosphere building is fine, but there comes a time when you need to get on with the story.
And, at the moment, short stories have a better chance than longer ones.
Rant over :->
Needless to say, I hate writing rejection notes. Sometimes the stories get rejected because, although the story is well written, it's just not to my taste. I'm not much of a fan of slow, moody pieces - and this includes classic style ghost stories; traditional epic fantasy has to have something special for me to say yes to it; romance? bah, humbug!
Give me snappy, fun stories. Things that move fast. Anything with sarcastic humour sneaking around it. Adventures and monsters and really weird things. Things that made me laugh out loud. Things that entertain.
Of course, sometimes it's just a case that the author is taking forever to get to a point, using 8 paragraphs where 2 would do. And over-long sentences... oy, I hate those.
Get to your point. Don't waste words. A little atmosphere building is fine, but there comes a time when you need to get on with the story.
And, at the moment, short stories have a better chance than longer ones.
Rant over :->
04 March 2006
Open Night was fun! Apparently it was one of the smaller ones, so a bit on the quiet side. But I spent most of the time chatting with Andew Hook and Allen Ashley about something we're bringing out at Fcon. We're still working out details, but it'll be the first Bradan Press book thing. Wahey! More news on that when we're further along with it!
03 March 2006
Fcon meanderings...
And another thing... we just got the latest Fcon attendee stats from our Debs and we've got twice the amount people we usually have at this time of year. Blimey!
Granted, we usually only have a mere handful of folks at this time of year, so double the amount is only in the late 40s... but still.... we're excited! (It doesn't take much!)
And another thing... we just got the latest Fcon attendee stats from our Debs and we've got twice the amount people we usually have at this time of year. Blimey!
Granted, we usually only have a mere handful of folks at this time of year, so double the amount is only in the late 40s... but still.... we're excited! (It doesn't take much!)
02 March 2006
Email, bah, humbug...
So it seems the technical problems are not, in fact, down to the server people. It's something to do with my PC (oh now there's a BIG surprise...) Luckily I can still access the emails off of webmail on someone elses machine (as my machine won't even let me go near the website... double bah!) so all is not lost!
So it seems the technical problems are not, in fact, down to the server people. It's something to do with my PC (oh now there's a BIG surprise...) Luckily I can still access the emails off of webmail on someone elses machine (as my machine won't even let me go near the website... double bah!) so all is not lost!
01 March 2006
BFS recommendations
See, I knew there was something else I should be babbling about... after seeing the absolutely shameless shouting messrs Pendragon Press, Gray Friar Press, Elastic Press and Desmondo of Nemonymous have been doing on the TTA boards, I'm reminded that the BFS reccommendations for the awards are upon us..
(You'd think I'd have twigged since I spent the weekend stuffing envelopes with the forms in, wouldn't you..)
So, all you BFS members, if you want to recommend any stories for the awards, both Issue 5/6 & Issue 7 are eligible as they both came out in 2005.
Stories eligible for you to recommend are:
Issue 5/6:
Guitar Heroes - Simon Kewin
Blooming Britain - Leila Eadie
Fear of Fitness - John Llewellyn Probert
The Autumn Beast - Michael D. Winkle
Better and Better - John B. Rosenman
Charlie the Quantum Computer - Sarah Dobbs
Choices - Justin Thorne
For Old Times’ Sake - Gary Couzens
Humpback IV - Mark Anthony Brennan
Greenleaves - Davin Ireland
From Freak to Unique - Steve Dean
Lorna - Alasdair Stuart
Modern Life - Jason J. Stevenson
The Mermaid’s Tears - Steve Lockley
Lost - Paul Bates
Mokey - Kay Green
The Pan!c Foundation - Arthur Lyte
Rainmaker on the Run - Jetse de Vries
Seeing Red - John Graham
She Who Controls the Wind - Ken Goldman
Alan Smithee Lives in Hell - Matthew S. Rotundo
Burning Bush - Jennifer Pelland
The Green Man - Paul McAvoy
They Let You Live - Ian Hunter
Calling the Tuna - John B. Rosenman
Unicorn - Gary McMahon
When the Lights Go Out - Eugie Foster
Issue 7:
Big Brother - Gary Fry
The Stone Prince - Barbara Davies
Flickering Pictures Hypnotise - Simon Kewin
My Friend is a Lesbian Zombie - Eugie Foster
Stength in Numbers - Frank Roger
Eliza - Bev Vincent
A Sordid Boom - Ian Creasey
Dear Sirs - Robert J. Santa
Daisy Strikes Back - James Brindle
The Seat - Francis Duffy
Habitation Without Representation - Laird Long
Oriental Mist - James S. Dorr
Omegalpha - Frank Roger
Field Trip - Stuart Young
Pick Me Up - David Murphy
Like Tears, Cast in the Steps of Her Mother - Gerard Houarner
Philip K. Sheckley's Astounding Discovery - Frank Roger
And feel free to recommend H&N in the Small Press category too :-> Not that we'll win when we're up against all those other small press peeps, but it would be nice to make the short list...
See, I knew there was something else I should be babbling about... after seeing the absolutely shameless shouting messrs Pendragon Press, Gray Friar Press, Elastic Press and Desmondo of Nemonymous have been doing on the TTA boards, I'm reminded that the BFS reccommendations for the awards are upon us..
(You'd think I'd have twigged since I spent the weekend stuffing envelopes with the forms in, wouldn't you..)
So, all you BFS members, if you want to recommend any stories for the awards, both Issue 5/6 & Issue 7 are eligible as they both came out in 2005.
Stories eligible for you to recommend are:
Issue 5/6:
Guitar Heroes - Simon Kewin
Blooming Britain - Leila Eadie
Fear of Fitness - John Llewellyn Probert
The Autumn Beast - Michael D. Winkle
Better and Better - John B. Rosenman
Charlie the Quantum Computer - Sarah Dobbs
Choices - Justin Thorne
For Old Times’ Sake - Gary Couzens
Humpback IV - Mark Anthony Brennan
Greenleaves - Davin Ireland
From Freak to Unique - Steve Dean
Lorna - Alasdair Stuart
Modern Life - Jason J. Stevenson
The Mermaid’s Tears - Steve Lockley
Lost - Paul Bates
Mokey - Kay Green
The Pan!c Foundation - Arthur Lyte
Rainmaker on the Run - Jetse de Vries
Seeing Red - John Graham
She Who Controls the Wind - Ken Goldman
Alan Smithee Lives in Hell - Matthew S. Rotundo
Burning Bush - Jennifer Pelland
The Green Man - Paul McAvoy
They Let You Live - Ian Hunter
Calling the Tuna - John B. Rosenman
Unicorn - Gary McMahon
When the Lights Go Out - Eugie Foster
Issue 7:
Big Brother - Gary Fry
The Stone Prince - Barbara Davies
Flickering Pictures Hypnotise - Simon Kewin
My Friend is a Lesbian Zombie - Eugie Foster
Stength in Numbers - Frank Roger
Eliza - Bev Vincent
A Sordid Boom - Ian Creasey
Dear Sirs - Robert J. Santa
Daisy Strikes Back - James Brindle
The Seat - Francis Duffy
Habitation Without Representation - Laird Long
Oriental Mist - James S. Dorr
Omegalpha - Frank Roger
Field Trip - Stuart Young
Pick Me Up - David Murphy
Like Tears, Cast in the Steps of Her Mother - Gerard Houarner
Philip K. Sheckley's Astounding Discovery - Frank Roger
And feel free to recommend H&N in the Small Press category too :-> Not that we'll win when we're up against all those other small press peeps, but it would be nice to make the short list...
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