The Gutshot Kid

The excellent British writer Conrad Williams was in town this week and I managed to snag him for dinner and drinks last night. Figuring him as a man of taste who'd appreciate a flavor of old-school Hollywood, I drove us to Musso & Frank's (open since 1919, same old red leather, same old dark wood panelling, same old apparently-deathless waiters) so that we could stare at the booth where Charlie Chaplin used to hold court and drink at the bar where Raymond Chandler used to prop himself up. It's less hip than it used to be, thank God, so it wasn't full of trendy dickheads. Instead, as Conrad so accurately put it, "It's full of ghosts." It's beautiful living history, and you should check it out if you're ever in LA. The creamed spinach -- essentially a bowl of butter and cream filled with strands of what may once have been a healthy vegetable -- will probably kill you, but you'll die happy. Tell Paul, the maitre'd, that the fat lad sent you.

Conrad has recently edited a wonderful anthology of 'weird western' tales called Gutshot, which will be launched on the Friday night of the British Fantasy Convention (see previous posts), and his novel, Loss of Separation, will be part of Solaris Books' signing event on the Saturday afternoon. Both are highly recommended. (I'm in Gutshot, but don't let that put you off)

FantasyCon 2011

I'll be attending the British Fantasy Convention next week, where they've been foolish enough to make me one of the Guests of Honour. Details can be found here. Despite my presence, FantasyCon will be a great weekend and I recommend attending to anyone who enjoys any branch of the literature of the fantastic, or enjoys getting drunk with like-minded people, or both. 

 

My current publisher, the great Peter Coleborn of Alchemy Press, would think it remiss of me if I didn't mention that I'll have a book to flog at the Con. Rumours of the Marvellous will be launched on the Saturday afternoon. There will be wine. And an author happy to sign copies of the book or any of his previous efforts

Rumours of the Marvellous

Rumours of the Marvellous is now available to pre-order via The Alchemy Press. The official launch is October 1st at FantasyCon 2011 in Brighton, UK.

This collection of fourteen stories, limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, features an introduction by Glen Hirshberg and a cover painting by Les Edwards, and is co-produced by The Alchemy Press and Airgedlamh Productions.

Contents: King of Outer Space / Stacy and Her Idiot / Between the Cold Moon and the Earth / Doctor Arcadia / Intricate Green Figurines / The Cubist’s Attorney / Prisoners of the Inferno / The Girl in the Blue Volcano / The Show Must Go On / The Mystery / Aviatrix / The Last of the Invisible Kings / Frumpy Little Beat Girl / Dancing Like We’re Dumb (original to this collection).