The stretch between September and October is one of my favourite times of year because that’s when the autumn conventions happen. That’s when the tribe gathers in a hotel bar somewhere and spends days talking about the fantastical arts that we love. I love that community. The writers, editors, publishers and agents. The artists and film-makers. The academics and reviewers. The booksellers, the convention organisers and of course the fans too (which is all of us). It’s an entire ecosystem coming together in one physical place. It really means a lot to me. I have thirty year friendships and every year I make new ones. More and more these days those human interactions, that unfiltered, authentic passion for creativity is what fires me.
There are two events coming up. Fantasycon – the annual British celebration of Fantasy, Horror and SF, organised by the British Fantasy Society. And then Pictcon – as of last year a new entry in the convention calendar which focuses on celebrating the Scottish scene.
Pictcon 2 is on Saturday 17 October at the Salutation Hotel in Perth. If you’re part of the Scottish genre community (or want to be) I heartily recommend it. Because here in Scotland we not only have an amazing bunch of people beavering away, creating incredible genre work, we also have a long and rich tradition. And all of it deserves to be celebrated to the rafters.
All of which makes me unbelievably proud to be this year’s Pictcon guest of honour. Which very much is an honour, but the best part is I’m going to be interviewed by one of my very best pals in the community, Ruth EJ Booth. Ruth is the person I talk to most about my work, so if there’s anyone who’s going to get to bottom of the question I ask myself in the mirror every morning: Neil, why are you like this? it’s going to be her. I’m really looking forward to it.
The weekend before Pictcon, however, Fantasycon comes to Glasgow for the first time, taking place at the Crowne Plaza hotel on October 9-11. Yes, that’s NEXT weekend!
I’ll be taking part if a couple of panels, giving an exclusive reading from Hand-Me-Downs and crossing my fingers tight at the British Fantasy Awards where Blood In The Bricks is shortlisted in the Best Anthology category.
And continuing the theme of community in this post, I’ll be attending a couple of important book launches. First up will be the Glasgow SF Writers’ Circle‘s new anthology, Haverin, which brings together GSFWC members old and new in a celebration of our FORTIETH year together. How is that possible? (And how the blue blazes has it been TEN years since Thirty Years Of Rain?!) Regardless, I think you’ll agree that it’s worth celebrating. GSFWC was my first contact with genre communities. It shaped me into not only the writer I am today, but the person. I’ve got a brand new story in the anthology (it’s about pie), but I’m going along to laud the editors, Brian M Milton, Peter Morrison and Heather Valentine, who have done a power of work on this book, and Jenni Coutts who has produced another of her iconic artworks for the cover. I’m going to celebrate the old hands who’ve been at it for years and, most especially, the newcomers who are getting to see their words in print for the very first time. Because that’s what a good community does. It pays forward and passes along. It grows.
If you like the sound of Haverin but aren’t a Fantasycon member, we’ll be continuing the party at Waterstones Sauchiehall St on Wednesday, October 21. Be grand to see you there. Come to both if you’re really keen!
And on the Saturday of Fantasycon, Luna Press Publishing are announcing to the world: Collective: The Collaborative Art Of The Anthology, a book of essays about editing anthologies helmed by Peter Sutton and Dan Coxon, in which I’ve got a piece about writers group anthologies. This was a lot of fun (we talked about it on YouTube). I recommend Collective to anyone who’s interested in how anthologies happen, or is planning on making one themselves.
If you’re coming along to either Fantasycon or Pictcon, please come and say hi. At Pictcon I’ll be everywhere. At Fantasycon, I’ll be easiest found in the bar or at the NewCon Press table in the dealer’s room. Oh and if you’re looking for a copy of Hand-Me-Downs, you can grab one from NewCon (they won’t be on display due to space restrictions, but they are very kindly keeping a stock under the table, so just ask).
See you there team. Hugs all round.
