It struck me the other day that I haven't blogged personally in a long time, mainly because I've been so busy, so if you'll forgive me I thought I'd just chunter away for a while. So let's get the links out of the way first. The BBC were kind enough to chat to me, Iain Banks, Ken MacLeod, Ian Watson and myself about current issues in SF, the results of which can be found here:
And here's me at Marvel, talking about vampires with reference to Captain Britain and MI-13:
We just found out we've gained an extra two thousand readers with the start of 'Vampire State' in issue ten, arresting our downward trajectory, so thanks very much if you are one of those. There seems to be a good buzz about the book at the moment. I've finished both scripts for an upcoming Annual, which'll be largely about Meggan.
It was heartening to see two Doctor Who episodes on the Hugo ballot this morning (you don't need a link for that, right?) amongst what generally seems to be being welcomed as a straightforward field of the right nominees. I'd like the new Comics category (well, it should be called the Comics category) to slightly more reflect either SF and fantasy or what's going on in comics right now (okay, that is to say I want to see Fables win). It reads right now like it's mostly a list of the one comic that people who just read one comic read. (Checks that sentence again, phew, passes muster.) Better Days isn't even the best Joss Whedon comic. Anyhow, I hope 'Silence in the Library' gets the Short Form Drama, and I'm pleased to see that Lost (which is now this terrific New Wave SF show that I hope J.G.Ballard is watching) is getting nominations again. But I'd have liked to have seen some Sarah Connor in there.
I'm going back to the novel whenever I can. Indeed, I kind of panic when I can't, like I might never finish, and I really need to. It's going to be large, mind. Currently 75,000 words in, and we've only just finished the first section. It is mostly the story of four Met coppers (two black, two gay, one white, one straight, one sleeping with the other's missus) who find themselves with The Sight and apply police methods to the supernatural horrors of London. Regular readers will have seen the prologue at Christmas.
Getting up really early in the morning, with birdsong from the graveyard outside and the quality of light with this great weather, has got me to points of real joy in the last few days. And my script work, television and comics, is reflecting that, some of my best, I think. I quite fancied blogging midweek, just saying 'hey, I'm really happy', but that'd be weird.
At the moment I'm reading the collection of Stan Lee's Soapbox columns from Marvel comics of the 1970s, produced by the Hero Initiative, who take care of comic creators who need financial and other help. It's a thing of beauty, Stan as a socially aware Willy Wonka. I'm also in the middle of (for my marathon of all his titles) Christopher Priest's The Space Machine (excellent work in the style of that tries hard not to be a pastiche), and Roy Strong's A Little History of the English Country Church. I whizzed through Northworld and Whiteout from Oni Press, both very cool, though the former ends suddenly. I've recently had it pointed out to me that this is because it's the first of a two book series. And the anime show Genshiken is my new passion. It's about a university anime/manga society, but is really about geek types and politics, and is very wise on that subject. I know these characters from my fan life. It's also very mature about sexual relationships, a meaningful romcom, with a maturity that still surprises when one comes across it in anime. Basically, it's the story of a young woman who's fallen in love with a handsome, charming, if rather empty-headed, fanboy, but finds that she can barely stand his fan friends. It's laugh out loud funny in places, usually because it tells the truth.
I can also feel the impending arrival of the English cricket season, which on its own is enough to make me happy. The summer season wallchart issue of Wisden's marks a special time of the year for me.
Oh, I should say, thanks very much if you've sent me a reply on Twitter. I do like reading them, but I reply to only maybe one in ten, for two reasons: firstly, I need to do so by private message, because otherwise my 'ha ha, yes, that's really funny' shows up as a headline on the Blogger version of this blog, with no context. And because I get so many that if I replied to them all, that would be my job. I do hope you understand, but please don't stop saying hello.
And I'm going to Eastercon, and have ended up on some panels, thank goodness, at short notice, but am wheedling for more. I think I may see if I can get a few other writers together and have a go at the Rock Band contest.
See? Told you it'd be rambling. Until next time, Cheerio.
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