Way back a few months ago you may recall a post about how the old publishing company was part of the Short List for the British Fantasy Society’s annual awards.

Earlier today (a couple of hours ago, I think), it was revealed that Tim Lebbon’s The Reach of Children won for Best Novella.

Congratulations to Tim are very-well deserved. Especially well-deserved as it was some of the finest writing I read last year, probably only second to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (which hadn’t been read before).

ADDED LATER:

For those who wish they had been in Nottingham when the award was announced, here’s the next best thing: VIDEO!

For an odd bit of fun, count the number of very un-hairy male heads involved in Horror Writing. No idea what this means, or which causes which to take place.

Within the world of social networking, specifically on Twitter, this is the day you dedicate a status update to promoting those people you follow due to their supreme quality of information contained in their updates or are particularly entertaining. This is a blog and not Twitter, I know. But that’s what today’s post is about even so.

Damn it, this is my blog, so I’ll do what I please with it!

And you’ll pay attention to those I promote as well, as it shall improve your life!

It will, really!

Warren Ellis is a sick and twisted being; click “BAD SIGNAL” on the right to sign-up for irregular invasion of your in-box Christopher Fowler writes books which you will now buy many copies of Sheldon is a daily dose of the under-appreciated ‘silly’ variety The Rime of the Postmodern Mariner, Rhys Hughes’s blog, is also silly CBC Radio live feeds (choose from all three channels within the 5½ national time-zones) Earlier with Lee Rosevere has repeats of the 17-minute weekday show and more Tim Lebbon is a writer who makes you like books with dragons Simon Strantzas is a writer writing about writing Tentative Equinox (and the comments are often just as entertaining; here’s the RSS feed for them) Charlie Brooker writes words for the Guardian

Warren Ellis is a sick and twisted being CBC Vancouver provides programme information and new media thoughts Tim Lebbon often speaks of his dog Dave Kellet is the artist behind Sheldon Mari Adkins is an editor, writer, and cat obsessive Peter M. Wilson retired from the Vancouver Sun in 2007 and has tech thoughts Deb Pickman likes making theatre and the colour pink The Tyee is probably the new Vancouver Sun, only more socialist Charlie Brooker gets to tweet words the Guardian won’t print Darth Vader (not really, but it’s quite funnny) Eddie Izzard is a talented monologuist Theatre at UBC is a good source of arts news and theatre information

Now do all that, and fill your life with all the pointless wastes of your day that I use to avoid washing dishes and things.

See how helpful this blog is?

As a proud participant in the up-coming FantasyCon — held in Britannia Hotel, Nottingham, UK, and held by the British Fantasy Society — Humdrumming is ecstatic to announce details of their specially dedicated event on the first evening! Huzzah! The event is described as follows:

Humdrumming Announcement Event / Knees-Up (cash bar)
on the evening of Friday, September 19^th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Due to the absence of the Colonial who is Humdrumming’s Acting C.E.O, recently retired C.E.O. Guy Adams [see right for face image] will present an amazing and inspirational list of titles that Humdrumming will be publishing before next year’s FantasyCon. Surprises galore and names you’d never expect to hear! Horror, Fantasy, SF, all genres included; even funny things! Be the first to know what wonders are in store! You’ll gasp! You’ll weep! You’ll beg for mercy!

Witness Tim Lebbon’s novella The Reach of Children being waved in the air for the first time! See the glories that are the dual art editions of Gary M^cMahon’s Rain Dogs and Peter Crowther’s The Land at the End of the Working Day!

Also included is a huge orgy of signings of Humdrumming Books:

• The Second Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories, many names, including a Guest of Honour! All completing the signing of the Hardcover Edition of the book available in an affordable and very limited quantity!
• Beneath the Surface, by Simon Strantzas (imported from the wilds of Toronto especially for your delectation!)
• Many other titles as well!

Oiled dancers will move among the crowds, jugglers and trampolines, the lame shall walk, the blind shall see, the closed minds shall be open and love will be passed among all! Let the doves be set FREE!

• rating: 18+ due to language used by the presenter

The British Fantasy Society’s FantasyCon continues (if it’s able to after this event) until the mid-afternoon of Sunday the 21^st.

More information here :
OFFICIAL HUMDRUMMING SITE: www.humdrumming.co.uk
OFFICIAL FantasyCon SITE: www.fantasycon.org.uk
OFFICIAL BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY SITE: www.britishfantasysociety.org
OFFICIAL SIMON STRANTZAS SITE: www.strantzas.com
OFFICIAL TIM LEBBON SITE: www.timlebbon.net
OFFICIAL GARY M^cMAHON SITE: www.garymcmahon.com
OFFICIAL GUY ADAMS BLOG: lizardsplay.blogspot.com

please note: High-resolution images of book covers and some participants available upon request to those who dare.

LATER NOTE: This event occurs on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. That may make things a tad more interesting…

Oddly, neither of these is published by Humdrumming, but both are highly recommended.

I am now another convert from the ‘I hate books with dragons on the cover’ camp. Tim Lebbon’s writing is resistant to all but ‘good things important to the story’, and doesn’t rise above the troll and swords genre so much as generally rape it for all that is useful and chuck in the bin anything that’s less than that.

As a result, Mr. Lebbon’s books really aren’t “books with dragons on the cover”, so I suppose I can go on hating the typical Warriors of Gor or Dragonriders of Mystik Valley shite that has no purpose to my mind except providing something for some people to obsess endlessly about.

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