Tag: convention

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Fantasy Con: the Rebellion timetable

Team Rebellion is heading to Nottingham for Fantasy Con this weekend, and we are mightily excited.

We’ve got authors on a whole world of panels, as well as signings, book launches and, of course, Abaddonoke on Friday night for anyone who fancies a bit of a sing-song.

Our David is moderating a panel that includes none other than Brandon Sanderson on Friday, which is certainly one to catch, whilst Jon will be moderating his own Monster Mash-Up panel on Saturday morning, another must-see.

So, read on for our full schedule, and we’ll see you there!

FRIDAY

Room: Suite 2
4.00pm Workshop: Fear & Writing led by Emma Newman

4:20 Scott Andrews reading

Room: Conference Theatre
5.00pm Someone Else’s World: Writing in a Franchise
Moderator: David Thomas Moore
Panellists: Paul Kane, Mark Latham, Rebecca Levene, Mark Morris, Brandon Sanderson

Room: Suite 1
5.00pm Chills, Shocks & Empty Bladders: Writing ‘The Fear’
Moderator: Emma Audsley
Panellists: Simon Bestwick, Neil John Buchanan, Ramsey Campbell, Lynda Rucker, Sara Jayne Townsend

Room: Suite 2
5.00pm Stealing from the Past: Fantasy in History
Moderator: Susan Bartholomew
Panellists: Jacey Bedford, Susan Boulton, Anne Lyle, Juliet E McKenna, Toby Venables

Room: Suite 1
6.00pm Fae-Fi, Folk-Fum: Faerie & Folktale
Moderator: Alison Littlewood
Panellists: Charlotte Bond, Charles Christian, Victoria Leslie, Emma Newman, Mike Shevdon

Room: Suite 2
7.00pm Wanted, Dead or Alive: The Weird Western
Moderator: Anne Perry
Panellists: Guy Adams, Ben Galley, Stark Holborn, Benedict J Jones, Arianne ‘Tex’ Thompson

7:40 Gareth L Powell reading

Room: Conference Theatre
8.00pm Doing ‘It’ Right: Love, Romance & Sexy Times
Moderator: Den Patrick
Panellists: Hal Duncan, Cassandra Khaw, Kim Lakin-Smith, Foz Meadows

Room: Atrium Bar
8.00pm Karaoke hosted by Rebellion Publishing
till midnight The X-Factor comes to FantasyCon but without the judges, public voting or lucrative recording contracts…some of it may even sound like singing…

Room: Conference Theatre
9.00pm The Atrocity Exhibition
Panellists: Kim Lakin-Smith, Emma Newman, Gareth L. Powell and Mark West
11pm Simon Bestwick reading

SATURDAY

Room: Conference Theatre
10.00am Blades, Wands & Lasers: Fighting the Good Fight-Scene
Moderator: James Barclay
Panellists: Clifford Beal, Juliet E. McKenna, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Jo Thomas, Danie Ware

Room: Suite 1
10.00am Is Doctor Who the Single Greatest Idea for a TV Show Anybody Has Ever Had? Discuss!
Moderator: Mark Morris
Panellists: Ali Baker, James Goss, L M Myles, Kit Power, Rob Shearman

Room: Suite 2
10.00am Welcome to my Place: Making Your World Better
Moderator: Martin Owton
Panellists: James Brogden, Adrian Faulkner, Megan Kerr, Sophia McDougall, Arianne ‘Tex’ Thompson

Room: Conference Theatre
11.00am Is It Legit? Crime in Fantasy, Horror and SF
Moderator: David Tallerman
Panellists: Alexandra Benedict, Debbie Bennett, Matthew Blakstad,John Connolly, Guy Haley

Room: Suite 1
11.00am Monster Mash-Up: Were-vamp-zomb-zilla…With Wings!
Moderator: Jon Oliver
Panellists: Carrie Buchanan, Cassandra Khaw, Tim Lebbon, Will Macmillan Jones, Adele Wearing

11:40 Paul Kane reading

Room: Suite 1
2.00pm Guest of Honour interview: Brandon Sanderson in Conversation with Juliet E. McKenna
Bestselling epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson talks about his writing, career, inspirations & influences

3pm Book Launch
The Night Clock – Paul Meloy
The Guns Of Ivrea by Clifford Beal

3:20: Tex Thompson reading

Room: Suite 2
5.00pm Robots, Beasts & Humanimals: Writing Non-Human Characters
Moderator: Guy Haley
Panellists: Janet Edwards, Deborah Install, Gareth L Powell, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ren Warom

Room: Conference Theatre
6.00pm Tea & Jeopardy
Live edition of the Hugo Award-winning podcast, presented by Emma Newman, assisted by Latimer the Butler. Featuring special guest Brandon Sanderson

Room: Conference Theatre
7.00pm Just a Minute
Moderator: Gillian Redfearn
Panellists: John Connolly, Jo Fletcher, Juliet Mushens, Gareth L Powell

Room: Conference Theatre
9.00pm FantasyCon 2015 DISCO
till 1am The traditional FantsayCon disco returns, featuring banging beats and cheesy tunes, brought to you by DJs Marc Gascoigne and Guy Adams. Dancing trousers optional.

Room: Suite 1
9.00pm Performed Reading: One for the Road
Join us for a rehearsed reading of a comic short story by Paul Kane. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse meet up for a pint before getting down to business. . .
Featuring Guy Adams, James Barclay, Lee Harris, Phil Lunt

SUNDAY

Room: Suite 1
10.00am By the Gods! Religion & Beliefs in Fantasy
Moderator: Juliet E McKenna
Panellists: John Connolly, Adam Dalton, Iain Grant, Jasper Kent, Susan Murray

Room: Suite 2
10.00am Sounds Like A Great Story: the Science and Psychology of Audio Fiction
Moderator: Alasdair Stuart
Panellists: Chris Barnes, James Goss, Marguerite Kenner, Del Lakin-Smith, Emma Newman

Room: Dealer Room
12.00pm Mass Signing
Over 30 authors will be available to sign your books, etc. Books can be bought from one of the many fine dealers in the same room – how convenient!

Room: Banqueting Suite
2.30pm The British Fantasy Awards Ceremony
Join your host Juliet McKenna as we hand out the British Fantasy Awards 2015. You do not have to attend the banquet to attend the awards ceremony.

For more information, visit the official FantasyCon website.

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Nine Worlds is go!

We’re heading to Nine Worlds this weekend, and very excited about it we are too.

Along with with loads of our authors appearing at the con (more of that shortly), we’re also have a party on Friday night, which will feature BOOKS, BOOZE and, quite possibly, KAZOOS, all of which will be free for you to take/consume/blow into as you see fit.

We’d love you to join us in room Royal B at 9:45pm, Friday 6 August. We’ll be announcing a brand new author, and you’ll get the opportunity to meet authors including Dave Hutchinson, Gareth L Powell and Guy Haley. Free books, a bit of booze and author-talk – what’s not to love?

We’ve also got authors appearing on various panels and talks all over the convention, so check out the timetable below and join us for what promises to be a geektastic weekend.

Don’t forget to visit the official Nine Worlds website for details and the full schedule, and follow the con on Twitter to keep up to date with all info.

TIMETABLE

Friday

11:45am – 1:00pm County C&D
You’re in our world now – The invention of myths for a modern audience
Emma Newman

1:30pm – 2:45pm
“IT’S ALIVE!” Creating a monster
Rebecca Levene

15:15pm – 16:30pm Commonwealth East
“Waiter, you spilt some sci-fi in my fantasy”
Gaie Sebold

5:00pm – 6:15pm Royal A
Fear and Writing
Emma Newman

18:45pm – 20:00pm Room 38
Arcadia or Armageddon?
Dave Hutchinson, Gareth Powell (Moderator)

20:30pm – 9:45pm Royal B
Be Weird, ????, Get Deals – Improve your life with dystopian Twitter birthday fiction
Essential viewing for any fans of the weird, the wonderful and the plain odd.

9:45 – Midnight Royal B
Books, Booze & Kazoos – Rebellion Publishing Party
Where we unveil a new author, hand out free books and talk the toot!

Saturday

11:45am – 1:00pm Royal A
Collaborative writing – How to write with others (and stay friends)
Emma Newman

1:30pm – 2:45pm Royal C&D
The Peter Capaldi Era – New Kidneys, and a Scottish accent
Una McCormack

1:30pm – 12:45pm Commonwealth West
“The Big 9W’s Debate” (Fantasy VS Science Fiction)
Gareth Powell, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Rebecca Levene

4:00pm – 4:45pm Forbidden Planet table, Commonwealth East
Gareth L Powell signing

5:00pm – 6:15pm Royal C&D
Doctor Who and Transhumanism – What are we so afraid of?
Una McCormack

6:45pm – 8:00pm Room 32
Religion, Faith and Geekery – what is the impact of religion and faith on the geek genre?
Gaie Sebold

6:45pm – 8:00pm Royal B
Star Trek: The Expanded Universe – An exploration of Star Trek tie-in media
Una McCormack

Sunday

10:00am – 11:15am Room 32
Can’t Stop The Signal – Taking your podcast to the next level
Emma Newman

11:00am – 11:30am Commonwealth East
Jonathan Green signing

11:45am – 1:00pm Commonwealth West
TV vs Books vs Comics vs Games: FIGHT!
Rebecca Levene, Jonathan Green

1:15pm – 1:45pm Commonwealth East
Rebecca Levene signing

3:15pm – 4:30pm Commonwealth West
Writing The Other
Guy Haley, Emma Newman

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Amanda Downum at Armadillocon

Are you heading to Austin’s premier SFF convention, the brilliantly names Armadillocon, this year?

Amanda Downum, the author of the stunning Dreams Of Shreds & Tatters, is going to be there taking part in all manner of con-based goodness, and you’d be mad to miss out.

So don’t! Check out all Amanda’s schedule times below, and check out the Armadillocon website for more information.

Friday, July 24

Reading 8:30 PM-9:00 PM Southpark B

Badass, Babe, or None of the Above: How is Gender Evolving (or Not) in SF Literature? Fri 10:00 PM-11:00 PM Ballroom D
How have female characters been written in SF/F literature historically? Have these roles changed, and are new tropes emerging?

Saturday, July 25

The Work and Influence of H. P. Lovecraft Sat 1:00 PM-2:00 PM Ballroom D How has this master of the macabre impacted the field?

Autographing Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Dealers’ Room

Sunday, July 26

New Feminist SF Sun 11:00 AM-Noon Ballroom D
Who’s leading the way in current feminist SF? What trends are happening now?

For more information follow Amanda on Twitter, or check out the official Amanda Downum website.

Dreams Of Shreds & Tatters is out now!
Buy: US|UK|eBook

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Catch Tex Thompson at Apollocon!

Houstonites! If you’re heading to Apollocon this weekend, don’t miss out on Tex Thompson’s appearances at the con. Trust us, you don’t want to miss hearing Tex talking up a storm!

Check out Tex’s full schedule below:

Friday the 19th 5:30PM – Azalea 4 – Reading

“Do you believe in interspecies dating?” Saddle up for a cowboys-and-fishmen romp from renowned ‘rural fantasy’ author Tex Thompson!

8:00PM – Pecan – Smtk’Royani and Bob: The Do’s and Don’ts of Naming

It’s one of the great unspoken rules of sci-fi and fantasy: don’t let your characters’ names make the reader wonder whether your cat walked over the keyboard. Still, you might not want to call your alien buffalo-squids Dick and Jane, either. How can you create inventive, original, internally-consistent names, and what are some of the best (and worst!) examples in popular fiction?

Saturday the 20th
9:00AM – Azalea 4 – Writers Workshop

1:00PM – Azalea 6 – Best of the West: Westerns in Sci Fi and Fantasy
These days, the Western is the genre equivalent of peanut butter: not often served on its own, and yet it seems to go with just about everything. Why is the Western so appealing and adaptable, and what are the best examples of great Western fusion?

4:00PM – Pecan – Fantasy Food
From Elvish lembas to still-squirming Klingon gagh, the cuisine of science fiction and fantasy is a legend unto itself. But how do you invent a memorable, believable otherworldly meal, and what is it about these fictional feasts that captures our imagination? Bring your Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans and join us as we dish!

Sunday the 21st
10:00AM – Cottonwood – Up to Your Elbows in Worldbuilding
Does your lore bore you? Is your history predictable, your timeline flatlined, or your map a mess? Don’t suffer in silence! Whether you’re a novelist, game designer, dungeon master, comic writer, or just a lover of fantastic lands and alien worlds, we can help you craft otherworldly realms that your audience will want to explore for years to come. Bring your burning questions and come ready to write!

12:00PM – Cypress – Lost in Translation: Language Barriers in SFF
As everyone knows, Universal Translators and Babelfish come standard-issue with almost any otherworldly adventure. Still, from the “Darmok and Jalad” episode of Star Trek to Daenerys Targaryen’s first tentative words of Dothraki, it’s clear that language-learning – and language barriers! – offers a wealth of untapped dramatic potential. Come learn how you can use translation and translator-characters in your fiction (even without being a multilingual mastermind) and join us as we celebrate some of the most epic miscommunications in sci-fi and fantasy history!

2:00PM – Azalea 6 – Qa’Pla to You Too, Buddy!
From “Nanu Nanu” to “Valar Morghulis”, geekdom has always spoken a language of its own. Where does our love for constructed languages come from, what distinguishes a true conlang from a random collection of syllables – and which are the best of the best?

Find out more about Medicine For The Dead here at Solaris, and don’t forget to follow Tex on Twitter and check out the official Tex Thompson website.

Medicine For The Dead is out now!
Buy here: US|UK|eBook

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FantasyCon 2014 round-up

Greetings Abaddonites!

You may have noticed that we’ve been a bit quiet recently, for that we can only apologise and offer up the humble excuse that we were gearing up for this year’s FantasyCon (because someone had to lead our far more sensible colleagues over at Solaris Books astray).

To that end the last fortnight has consisted of a rigorous training routine that saw Team Abaddon arise at the crack of noon almost every day, to a packed schedule of vocal warm ups (we take our karaoke very seriously, thank you very much), pint carrying practise, disco stretches and panel wit-sharpening exercises.

There were rumours going around the office that Abaddon Dave may also have done some “Editorial-ing” during this period too, but we’re not convinced.

But anyway, as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand poorly written words, and a shakily taken mobile phone picture is about on par, but far less tedious to glance over. So without further ado a brief snap shot of what went down:

FRIDAY:

Team Abaddon arrive and head straight to the bar start to hand out copies of the exclusive Abaddon-zine The Afterblight Chronicle

Karaoke time! Here we have the lovely BFA shortlisted Libby McGugan taking on the challenge.

SATURDAY:

L-R Adrian Tchaikovsky, Julie McKenna, David Moore, Fran Terminello, Clifford Beale

“I am the emergency moderator hologram. Please state the nature of your emergency moderation.”:

Abaddon Dave steps in to help moderate the popular Pen VS Sword panel on Saturday morning. Initially we were suspicious that this was a clear ploy to trick people into believing he’s a lovely human-being, and not a tyrannical editorial overlord, hell-bent on world domination…

Fran Terminiello and Clifford Beale

…until the action spilled out into the halls, steel-on-steel, and we realised he was just picking up tips…

Adrian Tchaikovsky

…and recruiting allies.

Next up was the Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets launch. Sadly due to the blinding sunshine this is the only picture we have that demonstrates that it was indeed attended by real, actual people and not terrifying dark shadow monsters.

Here you can see the classic British pastime “The Queue” as some of you lovely people wait to allow a few of the contributors to scrawl all over the beautiful, pristine pages of the advanced copies we had available on the day *sob*.

SUNDAY:

After a brilliant Saturday night disco hosted by Marc Gascoigne and Guy Adams (don’t worry we’re not cruel enough to subject you to photos of us throwing any kind of shapes on the dance floor) we hope you’ll excuse us skipping over the morning’s activities with just a brief shout out to the fantastic editorial panel, and getting to the main event of the day…

The British Fantasy Awards!

A full list of winners can be found here and we would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners and short-listed nominees. It was an incredible line-up this year and there was some fierce competition on all sides. But, we do of course want to make a special shout out to our colleague Jon Oliver for his win in the Best Anthology Award 2014!

And here he is in (blurry) action shot of Jon collecting it from the wonderful Paul Cornell.

We could rave about the weekend to a length that would rival Alan Moore, so before that happens we will sign off with a huge thanks to chair Lee Harris and the wonderful Team of Red Cloaks who made the weekend possible. Thank you guys and see you next year!