Posts Tagged ‘Nine Worlds’

Well first of all you’ll notice I’m doing this on my rarely-used-these-days blog page. Perhaps that’s a sign of something in itself? Probably not. Try not to read too much into it.

So 2018 then? Well, I’ve got very mixed feelings about it, which I’ll get to with a bit of preamble. The main thing is that it showed signs of improvement in the final quarter, which I need to carry into 2019 at full speed. But to really nail down where I’m at with it, I guess I’ve got to talk a little about the last three. You haven’t seen me much on this blog page, and I think I can briefly explain why.

Anyone around me in 2015 will know that it was the kind of nightmare for me one can only wade through, and truly kicked of a patch of total awfulness, some of which remains under repair. Mostly autopilot through that and into 2016, which was somehow arguably worse. 2017 was not great by any means and ended on a rough note. That led to starting 2018 with a Grand Tour. If you ever need anyone to stress test your suitcases I’m probably a good bet. Think I got through four of them in total.

I spent most of January in Stoke recovering from a bout of fatigue I didn’t even know I had until I worked out the headache and entire days in bed *might* have been related to this. Thanks to Farah and Edward, Miles and Ivan, I got through to the next stage. I spent some time in 1987 in an excellent LARP I managed to attend because I have amazing friends. I have more thanks to that weekend, not to mention a fresh spin on With or Without You, We Are the Champions (for the first time this year) and We’re Not Gonna Take It . These days the Void is conversational when screaming into it, which is a reasonably positive development. I had another year whereby I was not exactly prominent in LARP areas but got to some great stuff.

The tour itself ended up being a lot of bouncing between London and Manchester thanks to a bunch of great people keeping me moving. I’ve had a great base in the last few months thanks to two in particular. And I’m never short of pet company either.

So the less good things so I can get them out of the way. Had a miserable year of job hunting frustration overall. Biggest interview I had did everything they could beforehand to ensure I was wracked by nerves, which isn’t me in interviews at all. The real kick though has been that on at least four occasions, I got as far as interviews, and then the employer disappeared off the face of the earth as far as I was concerned, no matter what approach I took to chasing up. I’ll politely say other aspects of my life have been remarkably similar without getting into detail.

Also, just as I built up a bit of writing momentum in the second half of the year, I had it rather dramatically swatted away by something out of my hands. I have a couple of potential solutions in place but only time will tell how that one pans out. However I’ve a good chunk of the Grenshall Manor Chronicles book 3 drafted, and I think the finished work will be fine once I have polished it to what it needs to be. I had plans for a fourth book, but they have altered quite considerably. More on that some other time. Get me a drink first.

And one particular loss hit me very hard this year, and a few others in one of my little gaming community. A really good person gone far too soon, but certainly not forgotten there. We’re seeing to that.

2018 is a year I’ll remember for letting go of some rather unexpected things I was close to. But the saying goes, as one door closes, another opens. I’ve had a bunch just slam in my face as I was walking too, but in a few cases, just end of an era, or an enforced change I didn’t necessarily see coming. It’s okay; just required deep breaths and a bit more of a plan going ahead.

So, good things. I have managed to do pretty well for conventions this year. Eastercon in Harrogate was great, though I have unfinished business at Betty’s Tea House as I didn’t make it while I was visiting, and also the guest house I stayed in was fantastic, complete with fresh baked bread at breakfast each morning and a brilliant room mate. I’ll be honest, he’s a regular for me on that front and we’ve been friends just about half my life now, but that’s just an additional bonus point, David.

Nine Worlds I’ll mention because I’m pretty sure I had a great time, great company and I have learned so very much in the programme role I worked on in the two years I was doing it, and made yet more excellent friends. I step down from that spot happy in the knowledge that I have some great stories to tell from there, and experiences that I can take elsewhere to other capacities. It’s been emotional.

And Fantasycon, whereby I am one of the Redcloak volunteer staff, as well as happy panellist. I’ve got myself a little con family there, which is just amazing and far beyond any possible expectations on my part. I’m certainly looking forward to the 2019 adventure there!

Deadlands convention counts as well. I wasn’t threatening to go up the Doomtown world rankings at any point there but I did run an RPG, I think the only one I’ve run this year, and loved it. You can do an awful lot with a good bunch of players. Plus, I got to play cards. Lots. More of this please. Oh, and UK Games Expo. ‘Survived the Bear Pit.’

 

A huge surprise was getting along to the amazing Adventure X convention, which totally rekindled my love of gaming just by hanging out with some great folk involved in the industry. Maybe…

There were a couple of other LARPs, both of which down, once more, to really lovely folk who helped me to get along. The Danger Market took me back to the 60s as a spy, and cosmetic factory employee, in one of the most fun opening acts I’ve had to an event yet. Players believed I was crew for quite a while, so evidently did my job! Most recently, I attended the second run of Returned, which was wonderful, terrifying and every other kind of entertaining in between.

2019 then?

Well, I don’t have a huge amount of power to poke the things blowing up around us all at the moment, but behind the scenes prodding is something I occasionally do very well, provided I can find the right buttons. So I can assure you I’ll be looking. MPs have been spoken to, petitions signed, and other letters written as well. I might not talk about it that much but something affecting us all so also doesn’t find itself easily ignored.

I haven’t had the space to set myself any goals or targets in recent years: once I’ve stuck at the top of the list, ‘GET THROUGH IT’, that pretty much took up the entire page. Hopefully personal focus will move slightly away from emergency survival mode protocols and more into featured activities, though thanks to the loveliness of others I have still managed to turn up to things. This part has a good schedule already, with Worldcon being held in Dublin and having my fond enthusiasm for some time now, and of course more than delighted to don my Red Cloak once more. I intend to play more cards, continue to hang out with excellent people and all of that fine stuff.

However note that I’ve taken on at least one small writing project for life after book 3, which you will see in some capacity in 2019, sorry for keeping you all waiting, but I can assure you it’ll be worth it in the end. I’ve laid the groundwork for some new projects, including a different urban fantasy universe, something a little more historical; something a little different, and a more space-shooty thing which I’m more than enthused about and will be delighted if sees the light of day. I’m also going to be jumping on more short stories because I enjoyed the bug I got for a few I did this year. Didn’t get published unfortunately, but at least they got out somewhere. Long-ago followers will know how much of a big thing that is given my third paragraph on this post. Oh, yeah—I’ve taken on editing an anthology as well, which you will know much more about as 2019 unfolds. Unexpected? Yes. Exciting? You bet.

And as well as new faces, I’ve made some contact with some of my classic friends too. This is on one hand long overdue and on another, timely. You’ll see!

So here I am, raising a glass to what has gone, to the wonderful people I have, and to what is to come. There are some gritted teeth in there of course, but if I can get half of what I’m planning to done, I’m already eager to give you that review this time next year! This is before we even get into the thing I’m enquiring about that some of you already know about.

Good luck to all of you out there who have read this, and thank you for everyone who has had my back up to now. There aren’t enough words to express quite how much I appreciate it.

It’s funny how the lightest of gestures can become something much bigger whether by accident or design.

For me, the last two years have felt somewhat lost to me for the most part, with personal circumstances meaning at times anything beyond getting through the week in one piece was pretty much off the table. Things remain off-track, but have at least settled enough to take a few deep breaths and work out where to swim to next.

In the last few months, some pretty good things have turned up, including a chance to portray a fascinating historical figure in front of a museum audience, but that is a story I shall revisit another time. Earlier this week, I had something crop up I could only consider a massive opportunity, but of course it was then that the weight of self-doubt landed on my head. So I decided to do what any person with such reservations would do. I took to my personal Facebook page, of course.

The response was…pretty good. And further to that, I’ve seen several friends ready to Do The Thing, or already doing it, this week. So it felt like something I should probably at least partially look after, or champion for the time being. Here goes!

First of all, I would like to thank Emily’s Diary, for bringing this wonderful and encouraging tiny potato into my life. It’s always handy to remember when one forgets.

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Secondly, I should probably stick down the list of known planned attendances this year, and also planned activities which might affect the year’s movements. Should there be anything you readers see that you either think I should probably be at, or would perhaps like to see me at, you need but let me know and I’ll add/check the diary/tell you I’m double booked at earliest convenience. And of course, some of these will be subject to change or cancellation on my part.

Current Writing plans:

  • Finish and release Winter Storm. This is a priority task, having not managed in 2015 or 2016 for enough reasons to cover a very personal blog post which I’m not going to be doing. However, know that words are happening again, which is the start you always need with stuff like this. I am also doing my damnedest to make sure it’s worth the wait for you all.
  • Should that succeed, I do have the first of a new series to draft. I won’t be done with the Grenshall Manor Chronicles by any means, but this thing is something I’ve been talking about and sketching ideas for when I’ve had five minutes of late. It’s a very different setting from what I’ve done so far, and it needs to happen (at least for me). I won’t get ahead of myself, but if I got this far, I’d be very happy.
  • There is a possibility of short stories in and around this time. No promises to myself or others, but if the opportunity presents itself, both in terms of my time and a place to put it/them, then activity shall happen.

Provisional planned convention attendances:

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  • LarpCon –3-5 March 2017, Leicestershire
  • Eastercon– 14-17 April 2017, Birmingham
  • Nerd East July 3 2017, Durham
  • Nine Worlds—4-6 August 2017, London
  • Worldcon 75 –9-13 August 2017, Helsinki
  • Sandbach Author Signing Event 23 September 2017, Sandbach, Cheshire
  • FantasyCon 29 September—1 October 2017, Peterborough
  • Octocon—6-8 October 2017, Dublin

Third, and finally, as previously stated, my task appears to be to wave and encourage people to Do The Thing wherever appropriate and/or possible. I shall start here. And know that of course the definition of Doing The Thing is an intentionally broad one. It doesn’t have to be rulership of a global power. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes there are days when making it out of bed should be celebrated as the triumph they are. Only you yourself will know what you can do, and want to get done, on a given day. But know this: I’m going to do my best to be there for you in spirit, and if you want to tell us about The Thing you are doing, please feel free to comment away below!

I’ll also designate this post as a permitted spot for getting hold of me and checking on progress with the things I have listed above for myself. Know that this isn’t necessarily an exhaustive list of missions I happen to have for the year, but it’s an important enough list for me all the same.

To those of you out there who are going for it, I wish you the very best of luck, and look forward to hearing tales of your victories and your valiant deeds.  I’m keen to have some to share with you, and also hopeful of adding more cool stuff to the list in future posts, should the year allow it.

Good luck, all! Go out there and shine. You’ve got this, one and all!

axe

P.S. If you got here already, you probably know about my other social media outlets, but in case you don’t:

Find me on Facebook as R A Smith

On Twitter: @RASmithPSL

Also Xchyler Publishing website:

And their Facebook page!

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I’ve spent just about the entirety of 2015 in a perpetual state of turbulence. Some seismic shifts have occurred on a personal basis and obviously, this has, as a thing, been rather time intensive.

So here’s the thing. This month is the start of a promise to myself that I’m going to get back on track with what I want to be doing in life, and by necessity, changing up a bunch of less positive matters that have been going on around me.

Day job is an enforced all change. My geographical location has a good chance of changing. A fresh start is due. And if you’re reading this, the odds are that you’ll follow my writing in some capacity. This is an important thing to me which has rather brutally stalled as a bunch of hard work has led me up blind alleys elsewhere. That needs putting right too.

Those of you who have read bios of mine in the past will know that I rather like my cars; a trait that at least one of my novel characters has thoroughly inherited. This featured vehicle is not as it may first seem in its iconic shaping, and is in fact not exactly a Porsche. Some of you will already know this is in fact a RUF CTR, known as ‘Yellowbird’ due to the famous colour and model.  It is this that I have named a list of personal objectives after, for reasons that I’ll tell you in person if you ask me. Think of it as my own personal Mockingjay.

The start of this operation is well marked with a concerted effort to get back on with blogging proper. And to make some important appearance updates. Thanks to the kindness of several people, including Con or Bust, I am getting to Nine Worlds this weekend, a convention I have not previously been able to attend due to a regular clash with one of my two trips to Atlantis in a year. Only three to go ever, so I want to make them count. I’ll be speaking on three panels in the Race and Culture track, about videogames, about dystopias and one called ‘I Don’t See Race’. I will also be joining my pals at Radio Book Worm, which I of course guest present from time to time, and The Missing Monkey Geek Podcast Quiz, which I have competed on and will again!  Have a look on the panel info if you want to know more! And incidentally, I’d love to see most of you there.

At month end, I shall be attending Mancstercon, and the panel I shall be sat on there will discuss Irony In Fantasy.

In between times, as well as working out where this tornado lands, I will of course be catching up with the third instalment of The Grenshall Manor Chronicles. I’ve been looking forward to this project for a while, though up to now there have been disruptions like none I’ve known since I picked up this writing business.

Finally, I just wanted to offer my gratitude to you all for bearing with me. I’m not going to say ‘normal service will be resumed shortly,’ because that simply won’t be true. New service begins now. Those of you who have been along for the ride thus far, thank you for hanging on!

Since before the turn of the year, I meant to get a post up on here again other than a share or re-blog. Though I haven’t been around much, there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes pretty much everywhere. Bear with me, especially as I won’t be back with just one post in the upcoming days, but several. Try not to get too excited, will you all? Also, I can be found on Facebook quite a bit, I should probably remind you, and occasionally on Twitter nattering with richer authors than I. Usually all updates happen on the same day, but not always. You may be missing out on things…

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Great news though—conventions and the like appear to be filling up fast! I’ll endeavour to keep this updated with my likely whereabouts, though if this month is anything to go by, things shall be, to some extent, subject to change as a result of real life and all that.

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  • This very week, I shall be at Dysprosium, or EasterCon if you prefer, with the hope of bumping into Jim Butcher at some stage. I’m down for a panel on Unseen London, likely as no great surprise to anyone if you’re this far. Revision on my historical Underground knowledge, and a couple of other fun things I’ve discovered, is underway! WBN 2015 Logo
  • April 23 is World Book Night, of course. This year, that will see me at Fab Café in Manchester, whereby I should have some books with me and will certainly be partaking in some form of fun activity, as well as possibly having some remaining copies from the rest of the day of Street Cat Bob, if you want one.
  • Just arranged, I shall be appearing at Nerd East 2015 in Durham on 30 May for general socialising and to do a talk, subject currently to be confirmed. Might even have some books with me if we’re all lucky!
  • 7-9 August–I’ve been asked very nicely to go to Nine Worlds this year, which I shall as it doesn’t clash with an event I never miss for once!
  • 29 August – I’m heading to MancsterCon. Another panel awaits, expect a fantasy-related conversation there.

Some unconfirmed plans I’m holding out hope for reaching:

  • 11 July Edge-Lit in Derby, probably just as a nice day trip, but come and say hi, it’d be great!
  • [Edit] Almost forgot Octocon, but being regularly asked to go…
  • 23-25 October—FantasyCon
  • Various–Leeds Steampunk Market. I am quite frequently at these as some of you will know! Dates as I confirm them.

As I say, the first of several posts I have in the pipeline. And if you’d like to read some guest posts I have done of late, stop by D.A. Lascelles‘ page. I finally got an invite to the prestigious Vampire Month club, in which you can catch an interview with me and a bit of geekery on my part in relation to the fanged fiends. It was an awful lot of fun.  There are actually 9 or 10 posts up there in total, with some other authors I know, Elizabeth Morgan, A.J. Campbell and Jen Ponce. It was Vampire Month, after all.

Primal Storm front

Catch you soon I hope! You now have a number of opportunities, and there will be more. . .

*Which needs a cool name.