Short Story Saturday: The British Fantasy Awards 2016

Just to let you know that voting for the British Fantasy Awards closes at the end of the month, which is Monday. You can see the suggestions list of eligible titles here, and if you peruse that list you'll notice that both my short stories anthologies SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER are there in the Best Anthology category, while the short stories that appear within in them are in the Best Short Story category.

You are eligible to vote what makes it through the the shortlist if you're:

a) a BFS member
b) attended FantasyCon 2015
c) are attending FantasyCon 2016.

But after that, it's over to the juries; if they decide there's been an egregious omission they'll add it to the list, then deliberate (as happened with YOU ARE THE HERO last year).

If you're eligible, please vote if you can. Not necessarily for any of the above (although that would be nice) but just to make sure you have your say. As Simon Bestwick, whose story The Face of the Deep from GAME OVER is eligible in the Best Short Story category, says, "Take part. The more people do, the fairer the selection process will be, and the more meaningful the award."

The BFS Awards 2015

I suppose I should have guessed how today was going to go when I was refused breakfast for wearing jeans...

Anyway, leaving London I headed to Nottingham by train, to attend the last day of FantasyCon and, more particularly, the BFS Awards. I usually drive to such events, but this time I thought I would get the train, so that I could do some work on the journey and enjoy a drink with friends at FCon after the awards. Next time I'll drive.

Screaming toddlers are not conducive to a productive working atmosphere and as it turned out, the event was a very sober one for me, so I may as well have driven after all. At least that way I could have got back home earlier and seen the family, rather than have to wait at Nottingham station for my allotted train.

As I understand it, FantasyCon 2015 was a resounding success and people had a great time. I was not one of them. All I'll say is, it was a long way to go to not win an award and then not catch up with anybody in the bar afterwards.

The trouble was I arrived at 1.45pm, in time for the BFS Awards but not in time to register, as it turned out. With registration closed there was no way of getting hold of my attendee badge. It also turned out that guest goodie bags had run out the day before. I had paid for a Sunday day pass (although there was no one on duty to check that I had) so there should have been bags left for people who couldn't turn up until the Sunday.

I'll admit it - I was disappointed that YOU ARE THE HERO didn't win in the Best Non-Fiction category. (Thanks to everyone who gave a whoop when it was read out on the shortlist, though.) I didn't really expect it to, but then a part of you starts to wonder, "What if?" and so you psyche yourself up, in case you do win, and then have to deal with the comedown when you don't. And I would have been annoyed if I'd been nominated, not attended, and then won.

That aside, I was looking forward to catching up with various people afterwards but it turned out that many had left before the awards and the rest left pretty promptly afterwards. Deciding to make the best of the situation and get some work done, I was then asked to leave the convention centre as they were closing because FCon was over. It was just one of those days, I guess.

Congratulations to all the winners - especially SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER contributor Laurel Sills who, along with Lucy Smee, won the award for Best Magazine for Holdfast Magazine.

But have no fear, I'll bounce back. After all, next year both SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER will be eligible to be nominated in the Best Anthology category, and all the stories that featured within them will be eligible for the Best Short Story award.

So, watch this space...

The British Fantasy Society Christmas Open Night

Was last Friday, and I went along to catch up with the likes of World Fantasy Award Winner Lavie Tidhar, British Fantasy Society Award Winner Sarah Pinborough, Hellraiser Cenobites Barbie Wilde and Nick Vince, FantasyCon stalwarts Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan, and not forgetting writers Benedict J Jones and Sandra Norval.

Sandra Norval, Benedict J Jones and World Fantasy Award Winner Lavie Tidhar. 

All the people in this photo have been published by Mr Dean M Drinkel, dontcha know?

A good night was had by all, new friends were made - Hi, Jason - much gossip was gossiped and a fair bit of booze was imbibed. Some of the less incriminating photographs from the evening can be seen on Facebook here.

If you are a member of the British Fantasy Society...

... then we will no doubt already know that voting for the British Fantasy Awards is now open and will close on 31 March 2012.

Each member may put forward up to three Recommendations in any category, expressed in preferential order. All Recommendations should ideally be accompanied with publication details: year of publication, publisher, and title of collection, magazine, editor, etc, if applicable. The four titles or names with the highest number of Recommendations will go forward to form the shortlist of nominations.

You're also able to vote if you attended last year's FantasyCon in Brighton or are booked to attend FantasyCon 2012.

And in case you didn't know, I had a few things out last year that might just qualify...

Phobophobia launch at Forbidden Planet and the BFS Open Night

Why are book signings like London buses? Because you wait ages for one and then two come along at once.

So, having been to the Kitschies Steampunk Evening at Blackwell's on Charing Cross Road the night before, on Friday I found myself at Forbidden Planet (again) for the official launch of Dean M Drinkel's new horror anthology Phobophobia.

I arrived to find a pile of pre-orders needed signing and we then walked out to meet and greet horror fans at the event itself. The only thing that could have improved this was if we had walked out to Battle Without Honor or Humanity (from the Kill Bill soundtrack).

I was thrilled with how well-attended the signing was. We authors were kept busy well past 6.00pm (which is when the signing was supposed to end) but I was very jealous of Wayne Goodchild. It was his first book signing, so he now has an accurate record of how many books he's ever signed. How cool will that be when he gets to 1,000?

The signing gets underway.

The highlight for me was when Greg James (a.k.a. G R Yeates) passed me a book to sign 'To Doug'. I looked up and found Doug Bradley who played Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies staring back at me. Suddenly I was lost for words, and had to gather my thoughts again before writing a dedication in his copy of the anthology.

Doug 'Pinhead' Bradley, Yours Truly, Barbie 'Female Cenobite' Wilde.

Doug and Barbie in their more familiar guises in Hellraiser II.

(Please note, I do not appear in this photograph!)

After finishing up at Forbidden Planet, we headed over to the British Fantasy Society Open Night at the Mug House, Tooley Street, to join in the festivities there, whilst selling and signing more books. I always enjoy events like the BFS Open Night because there are just so many people there now that I know.

Anyway, to finish here's how things could have gone. This one's for Dean! Congratulations, sir!

FantasyCon Cometh...

First off an apology. I don't usually do these - I get tired of reading posts by writers apologising for not updating their blogs because they've been... er... writing - but today it's not without just cause.

I realise that I owe you a couple of posts - one about Games Day (which was awesome) and one about the House of Fear launch (which was equally awesome). And they will happen, but the thing is I've been rather immersed in my latest project (which is a good thing) and know that my time is limited because this weekend I'm off to Brighton for FantasyCon 2011.

I'll be there from Friday to Sunday, attending various panels that m'colleagues are on, attending The Big Solaris Book Event and the Dark Continents launch, and generally hanging out 'networking' in the bar. I may also stop by the dealers' room... see if there are any good deals to be made, and so forth.

Maybe I'll see some of you there. I you see me first do come over and say hello. Although, having checked out the list of 'professionals' attending the Con, I wonder if they'll actually be anybody else there at all...

JG at the UK Games Expo this weekend

Just a quick reminder that I'll be at the UK Games Expo in Birmingham this weekend helping to promote Advanced Fighting Fantasy (as well as traditional un-advanced Fighting Fantasy), but I'll also be selling some of my Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novels at a knock-down price.

So, if you fancy finding out all about the newly revised AFF RPG, drop by the Arion Games stand and, while you're there, why not pick up the PB titles missing from your collection?

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday or Sunday.

PS - If you can't make it up to Birmingham this weekend, I'll also be at the BFS Open Night at the Mug House, Tooley Street in London tonight. So, if you're around, do pop over and say "Hi!"

FantasyCon 2010

I didn't think I was going to be able to make it (what with work commitments and the rest) but it turns out that I am going to be at FantasyCon after all this year. I'm actually going to be there for less than 24 hours but I will be attending the Abaddon-sponsored Metal Karaoke Night at The Salutation Inn on Friday and I'll be hanging out in the vicinity of the Abaddon stand on the Saturday morning (and hopefully not going before The End of the Line book launch).

So if you're going too why not drop by the Abaddon stand and say "Hi!" I might even sign something for you. ;-)

The British Fantasy Society's review of Evolution Expects

Just stumbled across this... a very pleasing review of my latest Pax Britannia novel Evolution Expects. (Should help spur me on with writing the next chapter of Blood Royal.)


PAX BRITANNIA: EVOLUTION EXPECTS
By Jonathan Green
Published by Abaddon Books, £6.99
Reviewed by Paul W. Smith

The latest in the alternative Earth Pax Britannia series, Evolution Expects takes us into a London where the population is under threat of a startling metamorphosis, a giant robot and masked vigilante, giving Jonathan Green further opportunity to expand on the futuristic vision of Britain the series has built up to date. We’re entering a world where the British Empire is still going strong with Queen Victoria on the throne for 150 years, retaining the rusting remnants of the industrial age alongside technical advancements. This is an Empire that’s increasingly stagnating and Londinium Maximum remains under an almost permanent toxic smog. Heroes and villains lurk amongst its vermin-infested streets.

Evolution Expects reintroduces Ulysses Quicksilver the dandified detective who’s is learning to cope with his newly transplanted ape’s arm, and Thomas Sanctuary, who’s now taken on the role of a masked jet-propelled vigilante dubbed Spring-Heel Jack. Their paths cross as they investigate the mysterious sighting of the Golem from Jewish myth and the shocking transformations that have befallen inmates in the Bedlam asylum, ordinary people that are now more insect than human. However, it becomes a race against time to solve the mystery before Prime Minister Devlin Valentine launches the Jupiter Station as an attempt to increase his popularity by cleaning up the city’s atmosphere. But already they have their hands full with gang warfare in the East End, and the alleged sighting of an old enemy, masterminding his latest scheme for domination.

This is a thoughtfully inventive tale where Jonathan Green relishes mixing Victorian Gothic with Sci-Fi adventure. His Londinium is a city which bears some semblance to our own reality but where scientific progress runs parallel with the over-extended trappings of the Victorian age. Giant robots and flying heroes co-exist alongside the opium gangs of Limehouse and the lunatics of Bedlam. There are nods to H.G. Wells and Conan Doyle, as well as to Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright. Liberally sprinkled with dramatic set pieces and colourfully eccentric characters, Evolution Expects proves to be an entertaining read, with its own in-built rewards for readers of the whole Pax Britannia series to date, producing what amounts to an ongoing TV series in book form.

This volume also includes the satisfying short novella "Conqueror Worm". Set in 1797, it features the female secret agent, Cassandra Tyrrell, who rescues Sir George Sackville from highwaymen only to become embroiled in his family’s legend of the deadly Lambton Worm.

The British Fantasy Society's review of Human Nature

A new review of Pax Britannia: Human Nature found its way into my email inbox the other day, from the British Fantasy Society. And very happy I was to receive it too...

PAX BRITANNIA: HUMAN NATURE
By Jonathan Green
Published by Abaddon Books, £6.99
Reviewed by Adam J. Shardlow

Human Nature is rip roaring fun from cover to cover. The second in the Ulysses Quicksilver novels set in the world Magna Britannia, where Britain rules not only the waves but also the world and the stars through its empire and technical know how. Our intrepid hero embarks on a case involving the stealing of the Whitby Mermaid from Cruickshank's Cabinet of Curiosities. Quickly switching the locals from the drinking dens and poverty pits of London's East End to the windswept moors of Yorkshire, this Steampunk novel mixes together Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes with a soupçon of Jeeves and Wooster a dash of mad German scientist, a pinch of monster hound and the fruit from a beautiful woman to create a heady and yet decadent cocktail. The fop and bounder that is Ulysses is a resourceful and clever character, not too invincible that he becomes boring, riding above the adventure like a dynamic Scarlet Pimpernel whilst his side kick, the dour and yet resourceful man servant Nimrod, acts as the perfect foil. The pace of the novel is break neck, the writing witty and world building well crafted. Included in the novel is an additional Christmas short story, which adds rather than distracts from the main novel.