David A. Riley's Blog, page 53

Fifty Years of Horror - an evening with Ramsey Campbell at Birkenhead Central Library

I went to Birkenhead last night with Jim Pitts for an event held in honour of Ramsey Campbell (50 Years of Horror) at Birkenhead Central Library. A brilliant event, with Ramsey on top form as he opened the session with a lively reading of a brand new story, The Devil in the Detail, if I remember the title correctly. Afterwards, he signed my first edition copies of two Arkham House books of his earliest stories, The Inhabitant of the Lake (1964) and Demons by Daylight (1973), both of which I have had for over 40 years but somehow or other never got round to having signed by Ramsey till now! Luckily, having forgotten to bring my own, Jim Pitts brought his camera with him so we got lasting reminders of the event.
Thank you, Ramsey, for a great evening! David A. Riley and Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell and Jim Pitts

   

Some photos of our group signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon

Some photos of our group signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon by most of the contributors: Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones-Editor, Jon M. Harvey, Peter Coleborn, Jim Pitts and David A. Riley.


From left to right: Jon M. Harbey, Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley, Jim Pitts
From left to right: Jon M. Harvey, Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley From left to right: David A. Riley, Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones From left to right: Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones

Small Press Panel at Fantasycon

I was pleased to be invited to be one of the participants alongside Ian Whates, Francesca Barbini, Donna Scott, Steven Poore, and Peter Mark May. on the Small Press Panel at Fantasycon this Sunday. It was a well attended event, with some lively and, in my view at least, very useful discussions. One result, at least, was for one writer to approach me afterwards with a view to taking a look at her collection of stories to see if I would be interested in publishing it. More information on this later.

I also had lengthy discussions at the convention which might result in Parallel Universe Publications taking an important and potentially very productive move in publishing a new line of publications, different to anything we have brought out so far, partly as a result of the work we did in publishing The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts, a book that has impressed a lot of people!

Mass signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon

We had a great, very lively book signing session for The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon in Peterborough this weekend, with Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Jon Harvey, Peter Coleborn, Stephen Jones, and David A. Riley.

To order your own copy of this book follow this link. We have a limited number of copies that were signed by all the contributors below. First come, first served!


Left to right: Jon M. Harvey. Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley, Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones

My involvement with the BFS

I was one of the first members of the British Fantasy Society when it was formed in the early 70s. My first official position was to be custodian of the Society's lending library of horror, fantasy and SF books, a post I held for several years till I passed it on to Keith Walker. I was also one of the organisers of the first Fantasycons, being programme organiser for the 1976 convention in Birmingham, when our guest of honour was Robert Aickman.

In 1974, together with Jim Pitts, I took over the editorship of the Society's Bulletin, which we transformed from a duplicated publication to lithograph.












I also did the covers for the 2nd and 3rd issues of Dark Horizons, the Society's journal, then edited by Rosemary Pardoe.





 I also contributed stories to Dark Horizons.



In 2010 I again took up editing the Society's newsletter, now renamed for some reason Prism.



I also contributed a novelette to the society's 2008 trade paperback, edited by David A. Sutton, Houses on the Borderland, along with Allen Ashley, Samantha Lee, Simon Bestwick, Gary Fry, and Paul Finch.



Contrary to certain mischevous people who have been criticising my involvement with this year's convention (for the first time I'll be on a panel, discussing the small press), I have been an active member and supporter of the BFS ever since it began and done actual, solid, beneficial work for the society. I would love to see what their contribution to the Society has been.

The Return now has its own Facebook page

My crime noir Lovecraftian horror novel now has a Facebook page of its own. Check it out here.

FantasyCon 2017 Programme Advert

Below is a copy of the advert which Parallel Universe Publications has paid for in the programme booklet for FantasyCon 2017 in Peterborough.

A Grim God's Revenge in Mythic Magazine

My fantasy story A Grim God's Revenge will appear in the next issue of Mythic magazine. Below is a copy of the cover.

My Lovecratian crime noir novel The Return on special offer from my publisher, Blood Bound Books

Blood Bound Books shared a link to the event: Free Books - Annual Loyalty Program:

Next up it's gritty noir combined with Lovecraftian horror.
THE RETURN by David A. Riley is only .99 cents until next Friday August 11th. Leave a review send us the link, and we'll send you a FREE book.

The ReturnIt was never going to be easy to return for one last look at the streets where he spent his childhood years. Even knowing this, Gary still felt he had to make the effort, just this once, to see if they were really as bad as he remembered. In a…amazon.com

A new grandson

Great jubilations last night when we got a text message from hospital from our daughter, Cassandra, that her new baby boy had just been born, our third grandchild!