I always enjoy the hell out of San Diego Comic Con, mainly on a social basis, but also because sudden job opportunities have, on occasion, presented themselves to me there. I maintain that if you don’t get in line for the enormous movie and TV panels, and instead go to some of the hundreds of smaller events, it’s still the most fun show on the planet, and the biggest purely comics convention too, because that’s still nestled inside all the other stuff. I’ve signed and sold more books there than at any other event, which is why my friends from the world of prose congregate there too.
However, none of the above applies this year, because this coming weekend, Caroline will be officiating at the wedding of her sister Victoria and her fiancee, Joe. I’ve enjoyed answering inquiries about my attendance at SDCC with ‘no, because my wife is marrying her sister’. Instead, we’ll be coming out to New York Comic Con in Autumn.
Speaking of Caroline, she’s a guest on the new Big Finish Round Table edition of the Verity! podcast, talking about her Doctor Who audio plays! Do give it a listen.
Since I last blogged, I’ve been to the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, which was a lot of fun. I went to some meet and greet events with my publishers, booksellers and other authors, met lots of new people and spent some happy hours catching up with friends like Lauren Beukes and Martyn Waites, but the main event for me was the murder mystery dinner on the Saturday night. I was one of twenty author table hosts for a mystery written by Ann Cleeves, set in the world of her hero, Jimmy Perez. Fortunately, a number of very clever attendees were sitting at said table, and we ended up coming second, identifying the murderer and the motive, and only losing through lottery against a similarly good entry. There was a pile of free copies of The Severed Streets on the table, and, pleasingly, a number of geeks among the mystery solvers. I joined a few of them for a crime quiz later, and they did similarly well. The Festival is a combination of the very big and the reassuringly small, an event that’s not huge in terms of attendees, but attracts all the big names, that’s utterly professional and respected in the industry, but is organised by a single writer every year, that fills a medium-sized hotel and a couple of sponsor tents, but feels navigable and personal. There’s a feeling of community among the attendees, and the authors are pleasingly available to the public. Crime, perhaps because of its closeness to the mainstream, doesn’t feel as riven with faultlines as SFF does. The issues don’t seem, ironically, as much a matter of life and death. It’s a relief, but it also means one always feels one is missing some vitality, some context. It felt odd to be at a convention and yet in the real world at the same time. As well as my promotional duties, I took the opportunity to explore Harrogate itself, and found it a bit gardened and artificial but pleasing, with a lot of good restaurants and an excellent art gallery. I was reminded again how much pleasure I take at being in the north, as I was in my student days. I often feel I’d like to live there again.
One of the fun things I did during the Festival (though you’d be amazed to see how seriously myself and the other authors involved took it), was this, a game of literary consequences, a mystery ‘written’ straight to camera, with no notes, by Tony Parsons, Val McDermid, Natalie Haynes, myself, Lauren Beukes and Mark Billingham. All we had to go on was the previous video and a few words about the back story. In the circumstances, I think we did pretty well. Here’s my effort in isolation…
Also, while I was away, Time Out revealed their list of 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies, to which I was a contributor.
The SF Squeecast has a new episode out (#36), this being a live edition from Phoenix Comic Con, with special guest Charlaine Harris! I’m only sorry I couldn’t be there.
Today is a big day for several comicker mates of mine, this being the date Titan’s Doctor Who line launches. Rob Williams and Al Ewing are writing the new 11th Doctor comic, with art by Simon Fraser. Titan have put out a nifty trailer…
And they’ve declared July 26th to be Doctor Who Day, with events and signings all over the place, including San Diego. Rob and Al will be doing an online Q&A and a signing at Bristol’s Forbidden Planet. Rob’s creator owned title with D’Israeli on art, Ordinary, about the only non-powered person in a super-powered world, has #3 out today, and is also well worth your time.
My friends Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig have, meanwhile, revived and gender-flipped one of the oldest heroes, The Shield, as part of Archie’s revived Dark Circle line of super hero comics. It’s gained loads of media attention. This is the guys’ first comics work. It’s always pleasing to see mates of mine move into another medium. Adam also has a new novelette, Brisk Money, up at the Tor site.
We’re all off to another job interview for Caroline on Monday (it’s an all day process), and then it’s time for Faringdon Follyfest, before the SFF Week of Death kicks off, so it’s still all go (but I’ve also managed 25k of good words for the new Shadow Police novel). It’s turning out to be quite a summer. Cheers.
Please Feel Free to Share:
