October 2008 Archives

My latest book Memoirs Of A Master Forger is out, and it is published here in the UK under the pen-name of WILLIAM HEANEY.  It has a clever faux-classic cover and if you go here you see what it looks like: http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-42567/Memoirs-of-a-Master-Forger.htm

Initial reviews look very spicy and the book has gone into early reprint, so, reasons to be cheerful part three.   There's a glowing (otherwise why would I draw it to your attention) review from John Berlyne at http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=7623

And another from Adam Roberts at

http://punkadiddle.blogspot.com/2008/06/william-heaney-memoirs-of-master-forger.html

If you find this sort of blatant gargantuan egoism distasteful skip a few paragraphs, because I'm warming to it myself.  (Oh come off it!  We spend all this time putting a book together, why shouldn't get an emotional jacuzzi out of it around publishing time?  Give us a break!)  So, meanwhile, two writers I admire enormously have these things to say.

"Beyond the wonderful clarity of line and inherent word-music that draws a reader into the story, qualities of Graham Joyce's writing we fans of his have come to expect, in his new novel he performs a breathtaking juggling act of the literal and metaphorical to tell a serious/hilarious story of our time, for all time, about the nature of good and evil. Joyce is undoubtedly possessed by the Demon of Great Writing." -- Jeffrey Ford

"Anyone who isn't reading Graham Joyce is doing themselves a huge disservice. No matter what kind of story he takes on, his work immediately becomes the standard to which all others have to be compared. The only disappointment with a Joyce book is that, at some point, it has to end." --Charles de Lint

If you're still not persuaded after all that, well, I give up.

 But for anyone reading this blog in the US, the book is published by Night Shade Books under my own name and with the title How To Make Friends With Demons.  It's out next month (i.e. November) and you can order it directly from Night Shade if you want: http://www.nightshadebooks.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=130

What else can I shout about?  Well, the O Henry award I was braying about on my last blog gets better, in that the short story An Ordinary Soldier Of The Queen (which by the way is embedded in the above novel) became Juror's choice for two of the three judges on the panel.  This means that in the forthcoming anthology of O Henry awards I get to see a brace of commentaries on the story by no lesser lights than Tim O'Brien (have you ever read his The Things They Carried???) and AS Byatt.

Right, that's enough bragging.  British Fantasy Convention in Nottingham was fun this year.  Chris Golden flew over from the US and was a sparkling guest and Christopher Fowler was in superb form as Master Of Ceremonies.  But a sure sign that I really am getting old is the fact the most fun session was the British Fantasy Society's Annual General Meeting.  Yes, the glorious thing about the AGM is that there doesn't seem be more than two people in the society who know or care about even the most basic procedural rules for a meeting.  No-one knows how to challenge a chairman's ruling for example, or to put a procedural motion forward.  I say this is glorious because when I was a student I spent hours and hours of wasted time in procedural wrangles at pointless meetings at national level with a lot of people who are now big names on the political scene: Charles Clarke (former Home Secretary), Trevor Phillips (head of Commission for Equalities and Human Rights) and the brilliant John Denham whom I knew through my days at the British Youth Council and who is now Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills) are just three examples of people with whom I learned the rules for stopping other people from getting a fair hearing.

Anyway, we had the wonderful spectacle this year of a proposal that motions should be "anonymously" for fear of intimidation.  There was of course some speculation about which group of violent thugs might be hell bent on strong-arming their views on whether we scrap the "Best Newcomer Award" or not.  A priceless and excitable debate ensued, where someone even asked all those people present who felt like they wouldn't  want their views about anything to be known to "raise their hands".  Can't wait for next year.

On the subject of bizarre procedures I was on international duty (ahem) with the England Writers' football team in Madrid recently.  Victory.  We thumped the Spaniards 5-2 and I was moderately satisfied with my goalkeeping performance, discounting a shanked goal kick.  They fielded a fat-boy main striker, and after putting the ball wide his run carried him off the pitch.  He took an age to waddle back on but I did the fair thing of waiting for him to get into position before taking the goal kick.   Then I grew impatient and played it short to my full back.  Fat boy read it, pounced and flashed the ball in the net.  He looked at me afterwards as if to say Not so fat.

So much for sportsmanship.     Anyway then after ninety minutes with the score at a comfortable 5-2 in our favour we - insanely - allowed the game to run on because the pitch was booked for another fifteen minutes.  What? I was going, what?  Hell, I know what my boys are like.  Namely, knackered after ninety minutes.  I predicted a draw and was very nearly correct.  The Spaniards knocked two soft goals in and would have found another if we hadn't killed it off at the other end.  So it was either 5-2, which is respectable for a goalie, or 6-4, which isn't.  I can tell while you're reading this that you don't even care.  Any more than you care about procedural motions at the British Fantasy Society.

Next game appears to be in Israel, against the Germans and Israelis.  That's correct: while you are all installing energy saving light bulbs around your household, a load of wheezing middle-aged blokes are busting carbon around the world so that they can enact sad footballing fantasies.  

I've been writing some song lyrics with fabulous French musician and singer Emilie Simon.  I don't know how it will work out, but if some of my lyrics find their way on to her next album I'll tres heureux.  Indeedy.

Forthcoming appearances.  I'll be in Calgary for the World Fantasy Convention at the end of October.  Because that's Canada I'm not sure if I will be William Heaney or Graham Joyce.  I'll leave it until Thursday to decide.  The following week on Friday November 7^th I'll be in Birmingham UK, to talk to the Brum SF group.  I'll expect you at one or the other venue without fail.

(For recent past entries, go to archive.)