FantasyCon 2007

I thought it was about time to mention another of my editing stints.

In 2007 I was asked by that year’s FantasyCon committee if I would like to produce (i.e., edit and design) their Souvenir Programme Book. Naturally, I said yes; I was easily persuaded (and in turn I persuaded Jan Edwards to sit in the assistant's chair). So I diligently set about acquiring material by and about the Guests of Honour (Terry Brooks, Michael Marshall Smith and Stephen Jones) and the Master of Ceremonies Peter Crowther.

The FantasyCon 2007 committee were (alphabetically) Jenny Barber, Vicki Cook, Pat Barber, Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan. The convention was held 21-23 September in the Britannia Hotel, Nottingham -- a great city-centre venue. It was interesting, visiting that city, seeing how much things had changed, how much hadn't: I worked in Nottingham from 1975 to 1980.

Front cover painting (Beowulf) by Edward Miller

Terry Brooks: The Magic Works by Mark Yon

To Know Magic by Shawn Speakman

Facing Down the Monster by Terry Brooks

You, Too, Can’t be Michael Marshall Smith by Paul McAuley

At Home With the Smiths by Paula Grainger

Last Glance Back by Michael Marshall Smith

Stephen Jones: Loving the Idiots by Neil Gaiman

The Creative Spirit by Christopher Fowler

The Karloff Quartet by Stephen Jones

Lust for Life by Paul di Fillipo

Narrow, and Other Houses by Stephen Gallagher

Dream a Little Dream for Me by Peter Crowther

The Timeless Genius of Leonardo by Mike Carey

The Horror Writers’ Association by David Riley

Marvin’s Summer Nights by Stephen Jones

Bridge of Dreams by Chaz Brenchley

The Write Fantastic by Sarah Ash

Reasons to Join In by Marie O’Regan

Wake Up in Moloch by Joel Lane

Interior artwork/photos by: Randy Broecker, Judine Brooks, Mike Chinn, Peter Coleborn, Bob Covington, Steve Double, Les Edwards, Chris Fowler, Allen Koszowski, Uli Meyer, John Picacio, Anne Sudworth, Dan Skinner and Mandy Slater.

I was pleased to use Paula Grainger’s piece on her husband, Michael Marshall Smith – her first ever publication. I was a bit concerned about using Neil Gaiman’s article on Stephen Jones, which although rather humorous, could be taken as slight criticism of the GoH. Fortunately Steve loved the piece – he even reprinted it on his own website.

I was very happy with this publication and was pleased to have been invited to produce it.

End of year round up

Just recently I ended a stint as BFS Journal editor (incorporating Dark Horizons). My final issue was published just before Christmas 2011 (as previously blogged). I edited four issues of DH during the year. It was mostly a rewarding experience – sadly tainted by the struggle for control of the BFS. I have no intention of raking over this sorry episode here. Suffice it to say, the Society has experienced similar events in the past and rose above the squabbles; in fact it is doing so as I type these words.

In 2011 I revived the Alchemy Press. In conjunction with Airgedlámh Productions, the press published a signed, limited edition of tales by the inimitable Peter Atkins: Rumours of the Marvellous. I was thrilled to publish this book. Not only is Pete Atkins an affable, charming chap (with a lovely wife), these are some of the best short stories I’ve read in many a long year. The publishing “job” included several long, long-distance, trans-Atlantic phone calls (Pete lives in Los Angeles, I in the West Midlands, UK) – a major plus in my opinion. Pete was a GoH at FantasyCon 2011, at which the book was launched. Also on hand at the convention to personally dedicate the book was the cover artist, the wonderful Les Edwards. For more details on this collection, pop over to the Alchemy Press blog.

I also helped Pete to set up his own website / blog. It's basic -- no flashing images -- but it does its job. Read it here.

I write very few stories – I seem to spend so much of my time editing other people’s. So I was delighted to see my horror tale “Who Wanders in the Mire” appear in the Christmas 2011 edition of Estronomicon, edited and published by Steve Upham’s Screaming Dreams Press. I acquired the title from the “Wassail Song”: “Pray think of us poor children / Who wander in the mire.”

Perhaps the lowest point of the year came about seven weeks ago. I slipped on some wet grass and snapped the tibia and fibula just above the ankle in my right leg -- I also managed to tear the tendons that hold the joints together. I had to wear a non-weight-bearing cast for six weeks, and only this week have I managed to use that leg for support when hobbling around. I was more-or-less restricted to one room for over a month -- it felt as if I was "doing porridge". There is a metal plate in my leg, and a dozen screws, securing the bones as they heal. Not fun.

That’s it for now. I’ll go into more details about the BFS Journal and DH in a later post. In the meantime, I’ll start posting items about my previous exploits as a BFS editor, starting with Masters of Fantasy 2. 

Rumours of the Marvellous -- cover artwork

This is the fabulous cover artwork for the forthcoming Peter Atkins collection, Rumours of the Marvellous. The artist is the brilliant Les Edwards.