Course Improvements

Spent the end of the week with several visits to Glasgow attending a course to improve my skills for the work place. Apart from the early start (from me) I quite enjoy these courses, the work all makes sense and you don't have any of the pressures on you of 'real' work.

Just finished writing a synopsis for 'The Missing', which is one of my least favourite parts of writing. Summing up a novel in as few a paragraphs as possible while still trying to make the book sound exciting. It's awkward and tiring work, but at least it's finished. Also have written three reviews which have been sent off to the BFS.

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We have a new member to our household (at least for the next week). Her name is Missy and she is currently hiding under the bed. I'll try and get a photo of her but she's a little bit shy.



She'll be staying with us until her owner returns from his holiday. Wish I hadn't bothered doing that as the Canon utility I'm using just kicked me out of Explorer resulting in a restart. When Madame Vin (previously Lady H but this is a much better moniker) and I are both using the wireless connection we have all sorts of adventures.

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Just finished reading the second Hellblazer. 'Dangerous Habits' is better than the first as it gives Constantine a more human aspect. He is dieing, and only in death does one get to understand the fragility of their lives. That something as mundane as cancer could kill a hero who has fought of the hordes of hell is one reason that these books work so well for me. Constantine is fragile and eventually even he cannot escape a force of nature. Only in playing the devil's advocate and perhaps putting his soul in even more danger that before can he possibly hope to beat something as deadly as the disease.

Read this week:

Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits by Garth Ennis

Deastock (proof copy) by Jeffrey Thomas

A Taste of Something Wonderful

Went with Madame Vin to the Channel 4 Taste festival on Saturday where much fun was had by all. Met up with Kanga-Roux and Uncle Brian and much drink was consumed in the form of Leffe beer and wines from the Bordeaux region.

To keep stomachs from growling and moaning much marvelous food was eaten and a raw oyster was consumed.

The evening was finished off in several local inns and headaches were experienced the following day.

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Started reading the Hellblazer series. I've read some of these before but this time I'm determined to read them in order. It's a dark cry of a story from the bowels of the 1980's with Thatcher in full flight. The stories of the first collection 'Original Sins' are all concerned with greed in one form or another. Whether as yuppies and their need for money or drug users need for a poison.

John Constantine comes across as a haunted figure both physically in the guise of dead friends who visit him, and mentally in a past that is catching up with him. He's a wise cracking Bogart of the 80's, but one who is feeling the desperation of the city he loves.

Neither the demons nor organised religion come off as successful refugees for the empty souls that plague the period. They are both as bad as each other and both see Constantine as the enemy.

Read this week:
Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano

Advice for crazed megalomaniacs

I’ve been out of the loop for a while as I’ve started on a new project and I’ve been bedding it in for the last few weeks, but it’s now up and running and beginning to take shape (to mix metaphors). I’ve also been reading (lots) as I’m doing some reviews for the British Fantasy Society which I assume will either be up on the website or in the magazine ‘Dark Horizons’ they produce. I’ll let you know more when I’ve written them and submitted.

On my personal reading list I’ve just finished ‘The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters’ by G. W. Dahlquist. This is a beautifully presented book (UK Hardback) with white boards and luminous transparent blue jacket. The story consists of Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang and Dr. Svenson as they come up against a cabal of sinister individuals who hold bizarre and slightly kinky parties to which are invited the best of society. Set in an imaginary Victorian city (part London, part Paris) the idea has much of ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ about it, with science, technology and art combining to create an altered world, similar but at the same time different to the Victorian period of the history books.

The characters are finally crafted. With the three principles all taking the part of the hero this could have been tiresome, but they work together and their individual stories combine nicely. The bad guys (and gals) are also stimulating though their inability to kill the irksome trio is as infuriating as Bond’s nemeses (hint to mad crazed megalomaniacs – check they’re dead first!).

I think the only issue I would have with the story is that Mr. Dahlquist, spends just a little too much time dwelling on ripped female undergarments and a heroine who has to stop to have a quick fumble at regular intervals. This smacks of adolescent wish fulfilment and slows down the story at times.

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I’ve just heard some good news with regards ‘The Missing’, but I’m keeping it under my hat for the moment. I’ll report it here when things are a little more concrete.

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I hope you like the new colour scheme and layout of the blog. I’ve put up links to my current short stories (while they are still available) and I’ll add links to some of my journo pieces soon.

Read this week:
‘The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters’ by G. W. Dahlquist
Farthing Issue 5 by various