A crazy couple of weeks here in my Victorian shoemaker’s house in Northampton. We are beginning our much-anticipated restoration works, the savings have evaporated, and we have a bunch of stuff we need to do before we go to our next convention which is (checks notes) Friday. And it’s already Monday. Engage headless chicken mode!
The past couple of weeks have been full on indeed. Just over a week ago, Neil and I attended Sci-Fi Weekender in Great Yarmouth. I seem to practically live in Great Yarmouth now, don’t I? Well, I don’t, but that trip is like a commute now, we’re there so often. Just head east out of Northampton, keep going until you get to that big monument, past all the piggies in the fields, stop at Route 11 (tell everyone messaging you that you are at the Route 66 diner, because you’re tired), leave the cafe, then you spot the sign for Vauxhall Caravan Park and you’re there!
Old pals were met, new friendships forged, and I danced like an insatiable whirlwind with wings!
Whilst our pals George Coppen and Paul Eccentric and Donna of The Antipoet were engaged in the Thursday night awards, we met up with pal Bee and new guy Cole for the quiz. Hats off to Pirate Pete and Adam Colclough aka Jimcredible for putting on an amazing night of fun, games and karaoke!
On Friday, we joined pals Donna and Paul at their table, with George ensconced at the table next door, and we stayed there nattering and laughing all day, occasionally selling some books and CDs, or listening to the talks on stage, occasionally popping round the curtain to give them our full attention. Symon of Brambledown Designs took pity on us having forgotten Brick the Duck, our usual SFW mascot, and gave us another little yellow duck which came to live on our table. I just realised we never actually named this duck… If you have any suggestions, let me know!
My table buddies! Behaving and not behaving.In the afternoon, I popped next door to be interviewed on stage by Pete Indiana Allinson, along with Bryony Pearce on writing SF. We clashed with Peter Davidson being interviewed on the main stage, so guess which thing Neil went to go and see… Not me!
The real treat of Friday night was the Imaginarium, which featured the usual fabulous dancing, magic by Marc Lavelle, comedy by Lost Voice Guy and some chap called… George Coppen!
So proud and pleased for George, who had a great gig! A little green-eyed too if I’m honest, as I was on that stage last year and it was fab, and I wanted that feeling back… not long to wait though until I am gigging at a convention again. Four days in fact. Eek!
What a fab night of entertainment! Professor Elemental was fab as ever!
We got a little tired after that (maybe stayed up quite late on Thursday, ahem…) so went back to the flat during Graham Graham Beck’s set, and missed Victor and the Bully – but I’ve been making it up as best as I could by listening to them since. Apparently, we missed George dancing bare-chested with a giraffe on his head. Small mercies!
On Saturday, the jollity continued! I got to interview Paul Eccentric on stage in the space port, and we’ve had some brilliant audience feedback.
Another highlight was watching Just a Minute in which David J Howe presided over the game with Bryony Pearce, Michael Troughton and the “Milton Keynes Massive” aka Paul Eccentric and Sarah Pinborough.
I was very far away, but it was hilarious. Sarah and her potty mouth made everyone fall in love with her again!
On Saturday night we finally did some cosplay. Neil dressed as Flip from Slumberland. I had spent ages making the coat, and I’m so proud of it! It’s an F&F coat I picked up from Dapp and added various bits of fabric paint and haberdashery to.
Me? I played the card I had been holding to my chest for a year. I promised George then, and as I expected, he had forgotten. But I took his character from A School for Good and Evil – and I cosplayed it!
His face when he realised was an absolute picture. But funnier still, when we facetimed our pal from comedy, Alex Leam, Alex could not disguise the absolute shock and horror that George might have some kind of superfan who had followed him to the convention and dressed up as him. He did not recognise me at all. I’ve never laughed so much!
We had a great time watching Madam Misfit, then it was time for Level Up Leroy and non-stop dancing. Sorry George, had to lose the beard and wig.
I had a great time, and it was my first foray since the launch of Dark Horses into representing The Slab out in public. I’m bold when warranted for things like performing comedy, but I’m not a terribly assertive person otherwise, so it still feels a bit awkward to me. But needs must. I’ve already got hundreds of submissions in for Laughs in Space, and they’ve been coming in thick and fast since SFW, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a few Troopers have stories in the pile.
I must fortify myself though, as in just a few days we’ll be at Levitation, the Eastercon of this year, which is happening in Telford. On Friday night, I will be doing a comedy show that has been titled An Evening With Donna Scott – a combination of some of my greatest hits, tell-all puppetry and mild gameshow interaction.
And here’s what else I’ll be up to.
Still amazed by my BSFA Award nomination. An afternoon award ceremony though… what to wear? Maybe some kind of snazzy hat. Or I could just go in my George Coppen outfit. I’ll have to see.
Anyway, speaking of mind-blowing things, Neil and I went to see The Fast Show last week in Oxford (mind pretty blown by Oxford Theatre bar prices, I can tell you) and it was BRILLIANT!!!
Blending classic sketches, some with up-to-date twists, and on-stage reminiscences about how the show came to be created thirty years ago made for a really fun night and I have totally been singing Mikki Disco’s “Disco Baby Sexy Baby Hot” ever since. Yes, they have probably had those conversations before in the same way, but, hey, they’ve got some serious acting chops between them, and a whole lotta love from us. It very much worked.
And then we went and had our photos taken with all the cast, except for Mark Williams. Which was nice. Well, that was his line, so that was not nice.
Thank you, you lovely people.
Right, got to crack on with prepping my show for Friday and a whole bunch of editorial admin. All the contracts are now in on Best of British Science Fiction 2023, so the announcement of the ToC is imminent. Aaaand… a release date TBA soon!
Just one thing to add. I took Neil to see the new Ghostbusters film yesterday and he may have been a little surprised by how keen I was to see it, after it took me two years to get round to watching the last one. Anyway, I realised he hadn’t seen any of the info and totally kept it to myself that the film had James Acaster in it. As pranks go, that was rather a nice one, I thought. So yeah, he’s a bonafide Ghostbuster now! He’s come a long way since the days of wearing the little glow-in-the-dark ghost t-shirt, but if ever there was a t-shirt that presaged a future of busting ghosts… Nice one, Lars Pinfield.
Do you have a funny science-fiction story? consider submitting it to The Slab! Submissions window opens March 1st through to April 7th. And please do vote for me (for Best Editor) and my book in Best Anthology (Best of British Science Fiction 2022) in the Locus Awards! Also, voting is still open for the BSFA Awards, where Best of British Science Fiction 2022 is shortlisted for the Best Collection Award.
