Science Fiction Convention Wales

Academi's first SF/F/Horror Convention called 'Space, Time, Machine and Monster' took place today in The University of Glamorgan, Treforest and a very successful con it turned out to be.

The first lecture my wife and I attended was Jasper Fforde's Jayne Eyre, Vampires and Time Travel which was a great laugh and very well done. Jasper certainly knows how to captivate an audience. An hour seemed to fly by and although there were questions allowed at the end I didn't get around to asking mine as we had to move on. However, I did manage to grab him as he went by and got him to sign a copy of his 'The Big Over Easy'.



Had about ten minutes to wander around the various tables where writers, books, publishers and others of the writing fraternity were hanging out. Bought a couple of books and signed a few of my 'Flames of Herakleitos' and then it was time to make our way to the next hall where Rhys Hughes was giving a presentation on OuLiPo.

OuLiPo - (pronounced oo-lee-PO) stands for "Ouvroir de littérature potentielle", which translates roughly as "workshop of potential literature". Phew, this is one method of writing which I think would be too demanding for me. I like to write poetry which has its restraints but OuLiPo is another thing altogether. Imagine trying to write a novel that has no words with the letter 'e' in it! (As done by Georges Perec in his 300 page novel La disparition).

Rhys's lecture was very well put together and gave a great insight into a method of writing that I had little knowledge of. Managed to get Rhys to sign my copy of 'The Postmodern Mariner' and 'Doorways' (an anthology edited by Steve Lockley for the event) I also had it signed by Steve himself, Paul Lewis and Tim Lebbon. I'd have liked to have tracked down the others but time was running out, it was time for lunch!




The final lecture we attended was by Steve Lockley who read aloud the 1902 short horror story by W.W.Jacobs called 'The Monkey's Paw', strangely enough I had never read this so didn't know what to expect. However, as the tale unfurled I realised how many other stories have been written, since this ground-breaking one, that follow in its footsteps. Later we discussed the tale and an interesting debate ensued, once again time seemed to go quickly and soon we were back in the foyer again where it was time for a photo shoot. Here are some of the snaps, unfortunately I only got one of Rhys and he had to close his eyes didn't he!

So, all in all a very good first con by Academi. I hope it is the beginning of a regular occasion.

Geoff Nelder, award winner author and the British Managing Editor of the excellent magazine 'Escape Velocity' (note my book on his table! I wonder if he bought a copy? Hehe)

Jasper Fforde and me (this is a spot the difference - can you?)

Rhys (exhausted after his lecture)

Steve Lockley and me



Some of the visitors




Tim Lebbon



Steve Upham of Screamingdreams




And that's all folks!

Welsh SF/F/Horror Con

Just a reminder that this Saturday there is a SF/F/Horror Con in Wales
(a rare beast indeed!)

A Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Conference for the Valleys

Saturday 21 June 2008, 10:00am - 4:30pm
University of Glamorgan, Treforest
Tickets £5 / £3 concessions; available on the door only

More details here at Academi

Cone Zero Bookcover

DF Lewis's anthology Cone Zero is at the printers and Des hopes that it will be launched next month. He has updated his website Weirdmonger with a graphic of the book's cover and very nice it looks too.



As I've said previously, I'm really pleased to have made the grade for this antho and am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy.

Steampunk Book Delivered!

Jeff Vandermeer's Steampunk book has arrived! A dark shadow swept across my house this morning and I thought a thundercloud had obscured the sun but it was a bloody great iron-clad Zeppelin that Jeff had commisioned to deliver my free book.
Ok, ok, it was my usual postman... but he was on a steam-powered bicycle. Oh, all right, he was on foot... but his shoes were emitting large clouds of vapour (well the weather in Wales is particularly warm for this time of year)
Anyway, I promised Jeff I would photograph the novel in a typical steam-powered environment and so I jumped into my road-going vaporetto (it's like the Venice type taxis but I've converted it to caterpillar-tracked locomotion so it's multi-terrain) and made my way down to Swansea's Industrial Museum and took a few photos, here they are:

First up is the book's flyleaf with a sketch of Jeff's Zeppelin with a dedication from him and his lovely wife Ann and a command of 'Ballast Away!' I just hope the ballast was dropped over an uninhabited zone!


Next we have little old me holding Steampunk next to a concept FTL steampowered dragster...



And here we have Steampunk enjoying a bit of Welsh sunshine next to a steam-powered wormhole generator...


And you though Wales only invented Tom Jones and laverbread eh?

Thanks for the book, Jeff and Ann. I look forward to reading it.

CONE ZERO

To say I am honoured and pleased to be among the fourteen authors who have been chosen for inclusion in DF Lewis's Nemonymous 8, or Cone Zero as it will also be known, is an understatement.

Nemonymous is a unique publishing venture because Des does not attach the authors' by-line to his or her story. The authors are noted in the fly-leaf and the stories are in random order thereby preventing any bias towards 'named' writers etc. There will be fourteen tales in Cone Zero and those were selected from hundreds of submissions, they will all have to contain something about the phrase Cone Zero but can be about any subject. The authors selected for this exciting anthology are allowed to say they have been chosen but must not divulge the name of their story. In about eight months time Des will make know to the world who wrote what by releasing the information online and it will also be published in the next Nemo book 9.

Cone Zero is pencilled in for a launch in July 2008 and Des has a competition going (probably with a prize, knowing him) for the first person who correctly guesses the 14 authors, well here is one! He also does a competition when the books are out for who can guess correctly which author wrote what story, again a ground-breaking idea and Jetse de Vries of Interzone won last year's.

Des's Competition:

HERE'S A NEW COMPETITION (15 April 2008): The names of the 14 'Cone Zero' authors will be announced as soon as the book is published. Meanwhile, please write to me at bfitzworth@yahoo.co.uk with your assessment as to who these authors will be. These authors are able (if they wish) to announce elsewhere about being in 'Cone Zero' with an unnamed story and I've already tracked down some of these references for myself by various means. You can have as many goes at this as you like, each go being taken separately. The prize for the most right is a free 'Cone Zero' and any other Nemonymous editions you haven't already got. If there is a tie, there will be a tie question. (The authors themselves are not eligible to enter)

Steampunk

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy/sf/speculative fiction and usually borrows elements from say the Victorian era and gives it a twist. One of my favourite steampunk writers is China Miéville
He sets his stories in a fantasy world that uses both clockwork and steam-powered technology and I'd recommend starting with his 2001 Arthur C Clarke winning novel Perdido Street Station.
Anyway. imagine my happiness when reading Jeff Vandermeer's Blog I came across his challenge to have the latest Steampunk Anthology which he and his wife Ann had edited to be photographed in a suitable steampunk place. I immediately thought of Swansea's Industrial Museum where there are displays of steam-powered paraphernalia which once made Swansea become nicknamed 'Copperopolis' as it was the world's largest copper producer during the 1800s



I duly suggested this and low and behold I won an advance copy of the book which is now winging its way over the Atlantic to me on the proviso that I have it photographed in said museum... woo hoo!

My brother-in-law, Tony Harwood is a keen modeller and has scratch-built numerous steampunk models and his site is definitely worth taking a look at.

AlienSkin

No, I haven't come down with with a bad case of eczema, AlienSkin is a well respected American SF/Fantasy/Horror Writer's site, founded in 2002 by Froggy Bottom Press and they have just accepted and published a short story of mine entitled: DAWN'S KISS. It is a paying market but I am more than content with just having another short story of mine published. Here is a link to the story and I hope you enjoy it.
DAWN'S KISS

Well worth a read!

Anyone who trawls through my musings on this blog will know that I rarely recommend a book to read (other than my own! Buy it! Buy it now!) and Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy, The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument Of Kings (however, LAOKs has only just arrived and I am about to read it, but going by his previous two and from what I've already heard about LAOKs I don't expect to be disappointed).


Anyway, I have another book which I think is worth talking about and that is Bone Song by John Meaney. I just happened upon it and saw that it dealt with thaumaturgy, hexs, spells and the like and wondered how he would handle those things compared to what I'd done in 'Flames' and it was a bloody good read!



Bone Song is a weird cross genre book spanning fantasy/horror/sf/detective and kept me reading until late into the night. The main protagonist is a tough cop who gets dragged into body guarding a Diva (opera-singer) who has had her life threatened. You might think this is a normal detective story but when you enter John Meaney's world where the energy which powers your home, your transport, everything, is not provided by your run-of-the-mill fossil fuel or nuclear power station but from the corpses of the dead then the word 'normal' can quickly be kicked into touch. Normal isn't a word that can be used anywhere in Bone Song, it is wildly different and hugely enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading his next one which is called Dark Blood.

Discounts @ Screamingdreams

If you get over to Screamingdreams website you'll find that Steve Upham is offering a discount on all his books and that includes
'Flames of Herakleitos'.
So, if you want to save a little money get over there quick before Steve's generosity runs out!

Arowin's Return

This is a short story of mine in the Fantasy genre, it's called Arowin's Return and I have entered it in the Sffworld's short story competition which is now taking votes. You can guess what I'd like from my readers! Yes, your vote!



So, first of all, if you have time, read the story:






Arowin's Return

The rasp of steel on whet-stone was the only sound as twilight fell. All was still. The very earth seemed to be holding its breath as it too realised the last battle was about to be fought.
Arowin had no preconceptions of victory. He knew that it would be just a matter of time before this last enclave of humanity would be over-run, and just as the day was ending, so too would be Man’s freedom in Demetaes. However, he took satisfaction in the fact that his stand on the final bridge before Moridunum would buy his wife and people time to reach the caves that would now be their last sanctuary, their last hope for survival. Perhaps from those caves a new dawn for Mankind would rise in some distant future. He would not be there to see it, but perhaps his bloodline would.


He smiled as he tested the sword’s edge. Blood from his thumb sprung deep red then flowed down his hand to the floor. It was if a signal had been given. Had they even smelled that drop of blood? For the quiet was disturbed by a sound. It was like the noise of locusts or crickets. The rub of chitin against chitin, magnified a hundred, no—a thousand fold. The Scarabi. They had breached the outer perimeter of humans. They had reached the ultimate bridge before Moridunum. They had found its final defender, Arowin and the old mage's sword. Gruffydd's sword.
With a sigh, he threw the whet-stone into the river, watching it spiral end over end before splashing and disappearing beneath the waters. Waters that would halt the advance of the Scarabi for the only way for them to proceed was through him.


“Let them come,” he said softly.


Gruffydd’s sword glimmered violet in the dying light as he reached into his pouch for the last potion. It would have to do. There were no others. He pulled the stopper out with his teeth and quaffed it down. It burned the back of his throat and warmed its way into his belly. The cut on his thumb healed up and he felt rejuvenated. The potion would heal him over a short period but not stop a mortal wound. At least it would buy him more time.


Movement out on the plain made him look up. Three men were running towards the bridge. Perhaps running is not the word as their wounds hampered any speed. Behind them the Scarabi appeared. Their vast numbers infested the plains… and the numbers grew. One man stumbled. The two stopped to raise him, and all three paid the penalty. Now they were within bow range and arrows peppered the ground around them.
Arowin sheathed his sword and lifted his longbow. He drew an arrow from its quiver. Raising the bow, he pulled the bowstring to his cheek and sighted on the nearest Scarabi. It was a shot of four hundred paces and the draw was the most the bow could give. His fingers let fly and the arrow sped out over the crouching men’s heads and straight into the throat of the leading Scarabi warrior. A cheer went up from the three who were now on their feet again. Arowin let fly another arrow and another Scarabi fell. Four more succumbed to his marksmanship before a spear caught the last man of the three and he fell mortally wounded. His comrades hesitated and any chance of them attaining the bridge was lost as the Scarabi charged. The men were ripped to shreds by the frenzied horde; Arowin dropped the bow, unsheathed the sword, and positioned himself at the foot of the bridge.


Red earth marked the spot where they had fallen. The Scarabi’s chittering stopped as they watched him. Suddenly the mob parted. A giant insect-like creature, larger than the normal Scarabi, strode forward. It bowed to him and took up a fighting stance. Arowin had no time for formalities and smiled back, beckoning their champion on. The horde produced a rhythmic sound as they once more rubbed chitin on chitin or snapped claw-like appendages. These warriors had no need of weapons. They were weapons. Arowin calmed his breathing, took a defensive stance, and waited. He didn’t wait long. The champion, with reputation at stake, screamed and charged. Its claws scythed at Arowin’s midriff but the man flowed aside, one foot behind the other, and swivelled as it thundered past. Gruffydd’s blade sang as it whipped through the air and cleaved the champion’s head from its shoulders. Green blood fountained up from the stubby neck as the body stumbled on a few feet and the head described a lazy arc over the bridge wall and into the waters beneath.


“If you see my stone down there be sure to tell me,” laughed Arowin.



The rhythm of the horde stopped. He whipped back around, held up the bloodied sword and shouted.


“Who is next?”


They all were…


It is said, days later, survivors approached the bridge in wonder at the dead Scarabi piled up at its entrance. Of their dispatcher there was no sign. None was expected. Scarabi left nothing. All that was found was a fragment of blade. A fragment that glimmered violet from a blade that was made never to remain broken.
Rumour arose that the Scarabi had deliberately destroyed the weapon somehow. For it was foretold it would regenerate its owner. A warrior would return. It was proclaimed that a nemesis, forged from the Scarabi's own fear, would lead men from their caverns and defeat them. So, the Scarabi, in their trepidation, made sure the sword shards were sent to the corners of Demetaes. To deep places, safe places where they were never to be found.
The Golden Age of Man was over. Devastation ruled the world. Myths and legends sprung up amongst humans. Some were remembered from generation to generation; some forgotten through time.
One legend remained… Gruffydd’s sword and the return of its owner, Arowin.






Well, if you enjoyed it then a vote would be appreciated:



Vote in circle number three Arowin's Return

Arrivederci Nonna

Sadly my wife's mother passed away on Wed 30th January 2008 after a terrible three months stay in Singleton Hospital. I am so tempted to tell the story here of the last days of her life but have to bite my tongue. So instead I will just wish this lovely lady a fond farewell, arrivederci Nonna.

Preditors and Editors Result, a thank you and some other news

Well I'll start with the good news because all the rest is bad. The results of The Preditors and Editors Poll is through and Flames of Herakleitos was voted up to seventh position and for that I would like to thank all of you who took the time to vote for it, I really appreciate you taking the trouble. I can now add this graphic to my blog as being in the top ten :)

Ahh... now the bad news, my mother-in-law, a lovely quiet, unassuming Italian lady lies gravely ill in Singleton Hospital. She has terminal cancer and is going through a terrible time. It is so sad and painful to see her the way she is, but we are unable to do anything for her other than stay by her bedside and hold her hand.

But that's not all, our daughter (who just had a lovely baby boy, Raphael) is in hospital too with liver problems. Twice they have attempted to drain the liver which is enlarged and infected but failed. However, today they did manage to go in through her side and fit a tube and the liver is being drained, but she is in extreme pain even though sedated and on various pain-killers, including morphine. My blog might not be updated for a while as we have our little baby grandson staying with us and all our time is spent with him or in the hospitals.

My next car

I'm thinking of changing my Mazda 6 for something non-Japanese (a small protest over their whaling policy - see previous posting if you are interested) and stumbled across the new Lamborghini Reventon which I'm very tempted with...



it's only about £800,000, has a 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds time before running on to a top speed of 211mph, but wait, it also has...

A G-force indicator – like those seen in fighter jets!

Well, I'm ready with my deposit, but only if they have it in Ferrari Red...

Preditors and Editors Poll

That well known SF/SFF site Critters.org is doing a poll of all things SF/SFF/Horror, including SF/SFF novel of 2007 and

Flames of Herakleitos

is in there and just gagging for your vote. So, if you have two minutes and the inclination to vote for me I'd appreciate you clicking on this link VOTE

Many thanks!

Steve Upham of Screamingdreams and Estronomicon is also there with nominations for best editor and best short story anthology, I know he'd like a vote too!

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

To everyone who reads my blog I'd like to wish you all a

And I hope 2008 brings you all that you wish for!

SF GEEK?

Tried this test after seeing a link from the Whispers of Wickedness site and scored 86

	I received 86 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Guess the Sci-Fi Movie Sounds hereCanon powershot

I'm a Grandpa again :)

After almost eighteen hours of labour my daughter gave birth to her third child this evening, whoohoo!

Raphael was born by caesarian and a month premature and weighs in at 4lb 9ozs.

I'm the first non-Amazonian to post his bookshelf!

Omnivoracious, Amazon's blog is doing a weekly banner feature of readers' books and I'm the first non-Amazonian to have his bookshelf up there! I've also been asked to write a few words about my selection, however, being a writer (of a kind) I've got a tad carried away and sent them a short story (almost) so it remains to be seen if it all gets posted. Anyway, should you want a peep at my ramshackle shelf and what I tend to read then click here before the bookshelf falls down (I'm useless at D.I.Y.) The banner shows a small part of the bookshelf if you click on my name on the right it takes you to more blurb.

Japanese to butcher Humpbacks

Against Western protests the Japanese are setting sail for the Antartica to hunt for Humpback whales which up to now they have refrained from slaughtering. However, as they have decided that the whale population has recovered enough to warrant a managed catch they are going to include Humpbacks so that they can 'study' and therefore help 'preserve' them... yeah right, in their stomachs?

The Japanese kill more than 1,000 whales a year in the Antarctic and also the Pacific Ocean utilising a loophole in the 1986 international moratorium that allows catching whales for 'research'. Only Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium outright.
But this year, Japan is expanding the catch to harpoon 50 humpback whales.

They also plan to kill 50 fin whales -- the world's second largest animal after blue whales -- as well as 850 smaller minke whales.

It will be the first time that Japan has hunted humpback whales since an international moratorium on the species took effect in 1966 due to overhunting. The former Soviet Union also defied the moratorium through the 1980s.

I drive a Mazda 6 and will probably change my car next spring for a new one, I will definately NOT be buying another Japanese one, I know this is a small token of protest but if more people spoke out perhaps Japan would wake up and smell the reek of disapproval that only they seem oblivious of.

If you want to lodge a complaint then this is a link to the London Embassy for Japan :- Link

Hot off the press! Joe Abercrombie's answers and secret identity!

Having the feeling that Joe is the sort of guy not to turn down a challenge I wasn't surprised to receive his answers to my five questions (some of which were a little risqué) and find that they were answered with poise and assurance. Here are the questions and Joe's answers:

1/ Joe, if you had the power to ban one single type of garment worn by humans on the earth today, which would you choose?

Why do I do this? Why?

1. Caps worn with the bill in any direction other than forwards.

2/ Joe, have you ever tried lighting one of your farts? If yes, why? If no, why not?

2. No. I once saw someone else burn himself quite badly attempting it. Not on the fart, incidentally, but on the lighter.

3/ Joe, if Megatron had a fight with Godzilla who do you think would win?

3. I think these two are both misunderstood, and would resolve their differences peacefully.

4/ Joe, if you were chosen to be the first human to meet an alien that had landed on Earth would you prefer to take a Desert Eagle Automatic with you are a Welcome to Earth sign?

4. I'd say the desert eagle, except I know I could never handle a .50 magnum. So gimme the sign. At least I could hide behind it.

5/ Joe, have you ever had a back, sack and crack wax? If yes, was it all you imagined it to be? If no would you consider having it done?

5. No need. I am entirely hairless, like an albino slug.

Thanks Joe

footnote:

Now the more observant reader out there will have noticed Joe's last answer where he compares himself to an albino slug, strange you might think considering his photos show him with a head of hair and a stubble-covered chin, could they be images of a stand-in?

Below is an artist's impression of what Joe could really look like...

Five Questions For Joe Abercrombie

After seeing the five questions that Joe Abercrombie (he of The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged) was asked by Ken on Neth Space and his answers I wondered if he'd be up for me asking him five questions as I reckoned I could field five off-the-wall questions which would challenge him more. However, I made the mistake of asking him on his blog if I could ask him five questions... he said 'of course you may put questions on your blog. I don't promise to answer them, though.ha ha.'
Bah! that'll teach me to be more accurate with what I'm writing. However, I'm going to post the five questions anyway and see if he responds, they are all profound, thought-provoking and are here:

1/ Joe, if you had the power to ban one single type of garment worn by humans on the earth today, which would you choose?

2/ Joe, have you ever tried lighting one of your farts? If yes, why? If no, why not?

3/ Joe, if Megatron had a fight with Godzilla who do you think would win?

4/ Joe, if you were chosen to be the first human to meet an alien that had landed on Earth would you prefer to take a Desert Eagle Automatic with you are a Welcome to Earth sign?

5/ Joe, have you ever had a back, sack and crack wax? If yes, was it all you imagined it to be? If no would you consider having it done?

There, as I said, all profound and in perfectly good taste...

Halloween Street Festival Bridgend

Paid Bridgend a visit over the week-end where they were holding a Halloween Festival and I'd been invited to read one of my creepy stories at the evening get together. However, public speaking isn't one of my strengths so I declined but I did wander around the various stalls in the city centre and stumbled across this weird tent with some strange people selling books in it. They dragged me in a forced me to smile for a photograph.

From the left: Chris of Pendragon Press - Me (Bob Lock) - Steve of Screamingdreams - Frederick another author.

Halloween Estronomicon

Ok, the pdf of Screamingdreams' Halloween Edition of Estronomicon is live! Yes it will jump off the page and eat your face, here:
Eat my face!

Estronomicon Halloween Issue

Screamingdreams has released the Halloween Issue of Estronomicon and it's free here: OOPS! the link I had here was for the authors only, so they could check their drafts, hehe. When it's ready for release I'll re-link it, for those of you who already downloaded a copy, I hope there aren't any errors and you don't go selling them on Ebay if there are.... :-)

There are some great stories to read and excellent graphics to view, Steve's put together yet another fine Ezine, well worth a visit and it's all free. Hope you enjoy my story, let me know if you do or don't.

Well done Argentina

I haven't updated my blog in a while, mostly because things have been slow and there hasn't been much news. I have enjoyed The Rugby World Cup, especially the Argentinians who brought a refreshing uplift to the series. They had a well-deserved third place and I think would be a formidable team should they ever get the opportunity to play in The Five Nations Tournament.

Other news: Got a horror short story coming out in the Halloween Edition of Estronomicon from Screamingdreams. It's called 'Here we go again' and I'll link it once it's published.

The Empathy Effect

Well, got the first draft done of 'The Empathy Effect' it's a novella of about 44,500 words (thats about 155 pages I guess) and is more of a 'slipstream' story than 'Flames of Herakleitos' which was a dark/sf/fantasy novel. It's a story about a manic few days in the life of Cooper Jones who is a young man living in today's Swansea. A bit of a loner, ground down by a sense of shame (for not doing enough to save a school friend when he was a youngster from being brutally murdered) he seeks solace in drinking himself into oblivion every night. Add to that he is a Traffic Warden and the fact he has a strange 'power' which enables him to 'sense' what people are feeling, sensing, believing, even their desires or emotions. His power, however, is erratic and manifests itself when he least expects it, this leads to a pretty chaotic lifestyle which only gets worse when he gets setup as the fall guy in a robbery, kidnapping, murder and a dog-baiting ring.

Can Cooper stay sober enough to extricate himself ?
Can he save his girlfriend from a physcopath?

Can he stop the dog he's baby-sitting from savaging his family jewels?

Can he finally get some control over his empathic powers?

Perhaps, but first he has to save himself from drowning because someone's bound him to a lower stanchion of Mumbles Pier... and the tide is coming in...

As I've said, it's the first draft, perhaps when I've edited it a couple of dozen times it might get a little thicker or even thinner, but hopefully all the typos will be cleaned out.

Then all I have to do is find someone willing to publish it, hopefully because it's a little more 'mainstream' than straight fantasy or science fiction it might be easier to find a home for it.

Here's the opening, see what you think:

THE EMPATHY EFFECT

Chapter 1 June 13th 2006

You’d think if anyone of all people could have seen it coming it would have been a guy blessed with the ability to imagine oneself as another person or even feel that other person’s emotions. That guy that could thereby foresee the probable outcome of the other person’s actions before they occurred.
Well, you would, wouldn’t you? I’d think so too and usually I do foresee these actions. Nevertheless, when you see me trussed up like this – and bear in mind its not even Christmas yet so the possibility that I’m impersonating a turkey awaiting the oven should be discounted – then it doesn’t leave many alternatives to think about, does it?
Oh, now you are thinking, perhaps he’s a sadomasochist. He’s the type who gets off being wrapped to one of the support legs of Mumbles Pier with industrial strength cling film whilst the incoming tide laps gently around his crotch and his friend’s little dog – which he was taking care of – has been thrown into the water with a brick attached to its collar. Or you might think he’s the type who enjoys being told that his girlfriend has been made to swallow a stomach full of rat-poison-filled condoms, wrong again. Could I be filming the next James Bond Blockbuster? Check it out. Is that a camera over there? Is it capturing the simulated horror upon my face as I act out Bond’s cliff-hanging opening scene as a scantily clad, nubile young woman surfaces between my legs with a wicked smile and a knife between her teeth then cuts through the wrapping and saves me?
Then roll the opening captions!
I wish!
Some human beings have the capacity – some say through a gift, I say through a bloody curse – by means of a sophisticated and imaginative process, to be able to place themselves in another human being’s position and therefore sense how they feel, act, or react. This capacity, whether or not you want to go with the ‘gift’ word usually has its roots set deep within the recipient from an early age, and through time, develops as its host matures, regardless of the fact if the owner of this gift nurtures it or denies it. Don’t ask me how it works. I don’t have a clue, but work it does. Perhaps the ‘gifted’ have that little extra which normal humans lack. I’m not talking about magic or anything like that. No, I like to think it’s more along the lines of recognizing emotions in others on a finer scale than ‘normal people’. Perhaps we see facial expressions, body movements, even the tone of a voice; I’d even go as far as saying the way a person smells can give the likes of someone like me an insight into how that person is feeling inside and how he or she will react to certain stimuli. So, if you want me to put a finger on what it is I do, or perhaps feel, then I can’t answer you because it’s just as much a of mystery to me now as it was twenty-something years ago when it first manifested itself.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I haven’t wandered around all this time in the dark not understanding or seeking to understand why I’m different. I’ve been prodded and poked by the best. Doctors, psychiatrists, priests, you name ‘em, I’ve been poked by ‘em. They all more or less come out with the same word for me.
My name is Cooper Jones, and I’m an empath. Oh, and yes, the water is now up around my neck and I am going to start drowning soon.
See?
I told you I was empathic…

New Covey Awards Result & Neil Gaiman Result!

Sadly 'Flames' was extinguished in The New Covey Awards for best cover art by Aleka Nakis' 'Eyes of the Dead' congrats to Aleka. Many thanks to all who voted for Steve's artwork, much appreciated.

However, I had a bit of luck with a competition in The Guardian by winning a runner-up prize in a Neil Gaiman comp of a copy of his film tie-in book 'Stardust', received the confirmation email today from Becky Fincham, Publicity Manager for Headline Publishing Group.

Thanks Guardian and Headline :)

Vote for 'Flames' Book Cover

Steve Upham of Screamingdreams is the artist that designed the cover for Flames of Herakleitos and is in the running for an award for best cover on this site: Covey Awards I'd appreciate anyone reading my blog to take a trip over there and voting for him, the reward is just kudos and a winner's icon to add to his website but it would be nice for him to get some recognition for the cover :)

Fiction-Online Ezine (Story of mine there)

Stuart Tracey the editor of the webzine FICTION ONLINE has published a SF short of mine 'Do We Not Bleed?' in their September issue #4 and the download of the whole magazine can be found here : download and it's free! It is a PDF file so you'll need a reader like Adobe. This issue is a fat 29 pages long and has other shorts from : Sarah Hughes - Gareth L Powell - Andrew Knighton. It also has book and game reviews. Stuart is still open to submissions so if you have something you think would catch his eye go take a look at his site.

Are you Bionic?

Found this little test thingy, shows if you are Bionic or not:


See What You're Made Of - Visit The Official Site

As you can see I'm only 41% Bionic, so that must be my capped teeth, my reading glasses and my Borg Hearing Aid...