The Society:

BFS FANTASYCON 2009 18^TH-20^TH SEPTEMBER

                  

 

When I state that my 2^nd adventurous trip to FantasyCon held again this year in Nottingham (UK), started in the men’s toilets at St.Pancras Railway station, you might get the wrong idea. The overflowing toilet I chose to use, that started gushing into everyone else’s’ sure made me run for the train. Luckily the free tea and biscuits relaxed me and with a few reads of Adam Nevill’s Banquet for the Damned, I was soon at my sunny destination.

Once I got booked in ahead of Tim Lebbon, who had to wait for his room, I joined Peter Coleborn and his helpers in stuffing a few goodies bags, while people slowly arrived.

New faces I met as well as old including Simon Kurt Unsworth and the very lovely Allyson Bird, plus others I knew like Simon Clark, John Worley, Adam Nevill and Joseph D’Lacey. As usual things begin and end in the bar at FantasyCon, normally after many drinks are consumed, the welcome began at half-five and then things begin to blur.

 

I managed a greasy of greasiest burgers with my favourite people there Martin Roberts and Helen Hopley, who never seem to get much time to sit down, unless of course it’s when the projectors don’t work and the Friday night film show never got underway. Which was a real shame for them and the audience; cos I may never find out if the zombies or humans won the curling competition.

So I placed some Novelblog flyers and some of my free disks on the giveaway table and headed up to bed to watch Memphis Belle, but the war film got drowned out by the unique screams and sounds of the nightlife of Nottingham after dark. So I read my BFS programmes, looked at my freebie Angry Robot and Gollancz books and then got to sleep about half-oneish.

Saturday I rose early, even though I didn’t need too ate a hearty full English breakfast and had a great old time. I did a quick bit of book selling, which gave me more beer and book buying money for the day and sold 75% of the books I brought in a few short hours.

Being in the dealer’s room for a while I chatted to old friends Raven Dane (a fellow Gamesfest guest author next month), Adam Greenwood, Same Stone and David J Howe.

I bought only two books Different Skins and How to make Monsters, both by Gary McMahon, a huge new talent, who seemed to have a book with every small press there.

Adam kindly gave me a copy of his book Robin of the Wood so go to www.robinofthewood.com to find out about that.

Also the first time author (like me last year) Jonathan R Webb, selling his novel Geas, good luck with that mate. www.jonathanwebb.net

Sam Stone and I got chatting to the guys from Abaddon books, who gave me not 1, but 2 free books, I love their covers by the way. They had some very exciting title out now and have just purchased Solaris books, so I will be keeping an eye on them at www.abaddonbooks.com.

I then headed to see the Dead Good or Just Dead: Rehabilitation of Vampires panel with Raven Dane, Steven Erikson, Adam L G Nevill & Same Stone, which was great fun and the heckler just made it more interesting.

 

I caught Simon Kurt Unsworth’s excellent double reading upstairs, which moved some of the audience to tears, good tears though Simon.

Book launches followed in the main bar and The British Fantasy Society yearbook 2009 was a fantastic few gift to members one and all. Lee Thompson’s simple design for the cover is wonderful and I got my copy signed my many of the authors including Conrad Williams, Christopher Fowler, Sarah Pinborough and so many others.

After more drinks and chats, I headed to make myself look pretty for the banquet and thanks to my party planner John Worley (wink) I got to sit on a great table, with my lovely friends Paul D Voyce and Sarah Walker.  With many others on the table including soon to be BFS Award winner Allyson Bird and the very charming Charlotte Bond to my right, a great time was had by all. Luckily no one else on the table was drinking the red wine, so my meal got tastier as the night progressed. To be the fair the soup and pudding were lovely, but the stuffed chicken served arse faced towards me, well was shite really.

The awards came and went, joined up with fellow Hersham boy Mathew F Riley, Adam, Award Winner Joseph D’Lacey and Simon Kurt Unsworth for drinks and the American, John Lenahan comedy magic show was a great fun to watch.

Pool, chats, JD and some strange Bacardi cocktails Joe rustled up followed and this Novelblogger didn’t get to his bed until 3am.

Sunday started with no lie-in, as my body woke me at 7am after far too little sleep. Shower, lots of greasy food seemed to do the trick and I made downstairs like many other zombie imitators the next morning, with vacant 5 mile stares.

I took in the 11am Pulp Adventures and Dodgy Archaeology: Digging in the Dirt panel, which Ian Watson made hilarious for all present as Gail Z Martin tried to keep the thing on track.

With a lot of bleary eyed hanging about and goodbyes and see you at the next thing in December I departed for the long train trip home, still in the warm sunshine.

I would like to thank all the people who help run it and set up behind the scenes. To Emma Jane Davies for the coolest shoes two days running (and buying my book) to all the people I chatted to and forgot their names because of age and booze or sleep deprivation. Tim Lebbon, I love the beer mats and my heroes of FantasyCon this year Helen & Martin.

Raven I will see next month at Gamesfest 4 and the other December, or the World Horror Convention in March, or failing that next year, cos I’ll be back.

 

Peter Mark May

 

The GWP anthology Creature Feature will soon be unleashed, and in our build-up to this exciting release, we’re now able to reveal the full list of contents and contributors:

Guy N Smith – The Fish Thing
Guy N Smith – The Beast in the Mist
William Meikle – Rickmans’ Plasma
William Meikle – Stingers
Simon Kurt Unsworth – Day Ten
Simon Kurt Unsworth – Last Option
Simon Kurt Unsworth – Peek-a-Boo
Maxwell Dowie – Late Shift
Ian Faulkner – Sun
Barry J. House – Opening Night
David Jeffery – It Lives In Dark Places
Steve Jensen – The Devil Of Mons
Rakie Keig – The Moths That Ate New Jersey
Steven Lockley – The Flies
Kevin Lumley – Le Carcajou
Peter Mark May – Wookey Hole
David McAfee – Lakeside
Robert Morrish – Each Step I Take Is In Darkness
Stuart Neild – Old Slippery
Daniel I. Russell – Belvedere
Brooke Vaughn – Creeper

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.My next novel published by Ghostwriter Publications in the summer.

http://www.joannerenaud.com/

The lovely Joanne has done a couple of cracking pictures (nah works of art) for my story Into the Endless Sea of Night, out now in the US Magazine Astonishing Adventures Amagazien Issue 6#.

As I never got past stick men in my CSE Grade 4 in ART at school, I always wonder at the magic of getting pictures from your minds eye down on a pad or canvas.

Check out the site.

 

 

 

 

TheNovelblog.com goes from strength to strength, with my first features author and interview with Simon Clark, the nicest man in Horror fiction.

My interview with Peter Straub, comes out in June, with many others as we are booked up for 2009 already incl Ramsey Campbell and Briane Keene.

 

 

 

One of my newer short stories and one I'm very proud of, because of it's a central-plank in my Society Mythos, Into The Endlesss Sea of Night is out now in; Astonishing Adventures Magazine in the USA.

Issue #6 of Astonishing Adventures Magazine is available now. Dowload it here: http://issuu.com/astonishing/docs/astonishing_adventures_magazine_6Astonishing

And on Amazon.com in the US

PMM

 

 

 

 

I've just started a new Novella project called Inheritance which has a scene that has been in the back of my mind for 20+ years now...finally got a short story idea to wrap around it, but it seems to have a life of it's own 60 pages in, it's growing into a Novella.

 

 

PMM

Check out Dark Fiction Review http://darkfictionreview.wordpress.com

My end of year Society website awards for the best books that I've read during the year:

Catergories are:

Best Horror Novel I read in 2008:

The Rising  Brian Keene

Best Horror Debut of 2008:

Through A Glass Darkly  Bill Hussey

Best Collection or Anthology: 

Various: The First Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories

Best Short Story:

Gary McMahon  Hum Drum

Best non-horror novel:

The Quest  Wilbur Smith

Peter Mark May's Society Special Gold Award:

Simon Clark: Death's Dominion

 

Sadly I cannot win, but I would like to heap great praise on anyone who shelled out their hard cash to buy Demon and I hope they liked it.

 

 

 

See Paul's excellent blog site for a Questions & Answers session with me.

http://www.paulalabaster.co.uk/

 

 

Link to article: http://www.thenovelblog.com/tnbNews.aspx?id=1002

I have teamed up with Daniel S Boucher from the USA, to bring you a new and exciting site that will feature reviews, news and interviews by the truck loads.

It goes live on 8th December 2008,

So give it a look.

A big pat on the back to Dan who has been working his nuts off to get this project off the ground.

PMM

7/12/08

 

 

 

 

 

New Short Stories On the Tiles and A Sister's Sweet Kiss have been added to the short story section of the website. One is brand new 2008 and the other is over 20 years old......

PMM 2/11/08

 

Who would have thought in the idyllic setting of Tring town, so many great authors, gamers and Imperial Stormtroopers could invade.

Cor blimey my suitcase full of book was heavy lol, glad I sold my fair share during the day.

Was great to meet Facebook friends like Mark Lucas (Organiser), Garry Charles, Frazer Lee and the always smiling Derek Gunn, who flew over in his private jet just for the day. Plus old friends Bill Hussey, Joe D'Lacey, Raven Dene & Mathew F Riley.

A big thank you to Mark and his team of helpers, who made my first Special Guest day feel vey special, teas, name tags, gold bracelets and lifts to the station. Can't wait for Watford and Gamesfest 4 in 2009. This event can only get bigger and better...

From the 1st customer who had a £50 note and bought mostly everyones books, to the one that recognised Demon off the web somewhere, which was a nice surprise. The sweetie flinging fights were excellent, but Derek Gunn kept eating the ammo. Had a great trip home with 2 fellow writers and plans for world domination were discussed, more on this in the months to come.

 

 

These are not the authors were are looking for...

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures and brief report on the event...

Got a few freebies but bought the 1st Humbrumming book of Horror Stories, just love that old retro Pan cover.

Nottingham, 19-21 September 2008

I came, I saw and I ate too much fried breakfasts.

The train took me and the train took me home again......inbetwix...

Things I learnt at FantasyCon.

1. Beer is god.
2. Blue-tack in large amounts is needed (oh and some posters too)
3. Sweeties to put on your book selling table is a must, the more variety, the bigger the sales lol.
4. You need someone loud to shout your book is great for you.
5. Swipe cards to get into your room, won't work how many times your try.
6. People were nice
7. Some writer's who are only famous with the walls of FantasyCon, need to go out and sell a few more books before they can behave like the Big I'ams they think they are.
8. Bill & Joe are as nice as Facebook had led me to believe.
9. Fireworks (or gunbattles?) from 1pm-4pm don't make for a good nights sleep.
10. Yes I'd love to go again.

I would like to thank Alison, Sharna, Paul, Sarah and Martin for buying my book and letting me sign them, sometimes even with the correct name.

It was great to meet the following people whom made the weekend go so well (some not for the 1st time) Mark West, Simon Clark, Lee Thompson, Sam Stone, David Howe, Andrea Page, Bill Hussey, Joe D'Lacey, Alison Kershaw, Paul d Voyce, Sarah Walker, Martin Roberts, Sharna Connor & all the white shirts.

Thought Vincent Chong got the most deserved Award of the Con.

Saw lots of nice horror authors, only seen before on the back or insides of books too.

PMM

FOR MORE PICTURES SEE MY PRESS AND PICS PAGE AND MY BLOG FOR MORE FANTASYCON 2008 FUN

Roll up, roll up I will be reading a passage from Demon (and Blood & Guts, if I have time) at the BFS FanatasyCon event on Saturday 20th September at 1130am in the Trent suite 10th Floor.

You are more than welcome to come see me fluff lines that i wrote lol.

 

Pic 1 :Sam Stone and I

Pic 2:Simon Clark