Abaddon & Solaris FantasyCon Vlog III!

Okay, okay, that proper blogpost with text and pics still coming.

Here's the third video:

FantasyCon 2010 Blog Part II: More Vloggery

Righto. Will do a bloggy blog with pics and stuff in a bit. In the meantime, a second vlog:



Cheers,

David

Festivals in May

Hi all,

Just a quickie to let you know about some festivals coming up.

The Write Fantastic
8th May, Oxford

As you've already heard, Juliet McKenna, author of the Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution (here's the first book, Irons in the Fire, with David Palumbo's dramatic "Man in front of a flag" cover) and Ian Whates, author of The Noise Within (here's Dominic Harman's fine "Exploding spaceship" cover) are helping stage The Write Fantastic's fifth anniversary event on the 8th May at the Jacqueline du Pre building in St. Hilda's College, Oxford University. There are going to be four pretty interesting-sounding panels, a book release, and an opportunity to pick up signed copies of both Irons and Noise.

(And a certain pair of charming, slyly witty, strangely alluring editors will be in attendance to boot. Look out for Jenni and me!)

The Lincoln Book Festival
12th - 16th May, Lincoln

Ian's also going to be at the Lincoln Book Festival the following weekend. This is a fairly big festival, which has played host to Benjamin Zephaniah, Melvyn Bragg and Iain Banks in the past, and Ian will be appearing on a panel along with horror novelist Adam Nevill and fantasy author Stephen Deas. Looks like a good weekend, and Lincoln's a beautiful place to visit, so you can make a holiday of it!

Cheers,

David

The Write Stuff...

Hola,

Seems I'm to speak at The Write Fantastic's Fifth Anniversary Event this year in Oxford.

Juliet E. McKenna (who wrote the Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution books Irons in the Fire - there's David Palumbo's dramatic cover on the right - Blood in the Water and upcoming Banners in the Wind) has asked me to come along and speak on one of her panels.

Our own Ian Whates - whose space opera The Noise Within is due out in a couple of months - will be there too, and a load of other exciting authors have already been confirmed, and I know they've got more potentials lined up.

If you're likely to be in the area on Saturday 8th May, then swing by and say hello. You can even book now if you're keen.

Jenni's said she'll pop by as well.

David

SFX Weekender: Tenth Post

(Ninth post right here on the Abaddon Blog).

So here's Jon in the bar this morning giving a reading and presentation on his new book, Twilight of Kerberos: The Call of Kerberos. Yep. I just included the words "morning," "bar," and "presentation" in the same sentence. I really can't reconcile any two of those in my mind, much less all three.

I guess that's just how we roll, here at the SFX Weekender. Represent.

Actually, not sure if he's presenting on his book or giving cooking instructions. Or very subtly trying to signal someone across the room without the audience seeing.

And here again.

Now I'm getting a kind of "What the Hell am I doing here?" vibe.

Karaoke and dancin' next.

Awww yeah.

More about that, and a final wrap, at the eleventh post here.

SFX Weekender: Eighth Post

Part seven is here.

Well, I joined some kind of gang. They seem like pretty tight guys; didn't like stairs for some reason. But I'm part of the outfit, now. Sounds like we hang out, get drunk, and then kill doctors.

For some reason.

Part Nine here.

SFX Weekender: Sixth Post

Fifth post is here.

So check this out. One of the organisers is talking to a Jedi Knight. There's Lord Vader in the background; there's the stormtroopers. Everyone's acting cool, keeping it natural, but the tension's clear.

Someone's gonna start some shit, yo.

(Saturday morning starts with the seventh post, here.)

SFX Weekender: Fourth Post

Third post is here.

So, yeah, I'm wandering the halls looking for interesting people to photograph, and I run into our gametesters (QA guys).

Classy mofos, aren't they?

Head over here for the fifth live update post.

SFX Weekender: Second Post

What's that, you say? Surely this can't be the second post? We haven't had the first post yet!

There you'd be wrong, gentle reader. As I'm here for both Abaddon and Solaris, I'm posting to both blogs. Go here to read the first post, over on the Abaddon Blog.

So we've been here for a few hours, watching the geeks sail blissfully by, looking at the crazy and inspired costumes, generally getting our voyeur on.

Over at the 2000AD stall, they're obviously organised and efficient, and very much on top of things.

Below is a picture of the Solaris and Abaddon stall.

We're all over that shit like Mussolini on the train networks. I'm telling you.

Head here for the Third Post.

SFXWeekender Tomorrow!

We're heading off to SFXWeekender tomorrow!

This time tomorrow I'll be driving a huge rental van somewhere along the M25, shouting at other drivers, The Bloodhound Gang blaring out of the stereo.

Then this time Friday I'll be nobbing with the stars of science-fiction and fantasy, getting on down and generally having a good time.

If you're coming, make sure and drop by the 2000AD/Abaddon/Solaris stand and say "hi." We'll be chuffed to chat.

I'll try and sling Twitter (@SolarisBooks) and blog posts up periodically over the weekend.

Cheers,

David