She’s all heart

Or the one in the display was all hers.

(Link via John Scalzi) 

The Iain M Banks MeCon podcast

Phazecast has now uploaded the Q&A session from Iain’s Guest of Honour appearance at MeCon in Belfast the other week. As Phazed himself mentions in the intro he has deliberately left off the first part featuring Iain reading the prologue of Matter to avoid spoilers for those who want to approach the new Culture novel fresh. Having heard said prologue twice now all I can say is if the rest of the book is up to the standard of the prologue we’re in for a treat.

The audio levels are a bit uneven particularly with the questions, Phazed levelled them out as best he could, but Iain is audible throughout and it’s not bad considering the whole thing was recorded on a Nokia phone.

So sit back and enjoy the show, part 9 b. Very entertaining, very funny, very enlightening but be warned – Iain does swear a bit.

MeCon round-up

The weekend has passed and so has MeCon X. This was my first time at this event and it was good fun. A smaller gathering perhaps than most cons, what it lacked it numbers it made up in enthusiasm. At one point on the Friday evening it almost looked like there would be more guests than attendees. However, this did provide for a more relaxed gathering, with fans more able to mingle with the guests.

Friday evening consisted mainly of a quiz, in which the Banks’ forum contingent of DaveH, Phazed Out and myself held up the rest by coming second last. In our defence there were no Banks related questions, due to nobody giving them to the quiz master despite the round having been set, and too many uber-geek TV questions.

Saturday and Sunday were taken up with numerous panels discussing a variety of subjects, including Paul Cornell hosting one on his experiences working in TV and radio, and Catie Murphy, Alastair Reynolds and Iain M Banks hosting one on writing short stories and novels.

The highlight of the weekend however was the Guest of Honour slot on Saturday afternoon from The Man Himself - Iain M Banks. Iain started with reading the prologue from his forthcoming SF novel Matter, due out next February. This was followed up with the usual Q&A session and Iain was on top form, bouncing about with the boundless energy and enthusiasm of a teenager. Questions were answered with his typical indirect and humourous anecdotal manner, often having his audience in howls of laughter. One of the attendees has already uploaded some video footage to YouTube which gives a taste of the session. Phazed Out recorded the whole audio, so I’ll post a link to that for your entertainment when he has it all edited and uploaded.

Restaurants were eaten in, drink was consumed (of the non-alcoholic variety for me as I was driving) until the bar ran out of beer on Sunday afternoon, and enjoyment was had. Congratulations to the small team who managed to organise the whole thing and made sure it all ran relatively smoothly.

Alt.Fiction 2008

Early days yet but Alex Davis, organiser of the Derby based Alt.Fiction event, has already been hard at work getting writers booked for next year’s gathering. It’s this kind of forward planning that has made the event the success it is, despite only having happened twice.

I made the trip over this year and can truthfully say it was worth all the travelling there and back. Loads of writers doing readings and holding Q&A sessions, publishers and agents sitting on informative and entertaining panels, and meeting up with a bunch of people I’d previously only communicated with through forums and the like. And as an added bonus Derby has more than it’s fair share of pubs serving decent ale, several of which I just had to visit.

I’ll be keeping an eye on Alex’s blog to see what other goodies he has planned for us next year; the line-up is looking good so far.

(Original heads-up from Orbit Books)

MeCon

Next weekend, 3 – 5 August, sees what the organisers bill as “Northern Ireland’s Premier Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention” or MeCon X, at the Queens Elms Centre, Malone Road, Belfast.

Guest of Honour is Iain M Banks, quite possibly the greatest living SF author and the perfect GoH to celebrate the Con’s 10th anniversary. Anybody who has seen Iain at readings, signings, etc agree that he’s a down-to-earth and very likable chap, and an entertaining weekend is hopefully in store for all those attending, including me, and Phazed, and DaveH, and (post name in comments if you’re going).