Designing, designing, designing...

So just what have I been up to of late? Book designing, that's what. The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders has now been submitted to the printers. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the cover: I had to re-adjust the CMYK profile because, essentially, the black was too back! But I did all the alterations and the PDFs are now in the printer's hands...

And The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes is almost ready for the printers, too. Editor Mike Chinn is giving the PDF a final once-over, to ensure I've not mucked up anything.

In addition, I am formatting the many articles for Mike Barrett's Doors to Elsewhere -- essays on writers such as Lord Dunsany, Ernest Bramah, Greye La Spina, Fritz Leiber and many others. I'm very much enjoying reading these essays.

The Alchemy Press will be launching the first two books at FantasyCon 2012. I've just created the above ad for the programme booklet. If you're attending the convention come along and say hello.

Independent Press Book Fair

On Sunday 9th September, Writing West Midlands is holding an Independent Publishers’ Book Fair in Birmingham as part of ArtsFest 2012. They say:

 “Browse, buy and discover new books, many of which are not available on the high street. This day-long event will feature independent publishers from the West Midlands and beyond, offering you the chance to buy books directly from the publishers, who will be on hand to answer questions and introduce you to new writing. From poetry pamphlets to prose fiction, graphic novels to science fiction and fantasy, a wide range of forms and genres will be represented. The fair is free and all are welcome!”

The venue is Rooms 3 & 4, Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BB, from 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.

My imprint, The Alchemy Press, will be there with a range of titles, including Rumours of the Marvellous, Where the Bodies are Buried, Beneath the Ground, Sex, Lies & Family Ties and Swords Against the Millennium. We also hope to have pre-view copies of The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes and The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders. More details of these can be found on the Alchemy Press website. Please drop by and say hello.

Chaz Brenchley

I'm delighted that the fantastic Chaz Brenchley has chosen one of my portraits of him for his updated website.

Chatting with the Chatterer

One meets the most interesting people at literary events -- in this case Edge-Lit, held last weekend in Derby. For example, Jan and I had just arrived in desperate need for refreshments. So it was a mug of coffee each, and a chat with Nicholas Vince. In case you don't know him, here he is in another guise, Kinski (from the Nightbreed movie):

But he is perhaps best known as the Chatterer Cenobite in the Hellraiser movies. Who'd have thought that this charming gentlemen could tear your soul (and flesh) apart?

Verisimilitude

Last night I watched an episode from NCIS Los Angeles. In it, some wronged-American terrorist had stolen a drone aircraft armed with a missile and he intended to wreak much havoc in LA. The NCIS agents had little time in which to save the city. Someone suggested that they scramble USAF jets to shoot it down -- but the 20 minutes needed to achieve that would take too long. So the agents then had to determine the target -- a school -- and drive over and evacuate the buildings, all  before the drone fired its missile. And they did all that in less than 20 minutes? Come on, when writing such scenarios be realistic. Stories require verisimilitude in order to suspend disbelief.

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.

Sex, Lies & Family Ties now available

I am pleased to report that Sex, Lies and Family Ties, by Sarah J Graham (published by my Alchemy Press) is now available to buy as an eBook via Smashwords.

Too many things to do...

I seem to have far too many things to do, to keep on top of -- which means I end up doing a bit of this, a bit of that and not finishing projects quickly enough. At least, though, it keeps my brain active, which can't be a bad thing.

Anyway, this brings me to another ongoing project: Sex, Lies and Family Ties by Sarah J Graham. This is a coming of age novel, set at the end of the 1960s. It's very moving -- and excellently written. I'm not sure exactly when it's due out from my Alchemy Press: soon, I hope. The cover artwork is by the wonderful Steve Upham of Screaming Dreams fame.

Alchemy Press: new covers

I have now designed the front covers for the two forthcoming anthologies from The Alchemy Press: Ancient Wonders, edited by Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber, and Pulp Heroes, edited by Mike Chinn. The artists are Dominic Harman and Bob Covington respectively.

Sarah & Joe and Adrian

Here's another of my Photoshopped photographs: Sarah Pinborough and Joe Abercrombie. They seem to be after the same cigarette-device-thingy. Or, more likely, acting up for yours truly as he wielded the camera. It was taken at FantasyCon 2011.

And this is Adrian Tchaikovsky -- taken at the same FantasyCon. Before I converted the image to B&W you could just see the lights of Brighton's pier in the background.