Guest Author April - Lavie Tidhar

My latest novels are A Man Lies Dreaming, which is out in the UK now in paperback (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Lies-Dreaming-Lavie-Tidhar/dp/144476294X/) and is about Adolf Hitler as a disgraced private eye in 1930s London, and The Violent Century, which just came out in hardcover in the US (http://www.amazon.com/Violent-Century-Novel-Lavie-Tidhar/dp/125006449X/), which is a sort of parallel history of the 20th century with Nietzschean Ubermenschen, a love story and a murder mystery. I also just published the dual anthologies Jews vs Zombies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jews-vs-Zombies-Rebecca-Levene-ebook/dp/B00TQT6L9K/) and Jews vs Aliens (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jews-vs-Aliens-Naomi-Alderman-ebook/dp/B00TQT6L4U/) co-edited with Rebecca Levene, which raise money for charity.

Ian Livingstone and Rebecca Levene on Radio 4

Friday night's Front Row programme was all about the cultural snobbery concerning video games. Novelist and games writer Naomi Alderman interviewed various industry insiders about this issue, first and foremost among them Ian Livingstone (yes, that Ian Livingstone). However, I was thrilled to hear my friend Bex Levene discussing the current state of the games industry during the course of the programme as well.

It was also interesting to hear Rhianna Pratchett talking about how writers are all too often brought in too late in the development of a video game, almost as an afterthought, by which time there's very little the writer can do to save the game if it's already a mess. This is something which Tin Man Games have most certainly got the right way round, hence the recent spate of award nominations for my own Temple of the Spider God.

If you didn't hear the programme when it was broadcast, you can listen to it here and now.

Hell Train launch

So, on Thursday evening I popped along to Foyles for the launch of Christoper Fowler's Hell Train (published by Solaris Books). The event kicked off with Chris in conversation with Jon Oliver (Editor-in-chief of both Abaddon and Solaris Books), with the audience then being invited to ask questions afterwards, and finally there was a chance for Mr Fowler to sign some books.

Jonathan Oliver and Christopher Fowler in conversation.

My copy of Hell Train, signed by Chris.

Chris is a fascinating man with an amazing past - he was the guy who came up with the tag line 'In space, no one can hear you scream' - and I could have sat an listened to him talk all night. Fortunately I got to go for a drink with him afterwards and got to hear a few more of his, no doubt many, anecdotes. Chris was celebrating, having literally just finished his tenth Bryant and May book that afternoon, and Jon and David were celebrating because Abaddon/Solaris won Publisher of the Year in the This is Horror 2011 awards.

Was it something I said?

At the local alehouse I also got the chance to catch up with champion of geek culture Anne Perry (of Pornokitsch and The Kitschies fame), fellow Abaddon scribe Bex Levene and David Moore of Abaddon/Solaris. I tell you, any fans of the Pax Britannia series out there would have loved to have been able to eavesdrop on the conversation we were having.

I also got to chat to Will Hill properly for the first time (he of Department 19 fame) having only met in passing a couple of times before that - and online, of course. And last, but by no means least, I chatted with Clifford Beal, Solaris Books' latest signing. His Civil War novel Gideon's Angel sounds simply awesome; you can find out more about it here.

Before the evening was through Jon, David, Will and myself made a pact, involving the first night of the SFX Weekender. As to what that is, I'll leave you guessing for now, but if David and I stick to our other pact you may find out during the course of the Weekender itself.

David Moore, Will Hill and Jon Oliver (again).

And talking of the SFX Weekender, check in again tomorrow for some big news (well it's big as far as I'm concerned).

Stories of the Apocalypse at Tate Britain

On Friday night I was fortunate enough to attend Late at Tate for the launch of Pandemonium Fiction's first title Pandemonium: Stories of the Apocalypse, inspired by John Martin's infamous painting. You may already know Pandemonium Fiction in their other guise, as the commentators on geek culture, reviewers of genre fiction, and founders (not to mention administrators) of the Kitschies, Anne Perry and Jared Shurin of Pornokitsch.

Now a book launch is a cool thing in and of itself. But a book launch at Tate Britain? Top that, I dare you! The evening was, as you would expect of Jared and Anne, a very civilised affair. First there was diverting conversation over wine with the likes of Scott Andrews (who christened me with the title 'Virtual Author' since my current batch of releases are all zeros and ones) and Lavie Tidhar (who's becoming quite a regular at these kinds of things).

Anne Perry introduces Lavie Tidhar as Jared Shurin celebrates a successful launch at Tate Britain.

Seeing as this was a Pornokitsch event (in all but name) the Great and the Good of literary geekdom were there, from m'colleague Bex Levene to China Miéville (who made my night by recognising me, after we were on a panel together at the SFX Weekender back in February). The red wine flowed freely, as did the conversation and then we were ushered into the Duffield Room for the main event.

Tom Hunter, current director of the Arthur C Clarke Award (you see the serious literary kudos associated with this event?), opened proceedings and was followed by Jared himself. We then had three fabulous readings. First Anne read from a story the author of which was not in attendance (I apologise that I missed whose story it was), followed by Magnus Anderson, who's own story opening was wonderfully witty. Then came Scott Andrews. The only way to describe his reading is 'electrifying'. You could literally hear a pin drop, that is until the applause began.

After a word from Hannah Flynn, Online Co-ordinator for the Great British Art Debate, all moved back to the bar where I got to geek out over Fighting Fantasy gamebooks with James Long of Orbit Books (Spellbreaker included). When that bar ran dry we all headed into Tate Britain to find the bar there. I really was a most wonderfully, and I fully intended to visit the John Martin exhibition, but there were even more wonderful people to talk to and before I knew it the gallery was closing and we were all heading off to the Morpeth Arms just down the road on Millbank.

It was there that I got to geek out with Magnus about FF, talk to Tom Pollock about his forthcoming projects for Jo Fletcher Books, discuss BFS business with Lizzie Barrett, catch up properly with Bex, and have a number of people not believe me when I told them I turned forty a few weeks ago (which was nice).

Lizzie Barrett, Tom Pollock and James Long, complimentary poster in hand.

I also just got to say hello to John Berlyne of the Zeno Agency, who gave Marc Gascoigne's acceptance speech at the World Fantasy Awards and which you can enjoy in the video below (Marc’s award is introduced at 32.10).

SFX Weekender 2

I'll be attending the SFX Weekender 2 at Pontin's Holiday Park Camber Sands, on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th February. I'll be stopping by the Abaddon/Solaris stand from time to time and propping up the bar the rest of the time (probably), along with my fellow Abaddon authors Scott Andrews, Rebecca Levene and Al Ewing.

I've even made it onto the official guest list over at the SFX site, and I've heard a rumour that I might even be taking part in a panel at some point over the weekend.

The End of the Line launch at Foyles

So, last night I attended the launch of The End of the Line, the new anthology of Underground-inspired horror from Solaris Books, edited by Jonathan Oliver.

"This one goes out to the Phoenix massive!"

I have to confess I was a little late (due to family matters) and only really arrived in time for the Q&A session at the end. But all was not lost, for as the Foyles part of the event wound up, things really got going at the Phoenix Club, right across the road.

It was great to catch up with so many fellow writers, many of whom I am pleased to consider my friends now, as well as the Abaddon/Solaris editorial team, who are really like a kind of family (just don't ask me what kind).

Some of the highlights (or otherwise) of the evening were Jasper Bark and Scott Andrews pointing out that I am now genetically redundant since my son has recently won a prize for his writing (which I something I have failed to do myself so far), Al Ewing wondering what the world of Pax Britannia would be like in the year 1,000,000, David Moore's moustache, struggling to join in a conversation with Rebecca Levene and Jasper Bark because they are both a good head shorter than I am, seeing the expectant Mrs Oliver looking so well on it, meeting David Bradley, editor-in-chief of SFX magazine, again (and him recognising me!), and posing for Holmes and Watson-esque sepia tints with Michael Rathbone, Esq. (who has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the new PB novella Proteus Unbound).

Rathbone and Green - here to save the civilised world!

And here are five things I didn't know this time yesterday and yet I do now.

1) Scott Andrews is a self-confessed Tequila snob.
2) Jared Shurin liked (or was that disliked?) the fact that I killed him off in Dark Side not once, but twice.
3) Adam Nevill believes it is more effective to disturb and unsettle with a horror story than to horrify.
4) Rebecca Levene likes the X-Men.

5) Richard Owen, champion of the Natural History Museum and inventor of the word 'dinosaur', also invented the word 'dentine'.

So there you go...

Scott "It has to be lime for me, every time" Andrews.

If you really want to, you'll find all sorts of embarrassing photos of myself (and other writerly types who'd also had possibly one Tequila too many) here.

The Cruel Fate of Jared Shurin

As followers of this blog will already know, Jared Shurin (he of Pornokitsch fame) won a walk-on part in the forthcoming Pax Britannia: Dark Side. That walk-on part turned into a major role in the novel, as you can read for yourself later this month.

Last night I was very lucky to attend a special presentation for Jared's recent birthday, for which his wife had produced a unique anthology of works based upon a story Jared wrote as a child. I had contributed a short story, as had as author Rebecca Levene and editor-cum-author Jonathan Oliver.

Jared is desperate to learn the fate of his namesake in Dark Side but I didn't give anything away, tempted as I was all the same. And you, like Jared can discover what happens when the book is published later this month.