jen_qoe: Image of Lara Croft holding a gun (akima_san Croft)
View from my window - the only bit of Brighton I saw!


Well, except for this bit of Brighton, also seen from my window! If you squint you can see the pier in the distance!

 Phew. World Fantasy Con then. That was a thing. An exhausting thing, for the most part, given the whole working rather than con-ing, but the work was extremely enjoyable.  I'd probably have to say that's the most fun I've had yet working a con.  Most of which is down to the awesome Team Red Coat and the con-com who remained relentlessly cheerful and friendly and efficient throughout.  Lou Morgan especially deserves a whole swimming pool of gin. ;-)

And the mass of people we saw through the doors added heaps to the buzz of the thing.  (Is it weird I actually liked being swamped on the Reg Desk.  Over 1400 people we checked in! 1400!!! Egads! And most of them on Weds & Thurs! I seriously could not even stand up, let alone walk both those nights.)  We'll pass quickly over that thing where I checked in one of the GoHs and completely missed the fact that they were one of the GoHs.  Or the famous SF author of very long standing who I totally didn't recognise at all and who was very amused when I asked him his name and couldn't quite believe I was seriously needing to be told. Or the well known ghost story anthologist who I got chatting to about anthologies without realising who he actually was.  Um, yes. Brain went splat many times.

And one of the perks of Reg Desk duty is getting to say hi to the many-many folks I follow on twitter and facebook and various blogs, though in the rush of the check in, mostly all I could manage by way of conversation was something like 'oh, you're X, brilliant/awesome/excellent!' which possibly saved multiple bouts of fangirling and 'OMG! I loved your story/book/blog post!' followed by the inevitable utter panic that goes with total brain-freeze as I then forget everything I ever knew about why they're awesome.

And I did, amazingly, manage to get out to a couple of actual con-events too.  The Urban Mythic Launch, of course, was the essential go-to event.  And we sold books, many books, and many more than we sold of Ancient Wonders last year, which is very cool. (There may be an Urban Mythic #2 next year, we're in talks...)

I also did the Fearie Tales launch party and brought an actual hardback book (shock! horror! Didn't-wait-for-the-ebook-scandal!) and got it signed by all the peeps that were there.  Which is not a thing I usually do.  (It's a fab anthology, btw, only a couple of stories I wasn't keen on but all the rest rocked!)

And doing the FT party introduced me to the merits of chairs! Which there weren't any of. Which there really needed to be as there was no way I was going to be getting up again if I sat on the floor like many other people did.  Luckily there was this little stage thing that was perfect for perching on... But yes, con organisers of the future -  more chairs please! Many more chairs. Whole rooms of them. Chair-con! That's what we need!

Um. Yes. Right. Anyway. Else?  There were a million free books on offer, which I somehow managed to not get around to getting any of. Got hugs off all my favourite people as well as some shiny new ones! Had to rush off Sunday morning so I missed the awards and wind down parties and sudden appearance of a wibbly-wobbly portal that let loose strange beasties from another dimension that no-one is talking about (conspiracy!) but totally happened, honest...

And if you want to take a gander at what else went on, the inexhaustable Stephen Theaker has compiled a list of pre and post WFC reports on the BFS forum here.

Am now looking forward to not working any cons next year so I can doss around and gossip with allllll the people at Fcon and Nine Worlds, and possible Edge Lit and Bristol Con too...  ;-)
jen_qoe: Image of Lara Croft holding a gun (akima_san Croft)

Woohoo! Brighton, we have launch!

If you're at WFC, drop by to the Signing Alley (between the reading rooms and the art show) because we will be there today at Noon! Noon, people!   With Jaine Fenn, Christopher Golden, Alison Littlewood, Anne Nicholls, Gaie Sebold, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jonathan Oliver, Ben Baldwin & Ian Whates (in spirit, as he's off on a panel at the same time, but drop by the Dealer Room later and he'll sign anything for you. Annnnnything!)

There will also be authors from Alchemy Press' Pulp Heroes 2 & Astrologica: Tales of the Zodiac.  And Publisher Pete.  And yer 'umble editors of course!

Come see us, do!

x

jen_qoe: Image of Lara Croft holding a gun (akima_san Croft)

O!M!G!  It's not a post about Urban Mythic!  I know, it's been a while, right?

So, what' s been going on? Well now, I'm glad you asked.

Big main thing is the university year has started right back up and with only two modules left to do for my degree it's all very serious and researchy. On the plus side, this year's module is Myth in the Greek and Roman world which is all kinds of awesome. seriously, why did no one tell me classics was so much fun. (Actually I did kind of suspect it, but it's been a bugger to find an actual course that wasn't medieval to modern history.) So, yes, I do classics now. Classics are cool. ;)

So too is accountancy. Though that one is more of a business necessity since some crazy person or persons to go unnamed decided to make the family business a limited company with employee on payroll and proper grown up serious stuff. Oy gevalt. This has made the book keeping a bit more complicated. Well, I say a bit, in the way that the Pacific is a bit wet... Still, I like a challenge, and anything that involves juggling numbers on spreadsheets and I'm definitely your girl. So I'm also working my way towards a professional bookkeeping/accountancy certification thingy. Cos why do things by halves, right? Right!  (Egads, there will be exams. Exams! Gah!)

Ooh, and the fabulous Shapeshifters anthology from Fox Spirit should be out soon, in which discerning readers will find a story by yours truly. Also many other funky peeps.

WFC is of course the hot topic of the season. I will, of course, be on registration duty again so expect plenty of completely forgetting the names of people I've known for years while trying to give sensible answers to random questions.

Ooh and I've booked up for next year's Nine Worlds Geekfest, cos how cool did this year's one sound.  Yes, going to an actual convention that I'm not working at! Stop fainting at the back there.  Might even attempt to do Edge-Lit next year as well.

But that's enough excitement for one day! ;-)

jen_qoe: Image of Lara Croft holding a gun (akima_san Croft)
I may have mentioned a few times that Urban Mythic is launching at WFC in Brighton next weekend.   Because, dudes! We're launching at WFC!  Friday 1st November!  Noon!  In Signing Alley!   (Along with Alchemy's other titles - Pulp Heroes 2 & Astrologica: Stories of the Zodiac.)

But anyway, Urban Mythic, innit!  Lovely author people who will be floating around are: Jaine Fenn, Christopher Golden, Alison Littlewood, Anne Nicholls, Gaie Sebold, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jonathan Oliver, Ian Whates & Ben Baldwin.

But my lovely people-folks, that's not all.  Oh no!  Selected members of Team Urban Mythic will be doing a reading event on the Thursday!  From 2:00 - 2:30pm in Hall 8B.

And! Also! Our faaaabulous authors will be out and about doing other things at the WFC beast.  Here, for your author spotter notebook, is where else you can find them...

Artist:
Ben Baldwin        
SAT 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Newcon Press & Snowbooks (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
SAT 5:00-7:00 pm (Art Show)

Authors:
Jaine Fenn:
SAT 5:00-6:00 pm - Panel - Does SF Have a Future? (Cambridge)

Christopher Golden:    
THURS 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Strip Search (Oxford)
FRI 3:00-4:00 pm - Panel - Writing for the Franchise Market (Hall 4)
FRI 4:00-6:00 pm - Party - PS Publishing Bumper Book Launch (Regency)
SAT 3:00-3:30 pm - Reading - (Hall 8A)

Alison Littlewood:    
THURS 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Landscape of the Fantastic (Cambridge)
SAT Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - When the Fairies Come Out to Play (Cambridge)
SAT 3:00-4:00 pm - Launch - Constable & Robinson (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
SAT 11:00 pm-12:30 am - (mysterious unknown funky thing) (Chartwell)
SUN Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - How to Write that Second Book (Hall 4)

Anne Nicholls:
THURS 8:00 pm - Presentation - David Gemmell Awards (Oxford)
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)

Jonathan Oliver:
SAT 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - You Can't Write, Edit an Anthology (Hall 4)
SUN 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Solaris/Rebellion (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
And you'll probably also find Jonathan at the Solaris table in the Dealer Room too!

Gaie Sebold:  
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)
FRI 4:00-5:00 pm - Panel - Broads with Swords (Cambridge)

Adrian Tchaikovsky:
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing (Regency)
SAT 10:00-11:00 am - Panel - Best of All Possible Worlds (Cambridge)
SAT 5:00-5:30 pm - Reading (Hall 8A)
SUN 10:00-11:00 am - Launch - Fox Spirit Books (Hall 8/Signing Alley)

Ian Whates:    
THURS 9:30 pm - Party/Launch - David Gemmell Awards Reception/Legends Signing  (Regency)
FRI Noon-1:00 pm - Panel - Surviving as an Independent Press (Cambridge)
FRI 5:00-6:00 pm - Interview - Life Achievement Award: Tanith Lee (Oxford)
SUN 11:00 am-Noon - Launch - Solaris/Rebellion (Hall 8/Signing Alley)
And don't forget to find Ian at the Newcon Press table in the Dealer Room!  And also in the Dealer Room, on the Solaris table signing stuff on SAT 3:30 - 4:30pm

And also!
Look for Alchemy Publisher Peter Coleborn in the Art Show SAT 5:00-7:00 pm
And Editor Jan Edwards wandering around having fun!
And Editor Jenny Barber (hello!) lurking behind the registration desk Weds - Sat.

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