BristolCon 2013

This year I stayed in the BristolCon hotel, which was very convenient for dropping stuff back up to my room. It was a great day, including the book launch mentioned in my previous post, a couple of interesting panel discussions, and lots of conversations with several authors, publishers and artists, many of whom I met for the first time, and a few brief hellos in passing with various others. And free tea!

New Story Sale

Somehow I forgot to mention a few weeks back, my near-future sci-fi story set in North Wales The Lighthouse Keeper has sold to Plasma Frequency magazine. Pretty excited about this - it includes a lighthouse I've been to visit.

Ode to an Earthworm

Saturday at BristolCon saw the launch of the anthology Looking Landwards from NewCon Press, which includes my story Ode to an Earthworm. In the morning I signed 100 signing sheets for the limited edition hardback, and the book launch was at 2:00 PM. There were seven of the authors present, plus cover artist Andy Bigwood. After a few words of introduction from editor Ian Whates, each of us spoke for a minute or so about our stories. After that there was wine and crisps, and a queue of people buying the paperback edition and moving along the table to get their copy signed by all of us. It was great fun and I'd be happy to do it again!

Vector Steampunk Review

The BSFA's Vector #269 came out in spring 2012, but I didn't receive a copy. Presumably lost in the post. I got a replacement copy today and it includes a nice review of The Immersion Book of Steampunk. As you would expect, the reviewer liked some stories more than others, but the final sentence is a satisfying acknowledgement of one of my aims:

As a whole though, the collection is a stylish and interesting collection of tales from authors who may normally live in the shadows cast by the zeppelins of more instantly recognisable heralds of the subgenre but here are given a chance to showcase their talents and do so in fine fashion

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