I feel as if I’m guest writing on my own page, I’ve been away so long. But it’s all been for important reasons. I wouldn’t say good, necessarily, because some of them weren’t, though certainly there were reasons. Enough upheaval has occurred to move me across the country and things haven’t decided to settle down yet by any means. But it’s important to take this positively, because thanks to the support you’ve all given me over this time, I feel like really good things are about to be happening. Actually, I can go one better, and show you that they are!
I meant to have this done in time for LarpCon, which I attended last month. A great venture, I can assure you it’ll be way different to every other con I go to this year. As well as all the wonderful live action roleplaying stuff you can buy, see, or talk about, there were also professional wrestlers this year! And they were wonderful! Look at me enjoying myself with this lot! [EDIT: See how this went down with the local press here].
From this, I did a talk, which I’ll be refining and redoing for a different audience when I return to Nerd East on the 11th of June. I promise you it’ll be a fun one—I mean, just look at some of the out-takes my friend D.A. Lascelles got for me!
And by the way, you should check out his page anyway because it’s Vampire Month and you know you all want to. Remember I wrote for this last year?
This isn’t in order of upcoming events for me though. Next up is actually Mancunicon. Some of you who follow my Facebook page will already have seen my lovely bee T-shirt. . .
. . .but I’ll be attending, am very excited about doing so, and on top of all that, have three panels I will be partaking in:
Dealing with Anxiety in Fandom
Friday 14:30 – 15:30, Room 7 (Hilton Deansgate)
Many fans experience anxiety, whether as part of their daily life, in recurring bouts or just for one period in their life. However often a fan experiences anxiety, managing this at conventions and in online communities is a major skill. In this session people who have found their own ways through the difficult process open up about their own experiences.
Manchester in Speculative Fiction
Sunday 10:00 – 11:00, Deansgate 2 (Hilton Deansgate)
We’re surrounded by the bricks and mortar of the city itself, but what about all the alternate, futuristic, fantastical, or not-quite there Manchesters we know from SF and fantasy?
Place, Identity, Story
Monday 13:00 – 14:00, Room 6 (Hilton Deansgate)
A story does not exist in a vacuum. Stories are shaped by (among other things) the people they happen to, and characters are shaped by (among other things) the places they inhabit. How do SF and fantasy explore the inter-relationship of place, identity, and story? Which SF protagonists are uniquely tied to their places, and which SF places only make sense when seen by specific protagonists?
In addition to that, I am hoping to be in the incredible Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Dungeons and Dragons game for authors! AND…I get to reunite for a while with some of my Radio Book Worm team for what I can assure you will be a great live show. You should tune in!
And while I’m attending strictly as an audience member, I have made a written contribution (somewhat inspired by my Grenshall Manor experiences) to this innovative theatre production, Insomnia:
The tickets are exceptional value at £8/£6 concessions, and it is happening this weekend, and the next! Go and see it if you get the chance, and if you can’t make that particular show, then it is also playing at the Brighton Fringe.
Oh yes – World Book Night 2016! I have been given books, and will be doing a thing, so watch this space!
I suspect there will be other things this year I’ve either neglected to mention or not signed up for yet. And the big question I’m sure you all have, is where is Book 3? Well Winter Storm is in progress, I can tell you that, but due to last year being last year, got quite horribly delayed. You should have been reading (and reviewing it in some cases) now, but yeah, last year happened. Also, you may have noticed that mentioning Winter in your titles is a delay affliction for bigger authors than me. I promise you, I won’t be as happy to have had any of the series finished than this one, and I will ensure it has been worth the wait. I’ve had some art commissioned especially, but I want you to see it nearer the time of completion, and have something fun to do with the reveal too. Good suggestions of course welcome!
That’s me for now, though I am definitely going to be blogging more regularly this year. I have a lot to keep track of, for a start!
The Order of Winter 