Attended another Twisted Tales event last night (I blogged about the last one
here) at Waterstones in Liverpool One. This time the guys at Waterstones were celebrating the release of the PS Publishing anthology
Gutshot.
First off there was an introduction by anthology editor, Conrad Williams followed by readings from Gary McMahon, Joel Lane and Amanda Hemingway. After the readings there was a question and answer session which my pal Simon Bestwick joined because he's also in the anthology.
How cool is my city?
Before the event I met Simon Bestwick, Gary McMahon and Joel Lane in the cafe opposite Waterstones. Never mind my city, how cool am I? I've met Joel before (briefly), but it's the first time I've met Gary and as expected he's super awesome as well as being super talented. Picked up Gary's
The Concrete Grove and of course
Gutshot. The anthology is available from
PS Publishing.
The next Twisted Tales event has readings by Ramsey Campbell and Pete Crowther. Again, how cool is my city?
Look at what came in the mail for me... A welcome to Hadley Rille mug from the fabulous Eric Reynolds and the new look BFS Journal (totally gorgeous) which includes New Horizons, Prism and Dark Horizons.
PS Publishing have produced the journal this time and...
(neat little jump here)
...PS Publishing head honcho, Peter Crowther, has just signed a three book deal with
Angry Robot Books. Fantastic news.
As a side note. How wonderful Britain would be if we all had pretty little mailboxes like they have in the US. Of course, I do wonder how you keep the mail from being stolen.
A wondrous thing arrived in the post yesterday. I wasn't going to mention its wonderfulness here, but R. Schuyler Devin asked would I post pics because he wanted to see what a slip-case Postscripts looked like and I couldn't resist.
I think my signature screams, 'this is the first time, I've had to sign 500 pages for a book and I am so taking my time with it (side note:
Marly Youmans has the most gorgeous signature in the known universe). And hey, at last I got to write in a book legitimately - I've been doing it since I was three.
I've just bought myself a rather special Christmas present, the traycased hardcover edition of Postscripts #20/21 Edison's Frankenstein which includes my story, Hand Scratched Note. It's also available to purchase as an almost as fancy Jacketed Hardcover. It is a most beautiful book; I believe I'll need a whole shelf to display its magnificence.
In other news, I finished the short story (The Stars Blink Out, One by One) I was working on for Retro Spec and got it in with a few days to spare. Wipes sweat off brow and thinks it might be a good idea to turn down the heating.
So thanks to Boing! Boing! for pointing out The Art of Penguin Science Fiction.
I was at the Arthur C Clarke Awards on Wednesday night with a friend of mine from publishing who doesn't normally read much science fiction. She looked at the covers of the six shortlisted books on display up on the cinema screen, and said words to the effect of: 'Why has only one of them got a decent jacket?' The decent jacket she was referring to was Martin Martin's On the Other Side by Mark Wernham, published as a mainstream novel by Jonathan Cape.
I looked at the six books and realised that while I didn't agree that the covers were all bad (they're certainly not), I accepted that they were unlikely to appeal to anyone outside a genre audience. This is not necessarily a bad thing. These books feature robots, spaceships, multiple clones, parallel universes, and enough future speculation to cause your average geek to burst a diode but also cause your average English literature graduate schooled in twentieth-century naturalism to weep into their kitchen sink. (My advice to the kitchen sinkers: get out more, or at least check out the horrors lurking in the cellar or the angels living it up in the attic.)
However, these covers ARE a problem if you want to tempt readers from outside the genre.
Which is why I got quite excited by these old Penguin SF covers. Because they rarely employ what have become your standard science fiction tropes. They may be loud or garish or freaky but there's a hell of a lot more wit and coolness and originality about them than a picture of a rocket ship hanging in space.
Over the last few years Victor Gollancz has pushed the envelope further by producing some wonderful, award-winning backlist SF editions (here are the latest set).
Congratulations to Ian R MacLeod and PS Publishing for winning 2009's Clarke with literary science fiction novel Song of Time. This limited edition £20 hardback from a small press publisher featuring a specially commissioned painting by fan-favourite Edward Miller was never going to be bought by anyone other than the faithful.
But perhaps the Award will bring a new mass market edition with a more allusive cover to draw in those, like my friend, who think science fiction is still in desperate need of a makeover.
Colin Brush
Senior Creative Copywriter
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PS Publishing are celebrating their 10th anniversary by selling Anniversary Gift Boxes of their books at a reduced price. As an early Christmas present (or rather a late one as I won't receive them until after the holidays) I ordered a collection of Ten Novellas that would have originally cost £100. I can't wait to see what books I receive.
Remember my blog post of December 1st when I was high from completing NaNoWriMo and I had such big, big plans? They're already floundering. I predicted the second draft of 'Theatre' would be at 20,150 words by now. It currently stands at 10,156 - but they are 10,156 brilliant and superbly plotted words of course. ::wink::
I haven’t read a book in a single day in years. Until Dead Earth: The Green Dawn that is.
Okay, I’m kind of cheating because Dead Earth: The Green Dawn by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks (published by PS Publishing) is a novella, but it’s a novella I couldn’t put down. There are zombies, a small town, apocalyptic dreams, the military, and a collection of unforgettable characters – everything an apocalyptic novel thrives on. And as its central character Jubal Slate, a young deputy who I defy anyone to dislike. There is not a dull moment in its ninety-four pages, and that includes the introduction.
I have only one complaint – I wanted more from this universe, and in my impatient fashion I want it now.*
*According to Gary Braunbeck’s introduction, more Dead Earth novels are planned.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd say 11. At least.
Yes, but at least 6 points of that come from Cate's presence therein. If she moved to Manchester it would change ;-)
Ace to see you as ever, Cate, and thanks for signing my copy of Barbed Wire Hearts.
V-word: refavo.
Defo, Aaron
I think Scousers are banned from Manchester, Simon :D
It is cool (I imagine), but also very far away :-(
So very, very far away, Ray
Very cool, you and your city. :) You sound like one of those jet-setter types!
Your entire experience was much too cool. I'd be happy with any of them reading, signing, merely being in my town
I look forward to receiving my copy of Gutshot.
Cheers
Jeff
P.S. Barbed Wire Hearts was a weird and wild ride. Enjoyed it very much.
Sounds like fun times :) what a great city
I have you fooled, Kate
Thanks, Jeff
It is, Kim
After the exciting visit by TV's Boycie, we here in SOT can now look forward to a visit by none other than Antique Roadshow's Eric Knowles! Oh wow!
Um, can I move to Liverpool, please?
Very cool. And such a great football team, too ...