NAF : FRIGHTENED RABBIT / The Winter Of Mixed Drinks

Not done one of these for ages. You remember, New Album Friday is where I dash out to FOPP on a Friday lunchtime, return to the office with a new CD and blog the first impressions. What happened? Was it winter? Did I stop going out and buying new albums? Do any of you give […]

Other things to do

Course if nothing in the list below takes your fancy you could always try one of the following: Download Hal Duncan’s latest Scruffians story. Listen again to the Murnie session that we did for Pulse Community Radio’s ‘Under the Radar’ show. There’ll be a highlights show broadcast over the next week either at 98.4FM if […]

Things to do

Blog’s been quiet lately because the first two months of 2010 kicked off in busy fashion. Lots to see, lots to do, including gigs and WordDogs and all sorts. And the first Murnie gig in two years, and nearly half a book punched into the netbook have polished up the old brass plaque inscribed self-satisfaction […]

Call For Inspiration

Got a project I’m working on right now, and I’ve decided that it needs an inspirational song namechecked in it. You know, the sort of thing contestants get to belt out on the X-Factor that have dramatic beat, step-up modulation and fireworks going into the last chorus. “You Raise Me Up”, “I Believe I Can […]

World Horror : Membership For Sale

I’ve got a membership going a-begging that I can no longer use for the World Horror Convention this year. It’s being held in Brighton, UK over 25th-28th March. I understand there are only a handful of places left at this con, so if anyone misses out they can have mine at cost (£60). Leave me […]

Christmas, a Word (…dog)

Feeling right Christmassy now after last night’s WordDogs Christmas show. Kudos to those plucky few – performers and audience alike – who braved the weather, thanks to Fressh for being wonderfully generous hosts and special commiserations to Santa for severe image-blackening he received on several fronts. All the readings – from Mo Blake, Ian Hunter, […]

Christmas Entertainment!!!

So, you’ve done all your Christmas shopping, crammed half of Tesco’s into your freezer, trimmed the tree, wrapped the pressies and performed a complex mathematical analysis of the Radio Times in order to programme the PVR to make sure you don’t miss anything important on the telly over the next couple of weeks. Now you […]

Polyphony

Wheatland Press, a US-based independent publisher, produce many wonderful books. Here’s a sample sales pitch from my recent trip to WFC . WP : “Imagine if Lennon had quit The Beatles before they got big, emigrated to America and teamed up with Bob Wills…” Me : “HOW MUCH IS IT!!!” Result : one sale of […]

Cheat!

Before I get into this a caveat: I’m genuinely gutted for Ireland at missing out on a place at the World Cup. Genuinely. And I’ve only seen the pivotal incident once and very quickly at that. But. And so. The question I have is this: When did we all of a sudden turn into a […]

FINCH

One of the things I was looking forward to most about WFC was picking up a copy of Jeff Vandermeer‘s new novel, Finch. Like many people interested in the development of fantastical fiction over the last ten years or so I have followed the unfolding story of the creepy, decaying fabled city of Ambergris, consumed […]