Everything the Americans say about Brit convention goers is usually true. Case in point: the Britannia Hotel ordered an extra week’s booze to cope with Fantasycon XXX in Nottingham. It was polished off on the Friday night…
Away from the main hall:
…2000 AD comics writer Simon Spurrier offering to slip the tongue to a dessicated, fried sea bass head. The sea bass turned him down…
…an up-and-coming author loudly berating the oeuvre of a famous writer without realising said writer’s son was sitting a few chairs down.
…Novelist Graham Joyce getting cornered by two extremely drunk middle-aged women in the Trip to Jerusalem pub (oldest one in Britain) and forced to play a medieval game of skill. Which he then lost. And he was sober.
Here’s my very good friend, fantasy author James Barclay, entertaining all and sundry at the bar in his louche tones. James delivered a heartfelt tribute to David Gemmell who died earlier this year. He won’t thank me for saying it, but I reckon James must be in line to follow in Gemmell’s shoes as the new king of UK heroic fantasy. Good bloke, good writer. Check out his books.
There were more pictures on my crappy cameraphone, but either I was too drunk or the subjects were too unpleasant for them to come out…
Ah, yes, the words every Con-goer dreads hearing at a paltry 11 p.m. on the Friday night: “I’m sorry sir, we’re out of Guinness.”
Thank feck they had a bottle of Jameson’s. Drink! Arse! Nuuuuns!
Almost as bad as being told when you arrive early in the afternoon on the Friday that there is no Theakston’s on tap, period! But I got by, although John Smith’s is a poor substitute. Next year I’ll bring a bottle of rakija with me as back-up!
And thank you to the lovely Lizzy for those books at the raffle!
You are most welcome Lermontov :) Good to meet you and I hope your writing is going well.
I have to say there seemed no shortage of Bells whiskey heading my way on Friday night so thank you to all who bought me one and next time no doubles please ;)
I think you are right about James
Is that the Serbian brandy you mentioned, Lermontov?
It is indeed, Mark! I’ve got about seven litres of it stashed away. From the delicious to the don’t-light-a-match-near-it quality!
I’ll bring some with me next year ;-)
Writing’s going well, disrepdog, thank you! Just finished the second major redraft of my novella and really need to stop molly-coddling it now and shove it out into the cruel world!