I made my way to the foyer, signed in and got the smart badge (on a necklace this year) and met up with Helen Hopley, Martin Roberts, Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan, who were all on the organisational committee this year. I hadn’t seen any of them since the last FCon ’06, but we’d kept up with one another on Facebook and various messageboards. After I got my goodie bag (and if anyone wants a free fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, the size of a fat housebrick, then let me know), I went into the dealer room. Chris Teague was manning the Pendragon table and it was great to see him again - he was happy and healthy and, as always, a great bloke to chat with. We talked about the book, our lives and various different things and I stashed my rucksack behind the table.
Then he showed me the hardback of “We Fade To Grey” and, my God, it’s beautiful. It’s glossy, which I wasn’t expecting for some reason and the paper is nice and thick and the print is clear and pristine and it just looks exactly like you think it should. The cover images reproduced very well too (and, in fact, I got a couple of compliments over the day regarding it).
Simon Bestwick was at the next table, so I stood chatting with him for ages - I can’t remember the last time we spoke face-to-face. He’s doing well with his writing and is heading into the mass-market, which is thoroughly well-deserved.
me, Simon Bestwick, Gary McMahon
Simon Morden appeared, along with Gary McMahon and his wife Emily and we all caught up - Simon & I first met back at the MOT day in London in 2000. Gary was full of beans, with his book launches and reading and nominations in the awards and we talked for a while. Gary Greenwood then turned up, with his wife Ly (pronounced Lee) and it was great to see him again - he’s a good correspondent but much, much better in real life, when you can hear his voice and his inflections. The bloke is a great laugh.
He co-opted me, Ly, Stuart Young and Gavin Williams to go up to the 10th floor (where the readings were all held), to sit in with Paul Meloy, who was launching his collection “Islington Crocodiles”. Paul’s a nice, genuine bloke who can swear more inventively than most and the story he read “All Mouth” had a wonderful passage dealing with “growlers” that had him grimacing and his audience laughing. Excellent story though and I’m really looking forward to getting into the collection.
Lunchtime then - but not before we found the ever-wonderful David Price, as full of life and beans as always. Nobody could decide where to go, until it came down to Greggs or Subway and eventually, we ended up at a little place called Java at the end of the street. I had a warmed sausage, bacon & egg pancetta - very nice. And what a crowd to eat with - Chris, Simon, Stuart, David and Mark Samuels. Sometimes, at Cons, you find yourself in very good company.
Back to the Con for Gary’s reading “Pumpkin Night” - very bleak - that was well attended, before we headed back down to the dealer room. I sat in on a couple of launches, checked out all the stalls (more expense!), caught up with some more folk (including Terry Grimwood) and then it was time for the “We Fade To Grey” launch.
Unfortunately, Paul Finch was otherwise detained on a panel, but the rest of us were in attendance and sat behind the desk whilst Chris and Martin Roberts rustled up a crowd. I’ve never been involved with a signing session and it was really good fun. Chris did his spiel, then handed over to Gary who talked about the genesis of the project (it was all because of me, apparently!). He gave the floor to Stuart, who said he’d ignored everything and didn’t write what he was supposed to, before it was my turn.
I love talking about my own work, but was fully aware that Simon still had to go and the crowd might get restless, so I kept it to a riff on what appears in the book as my story notes. Seemed to go down well though, which was nice.
me, Stuart Young, Gary McMahon, Simon Bestwick
Simon did his talk and then the signing began in earnest, with most of the gathered throng seeming to buy a copy - we’d already signed the hardbacks, so it was paperbacks only (though one chap did get us to sign his newly purchased hardback). More nice comments about the cover art too. Paul Finch then arrived, so more people came to buy and get signatures.
After the crowd dispersed, I stood talking with Rob Rowntree, Stuart, Paul, Chris and Tony Lee. Paul and Rob then had to be at other panels and Chris went back to the dealer room, so Stuart, Tony & I talked films and, in general, the poor CGI we often endure - especially in “King Kong” (“why is it never a normal sky?” I asked, “why is it always sunrise or sunset with plenty of lens-flare?”) and the “Star Wars” prequels (“cartoons” was our considered verdict).
From here, I went to the “Best New Horror” launch in the main bar, which had a nice line up of present authors for the signing session. It looked like Stephen Jones was going to talk, so I found a seat at a table. I recognised the other man at the table, as he’d been in the line for “We Fade To Grey”. I introduced myself, we got talking and I had a really good laugh and chat with him so thanks, Stephen, you were a real treat to spend some time with! In the end, there was no speech and so we joined the line and I finally got to shake hands with Conrad Williams, who is an exceptional writer.
Afterwards, I caught up with Rob - who I see once a year, every year, at these events - and we updated each other on our families, lives and writing. I then broke off to head for a curry (first FCon where I’ve managed to do that). We started as part of a larger group but, as people waited and wandered off, the gang that headed over to Chutney’s comprised myself, Terry Grimwood, Chris, David Price, Jay Eales and Selina Lock. Jay and Selina live in Leicester and are used to full-bodied curries but I’m not and my chicken tikka massala nearly took the back of my throat out! Gary McMahon, his wife Emily, Simon Strantzas and his partner came in and sat at the table next to us and we all chatted for a while, then we headed back for the hotel.
I hung around in the bar for a bit and then went into the banquet hall for the awards ceremony which, on the whole, was well deserved - though I would have liked to see Paul Finch and Gary McMahon win something. One nice thing was that Peter Tennant won a (much deserved) award, which Chris collected on his behalf. As Chris was at my table, I took the opportunity to hold the award, which looked both marvellous and slightly cheesy at the same time. Still, I’d really like one!
After the prizes came the raffle and, like before, I had loads of tickets but didn’t win anything. Guy Adams and Sarah Pinborough made a very good double act running the show though, which more than made up for it.
I finally decided to call it a night at 11.30, then got waylaid by Gary and then by Rob and then by Paul Meloy and didn’t get back to the car park until midnight. I got home at 1.20am, tired but jazzed by the whole experience. This was a cracking con, very well organised and it was great to catch up with everyone and meet some new people in the process.
Can’t wait for next year!
me and Paul Finch, in the dealers room
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