Underword - Edinburgh Fringe 2009

A few photos from last nights event, which went very well. I didn't mess up or make too much of a fool of myself. We had a good turn out of about 200 people which helped to buoy the enthusiasm and applause.

Other writers from 'the small print', included Gareth Lee...

... and Mike Smith.

One wedding and a Funeral

Life has a nasty habit of sneaking up and punching you in the ear when you least expect it. It’s sneaky, and just when you think you’ve made friends, it decides to get ugly. We had a wedding to go to this weekend in Dunblane and were looking forward to the weekend, but Monday my wife’s Grandfather passed away so we ended up making a long detour across the border into England to Leicestershire for the funeral (which was sombre and respectful).

We’re now back in the very wet capital and need to go catch a train in a few minutes.

Therefore I’ve not done much on the book this week and will pick it with gusto from Monday.

It’s also my Mum’s birthday today - so Happy Birthday. Hope you are enjoying Barga.

A quick reminder that you can see me this week at Underword, where I shall be reading part of ‘Heart of Glass’ which is now available to purchase in a copy of ‘the small print,’ (send me an email if you want a copy).

Details are below:

Wednesday 19th August, 7.50pm–8.40pm

Fingers Piano Bar, Frederick Street

Admission is free so if you’re in Edinburgh come along and give me your support. I’m going to need it.

***

I’m a comic book fan, always have been, but I like a certain type of comic book. I like dark and angst-ey, UK or European settings, where points are made and arguments examined. I’m not too big on the pants over tights superhero comics (apart from Batman, who I don’t think is a superhero - an argument for another day), so I have to say that All Star Superman left me cold.

People told me it was brilliant and that this would change my mind, but it didn’t, not really. I like the art work by the great Frank Quitely, but I found the story lumpen and slow and Superman is just kind of annoying. Sorry - I tried.

Read this week:

All Star Superman vol. 1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

All Star Superman vol. 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

Vacillating between decades

I’ve spent the week vacillating, unsure about leaping into the next section of the ‘Hellfire.’ I’m not sure why but I’m finding it hard to get Sarah to move forward and find her voice. Terry and Benjamin were easy, they came to me fully formed and I could visualise them on their journey, making decisions and their reactions. I’m not sure if it’s Sarah herself (perhaps the wrong name) or else the setting. I’m not a child of the 60s anymore than I was a child of the 1940s, but I know the war period better because it plays more of a part in our society. It was the turning point for the modern world. We studied it at school, we’ve watched it on the television (I think the History Channel shows nothing but), we’ve read the books and dissected the memories. The 60s is different, it’s my parent’s decade, not that far removed from my own and so seems too normal, too much like today. I’ll get their eventually, I just need to find my way in.

I’ve joined Twitter and rather than use it to tell you what I’ve been doing (which would be very dull and mainly consist of ‘On the computer....still on the computer....having a sandwich (chicken)....back on the computer’, I’ve putting up a story piece by piece. I’m not sure it will work as it’s a strange format. You’re limited to 140 characters per entry and everything must happen in the immediate past.

You can read it by signing up for Twitter and looking for me at https://twitter.com/MiddleManLost (don’t try looking me up as for some reason Twitter does not return full results).

I’ve set up a map which show pictures from Hellfire London. You can find it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/34782120@N03/map/

****

‘The Resurrectionist’ has some great middle bits, a slow start and an ending that seems to have come from another book entirely. It tells the story of Gabriel Swift, a young man trying to become anatomist in 19th century London. Dazzled by the corruption of the city he falls in love with a prostitute and drink, falls on hard times and becomes a body snatcher. It had traits of Burke and Hare, with a well written grotty London serving as a back drop. 

I saw ‘Joker’ some time ago but put off reading it as I thought it was just a cash in to ‘The Dark Knight’ but it’s not and it’s good. Similar in idea to ‘The Killing Joke’ it examines the Joker, trying to understand what makes him tick, in this it money just as much as his own madness, which helps ground him a little more in reality. It’s the art work that really works here, with lush dark colours and the character picked out in hyper-realistic way.

I’ve heard of the ‘Young Bond’ series by comedian and writer Charlie Higson but never read any. Silverfin is a graphic novel but it doesn’t really work very well. It is aimed at kids but even so it’s just a little bit to easy, the story line flat with no real pay off.

Also read my first Doctor Who book by Mark Gatiss (another comedian / writer). Called Nightshade it follows the seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy and Ace. Ending up in England in 1968 (the same year as Hellfire) it shows the Doctor going through a bad patch due to a past adventure. Here the character is really quick dark and brooding, denying his companion the chance to lead him. It’s good but certainly more for fans and adults than children.

Read this week:

The Resurrectionist by James Bradley

Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo

Silverfin by Charlie Higson

Nightshade by Mark Gatiss (read on an iphone).

Cinema and Whale

With plenty of time off over the holiday period I’m doing a lot of reading, working my way through ‘London Lore’ by Steve Roud, a guide to the myths of the city which is helping me to create the world of the Gap. I’m also reading ‘The Writer’s Tale’ by Russell T. Davis of Dr Who fame which is him examining the role of the writer, where the ideas come from and pressures of making such a demanding show.

I’ve been filling in between both of these larger works with some short graphic and children’s works. Down in Buckingham in a charity shop I found several first edition Clive Barker books. Son of Celluloid is a horror work, and like many of Barker’s stories it starts off as one thing and then merges into another, subverting the idea of horror but still keeping the frights to a maximum. He seems quite happy calling on all genres and then twisting them to his own accord; I’ve always seen him more as a fantasy author who includes moments of pure horror.
Set in a cinema where a man has died resulting in the very building and its memories becoming an entity, it’s a quick precise tale let down only by the art work which is just a little bit bland.

“This Morning I Met a Whale” is a children’s environmental tale told by Michael Morpurgo from the point of view of a young boy who speaks to a whale stranded in the Thames. Based on a true story it’s a careful rendering of the environmental concerns of the moment without the sugar coating expected for a young persons work. The illustrations are wonderful pastels by Christian Birmingham that shows London as a luminous early morning city in a realistic and natural way.

Read this week:

Son of Celluloid by Clive Barker, Steve Niles and Les Edwards
This Morning I Met a Whale by Michael Morpurgo and Christian Birmingham

Immediate Departure Expected

Off to France early tomorrow morning so thought I would get a quick post in before departing.

As we move towards summer all the listings start to be printed for the Edinburgh Festival. This gets exciting and expensive, plus it becomes a serious problem in arranging ones diary to see everything you want to (I've already had one clash because the premiere of Neil Gaiman's Stardust is on the same day I had bought tickets to the opening of the comedy gala!).

So far I've managed to get tickets to the following events:

1. Rolling With Laughter - A friend of ours who disappeared off the radar to the US is returning with her own one woman show about her own life which considering Madam Vin has known her for over fifteen years will no doubt be slightly surreal.
2. Fantasy Writing -Fantasy author Deborah J Miller discusses the pros and cons of being a genre author
3. Loose Ends - Of BBC Radio 4 fame.
4. Stardust - On which I think I've spoken before.
5. Daywatch - The follow up to Nightwatch, as I believe you can never get enough Russian vampires.

****
Read 'The Court of the Air' by Stephen Hunt. This is fantasy set in a mechanised Victorian world of vast air ships, robotic life forms run on steam, old gods and new political voices. It takes some getting into and at times it feels like too many ideas running around for their own good. I think there are probably at least a couple of books in here. I looked it up on the Internet and found this flash animation, which at least is a novel way of advertising.

I've got about three books to get through in the next ten days so plan to concentrate on doing a bit of reading in between visits to vine yards and restaurants. When I return I plan to get on with the new novel with gusto.

Read this week:
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt