It is with deep regret that as the organiser for the Discover Festival I have to announce that I have taken the decision to cancel the event. This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but is due to unforeseen circumstances.
I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and reassure anyone that has bought a ticket that you will be issued with a full ticket refund.
The support from publishers, authors and the venue towards the event has on the whole been superb as always, so I'd also like to thank everyone for that.
I'll be working on other events going forward, but circumstances have unfortunately dictated the decision here. Hopefully I'll see many of you at those events and others in the future.
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Friday 30 March 2012
Discover Festival schedule - sneak peek!
Hi Guys,
As the schedule for Discover Festival continues to take shape, I thought this'd be a great chance to give every a first look at some of the goodness we have lined up on each day of proceedings. I'm really excited about how this is looking, as not only are there great authors taking part, but also some panels that I think will really spark some debate and some excellent readings and workshops. So here goes...
FRIDAY is going to have something of a ghostly there, as we kick off with our screening of fantastic British horror movie THE AWAKENING. If you missed this at the cinemas lately, this is a great chance to catch a superb chiller. This will be followed by a panel on 'THE ENDURANCE OF GHOST STORIES', plus a late night horror readings with Simon Kurt Unsworth, Will Hill and Tom Fletcher.
We'll also have our book room open from 7pm-10pm on the Friday night, as well as a number of paired author readings taking place in the train carriage (yes, you read that right!)
SATURDAY is a jam-packed day of events, kicking off at 10am and wrapping up at midnight, and if you're debating a day-only ticket there's plenty of programming to make it worth your while! Our three Guests of Honour - GRAHAM MASTERTON, JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD and PETER F HAMILTON - will have solo readings and Q+A sessions, and Saturday evening will see two of the highlights of the Festival. First of all we have our MASS SIGNING, which will have at least 20 authors taking part, so be sure to bring (or indeed buy!) those books to get signed at the event. That will be swiftly followed by our live RAFFLE, with a host of fantastic prizes to be won, and tickets on sale throughout the weekend at just £1 per strip!
SATURDAY also sees a wealth of panels, taking in subjects such as the independent presses, crime crossovers, urban fantasy, reviews and blogging, fantasy archetypes, the limits of science-fiction and much more. It'll also see the start of our fabulous workshop programme, with confirmed workshop leaders including Kim Lakin-Smith, Tom Fletcher, Will Hill, AJ Dalton, Andrew Hook and many more yet to come! Spaces for workshops are limited, so be sure to pick up your free ticket from the Box Office when you arrive! Our reading programme will also be continuing, so there's plenty to choose from on the Saturday at Discover!
Saturday evening will be wrapping up with three panels to finally settle some of the questions that have plagued readers for years - who is the best SF writer of all time? Who is the greatest in fantasy? And who heads the field in horror? Expect these to be fun sessions covering everything from Asimov to Zelazny, and come down to cheer for your favourite! And don't forget you also have the option of our CREATURE FEATURE double-header, with a unique screening of The Island of Lost Souls and Tales of Frankenstein!
SUNDAY is a great day for all the budding writers out there, as not only does our workshops thread continue, but we also have a host of panels on subjects such as writing great short stories, how to get published, the reality of being a writer, writing and the internet and much more. The whole event closes with our 'The Future of Genre Fiction' panel, which gives us a chance to look forward to what's coming next in the field.
So an absolutely packed programme, an array of great writers taking part, and a whole host of options to attend for the one ticket price... what more could you ask for? A goodie bag for every attendee you say? Go on then, we'll throw that in as well.
The full schedule should be out next week, but I hope this little taster has whetted your appetite for the event - weekend and Saturday tickets are on sale at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914 or for more info on the event as a whole, check out www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Thanks a lot!
Alex
As the schedule for Discover Festival continues to take shape, I thought this'd be a great chance to give every a first look at some of the goodness we have lined up on each day of proceedings. I'm really excited about how this is looking, as not only are there great authors taking part, but also some panels that I think will really spark some debate and some excellent readings and workshops. So here goes...
FRIDAY is going to have something of a ghostly there, as we kick off with our screening of fantastic British horror movie THE AWAKENING. If you missed this at the cinemas lately, this is a great chance to catch a superb chiller. This will be followed by a panel on 'THE ENDURANCE OF GHOST STORIES', plus a late night horror readings with Simon Kurt Unsworth, Will Hill and Tom Fletcher.
We'll also have our book room open from 7pm-10pm on the Friday night, as well as a number of paired author readings taking place in the train carriage (yes, you read that right!)
SATURDAY is a jam-packed day of events, kicking off at 10am and wrapping up at midnight, and if you're debating a day-only ticket there's plenty of programming to make it worth your while! Our three Guests of Honour - GRAHAM MASTERTON, JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD and PETER F HAMILTON - will have solo readings and Q+A sessions, and Saturday evening will see two of the highlights of the Festival. First of all we have our MASS SIGNING, which will have at least 20 authors taking part, so be sure to bring (or indeed buy!) those books to get signed at the event. That will be swiftly followed by our live RAFFLE, with a host of fantastic prizes to be won, and tickets on sale throughout the weekend at just £1 per strip!
SATURDAY also sees a wealth of panels, taking in subjects such as the independent presses, crime crossovers, urban fantasy, reviews and blogging, fantasy archetypes, the limits of science-fiction and much more. It'll also see the start of our fabulous workshop programme, with confirmed workshop leaders including Kim Lakin-Smith, Tom Fletcher, Will Hill, AJ Dalton, Andrew Hook and many more yet to come! Spaces for workshops are limited, so be sure to pick up your free ticket from the Box Office when you arrive! Our reading programme will also be continuing, so there's plenty to choose from on the Saturday at Discover!
Saturday evening will be wrapping up with three panels to finally settle some of the questions that have plagued readers for years - who is the best SF writer of all time? Who is the greatest in fantasy? And who heads the field in horror? Expect these to be fun sessions covering everything from Asimov to Zelazny, and come down to cheer for your favourite! And don't forget you also have the option of our CREATURE FEATURE double-header, with a unique screening of The Island of Lost Souls and Tales of Frankenstein!
SUNDAY is a great day for all the budding writers out there, as not only does our workshops thread continue, but we also have a host of panels on subjects such as writing great short stories, how to get published, the reality of being a writer, writing and the internet and much more. The whole event closes with our 'The Future of Genre Fiction' panel, which gives us a chance to look forward to what's coming next in the field.
So an absolutely packed programme, an array of great writers taking part, and a whole host of options to attend for the one ticket price... what more could you ask for? A goodie bag for every attendee you say? Go on then, we'll throw that in as well.
The full schedule should be out next week, but I hope this little taster has whetted your appetite for the event - weekend and Saturday tickets are on sale at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914 or for more info on the event as a whole, check out www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Thursday 29 March 2012
Discover Festival - Saturday tickets now available!
Hi Guys,
Just a quick post to confirm an exciting piece of news - for those of you who couldn't get along for the whole Discover Festival weekend, we're now happy to be offering SATURDAY ONLY tickets for the event at a cost of £28 plus £2 booking fee, or an even £30 for those of us who prefer round numbers!
The Saturday is undoubtedly going to be a really exciting day, with a superb mix of paired readings throughout the day, a stack of workshops, some fantastic panels on a host of subjects plus out three Guest of Honour slots featuring GRAHAM MASTERTON, JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD and PETER F HAMILTON. On top of all that, we'll also have our superb Saturday evening double-header of our MASS SIGNING, which will be the perfect chance to get your favourite books signed, as well as the RAFFLE to follow, with the chance to win some superb prizes!
So don't miss out on your Saturday ticket, or even better come and join us for the whole weekend! You can book your tickets at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914, or find our more about the event at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#
Be sure to stop by the blog tomorrow as well, where we'll be giving our first SNEAK PEAK of the schedule, which (if I do say so myself) looks absolutely fantastic at this point!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Just a quick post to confirm an exciting piece of news - for those of you who couldn't get along for the whole Discover Festival weekend, we're now happy to be offering SATURDAY ONLY tickets for the event at a cost of £28 plus £2 booking fee, or an even £30 for those of us who prefer round numbers!
The Saturday is undoubtedly going to be a really exciting day, with a superb mix of paired readings throughout the day, a stack of workshops, some fantastic panels on a host of subjects plus out three Guest of Honour slots featuring GRAHAM MASTERTON, JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD and PETER F HAMILTON. On top of all that, we'll also have our superb Saturday evening double-header of our MASS SIGNING, which will be the perfect chance to get your favourite books signed, as well as the RAFFLE to follow, with the chance to win some superb prizes!
So don't miss out on your Saturday ticket, or even better come and join us for the whole weekend! You can book your tickets at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914, or find our more about the event at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#
Be sure to stop by the blog tomorrow as well, where we'll be giving our first SNEAK PEAK of the schedule, which (if I do say so myself) looks absolutely fantastic at this point!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Friday 23 March 2012
Discover Festival update
Hi Guys,
A whole host of updates, both small and large, on Discover Festival this week as things continue to come together for the event!
- We've got some new raffle prizes confirmed for our Saturday night LIVE draw. You can check out all the latest at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/raffle/4559444501. For anyone who missed it, we also have two free film screenings as part of proceedings, which you can check out at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/film-screenings/4561422421
- We'll be announcing a new day-only rate for the Saturday of Discover, so if you can't make it along for the whole weekend then you'll still be able to attend and enjoy some of the highlights of the Festival!
- The schedule should be coming out some time soon, but I can confirm that your ticket will give you the choice of 15 readings, 10 workshops and 21 panels, as well as our mass signing, raffle and film screening.
- As an additional note, you'll also have full access to the Snibston Discovery Museum over the weekend, with a host of fantastic permanent and temporary exhibitions available.
- We've also managed to negotiate food discounts at two local restaurants, one Italian and one Indian, and we'll be having some real ale for sale at the event also!
Keep your eyes peeled here for all the latest - expect things to be picking up on the news front over the next few weeks! You can get all the latest here or at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Thanks a lot, and speak soon
Alex
A whole host of updates, both small and large, on Discover Festival this week as things continue to come together for the event!
- We've got some new raffle prizes confirmed for our Saturday night LIVE draw. You can check out all the latest at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/raffle/4559444501. For anyone who missed it, we also have two free film screenings as part of proceedings, which you can check out at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/film-screenings/4561422421
- We'll be announcing a new day-only rate for the Saturday of Discover, so if you can't make it along for the whole weekend then you'll still be able to attend and enjoy some of the highlights of the Festival!
- The schedule should be coming out some time soon, but I can confirm that your ticket will give you the choice of 15 readings, 10 workshops and 21 panels, as well as our mass signing, raffle and film screening.
- As an additional note, you'll also have full access to the Snibston Discovery Museum over the weekend, with a host of fantastic permanent and temporary exhibitions available.
- We've also managed to negotiate food discounts at two local restaurants, one Italian and one Indian, and we'll be having some real ale for sale at the event also!
Keep your eyes peeled here for all the latest - expect things to be picking up on the news front over the next few weeks! You can get all the latest here or at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Thanks a lot, and speak soon
Alex
Thursday 22 March 2012
My Favourite: Part Ten - Conrad Williams
Hi Guys,
It's time to revisit our set of mini-interviews with our host of Discover Festival authors - if you've missed these so far, it's a great chance to find out some of the favourites and influences on some of the great writers taking part in the event. Today's it's horror and crime author CONRAD WILLIAMS stepping to the plate, with a link to each of the chosen faves!
Enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE - PART TEN: CONRAD WILLIAMS
FAVOURITE BOOK:
THE ROAD, CORMAC MCCARTHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
M JOHN HARRISON
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._John_Harrison
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: DON'T LOOK NOW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: CHINATOWN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(1974_film)
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: SIX FEET UNDER
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Feet_Under_(TV_series)
FAVOURITE BAND: RADIOHEAD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
FAVOURITE GAME: CHESS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
It's time to revisit our set of mini-interviews with our host of Discover Festival authors - if you've missed these so far, it's a great chance to find out some of the favourites and influences on some of the great writers taking part in the event. Today's it's horror and crime author CONRAD WILLIAMS stepping to the plate, with a link to each of the chosen faves!
Enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE - PART TEN: CONRAD WILLIAMS
FAVOURITE BOOK:
THE ROAD, CORMAC MCCARTHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
M JOHN HARRISON
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._John_Harrison
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: DON'T LOOK NOW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: CHINATOWN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(1974_film)
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: SIX FEET UNDER
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Feet_Under_(TV_series)
FAVOURITE BAND: RADIOHEAD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
FAVOURITE GAME: CHESS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
Thursday 15 March 2012
MR James performance at Discover Festival
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to pass on some more exciting news for the Discover Festival - we've got plenty by way of readings, workshops and panels taking shape over the three days of the event, and we've also recently added two fantastic FREE film screenings to our schedule as well. But I'm delighted to announce that we also have a discounted rate for Discover Festival goers to a fantastic performance of some of MR James' best known tales - OH, WHISTLE... runs on the Saturday night of Discover Festival at 8pm, and with your Discover Festival ticket you can get the special reduced rate of just £5!
This performance by Nunkie Theatre is given by Robert Lloyd Parry, and features two of MR James' finest ghost stories in OH, WHISTLE, AND I'LL COME TO YOU and THE ASH TREE. If you're coming to Discover Festival, this show is a steal and not one to be missed!
For more information on the performance, visit http://www.centurytheatre.co.uk/diary/show/oh-whistle and for more on the Discover Festival visit www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Just wanted to pass on some more exciting news for the Discover Festival - we've got plenty by way of readings, workshops and panels taking shape over the three days of the event, and we've also recently added two fantastic FREE film screenings to our schedule as well. But I'm delighted to announce that we also have a discounted rate for Discover Festival goers to a fantastic performance of some of MR James' best known tales - OH, WHISTLE... runs on the Saturday night of Discover Festival at 8pm, and with your Discover Festival ticket you can get the special reduced rate of just £5!
This performance by Nunkie Theatre is given by Robert Lloyd Parry, and features two of MR James' finest ghost stories in OH, WHISTLE, AND I'LL COME TO YOU and THE ASH TREE. If you're coming to Discover Festival, this show is a steal and not one to be missed!
For more information on the performance, visit http://www.centurytheatre.co.uk/diary/show/oh-whistle and for more on the Discover Festival visit www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Tuesday 13 March 2012
My Favourite: Part Nine - Paul Magrs
Hi Everyone,
We're back for another week on the Discover Festival blog, and kicking off with one of our mini-interviews with the authors attending the event. This time it's the turn of PAUL MAGRS to step to the plate, and some great choices again, with links to more information on each of the choices.
We'll be back later in the week with more of the latest news and information on Discover Festival!
Thanks a lot
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: Paul Magrs
FAVOURITE BOOK: 'Maybe the Moon' by Armistead Maupin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybe_the_Moon
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: Anne Tyler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Tyler
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: 'Dracula 1972 A.D'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068505/
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: 'Harold and Maude'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Doctor Who
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056751/
FAVOURITE BAND: Belle and Sebastian
http://www.belleandsebastian.com/
FAVOURITE GAME: Buckaroo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckaroo_(game)
We're back for another week on the Discover Festival blog, and kicking off with one of our mini-interviews with the authors attending the event. This time it's the turn of PAUL MAGRS to step to the plate, and some great choices again, with links to more information on each of the choices.
We'll be back later in the week with more of the latest news and information on Discover Festival!
Thanks a lot
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: Paul Magrs
FAVOURITE BOOK: 'Maybe the Moon' by Armistead Maupin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybe_the_Moon
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: Anne Tyler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Tyler
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: 'Dracula 1972 A.D'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068505/
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: 'Harold and Maude'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Doctor Who
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056751/
FAVOURITE BAND: Belle and Sebastian
http://www.belleandsebastian.com/
FAVOURITE GAME: Buckaroo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckaroo_(game)
Friday 9 March 2012
MY FAVOURITE: Part Eight - Andrew Hook
Hi Guys,
A late post for a Friday evening, this time featuring the latest part of our Discover Festival MY FAVOURITE mini-interviews. It's been great to read these and find out more about our fantastuc line-up, and this time we're checking in with slipstream author ANDREW HOOK, with some great choices as always!
Expect more news next week, as well as some more of our interviews leading into the event!
Thanks a lot
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: ANDREW HOOK
FAVOURITE BOOK: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. First read this over twenty years ago at a particularly formative time of my life. It's a rollicking read packed with ideas and good humour. One of the few books I repeatedly re-read.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: There are only a handful of authors I've read almost everything by: Franz Kafka, Jonathon Carroll, Tom Robbins, and Nicholas Royle, so it could be one of those. But I think I'd have to choose Vladimir Nabokov because his writing, ideas and word play consistently excite me.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: It's difficult to choose one, but I'd probably go for Watchmen due to its scope and a personal connection it holds for me.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot Le Fou". French New Wave cinema is a major influence on me, and this is a classic with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. Witty, inventive, different, and surreal.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: It would have to be The Avengers (Emma Peel era) and The Mighty Boosh. There are few TV shows which bear repeated viewings, and both of these fall into that category. I love the logic that underpins even the most surreal plots in both these shows.
FAVOURITE BAND: The Stranglers. The first proper record I bought back in November 1979 at the tender age of twelve was the single, "Five Minutes". I've been a fan ever since. I can't think of another band who have explored so many different musical avenues.
FAVOURITE GAME: Scrabble. Since I started playing this with my partner a few years ago she has won about 93% of the games. For some reason this makes me enjoy it much more than I really should.
A late post for a Friday evening, this time featuring the latest part of our Discover Festival MY FAVOURITE mini-interviews. It's been great to read these and find out more about our fantastuc line-up, and this time we're checking in with slipstream author ANDREW HOOK, with some great choices as always!
Expect more news next week, as well as some more of our interviews leading into the event!
Thanks a lot
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: ANDREW HOOK
FAVOURITE BOOK: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. First read this over twenty years ago at a particularly formative time of my life. It's a rollicking read packed with ideas and good humour. One of the few books I repeatedly re-read.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: There are only a handful of authors I've read almost everything by: Franz Kafka, Jonathon Carroll, Tom Robbins, and Nicholas Royle, so it could be one of those. But I think I'd have to choose Vladimir Nabokov because his writing, ideas and word play consistently excite me.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: It's difficult to choose one, but I'd probably go for Watchmen due to its scope and a personal connection it holds for me.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot Le Fou". French New Wave cinema is a major influence on me, and this is a classic with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. Witty, inventive, different, and surreal.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: It would have to be The Avengers (Emma Peel era) and The Mighty Boosh. There are few TV shows which bear repeated viewings, and both of these fall into that category. I love the logic that underpins even the most surreal plots in both these shows.
FAVOURITE BAND: The Stranglers. The first proper record I bought back in November 1979 at the tender age of twelve was the single, "Five Minutes". I've been a fan ever since. I can't think of another band who have explored so many different musical avenues.
FAVOURITE GAME: Scrabble. Since I started playing this with my partner a few years ago she has won about 93% of the games. For some reason this makes me enjoy it much more than I really should.
Thursday 8 March 2012
Discover Festival - mass signing!
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to pass on the first details on our DISCOVER FESTIVAL mass signing - this'll also be going on the website shortly, along with some other goodies!
Our mass signing runs from 5pm-6pm on the Saturday of the event, and is the ideal opportunity for fans and readers to meet their favourite authors and get their titles signed. Feel free to bring some books with you, or pick up a range of titles in our book room over the weekend ready for the big event! We're expecting over 20 authors to be taking part, making it one of the highlights of the weekend for Discover Festival attendees.
CONFIRMED SO FAR:
A J Dalton
Peter F Hamilton (Guest of Honour)
Andrew Hook
Louise Morgan
Gareth L Powell
Stan Nicholls
PLUS MANY MORE TBC!
So don't miss out on this, or indeed the rest of our superb programme of screenings, readings, panels, workshops and more - check out http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Just wanted to pass on the first details on our DISCOVER FESTIVAL mass signing - this'll also be going on the website shortly, along with some other goodies!
Our mass signing runs from 5pm-6pm on the Saturday of the event, and is the ideal opportunity for fans and readers to meet their favourite authors and get their titles signed. Feel free to bring some books with you, or pick up a range of titles in our book room over the weekend ready for the big event! We're expecting over 20 authors to be taking part, making it one of the highlights of the weekend for Discover Festival attendees.
CONFIRMED SO FAR:
A J Dalton
Peter F Hamilton (Guest of Honour)
Andrew Hook
Louise Morgan
Gareth L Powell
Stan Nicholls
PLUS MANY MORE TBC!
So don't miss out on this, or indeed the rest of our superb programme of screenings, readings, panels, workshops and more - check out http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Wednesday 7 March 2012
My Favourite... Part Seven: Gavin Smith
Hi Guys,
The latest of our MY FAVOURITE mini-interviews comes to you on this wet Wednesday courtesy of SF author GAVIN SMITH - his recent titled Veteran and War in Heaven have already made quite a splash, and there are some very interesting choices in the interview below...
More interviews and news to follow - in the meantime, enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE... GAVIN SMITH
FAVOURITE BOOK:
The Liar by Stephen Fry
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Neal Stephenson, Joe R Lansdale, Iain Banks and I'm looking forward to reading more by Hannu Rajaniemi, who seems sickeningly talented.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
Blade Runner
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
Heat
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
At the moment Sons of Anarchy, though I'm really looking forward to finally getting a chance to watch Game of Thrones.
FAVOURITE BAND:
New Model Army, Nine Inch Nails, The Tragically Hip, Led Zeppelin, Tool, Isis
FAVOURITE GAME:
Mage, though I love Shadowrun's setting.
The latest of our MY FAVOURITE mini-interviews comes to you on this wet Wednesday courtesy of SF author GAVIN SMITH - his recent titled Veteran and War in Heaven have already made quite a splash, and there are some very interesting choices in the interview below...
More interviews and news to follow - in the meantime, enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE... GAVIN SMITH
FAVOURITE BOOK:
The Liar by Stephen Fry
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Neal Stephenson, Joe R Lansdale, Iain Banks and I'm looking forward to reading more by Hannu Rajaniemi, who seems sickeningly talented.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
Blade Runner
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
Heat
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
At the moment Sons of Anarchy, though I'm really looking forward to finally getting a chance to watch Game of Thrones.
FAVOURITE BAND:
New Model Army, Nine Inch Nails, The Tragically Hip, Led Zeppelin, Tool, Isis
FAVOURITE GAME:
Mage, though I love Shadowrun's setting.
Tuesday 6 March 2012
New authors for Discover Festival - Graham Joyce and David Barnett confirmed!
Hi Guys,
Absolutely delighted to make a really exciting announcement today, with two new writers joining the line-up for Discover Festival - I'm chuffed to welcome aboard GRAHAM JOYCE and DAVID BARNETT.
Graham Joyce is acclaimed writer of fantasy and horror, and a winner of both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award (five times) for Best Novel. His most recent titles for adults include The Silent Land, Memoirs of a Master Forger (as William Heaney) and The Limits of Enchantment. Graham is also an award winning young adult author, with leading titles including The Devils Ladder and TWOC. He also teaches Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University.
David Barnett is a journalist and author based in the North of England. He has just signed a three-book deal with Tor (US) for a series of fantasy adventures set in an alternative Victorian England. His latest novel is popCULT!, published by Pendragon Press, and he has previously had two novels - Hinterland and Angelglass - and a short story collection, The Janus House and Other Two-Faced Tales, out from Immanion Press.
Two more great names for our fantastic line-up, I'm sure you'll agree - you can check out all the latest on Discover Festival, and book your tickets, from www.discoverfestival.co.uk.
Thanks a lot
Alex
Absolutely delighted to make a really exciting announcement today, with two new writers joining the line-up for Discover Festival - I'm chuffed to welcome aboard GRAHAM JOYCE and DAVID BARNETT.
Graham Joyce is acclaimed writer of fantasy and horror, and a winner of both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award (five times) for Best Novel. His most recent titles for adults include The Silent Land, Memoirs of a Master Forger (as William Heaney) and The Limits of Enchantment. Graham is also an award winning young adult author, with leading titles including The Devils Ladder and TWOC. He also teaches Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University.
David Barnett is a journalist and author based in the North of England. He has just signed a three-book deal with Tor (US) for a series of fantasy adventures set in an alternative Victorian England. His latest novel is popCULT!, published by Pendragon Press, and he has previously had two novels - Hinterland and Angelglass - and a short story collection, The Janus House and Other Two-Faced Tales, out from Immanion Press.
Two more great names for our fantastic line-up, I'm sure you'll agree - you can check out all the latest on Discover Festival, and book your tickets, from www.discoverfestival.co.uk.
Thanks a lot
Alex
Monday 5 March 2012
My Favourite - Part Six: Freda Warrington
Hi Guys,
A fine sunny start to the new week, and a week loaded with blogs it should be, with news and updates coming in all the time! However to get things kicked off we have the latest of our mini-interviews, this time with fantasy author FREDA WARRINGTON. I've added a link to each of these faves, so you can check out a bit more about them easily!
Enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: FREDA WARRINGTON
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Patricia McKillip
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
The Company of Wolves
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
Dangerous Liaisons
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
The Big Bang Theory
FAVOURITE BAND:
Horslips
FAVOURITE GAME:
Myst
A fine sunny start to the new week, and a week loaded with blogs it should be, with news and updates coming in all the time! However to get things kicked off we have the latest of our mini-interviews, this time with fantasy author FREDA WARRINGTON. I've added a link to each of these faves, so you can check out a bit more about them easily!
Enjoy!
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: FREDA WARRINGTON
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Patricia McKillip
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
The Company of Wolves
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
Dangerous Liaisons
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
The Big Bang Theory
FAVOURITE BAND:
Horslips
FAVOURITE GAME:
Myst
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Something extra for the extra day...!
Hi Guys,
Well, with today being a 'bonus' day for 2012, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to offer a little bonus to our next few bookers for the Discover Festival.
So here's the deal - to the next FIVE people to book for the event, we'll also give you £10 of free tickets for the Discover raffle, where we'll be offering a host of fantastic prizes, plus an additional FREE book in your event goodie bag. It's a great way to make that little bit more of your weekend!
I don't expect this one to last long, so make sure you book now to get a little something extra for the extra day! You can check out all the latest information on Discover Festival at www.discoverfestival.co.uk, and all the information on how to book your place can be found at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914
And of course, if you have any questions on the event, or this limited time offer, feel free to reach me at discoverevent@hotmail.co.uk!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Well, with today being a 'bonus' day for 2012, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to offer a little bonus to our next few bookers for the Discover Festival.
So here's the deal - to the next FIVE people to book for the event, we'll also give you £10 of free tickets for the Discover raffle, where we'll be offering a host of fantastic prizes, plus an additional FREE book in your event goodie bag. It's a great way to make that little bit more of your weekend!
I don't expect this one to last long, so make sure you book now to get a little something extra for the extra day! You can check out all the latest information on Discover Festival at www.discoverfestival.co.uk, and all the information on how to book your place can be found at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/booking/4558412914
And of course, if you have any questions on the event, or this limited time offer, feel free to reach me at discoverevent@hotmail.co.uk!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Tuesday 28 February 2012
New speakers confirmed - Anne Lyle and Amanda Rutter
Hi Guys,
Busy weeks ahead for sure with Discover Festival as the flyers hits the shelves and the schedule continues to take shape - we're almost there with our event line-up, and today I'm delighted to announce two new speakers for the weekend in the shape of ANNE LYLE and AMANDA RUTTER.
Anne Lyle was born in what was once the heart of Sherwood Forest, and has been fascinated by English history and folklore ever since. She now lives in Cambridge, an equally historic corner of the realm, where cattle still graze on the common land as they did in Marlowe's day. Despite these archaic leanings, however, she’s a thoroughly 21st century citizen: full-time web developer, part-time blogger and obsessive Twitterer.
Her debut fantasy novel The Alchemist of Souls, set in Elizabethan London, is out this spring from Angry Robot Books, with two sequels to follow. The Alchemist of Souls has already been getting great reviews, so Anne is a name you will certainly be hearing more from.
Amanda Rutter is editor at Strange Chemistry, Angry Robot's new young adult imprint, which will be launching its first titles in September 2012. With a host of exciting names already signed up to write for the imprint, Amanda will be bringing her expertise on the business of publishing in this fascinating area of fiction to audiences at the Discover Festival. Amanda has also edited for Morrigan Books, and spent many years running the very popular Floor to Ceiling Books blog.
Two more great names for the Discover Festival, and very excited to welcome both Anne and Amanda on board - for all the latest, and to book your tickets for the event, check out www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Busy weeks ahead for sure with Discover Festival as the flyers hits the shelves and the schedule continues to take shape - we're almost there with our event line-up, and today I'm delighted to announce two new speakers for the weekend in the shape of ANNE LYLE and AMANDA RUTTER.
Anne Lyle was born in what was once the heart of Sherwood Forest, and has been fascinated by English history and folklore ever since. She now lives in Cambridge, an equally historic corner of the realm, where cattle still graze on the common land as they did in Marlowe's day. Despite these archaic leanings, however, she’s a thoroughly 21st century citizen: full-time web developer, part-time blogger and obsessive Twitterer.
Her debut fantasy novel The Alchemist of Souls, set in Elizabethan London, is out this spring from Angry Robot Books, with two sequels to follow. The Alchemist of Souls has already been getting great reviews, so Anne is a name you will certainly be hearing more from.
Amanda Rutter is editor at Strange Chemistry, Angry Robot's new young adult imprint, which will be launching its first titles in September 2012. With a host of exciting names already signed up to write for the imprint, Amanda will be bringing her expertise on the business of publishing in this fascinating area of fiction to audiences at the Discover Festival. Amanda has also edited for Morrigan Books, and spent many years running the very popular Floor to Ceiling Books blog.
Two more great names for the Discover Festival, and very excited to welcome both Anne and Amanda on board - for all the latest, and to book your tickets for the event, check out www.discoverfestival.co.uk
Thursday 23 February 2012
Latest author news...
Hi Guys,
I'm happy to announce a great new addition to our author line-up - horror author WILL HILL has just confirmed for the event, and will joining a superb roster of horror writers including Guest of Honoour Graham Masterton, Conrad Williams, Gary McMahon, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Tom Fletcher and more. Will's debut novel, DEPARTMENT 19, has already made a great impression and with sequel THE RISING hitting bookshelves on March 29th, you're bound to be hearing more from this very talented author. For more info on Will's work, check out www.willhillauthor.com
For all the latest on the full line-up, be sure to visit our website at www.discoverfestival.co.uk as more and more names are added to the event!
Thanks a lot
Alex
I'm happy to announce a great new addition to our author line-up - horror author WILL HILL has just confirmed for the event, and will joining a superb roster of horror writers including Guest of Honoour Graham Masterton, Conrad Williams, Gary McMahon, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Tom Fletcher and more. Will's debut novel, DEPARTMENT 19, has already made a great impression and with sequel THE RISING hitting bookshelves on March 29th, you're bound to be hearing more from this very talented author. For more info on Will's work, check out www.willhillauthor.com
For all the latest on the full line-up, be sure to visit our website at www.discoverfestival.co.uk as more and more names are added to the event!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Monday 20 February 2012
MY FAVOURITE: Part Five - Adam Christopher
Hi Guys,
Hopefully everyone is suitably recovered from the weekend by now, and ready for the latest in our great series of mini-interviews with our superb line-up of Discover Festival authors. Today the spotlight falls on Adam Christopher, whose novel Empire State is already garnering rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. As always, it's a good read, with a whole host of interesting choices...
Enjoy!
MY FAVOURITE: PART FIVE - ADAM CHRISTOPHER
FAVOURITE BOOK
The most difficult question of all! Actually, no, that's your next one. My favourite book tends to change with the day of the week, as I more have a pool of books I all consider to be utterly wonderful and essential - 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Slights by Kaaron Warren, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. At the moment I'm reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin for the first time, and I suspect that's going to be added to the group as well.
I think life is too short to read bad books, so I'm not one of these readers who is determined to reach the end of a novel even if they're not enjoying it. This means, thankfully, that most of what I do read seems to be pretty good.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR
The same applies here - my "pool" of favourites includes HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Lauren Beukes, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Kurt Busiek - because I tend to read a lot of comics as well as novels I tend not to distinguish between writers in different media.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM
Ghostbusters. In fact, Ghostbusters is the greatest film ever made. It's sheer genius, and I will happily fight anyone who says otherwise!
*rolls up sleeves*
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM
Tricky, because I tend to watch mostly genre stuff. I'd love to be able to say Blow-Up, which is a film I have pretended to like since I was about 15 but which is a little... well, it's boring, let's face it.
So it has to be the original Michael Caine version of The Italian Job.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW
Community. And Doctor Who (original series only). And Justified. And Fringe. And Revenge. And... okay, I've done it again, haven't I?
FAVOURITE BAND
The Cure. I discovered them when someone left a tape of their first album, Three Imaginary Boys, at my house in 1991. So, despite being entirely the wrong age group, I pretty much listened to their stuff in release order, and have been listening to them ever since. In fact, I even measure my life as the gap between Cure concerts - I was 15 when I first saw them in New Zealand in 1992, then 30 when I next saw them in London. I'd doubled in age! Crazy.
I have to make a special mention here of The Dandy Warhols too - the only other band I've been listening to for anything like as long as The Cure (since 1996).
FAVOURITE GAME
I don't game as much as I used to, despite having one of everything in the house - I've played a lot of World of Warcraft but MMORPGs are just too much of a timesink, so I tend towards console games now. I think Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is probably my favourite game - it is insanely good, possibly the PS3's crowning glory.
But I have a soft spot for the classic space trading game Elite. My parents bought an Amstrad CPC464 (with built-in tape drive) for me for Christmas around 1986, and Elite just blew me away. I know Elite was originally developed for the BBC Micro and the Amstrad port is slightly different, but that's the version I played for hours, days, weeks, months, even years. And I never got to the Elite rating either, I only hit Deadly. I suspect the Amstrad port - which was missing a few things - might have also been missing the final combat rating!
Hopefully everyone is suitably recovered from the weekend by now, and ready for the latest in our great series of mini-interviews with our superb line-up of Discover Festival authors. Today the spotlight falls on Adam Christopher, whose novel Empire State is already garnering rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. As always, it's a good read, with a whole host of interesting choices...
Enjoy!
MY FAVOURITE: PART FIVE - ADAM CHRISTOPHER
FAVOURITE BOOK
The most difficult question of all! Actually, no, that's your next one. My favourite book tends to change with the day of the week, as I more have a pool of books I all consider to be utterly wonderful and essential - 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Slights by Kaaron Warren, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. At the moment I'm reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin for the first time, and I suspect that's going to be added to the group as well.
I think life is too short to read bad books, so I'm not one of these readers who is determined to reach the end of a novel even if they're not enjoying it. This means, thankfully, that most of what I do read seems to be pretty good.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR
The same applies here - my "pool" of favourites includes HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Lauren Beukes, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Kurt Busiek - because I tend to read a lot of comics as well as novels I tend not to distinguish between writers in different media.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM
Ghostbusters. In fact, Ghostbusters is the greatest film ever made. It's sheer genius, and I will happily fight anyone who says otherwise!
*rolls up sleeves*
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM
Tricky, because I tend to watch mostly genre stuff. I'd love to be able to say Blow-Up, which is a film I have pretended to like since I was about 15 but which is a little... well, it's boring, let's face it.
So it has to be the original Michael Caine version of The Italian Job.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW
Community. And Doctor Who (original series only). And Justified. And Fringe. And Revenge. And... okay, I've done it again, haven't I?
FAVOURITE BAND
The Cure. I discovered them when someone left a tape of their first album, Three Imaginary Boys, at my house in 1991. So, despite being entirely the wrong age group, I pretty much listened to their stuff in release order, and have been listening to them ever since. In fact, I even measure my life as the gap between Cure concerts - I was 15 when I first saw them in New Zealand in 1992, then 30 when I next saw them in London. I'd doubled in age! Crazy.
I have to make a special mention here of The Dandy Warhols too - the only other band I've been listening to for anything like as long as The Cure (since 1996).
FAVOURITE GAME
I don't game as much as I used to, despite having one of everything in the house - I've played a lot of World of Warcraft but MMORPGs are just too much of a timesink, so I tend towards console games now. I think Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is probably my favourite game - it is insanely good, possibly the PS3's crowning glory.
But I have a soft spot for the classic space trading game Elite. My parents bought an Amstrad CPC464 (with built-in tape drive) for me for Christmas around 1986, and Elite just blew me away. I know Elite was originally developed for the BBC Micro and the Amstrad port is slightly different, but that's the version I played for hours, days, weeks, months, even years. And I never got to the Elite rating either, I only hit Deadly. I suspect the Amstrad port - which was missing a few things - might have also been missing the final combat rating!
Thursday 16 February 2012
My Favourite... Part Four: Gareth L Powell
Hi Guys,
The fourth installement of our mini-interview series comes courtesy of SF author Gareth L Powell. As always, some really interesting choices here, and a little link each time around for those of you wanting to know a bit more...
We've got a lot more of these short interviews on the way, so keep your eyes peeled on the blog to find out more about our superb range of authors for the Discover Festival!
Cheers
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: GARETH L POWELL
FAVOURITE BOOK:
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141182679/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329386077&sr=8-1
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
William Gibson
http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Gibson/e/B000AP5DM0/ref=sr_tc_ep?qid=1329386123
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
Aliens
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
The Big Lebowski
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
Battlestar Galactica
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/
FAVOURITE BAND:
Tom Waits
http://badasme.com/
FAVOURITE GAME:
Chess
The fourth installement of our mini-interview series comes courtesy of SF author Gareth L Powell. As always, some really interesting choices here, and a little link each time around for those of you wanting to know a bit more...
We've got a lot more of these short interviews on the way, so keep your eyes peeled on the blog to find out more about our superb range of authors for the Discover Festival!
Cheers
Alex
MY FAVOURITE: GARETH L POWELL
FAVOURITE BOOK:
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141182679/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329386077&sr=8-1
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
William Gibson
http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Gibson/e/B000AP5DM0/ref=sr_tc_ep?qid=1329386123
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
Aliens
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
The Big Lebowski
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
Battlestar Galactica
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/
FAVOURITE BAND:
Tom Waits
http://badasme.com/
FAVOURITE GAME:
Chess
Tuesday 14 February 2012
New authors confirmed for Discover Festival!
Hi Guys,
A very nice announcement to make for a Tuesday, as we have two new authors attending Discover Festival this May. I'm really excited by the line-up so far, and delighted to add SUZANNE MACLEOD and SIMON KURT UNSWORTH to the event.
Suzanne MacLeod is that author of the spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series, with the fourth part of the series, The Shifting Price of Prey, to be released in August 2012. With six books planned in this fantastic series, you'll be hearing much more for Suzanne in the future.
Simon Kurt Unsworth is a short story author who has featured in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, The Very Best of Best New Horror, Lovecraft Unbound and many more. He has two short story collections published to date, Lost Places and Quiet Houses, with two more to follow in 2013.
If you haven't got your ticket for Discover Festival yet, you can check out all the information and book your place at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Cheers!
Alex
A very nice announcement to make for a Tuesday, as we have two new authors attending Discover Festival this May. I'm really excited by the line-up so far, and delighted to add SUZANNE MACLEOD and SIMON KURT UNSWORTH to the event.
Suzanne MacLeod is that author of the spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series, with the fourth part of the series, The Shifting Price of Prey, to be released in August 2012. With six books planned in this fantastic series, you'll be hearing much more for Suzanne in the future.
Simon Kurt Unsworth is a short story author who has featured in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, The Very Best of Best New Horror, Lovecraft Unbound and many more. He has two short story collections published to date, Lost Places and Quiet Houses, with two more to follow in 2013.
If you haven't got your ticket for Discover Festival yet, you can check out all the information and book your place at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/
Cheers!
Alex
Thursday 9 February 2012
A new look blog - and new website updates
Hi Guys,
As you might have noticed, have given the blog something of a new look - to be honest, the old design was starting to make my eyes hurt, and hopefully this one captures a bit more of what the event is about anyway.
I've also updated the website, which now includes a contact form for those of you wanting to get in touch, some more information on accommodation, and plenty more on the news page in the latest update. As always, you can check it out at www.discoverfestival.co.uk
I should also have another author to announce in the next day or two, as we come towards getting the line-up completed...
Keep checking back, as there will be more to follow shortly.
Cheers!
Alex
As you might have noticed, have given the blog something of a new look - to be honest, the old design was starting to make my eyes hurt, and hopefully this one captures a bit more of what the event is about anyway.
I've also updated the website, which now includes a contact form for those of you wanting to get in touch, some more information on accommodation, and plenty more on the news page in the latest update. As always, you can check it out at www.discoverfestival.co.uk
I should also have another author to announce in the next day or two, as we come towards getting the line-up completed...
Keep checking back, as there will be more to follow shortly.
Cheers!
Alex
Wednesday 8 February 2012
My Favourite... Part Three: Lou Morgan
Hi Guys,
Today it's on to the latest part of our 'My Favourite' interviews, and today we're joined by author Lou Morgan, whose debut title Blood and Feathers comes out from Solaris later this year. Some great choices, as always, and well worth checking a number of these out!
MY FAVOURITE: LOU MORGAN
FAVOURITE BOOK: One book? You realise that's like asking me to pick my favourite from a box of kittens, right? If I had to choose just one (and I'm doing this with much pouting, stamping of feet and general sulking, you understand) then it has to be "Life: A User's Manual", by Georges Perec, which is - in theory, at least - about the inhabitants of an apartment building in Paris. At the same time, however, it's about jigsaws, crosswords, literary allusions, memory, life, death... it's a big, unwieldy story, but it's fun and clever and I wish more people had read it.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: Depending on which name he happens to be wearing at any given time, Michael Marshall Smith / M M Smith / Michael Marshall. I'm also a big fan of Arturo Perez-Reverte's work: especially books like "The Dumas Club" and "The Seville Communion", which blew me away the first time I read them.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: "The Lost Boys". I have huge affection for this one, and I've easily seen it enough times to know every single line. Yes, especially the "death by stereo" one.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: You're probably not going to let me sneak "Inception" in as non-genre, are you? No, thought not. Spoilsport. In that case, it's probably Hitchcock's 1940 version of "Rebecca".
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: "Supernatural". I am predictable, yes. I'm OK with that.
FAVOURITE BAND: Pendulum. Brilliant albums (try "In Silico" if you've never heard them), and they're absolutely astonishing live.
FAVOURITE GAME: I'm an old-school computer gamer: I never quite grew out of "Doom" LAN deathmatches. But *my* game? My game's "Tekken". I play as Hwoarang, and I lose - frequently, and noisily.
Today it's on to the latest part of our 'My Favourite' interviews, and today we're joined by author Lou Morgan, whose debut title Blood and Feathers comes out from Solaris later this year. Some great choices, as always, and well worth checking a number of these out!
MY FAVOURITE: LOU MORGAN
FAVOURITE BOOK: One book? You realise that's like asking me to pick my favourite from a box of kittens, right? If I had to choose just one (and I'm doing this with much pouting, stamping of feet and general sulking, you understand) then it has to be "Life: A User's Manual", by Georges Perec, which is - in theory, at least - about the inhabitants of an apartment building in Paris. At the same time, however, it's about jigsaws, crosswords, literary allusions, memory, life, death... it's a big, unwieldy story, but it's fun and clever and I wish more people had read it.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR: Depending on which name he happens to be wearing at any given time, Michael Marshall Smith / M M Smith / Michael Marshall. I'm also a big fan of Arturo Perez-Reverte's work: especially books like "The Dumas Club" and "The Seville Communion", which blew me away the first time I read them.
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM: "The Lost Boys". I have huge affection for this one, and I've easily seen it enough times to know every single line. Yes, especially the "death by stereo" one.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM: You're probably not going to let me sneak "Inception" in as non-genre, are you? No, thought not. Spoilsport. In that case, it's probably Hitchcock's 1940 version of "Rebecca".
FAVOURITE TV SHOW: "Supernatural". I am predictable, yes. I'm OK with that.
FAVOURITE BAND: Pendulum. Brilliant albums (try "In Silico" if you've never heard them), and they're absolutely astonishing live.
FAVOURITE GAME: I'm an old-school computer gamer: I never quite grew out of "Doom" LAN deathmatches. But *my* game? My game's "Tekken". I play as Hwoarang, and I lose - frequently, and noisily.
Monday 6 February 2012
My Favourite... Part Three: Gav Thorpe
Hi Guys,
A new post for a new week, with the latest part of our MY FAVOURITE interview going live. Today, it's fantasy an SF author GAV THORPE sharing a host of his faves...
MY FAVOURITE: GAV THORPE
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Excession, Iain M Banks
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Don't have a favourite, and I refuse to choose one! I like lots of different authors, depending on mood, wind direction, solar flares...
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
The Crow.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
A Bridge Too Far.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
Ever? Can't pick one. Candidates include Buffy seasons 1-5, Angel, Firefly, Generation Kill, Rome, Babylon 5, Ghost in the Shell S.A.C, Evangelion, Lost, Spaced, Battlestar Galactica remake... it's an impossible choice.
At this moment? Fringe, maybe. Watching Carnivale on DVD for the first time and enjoying that.
FAVOURITE BAND:
Guess what... Don't have one. (I'm a really bad choice for these sorts of questions!) Listen to rock, metal, Indy, classical, soundtracks...
FAVOURITE GAME:
Videogame - Call of Duty: World at War. Like most COD titles, but MW3 multiplayer is really not my cup of tea. Also love Total War series (just started another Rome campaign).
Boardgame - Hammer of the Scots, Columbia games. Wrote an essay about it in Hobby Games: Top 100.
Roleplaying game - Space 1889, Frank Chadwick. Hardly ever played it, but still love it.
A new post for a new week, with the latest part of our MY FAVOURITE interview going live. Today, it's fantasy an SF author GAV THORPE sharing a host of his faves...
MY FAVOURITE: GAV THORPE
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Excession, Iain M Banks
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
Don't have a favourite, and I refuse to choose one! I like lots of different authors, depending on mood, wind direction, solar flares...
FAVOURITE GENRE FILM:
The Crow.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
A Bridge Too Far.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
Ever? Can't pick one. Candidates include Buffy seasons 1-5, Angel, Firefly, Generation Kill, Rome, Babylon 5, Ghost in the Shell S.A.C, Evangelion, Lost, Spaced, Battlestar Galactica remake... it's an impossible choice.
At this moment? Fringe, maybe. Watching Carnivale on DVD for the first time and enjoying that.
FAVOURITE BAND:
Guess what... Don't have one. (I'm a really bad choice for these sorts of questions!) Listen to rock, metal, Indy, classical, soundtracks...
FAVOURITE GAME:
Videogame - Call of Duty: World at War. Like most COD titles, but MW3 multiplayer is really not my cup of tea. Also love Total War series (just started another Rome campaign).
Boardgame - Hammer of the Scots, Columbia games. Wrote an essay about it in Hobby Games: Top 100.
Roleplaying game - Space 1889, Frank Chadwick. Hardly ever played it, but still love it.
Thursday 2 February 2012
My Favourite... Part Two: A J Dalton
Hi Everyone,
Continuing in our series of mini-interviews, it's gothics fantasy author A J Dalton stepping up to tell us a bit about some of his genre and non-genre favourites. As always, some really interesting choices!
MY FAVOURITE - A J DALTON
Favourite book:
The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe. Okay, it's a play, but I read it before I saw it performed. He was the first author of dark fantasy, for me. Doesn't get better than Marlowe.
Favourite author:
Hmm. I guess it would have to be someone like Homer. First great fantasy author.
Favourite genre film:
Undoubtedly, Rollerball, the 70s version starring James Caan. The triumph of the individual over society. A film of awesome dynamics. Scifi.
Favourite non-genre film:
Bound. Plays with genre gorgeously.
Favourite TV show:
Battlestar Galactica, both the 80s series and the modern remakes (although the last series was pish).
Favourite band:
A-ha! The sun always shines on tv.
Favourite game:
Link's Crossbow Training, on the wii. Simple, addictive and with a fantasy setting.
Continuing in our series of mini-interviews, it's gothics fantasy author A J Dalton stepping up to tell us a bit about some of his genre and non-genre favourites. As always, some really interesting choices!
MY FAVOURITE - A J DALTON
Favourite book:
The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe. Okay, it's a play, but I read it before I saw it performed. He was the first author of dark fantasy, for me. Doesn't get better than Marlowe.
Favourite author:
Hmm. I guess it would have to be someone like Homer. First great fantasy author.
Favourite genre film:
Undoubtedly, Rollerball, the 70s version starring James Caan. The triumph of the individual over society. A film of awesome dynamics. Scifi.
Favourite non-genre film:
Bound. Plays with genre gorgeously.
Favourite TV show:
Battlestar Galactica, both the 80s series and the modern remakes (although the last series was pish).
Favourite band:
A-ha! The sun always shines on tv.
Favourite game:
Link's Crossbow Training, on the wii. Simple, addictive and with a fantasy setting.
Wednesday 1 February 2012
A story a day!
Hi Guys,
The eagle-eyed among our Twitter followers may already have noticed this, but we've kicked off a new series of tweets entitled 'A STORY A DAY' - we'll be tweeting either a full short story or an extract from one of our authors at Discover every day, so it's a great chance to enjoy free stories by some of your favourite writers, as well as find out more about new writers and talent you may not have heard of as yet!
If you missed our first two days, we offered an extract from Mark Chadbourn's Destroyer of Worlds at http://www.markchadbourn.net/extracts/destroyer-of-worlds.htm, as well as the full story Walker by Adam Christopher at http://www.hubfiction.com/2011/03/hub-136/
So do keep checking into our feed for some fantastic free fiction - we'll be tweeting A STORY A DAY until the day of the event itself!
Thanks a lot
Alex
The eagle-eyed among our Twitter followers may already have noticed this, but we've kicked off a new series of tweets entitled 'A STORY A DAY' - we'll be tweeting either a full short story or an extract from one of our authors at Discover every day, so it's a great chance to enjoy free stories by some of your favourite writers, as well as find out more about new writers and talent you may not have heard of as yet!
If you missed our first two days, we offered an extract from Mark Chadbourn's Destroyer of Worlds at http://www.markchadbourn.net/extracts/destroyer-of-worlds.htm, as well as the full story Walker by Adam Christopher at http://www.hubfiction.com/2011/03/hub-136/
So do keep checking into our feed for some fantastic free fiction - we'll be tweeting A STORY A DAY until the day of the event itself!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Monday 30 January 2012
Author update!
Hi Guys,
With it being a new week, and with so many authors getting on board for the Discover Festival of late, I thought it'd be a good idea to update our list so you can see the full array of talent taking part! With more great names still to follow, Discover is already looking like an event not to be missed!
So here goes, with websites for more info attached as well...
Peter F Hamilton
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Graham Masterton
http://www.grahammasterton.co.uk/
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
http://www.j-cg.co.uk/
Mark Chadbourn
http://www.markchadbourn.net/
Adam Christopher
http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
A J Dalton
http://metaphysicalfantasy.wordpress.com/a-j-dalton/
Andrew Hook
http://www.andrew-hook.com/
Benedict Jacka
http://benedictjacka.co.uk/
Kim Lakin-Smith
http://www.kimlakin-smith.com/
Paul Magrs
http://paulmagrs.com/
George Mann
http://georgemann.wordpress.com/
Gary McMahon
http://www.garymcmahon.com/
Lou Morgan
http://loummorgan.wordpress.com/
Stan Nicholls
http://stannicholls.com/
Gareth L Powell
http://www.garethlpowell.com/
Gavin Smith
http://www.gollancz.co.uk/gavin-g-smith/
Gav Thorpe
http://mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com/
Freda Warrington
http://www.fredawarrington.com/
Ian Whates
http://www.ianwhates.com/
Conrad Williams
https://conradwilliams.wordpress.com/
More news to follow this week, and it'll all be up here on the Discover Festival blog!
Cheers
Alex
With it being a new week, and with so many authors getting on board for the Discover Festival of late, I thought it'd be a good idea to update our list so you can see the full array of talent taking part! With more great names still to follow, Discover is already looking like an event not to be missed!
So here goes, with websites for more info attached as well...
Peter F Hamilton
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Graham Masterton
http://www.grahammasterton.co.uk/
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
http://www.j-cg.co.uk/
Mark Chadbourn
http://www.markchadbourn.net/
Adam Christopher
http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
A J Dalton
http://metaphysicalfantasy.wordpress.com/a-j-dalton/
Andrew Hook
http://www.andrew-hook.com/
Benedict Jacka
http://benedictjacka.co.uk/
Kim Lakin-Smith
http://www.kimlakin-smith.com/
Paul Magrs
http://paulmagrs.com/
George Mann
http://georgemann.wordpress.com/
Gary McMahon
http://www.garymcmahon.com/
Lou Morgan
http://loummorgan.wordpress.com/
Stan Nicholls
http://stannicholls.com/
Gareth L Powell
http://www.garethlpowell.com/
Gavin Smith
http://www.gollancz.co.uk/gavin-g-smith/
Gav Thorpe
http://mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com/
Freda Warrington
http://www.fredawarrington.com/
Ian Whates
http://www.ianwhates.com/
Conrad Williams
https://conradwilliams.wordpress.com/
More news to follow this week, and it'll all be up here on the Discover Festival blog!
Cheers
Alex
Friday 27 January 2012
My favourite... Part One
In a bid to find out more about our writers for the Discover Festival, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask them about 'a few of their favourite things'! And to kick off the series, I'm going to share with you a few of my own favourites. We'll have a host of authors' faves in the coming weeks.
MY FAVOURITE - Alex Davis
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, hands down. For me there's always been something magical about this book that cuts through my natural resistance to anything 'heartwarming'. It's a book I always turn to whenever I need a bit of a pick-me-up.
FAVOURITE AUTHOR:
I was tempted to get for Bradbury again, but in the end I'm going to plump for JG Ballard. Whether you want to call Ballard 'genre' is a bigger question than I could answer here, but books like Crash and The Atrocity Exhibition for me offer something as horrific as any horror book out there. I also love the fascination and surrealness Ballard can draw from small concepts, which is in evidence in other favourites like High Rise and Concrete Island.
FAVOURITE GENRE FIL M:
Event Horizon. I've always loved 'space horror', and for me Event Horizon is the last word in the subgenre. Sam Neill is fantastically deranged, and some of the imagery and ideas are brilliant. I think the blend of SF and horror in the film works unbelievably well. I'd also give an honourable mention to Session 9 – for pure atmosphere it's fantastic.
FAVOURITE NON-GENRE FILM:
Requiem for a Dream. The cinematography and delivery is unusual and interesting throughout, and the spiral downwards of all the characters in the story is wonderfully depicted. It's not a cheery one, by any means, but well worth a watch. My honourable mention goes to the equally bleak Buried.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
I'm a big TV comedy viewer – I watch more comedy than I do drama, especially if it's animated. As such I weighed up Family Guy, South Park and Aqua Teen Hunger Force before eventually plumping for Archer. The spoof misadventures of this wannabe James Bond is loaded with jokes ranging from the cutting and intelligent to the crass and low-brow, which creates a great set of laughs each episode.
FAVOURITE BAND:
For me it has to be Opeth – again not a terribly well-known band, but a metal group with a strong cult following. Their epic soundscapes have been inspiring my writing for years, and there is great musical ability on display throughout in a genre not always renowned for its artistry. One minute angry and the next moving, they've been a firm favourite of mine since college.
FAVOURITE GAME:
Unfortunately I'm still a Football Manager addict, although I decided that 2007 was the ultimate version, so I'm still playing on that these days. In my current career I'm actually considered a world class manager for the first time, so that tells you about all you need to know about my skills. Still, I keep trying.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
What goes into a great event? Part 4 - PROGRAMMING
What makes a great event? Part 4 – Programming
So with a suitable idea, budget and venue, we have the essential grounding for any event. The next step is to ensure that you have the right authors to take part in things. It's not always an easy thing to do, and again you have to make sure that the authors match the type of event you are running. First question on that is genre – are they writing in the sort of field that your event is in? Sometimes this isn't obvious, so it's worth considering this one carefully. The other issue is the scale of the event – if you have a capacity of 200, you wouldn't be thinking about getting Stephen King or JK Rowling along, as the likely expense of them attending would outweight the income for your event. On the other hand, if you have a capacity in the thousands, then suddenly those types of names become a lot more of a possibility.
For any event you are looking for your top names to draw audience to your event. Even better if you happen to be an existing fan of their work, but what you are largely looking at for an author is profile. Is this someone with a significant readership, someone who people want to hear speak, someone that people will pay their hard cash to come and see? Of course, the flipside of this is that these kind of authors are the ones who are constantly in demand, so the best advice I could give would be to get in touch with either them or their publishers nice and early. Plenty of advance notice is vital if you want to have a big-name author at the top of your bill. The author – and certainly their publishers – will probably want to know how many people will be attending the event, and what sort of thing will be expected of them. Audience expectations can be tricky to guess, but again it's always best to be realistic and not give crazy targets.
The other question is which approach to take on programming – schedule first and then authors, or authors first and then schedule? Every author brings something different to the table, as well as having their own established fan bases who will be delighted to see them at your event. It's easy to get carried away programming stacks of authors, but sometimes you find yourself having little for them to do at the event. As such, in a lot of case, I try and think of panels and workshop ideas ready so that I can try and match authors to those openings in the schedule. One of the first things I do is try and map out what rooms I have, what can go in each room and what panels or items might take place at any given moment. As such, all of your authors get to make a really worthwhile contribution to the event and as such get more out of being there.
That's all I'll say on programming – the next two parts will focus on marketing, with one half looking at traditional 'paper' marketing and the other zooming in on online marketing.
Monday 23 January 2012
What goes into a great event? Part 3 - THE VENUE
What goes into a great event ? Part 3 – The Venue
For me, this is the third and final thing you have to make sure of before you really commit to any event. By this point, we have a great idea and we have a functioning budget that meets our aims. But if we don't have anywhere to host the event at all, then we still don't have an event. So finding a venue – and particularly the right venue – makes a huge difference.
What are you looking for in a venue? Again, part of the equation is financial, and if the hire rates or indeed the ticket split they are offering work for you. Sometimes it's tempting to go somewhere spectacular and pay over your budget, but you have to match your audience expectation to the venue. Walking into a 1000-seater might make a great impression at first, but when there are 50 people sat in there, it's going to look pretty poor on the whole!
So first off, aim for somewhere with the right capacity. Then it's looking at the location of the venue – obviously city centre tends to be ideal, but often you have to pay through the nose to be right in town. If you're starting to look on the outskirts, then you have to consider how people are going to get there. Are there good travel links locally? Is it a venue that is known to regional audiences? These are the sorts of little factors that can make a big difference to an event.
Once you decide you like the location of the venue, it's time for a meeting, or a visit. If you want to run something at a venue, you'll typically be dealing with the programming manager in the first instance, who will be used to the sort of thing you're talking about. The types of things you are looking at for the visit are:
What sorts of spaces can we use for the event?
How can they be laid out, and how do you want them laid out?
Is there a common mingling space (often known as 'the bar')?
Can they provide any staff support?
Are they able to offer any marketing support?
Does their remit – and audience – fit the sort of event?
I think probably above all these comes 'the vibe' – do you get a good feel off the venue, and do the staff seem keen on what you're proposing? If a venue is willing to really support and throw their weight behind an event, that can make the world of difference.
Once you have the venue in place, then comes the programming – which will be the focus of the next blog in this series.
Thursday 19 January 2012
Discover Festival Raffle
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to pass on a bit of news about our raffle - for those of you who've never been to one of my events in the past, the raffle is a live draw and at Discover Festival will be taking place on the Saturday night. It's always a highlight, not only as an entertaining item in itself but also as the chance to win some superb prizes. There are going to be A LOT more of those announced a bit nearer the time, but the very first details are now up at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/raffle/4559444501
Tickets for the raffle are £1 a strip, and you can expect a whole host of signed and limited edition books to be up for grabs, so be sure to catch it if you're heading down to Discover Festival!
More info to follow over the weekend anyway!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Just wanted to pass on a bit of news about our raffle - for those of you who've never been to one of my events in the past, the raffle is a live draw and at Discover Festival will be taking place on the Saturday night. It's always a highlight, not only as an entertaining item in itself but also as the chance to win some superb prizes. There are going to be A LOT more of those announced a bit nearer the time, but the very first details are now up at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/raffle/4559444501
Tickets for the raffle are £1 a strip, and you can expect a whole host of signed and limited edition books to be up for grabs, so be sure to catch it if you're heading down to Discover Festival!
More info to follow over the weekend anyway!
Thanks a lot
Alex
Monday 16 January 2012
Competition time!
Hi Guys,
Just to let you all know I'm launching a competition on Twitter, with two tickets to the Discover Festival at Snibston Discover Museum to give away. I'm not always going to be this generous, so the best bet is to make the most of it!
If you're already following @Discover2012 on Twitter, then you'll be able to see it in my twitter feed, and if you're not following us, just search for the hashtag #Discover2012. The competition will be closing to entries Friday 12pm, so don't miss out on your chance to enter!
More to follow this week, including some more author announcements and the next part of my WHAT MAKES A GREAT EVENT series.
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Just to let you all know I'm launching a competition on Twitter, with two tickets to the Discover Festival at Snibston Discover Museum to give away. I'm not always going to be this generous, so the best bet is to make the most of it!
If you're already following @Discover2012 on Twitter, then you'll be able to see it in my twitter feed, and if you're not following us, just search for the hashtag #Discover2012. The competition will be closing to entries Friday 12pm, so don't miss out on your chance to enter!
More to follow this week, including some more author announcements and the next part of my WHAT MAKES A GREAT EVENT series.
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Friday 13 January 2012
Third Guest of Honour confirmed for Discover!
Hi Guys,
Big news for today on the Discover Festival, as we've now confirmed our third Guest of Honour for the event as JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD. Jon is an acclaimed author of both science-fiction and fantasy, and twice a winner of the the BSFA award for best novel for Felaheen and End of the World Blues. The first book in the Assassini series, The Fallen Blade, has been accruing great reviews, with the second part The Outcast Blade due to hit shelves in May. Jon has also written extensively on genre fiction in publications including The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent.
It's great to welcome Jon on board for Discover Festival, and he joins PETER F HAMILTON and GRAHAM MASTERTON as Guests of Honour for the weekend. So be sure not to miss out on seeing these three fantastic authors, as well as a host more talent at the event!
More info on all three Guests of Honour can be found at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/guests-speakers/4558409491
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Big news for today on the Discover Festival, as we've now confirmed our third Guest of Honour for the event as JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD. Jon is an acclaimed author of both science-fiction and fantasy, and twice a winner of the the BSFA award for best novel for Felaheen and End of the World Blues. The first book in the Assassini series, The Fallen Blade, has been accruing great reviews, with the second part The Outcast Blade due to hit shelves in May. Jon has also written extensively on genre fiction in publications including The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent.
It's great to welcome Jon on board for Discover Festival, and he joins PETER F HAMILTON and GRAHAM MASTERTON as Guests of Honour for the weekend. So be sure not to miss out on seeing these three fantastic authors, as well as a host more talent at the event!
More info on all three Guests of Honour can be found at http://www.discoverfestival.co.uk/#/guests-speakers/4558409491
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Wednesday 11 January 2012
What goes into a great event? Part 2 - THE BUDGET
What goes into a great event? Part 2 – The Budget
Well, it may not scream 'exciting', but a working budget is an absolutely key part of any event. This for me is what always comes after the idea – and frankly, if the budget doesn't work, then it means that the idea is best left alone.
There are a whole host of scenarios for your budget, the ultimate of which is that you have some public funding from somewhere designed to splash on your event. That's always a joy, because then you can push the boat out and spend the money making the event as strong as possible. Scenario number two, which also ain't bad, is that you only need to break even, and again this often leaves a bit of money to spend on something 'extra' for the event. However the usual question when looking at the budget is – will it make a profit?
Of course, that's a difficult question to answer in the definite, as there are all sorts of factors that go into how many people but a ticket and how your other income streams get on. So for me, one of the vital things in any budget is to aim LOW. If 200 people at your event represents a huge success, budget on 100 so you know that the budget works if the event does OK. Equally if you want 2000 for a rousing success, budget on 1000. Also be sure to look at your other income streams and keep those realistic. The reason why most budgets don't work out is that they are too optimistic, but if you temper this with reality – and caution – then your event has a much better chance of success.
The other vital factor with any budget is to keep it UP TO DATE! Another great way to overspend and risk not making a profit is to lose track of what has gone where. A regular weekly update, or indeed just adding in some new figures as and when they come in, can be a huge help to your event's success. The difficulty is that once money is committed to something it is very tricky to go back on it, and probably as tricky to cut from other places. So if your budget is realistic, and you keep it current, there's no reason that your event can't be a success in the financial sense.
But obviously it isn't all about finances, and there is an awful lot more goes into a great event. So next time around we'll be looking at step 3 – the venue.
Monday 9 January 2012
Discover Festival 2012 - the line-up so far
Hi Guys,
Hope this Monday afternoon finds everyone well!
Just wanted to post the latest attendee list for Discover Festival - I'm delighted with how this is taking shape so far, and it looks like there will be plenty more exciting names to follow. I've also attached a weblink for each author if you wanted to find out more about them....
GUESTS OF HONOUR:
Peter F Hamilton
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Graham Masterton
http://www.grahammasterton.co.uk/
Mark Chadbourn
http://www.markchadbourn.net/
Adam Christopher
http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
Kim Lakin-Smith
http://www.kimlakin-smith.com/
Paul Magrs
http://paulmagrs.com/
George Mann
http://georgemann.wordpress.com/
Lou Morgan
http://loummorgan.wordpress.com/
Gareth L Powell
http://www.garethlpowell.com/
Gavin Smith
http://www.gollancz.co.uk/gavin-g-smith/
Gav Thorpe
http://mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com/
Freda Warrington
http://www.fredawarrington.com/
We'll be updating author again in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled here for all the latest! I'll also be putting up part two of my 'What Makes a Great Event' series later this week.
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Hope this Monday afternoon finds everyone well!
Just wanted to post the latest attendee list for Discover Festival - I'm delighted with how this is taking shape so far, and it looks like there will be plenty more exciting names to follow. I've also attached a weblink for each author if you wanted to find out more about them....
GUESTS OF HONOUR:
Peter F Hamilton
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Graham Masterton
http://www.grahammasterton.co.uk/
Mark Chadbourn
http://www.markchadbourn.net/
Adam Christopher
http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
Kim Lakin-Smith
http://www.kimlakin-smith.com/
Paul Magrs
http://paulmagrs.com/
George Mann
http://georgemann.wordpress.com/
Lou Morgan
http://loummorgan.wordpress.com/
Gareth L Powell
http://www.garethlpowell.com/
Gavin Smith
http://www.gollancz.co.uk/gavin-g-smith/
Gav Thorpe
http://mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com/
Freda Warrington
http://www.fredawarrington.com/
We'll be updating author again in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled here for all the latest! I'll also be putting up part two of my 'What Makes a Great Event' series later this week.
Thanks a lot!
Alex
Friday 6 January 2012
What goes into a great event? Part 1 - THE IDEA
I've been working on literature events, and in particular genre events, for a number of years now and over this time I've become more and more inquisitive about what it is that makes a great writing and literature event. So over this short series, I'm going to be wandering through my hazy recollections of all my organising and co-ordination down the years and considering just what goes into making an event indifferent, good or great.
THE IDEA
It might sound a bit obvious, but if you don't have a good idea for an event, then you can't have a good event. The thing is, you could judge the merit of an idea in many different ways. First off, it might be something with great artistic value that stretches the horizons of its audience. Second of all, it could be something that has great appeal and draws a great crowd, but may not necessarily achieve the same artistic quality. Do you judge an idea by its originality, and its willingness to try something different, or is an idea even better for following something that is tried and true, something with a history of success?
To be honest, I've tried all of the above types of event, all to varying degrees of success. The main difficulty is that, very often, the idea looks and feels great when you come up with it. The first buzz of excitement when the event concept pops into your head is hard to beat, for me only topped by seeing an event actually take place. However these fantasies have to be tempered with reality, and it's only in developing the idea that you can start to get a true sense of its quality. I always consider this the phase where an idea becomes a vision, and it goes from a rather nebulous concept to something that you can first picture in your mind's eye.
I think the key thing behind the success of any idea is how much the person with the concept is willing to put behind it. Anything can be a success, in its own relative terms, if the co-ordinator is happy to put in the hours, has a level of skill and expertise befitting the event, has the passion and belief to communicate the event clearly to an audience and can retain that enthusiasm even when they are answering emails at 1am just to make this thing happen.
If you don't believe in your idea, then why would anyone else buy into it and come along? That's a hard question to ask at the start, but if you don't utterly believe in what you are doing, then maybe that's one idea that should be left alone.
Part 2 will be looking at the budget for an event – not the most glamorous part of running an event, but one that has to underpin everything to do with the activity.
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Welcome to Discover!
So a new blog for 2012, this one all about the new Discover Festival, which takes place in May this year. Just to introduce what will be happening on these pages, I'll be offering a host of news about the event as well as some thoughts and opinions on a host of different matters genre-related. The aim is to post something once every two days, so we'll see how that goes.
So the best place to start would surely be with what the event is all about - Discover Festival takes place over the weekend of 18th-20th May, and runs at Snibston Discovery Museum at Coalville, Leicestershire. For anyone who hasn't been, it's a great venue with a really modern-looking frontage and Museum, accompanied by the old-fashioned Century Theatre at the back. The theatre is purportedly haunted (including one ghostly audience member who has a permanent reservation on his seat) and the whole place has a fantastic vibe and atmosphere about it. If you wanted to check out more, you can do so at http://www.centurytheatre.co.uk/ and http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/leisure_tourism/museums/snibston. The area itself has quite a history, so well worth taking a look around the website.
So that's where and when, but what is it? Well, it's an exciting and fresh event which will be drawing together a host of writing talent in the fields of science-fiction, fantasy and horror, and we'll be presenting a mixture of panels, workshops, readings, Q+As and much more over the weekend. If you've never been to this type of event, Discover will be a welcoming and friendly way to explore genre fiction. If you're a hardcore convention or events-goer, you'll know the sort of thing to expect and there will be plenty to keep you entertained over the whole weekend.
Our first two Guests of Honour, both of whom I am really excited to be welcoming along, are best-selling SF author PETER F HAMILTON and legendary horror and thriller author GRAHAM MASTERTON. Both fantastic names from the field, I'm sure you'll agree, and well worth seeing in action. We're not stopping there, of course - we should be confirming more Guests of Honour in the near future, as well as announcing a host more authors taking part as time goes on. There's bound to be something for everyone at the event, given how the line-up is shaping up so far.
So there you go - a quick intro to what Discover is all about, and if you want to find out more you can drop by our website at www.discoverfestival.co.uk. And of course, if you have any questions, so feel free to drop me a line at discoverevent@hotmail.co.uk
Be back soon for another blog update...
Thanks a lot
Alex
So the best place to start would surely be with what the event is all about - Discover Festival takes place over the weekend of 18th-20th May, and runs at Snibston Discovery Museum at Coalville, Leicestershire. For anyone who hasn't been, it's a great venue with a really modern-looking frontage and Museum, accompanied by the old-fashioned Century Theatre at the back. The theatre is purportedly haunted (including one ghostly audience member who has a permanent reservation on his seat) and the whole place has a fantastic vibe and atmosphere about it. If you wanted to check out more, you can do so at http://www.centurytheatre.co.uk/ and http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/leisure_tourism/museums/snibston. The area itself has quite a history, so well worth taking a look around the website.
So that's where and when, but what is it? Well, it's an exciting and fresh event which will be drawing together a host of writing talent in the fields of science-fiction, fantasy and horror, and we'll be presenting a mixture of panels, workshops, readings, Q+As and much more over the weekend. If you've never been to this type of event, Discover will be a welcoming and friendly way to explore genre fiction. If you're a hardcore convention or events-goer, you'll know the sort of thing to expect and there will be plenty to keep you entertained over the whole weekend.
Our first two Guests of Honour, both of whom I am really excited to be welcoming along, are best-selling SF author PETER F HAMILTON and legendary horror and thriller author GRAHAM MASTERTON. Both fantastic names from the field, I'm sure you'll agree, and well worth seeing in action. We're not stopping there, of course - we should be confirming more Guests of Honour in the near future, as well as announcing a host more authors taking part as time goes on. There's bound to be something for everyone at the event, given how the line-up is shaping up so far.
So there you go - a quick intro to what Discover is all about, and if you want to find out more you can drop by our website at www.discoverfestival.co.uk. And of course, if you have any questions, so feel free to drop me a line at discoverevent@hotmail.co.uk
Be back soon for another blog update...
Thanks a lot
Alex
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