David A. Riley's Blog, page 133
February 27, 2011
Our Granddaughter: Teagan Mae Webster
Linden and Teagan
Me, Cassie and Teagan
February 25, 2011
Our First Grandchild
Just spoke to my daughter, Cassandra, who rang me at work to tell me she had our first grandchild this morning, a little girl.
My wife, Linden, is over the moon. She's been after a grandchild for ages.
Can't wait to see Cassie, her husband Alan, and of course our granddaughter!
My wife, Linden, is over the moon. She's been after a grandchild for ages.
Can't wait to see Cassie, her husband Alan, and of course our granddaughter!
The Man Who Collected Machen by Mark Samuels
There's an early online review for Mark's collection, shortly available from Chomu Press.
I've just pre-ordered a copy through The Book Depository for an amazing £6.75 with free delivery!
This collection was originally published by Ex Occidente. I'm glad it's now been made available in a much cheaper format. Congratulations to Chomu Press. 
I've just pre-ordered a copy through The Book Depository for an amazing £6.75 with free delivery!
This collection was originally published by Ex Occidente. I'm glad it's now been made available in a much cheaper format. Congratulations to Chomu Press.
February 23, 2011
RIP Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney 1929-2011
For those who watched the earlier series of Doctor Who, Brigadier Lethdridge-Stewart will be a familiar name. He was a stalwart of that series, especially during the Pertwee years.
The sad news is that Nicholas Courtney, who played him throughout the series, died aged 81 on February 22nd.
The sad news is that Nicholas Courtney, who played him throughout the series, died aged 81 on February 22nd.
February 19, 2011
Hammer Novels
Hammer will be launching its own publishing imprint on March 10th with the release of two novels, one old and one new.
The new is the novelisation of a new Hammer thriller, The Resident , by Francis Cottam.
The other is a reissue of The Witches , by Peter Curtis. The was originally title The Devil's Own, on which the 1966 film starring Joan Fontaine was based.
The new is the novelisation of a new Hammer thriller, The Resident , by Francis Cottam.
The other is a reissue of The Witches , by Peter Curtis. The was originally title The Devil's Own, on which the 1966 film starring Joan Fontaine was based.
February 14, 2011
Well, with some misgivings, I finally created a Facebook account for myself. As my wife already had one, I had to set up a new email account. I used gmail: davidriley111@gmail.com. I had been thinking of setting up a separate one to our standard ntl address, as that can only be accessed from our own computer. How the internet complicates our lives, though, with all these details to remember, not to mention those dreaded passwords.
Anyway, early days yet, but my Facebook account seems to be working okay so far, though just how much I'll use it I don't know.
Anyway, early days yet, but my Facebook account seems to be working okay so far, though just how much I'll use it I don't know.
February 11, 2011
Prism - Spring Issue
Finally got the disc for the next issue of Prism in the post today to the next person on the "assembly line" for putting the BFS Journal together.
It's probably not the best issue so far, but I must admit some of the zim has gone since I, along with the editors of Dark Horizons and New Horizons, lost control of doing the layout. I was a tad disappointed with how the journal was laid out last time. It was pedestrian at best, a bit sloppy at worst. For example, one picture was positioned two lines before the bottom right hand corner of a page. Why two lines? Why not nice and neat at the exact bottom, without two lines underneath it? Some of the pictures were not much bigger than postage stamps, which seems nonsensical to me. They should have been much bigger. Nor did I really care for the over-fancy thin fonts used for the headings. And all my suggestions about using two columns for certain sections were ignored. I suppose it's all a matter of taste, but I do miss having total control of the magazine and what it looked like. I feel less like an editor and more like someone who just gathers stuff together and sends it off to the real editors - the people who decide what the damned thing will look like.
Now, after one issue of the Journal as a hardback, future issues will be downgraded to paperbacks for reasons of cost. So consistency has gone from the word go. As, quite obviously, has cost control. Before I produced the first Prism I made sure I got a number of quotes from various printers and went with the cheapest. That's what I would have expected for the Journal. Obviously not.
A shame. It would have been better to have started off as we meant to go on.
Personally I would, of course, prefer to go back to all three publications being published individually. Maybe that will happen. I don't know. The push for them to be produced as some "much more professional looking publication" was hammered at the last BFS AGM by the likes of Steve Jones, though why a society with fewer than 300 members should try to emulate the professional look of publications produced by professional organisations, I really don't know. I think people join the BFS, not because it has pretensions of professionalism (whatever that bloody really means) but because they are interested in the genres we share a love for and because produce interesting publications about them. I'm not for one minute saying we should go back to the bad old days of mimeographed sheets of A4 paper stapled down the edges - those days have gone, thank God - but we really don't need to aim towards emulating the style and quality in printing terms of SFX, etc., not unless we had a membership that would be prepared to hand over a lot more money than they pay at the moment for their annual subs. I believe the existing publications looked professional enough. I was impressed with them long before I again took up editorship of Prism. I never heard any moan about them - other than certain people at the last AGM. who I'm certain did it more because they wanted to make an impression than because they genuinely felt the BFS needed this kind of change. It certainly seems to have created more problems - and time consuming tasks - than it has saved. Which is a bad thing for an organisation which, unlike the professional organisations we are suppoed to ape, relies on unpaid voluntary work from people who have other jobs and things to do besides work for the BFS.
I have every respect for the new BFS chairman, David Howe, but I do think the last AGM gave him a poisoned chalice with the BFS Journal. I am sure he would have been much happier if he had been free from all the complications this has presented him with and been able to get on with looking at special publications, which is something I fear will go by the wayside as a result. Which is a waste as, with his experience in running Telos Publications, he would have been an ideal man for that task.
Nuff said.
It's probably not the best issue so far, but I must admit some of the zim has gone since I, along with the editors of Dark Horizons and New Horizons, lost control of doing the layout. I was a tad disappointed with how the journal was laid out last time. It was pedestrian at best, a bit sloppy at worst. For example, one picture was positioned two lines before the bottom right hand corner of a page. Why two lines? Why not nice and neat at the exact bottom, without two lines underneath it? Some of the pictures were not much bigger than postage stamps, which seems nonsensical to me. They should have been much bigger. Nor did I really care for the over-fancy thin fonts used for the headings. And all my suggestions about using two columns for certain sections were ignored. I suppose it's all a matter of taste, but I do miss having total control of the magazine and what it looked like. I feel less like an editor and more like someone who just gathers stuff together and sends it off to the real editors - the people who decide what the damned thing will look like.
Now, after one issue of the Journal as a hardback, future issues will be downgraded to paperbacks for reasons of cost. So consistency has gone from the word go. As, quite obviously, has cost control. Before I produced the first Prism I made sure I got a number of quotes from various printers and went with the cheapest. That's what I would have expected for the Journal. Obviously not.
A shame. It would have been better to have started off as we meant to go on.
Personally I would, of course, prefer to go back to all three publications being published individually. Maybe that will happen. I don't know. The push for them to be produced as some "much more professional looking publication" was hammered at the last BFS AGM by the likes of Steve Jones, though why a society with fewer than 300 members should try to emulate the professional look of publications produced by professional organisations, I really don't know. I think people join the BFS, not because it has pretensions of professionalism (whatever that bloody really means) but because they are interested in the genres we share a love for and because produce interesting publications about them. I'm not for one minute saying we should go back to the bad old days of mimeographed sheets of A4 paper stapled down the edges - those days have gone, thank God - but we really don't need to aim towards emulating the style and quality in printing terms of SFX, etc., not unless we had a membership that would be prepared to hand over a lot more money than they pay at the moment for their annual subs. I believe the existing publications looked professional enough. I was impressed with them long before I again took up editorship of Prism. I never heard any moan about them - other than certain people at the last AGM. who I'm certain did it more because they wanted to make an impression than because they genuinely felt the BFS needed this kind of change. It certainly seems to have created more problems - and time consuming tasks - than it has saved. Which is a bad thing for an organisation which, unlike the professional organisations we are suppoed to ape, relies on unpaid voluntary work from people who have other jobs and things to do besides work for the BFS.
I have every respect for the new BFS chairman, David Howe, but I do think the last AGM gave him a poisoned chalice with the BFS Journal. I am sure he would have been much happier if he had been free from all the complications this has presented him with and been able to get on with looking at special publications, which is something I fear will go by the wayside as a result. Which is a waste as, with his experience in running Telos Publications, he would have been an ideal man for that task.
Nuff said.
February 7, 2011
Black & Orange by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
Received a lovely-looking book in the post today, signed by the author, who sent it to me from California to read and consider for the forthcoming Stoker ballot. Only had time to read the first page so far but it looks interesting and well written. Draws you in straight away. So I reckon that will be my reading over the next few days.
It's published by Bad Moon Books. I've heard of them but never seen one of their books before. Going off this, though, I'm very impressed.
It's published by Bad Moon Books. I've heard of them but never seen one of their books before. Going off this, though, I'm very impressed.
February 6, 2011
Prism - Spring Edition
Spent quite a few hours this weekend putting all the material I have been emailed for the next issue together in a standardised format, ready to be sent off. It seems to be shaping up well, with a better balance of reviews this time, and a long but very interesting interview and the usual excellent columns from Ramsey Campbell, Mark Morris and John Probert. I've only done one review this time - Reggie Oliver's The Dracula Papers, Book One: The Scholar's Tale, which Chomu Press sent me a month or so back. I really enjoyed this book, which is in the pure tradition of the Gothic novel. A long novel, but an enjoyable read every page of the way.
By Tuesday I expect to be able to put Prism to disc and send it off.
By Tuesday I expect to be able to put Prism to disc and send it off.
February 5, 2011
Prism - Spring Edition
I spent a lot of time today putting together marterial sent in for the next issue of Prism. It's a bit of a grind getting all the different fonts and styles sent into me changed into one harmonious whole. Not to mention getting images for all the books, films, etc.
I think this will be one of the slimmer issues, so it's probably as well it's buried away inside the BFS Journal. Ha ha. There really is a shortage of reviewers. I'll enter something on the BFS Forum about this. We do need more.
I think this will be one of the slimmer issues, so it's probably as well it's buried away inside the BFS Journal. Ha ha. There really is a shortage of reviewers. I'll enter something on the BFS Forum about this. We do need more.
