I had an absolutely fantastic time at Worldcon Glasgow this year! The convention was a whirlwind of activities, panels, and socializing, making it an unforgettable experience, and made up for having to miss the Dublin one due to Eric.
I had the privilege of being on three panels. The first panel was all about Shakespeare, King James, and 17th-century witchcraft trials. It was a deep dive into the history and atrocities carried out against innocent people. As a lay historian who has written museum exhibition on this subject, I really got my teeth into it, and there was a huge appetite from the audience into knowing the details. A lot of people kind of know the basics but are curious about who the victims were and why they might have been targeted, and it’s not always for the same reason. King James, too, changed his thinking on witches as he tried to align himself more with contemporary great thinkers. It’s a really important bit of our history, and I think should be studied more as it shows how people can get swept up into thinking in harmful ways about other people.
I was only thinking about this the other day when Neil and I finished watching the Chloe Ayling Story. We hadn’t heard of her before, but my theory was that our preferred news sources aren’t generally the gossip rags, and they were mostly the ones covering the story, albeit in a suspicious, sensationalist, judgemental and prurient manner. There’s a kernel of the same ghoulishness, prejudice, and maltreatment of others at the heart of those 17th-century stories too.
The second panel was a bit more out there, focusing on alien abduction. The discussions were lively, and the audience’s questions were certainly interesting and led to some comedy. My final panel was on the Ghostbusters film franchise, where we delved into its cultural impact and enduring popularity. I really enjoyed this one, and I think we all left with that earworm.
This convention marked my first time running a vendor stand exclusively for The Slab Press, rather than just sharing the corner of a table. It was an exciting and slightly nerve-wracking experience, and somehow we managed to lose a box of books from behind the desk as well, but seeing the positive reactions from visitors to that stand made it all worthwhile. If you picked up a postcard, why not send it somewhere? I like postcards, they’re like Facebook for snail mail: kind of public, kind of slow.
One of the highlights was the Laughs in Space book launch. The event went incredibly well, and we celebrated with plenty of Malbec. The atmosphere was electric, and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the book. Authors were wrangled into a signing line, people bought books – it was magic!
A fun moment was spotting the TARDIS outside Lush. It was there last time too, but this time, my hoody matched.
I managed to catch up with many of my friends, which was fantastic. However, the convention was so huge that I inevitably missed seeing a lot of people. It’s always a bit of a juggling act trying to meet everyone at such a large event.
Although I didn’t get to attend many panels, I did catch one that was particularly interesting. It featured Tasha Suri, Emily January, Aparna Verma, Paolo Bacigalupi, and Joe Abercrombie discussing 50 Shades of Morally Grey Characters in SFF. The insights and perspectives shared were thought-provoking and added a lot to my understanding of character development in speculative fiction.
I also enjoyed the Luna Press book launch, while Neil attended the Newcon Press launch and panels on indie publishing. He found them very informative and engaging.
Neil and I ended up with quite the book haul, including:
- Anticucho & Other Peruvian Cyberpunk Stories by Gustaffo Vergas
- Pale Toes by Marko Hautala & Broci
- The Last Knight of Camelot by Cherith Baldry
- Birdwatching at the End of the World by G.W. Dexter
- A Jura for Julia by Ken Macleod
- ISBN Coffee
- Spec Fic for Newbies 2 by Tiffani Angus & Val Nolan
- The Devil’s Finger by Sandra Bond
- Punk Publishing by Andy Conway & David Wake
- The Murders of Conky Wallop by David Wake
I also picked up my copy of The Chinese Time Machine by Ian Watson.
Worldcon Glasgow was an incredible experience, filled with memorable moments, engaging discussions, and wonderful people. I was left wired, tired, but very much inspired.
Turning 51 this month was something I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to, but I made sure to mark it with a weekend full of joy and memorable experiences.
The festivities kicked off on Saturday with a visit to MK Trib, a tribute festival that promised great music and good vibes. Despite the weather not being entirely cooperative, the event was a blast and I had a great time with my usual HRH crowd, minus our pizza goblin. The performances were, on the whole, fantastic (Stiff Bizkit weren’t allowed to swear – what was the point of that!?!), and I especially enjoyed the Fall Out Boy and Linkin Park tributes, making it a perfect start to my birthday celebrations.
On my actual birthday, I decided to embrace nature with a 4-mile walk around the picturesque Stoke Bruerne. Armed with the Merlin app, I indulged in a bit of birding and was thrilled to add House Martins to my life list. There were so many of them (not just Fat Boy Slim!), and it was a delightful experience to see a hundred of these at least in their natural habitat, plus a massive raggedy-tailed kite that followed us everywhere it seemed. I also used the Komoot app to log the walk – we’ve now done a couple of these, and it’s a great way of getting your steps in and exploring new places.
The celebrations continued into Monday with a delightful meal at The George in Wavenden. Auberge Monday offered a set menu that was simply irresistible. For starters, I enjoyed plaice goujons with tartare sauce. The main course was a succulent minute steak with bordelaise sauce, accompanied by roasted vine tomatoes and skinny fries. To top it all off, dessert was a heavenly strawberry and raspberry pavlova. At £22.50 per head, it was not only delicious but also great value for money. We’ll definitely be back!
Okay, so what about the rest of 2024?
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be attending Edge-Lit on 7th September at Derby QUAD. I’ll be running a workshop on writing funny SF flash fiction, which should be a blast! Later in the month, I’ll be at the Innsmouth one-day literary festival in Bedford on 28th September. I’ll have stalls at both events, so do drop by and say hello.
October is shaping up to be a busy month with Fantasycon in Chester from 11th to 13th October and Bristolcon on 26th and 27th October. More details about these events and what I will be doing there will follow soon.
The Slab Press Anthologies
I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be opening up more submissions soon for The Slab Press anthologies. We have a folk horror anthology coming out in 2025, just in time for World Fantasycon, and another project planned for Easter, crossing fingers. Stay tuned for submission guidelines and deadlines.
Personal Reading and Writing Goals
On a personal note, I’m aiming to fulfill some of my long-held reading and writing ambitions. This means I’ll be cutting down on other commitments and learning to say “no” more often, which is always a challenge for me. While I do plan to write and submit some short stories, my primary focus will be on a larger writing project. I’ve dreamed of writing a full-length fantasy novel since I was a child, and with a bit of luck, I might achieve that goal by the end of the year.
Recent Enjoyments
Lately, I’ve been enjoying a variety of cultural stuff. The new album Heavy Jelly by Soft Play has been on repeat, and I’ve just finished watching the final season of The Umbrella Academy, which I won’t spoil. Loved it! I also loved For Those About to Die, especially since we visited Rome, Pompeii, and Herculaneum last year—the scenery felt so familiar! Deadpool and Wolverine were hilarious, and Alien: Romulus had a great 80s vibe. My book group has been reading the Dogs of War series by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and it’s been a hit with everyone. He’s a clever chap that Mr Tchaikovsky!
Looking forward to seeing some of you at these events and sharing more updates soon!
