More nominations for Cinema Macabre
Is it winter already? Did I somehow fall asleep and miss six months? It's hammering it down with rain as I type these words, just as it has been doing pretty much solidly for the past 10 days.
And I've got flu. Not just 'man-flu', but proper flu: streaming nose, pounding headache, a throat so sore that even a sip of water feels like broken glass in my throat, and aching limbs full of hot molten lead.
It isn't the flu, though, that has prevented me from updating this blog for the past few weeks. No, I've had chronic computer/broadband connection problems, which has neccessitated me having to call out my computer guy, Mike, on three separate occasions. On each of the first two occasions he would seem to have fixed the problem, but then half an hour or so after he'd gone, the broadband connection would flicker and die again. It was very frustrating, particularly as I couldn't send emails. I could collect them by dialling up my old Virgin account, but I couldn't reply to them. No doubt people just thought I was being terribly rude.
Oh, and another thing that happened is that our car died on us. I know very little about computers, and even less about cars, but from what I can remember the cam belt (is that right?That's what it sounded like when the mechanic was explaining it) sheared off, went into the engine and damaged all the points. Or something. Anyway, basically, our car in full working order was worth about £1200 (we've had it a long time and it's done a lot of miles), and it would have cost us £1500 to repair the damage. So we cleared out all our rubbish - 6 years' accumulation of CDs, sweet wrappers, bits of paper containing scribbled directions to friends' houses, hair clips, water bottles and God knows what else - and sold the disabled wreck for £450. We've ordered a new car off the internet, but it won't be ready to pick up until the middle of next week at the earliest. So we hired a car last week and I promptly scraped it on our metal gate, pulling into the drive. Ouch.
Remember I told you that I'd had a really good week about a month ago? Hmm, well it now seems it's payback time.
There has been some good news amid all this doom and gloom, however, chief amongst which is the fact that Cinema Macabre has been nominated for a couple more awards! I was delighted and surprised to learn that the book has been nominated for a prestigious International Horror Guild Award, again in the Non-Fiction category, and that it has also been long-listed for a British Fantasy Award. Hurray!
The IHG Awards will be presented at this year's World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York, at the beginning of November. I won't be there personally, so I've asked my friend, Sarah Pinborough, to pick it up for me, should I win.
The British Fantasy Awards will be presented, as always, at this year's British Fantasy Convention in Nottingham over the weekend of September 21st-23rd. I'm definitely planning to be at FantasyCon, though before that I'll be at the BFS Awards Showcase on July 7th, which is to be held at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, 22 Fleet Street, London EC4, from 6:30pm onwards. Ostensibly an opportunity for nominees to promote their work, it's really just a chance for a good old knees-up with old friends. If you're planning on being there, please come up and say hi. Who knows, I may even buy you a drink!
Work-wise I'm cracking on with my Hellboy novel, The All-Seeing Eye, at the moment, after which I have to write a 50,000 word novella for a US publisher (who hasn't officially announced the book yet, so I'd better not say too much at present). As well as that I have to do some re-writes to a novel I 'finished' about a year ago called Cold Harbour, in which a couple of publishers are showing some interest -- all of which, together with a few other bits and bobs (like the screenplay I'm writing, on and off, with my old mate Tim Lebbon), is going to keep me busy until at least Christmas.
I'll end with a rundown of what's currently floating my boat in the world of TV, books, films and music. So:
Currently reading: A Thing of Unspeakable Horror - The History of Hammer Films by Sinclair McKay.
Currently watching: Doctor Who (after a mid-season lull, starting with the disappointing Daleks in Manhattan, the series has really picked up again), highlights from this past weekend's Glastonbury Festival and lots of sleazy British horror movies from the 60s and 70s (I've watched both Assault and Night After Night After Night in the past couple of weeks)
Currently listening to: lots of reggae. Plus Paul Weller, The Adverts, The White Stripes & The Arctic Monkeys.
Cheers for now! Hope to see some of you on July 7th!
And I've got flu. Not just 'man-flu', but proper flu: streaming nose, pounding headache, a throat so sore that even a sip of water feels like broken glass in my throat, and aching limbs full of hot molten lead.
It isn't the flu, though, that has prevented me from updating this blog for the past few weeks. No, I've had chronic computer/broadband connection problems, which has neccessitated me having to call out my computer guy, Mike, on three separate occasions. On each of the first two occasions he would seem to have fixed the problem, but then half an hour or so after he'd gone, the broadband connection would flicker and die again. It was very frustrating, particularly as I couldn't send emails. I could collect them by dialling up my old Virgin account, but I couldn't reply to them. No doubt people just thought I was being terribly rude.
Oh, and another thing that happened is that our car died on us. I know very little about computers, and even less about cars, but from what I can remember the cam belt (is that right?That's what it sounded like when the mechanic was explaining it) sheared off, went into the engine and damaged all the points. Or something. Anyway, basically, our car in full working order was worth about £1200 (we've had it a long time and it's done a lot of miles), and it would have cost us £1500 to repair the damage. So we cleared out all our rubbish - 6 years' accumulation of CDs, sweet wrappers, bits of paper containing scribbled directions to friends' houses, hair clips, water bottles and God knows what else - and sold the disabled wreck for £450. We've ordered a new car off the internet, but it won't be ready to pick up until the middle of next week at the earliest. So we hired a car last week and I promptly scraped it on our metal gate, pulling into the drive. Ouch.
Remember I told you that I'd had a really good week about a month ago? Hmm, well it now seems it's payback time.
There has been some good news amid all this doom and gloom, however, chief amongst which is the fact that Cinema Macabre has been nominated for a couple more awards! I was delighted and surprised to learn that the book has been nominated for a prestigious International Horror Guild Award, again in the Non-Fiction category, and that it has also been long-listed for a British Fantasy Award. Hurray!
The IHG Awards will be presented at this year's World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York, at the beginning of November. I won't be there personally, so I've asked my friend, Sarah Pinborough, to pick it up for me, should I win.
The British Fantasy Awards will be presented, as always, at this year's British Fantasy Convention in Nottingham over the weekend of September 21st-23rd. I'm definitely planning to be at FantasyCon, though before that I'll be at the BFS Awards Showcase on July 7th, which is to be held at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, 22 Fleet Street, London EC4, from 6:30pm onwards. Ostensibly an opportunity for nominees to promote their work, it's really just a chance for a good old knees-up with old friends. If you're planning on being there, please come up and say hi. Who knows, I may even buy you a drink!
Work-wise I'm cracking on with my Hellboy novel, The All-Seeing Eye, at the moment, after which I have to write a 50,000 word novella for a US publisher (who hasn't officially announced the book yet, so I'd better not say too much at present). As well as that I have to do some re-writes to a novel I 'finished' about a year ago called Cold Harbour, in which a couple of publishers are showing some interest -- all of which, together with a few other bits and bobs (like the screenplay I'm writing, on and off, with my old mate Tim Lebbon), is going to keep me busy until at least Christmas.
I'll end with a rundown of what's currently floating my boat in the world of TV, books, films and music. So:
Currently reading: A Thing of Unspeakable Horror - The History of Hammer Films by Sinclair McKay.
Currently watching: Doctor Who (after a mid-season lull, starting with the disappointing Daleks in Manhattan, the series has really picked up again), highlights from this past weekend's Glastonbury Festival and lots of sleazy British horror movies from the 60s and 70s (I've watched both Assault and Night After Night After Night in the past couple of weeks)
Currently listening to: lots of reggae. Plus Paul Weller, The Adverts, The White Stripes & The Arctic Monkeys.
Cheers for now! Hope to see some of you on July 7th!
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