Dane Cobain's Blog, page 41

Words4Every1 Writers’ Group Wrap-Up: 22nd August 2015

Hi, folks! For today’s update, I wanted to fill you in on what happened at the first incarnation of the new Words4Every1 writers’ group at the Arts4Every1 centre in High Wycombe, on Saturday 22nd August. I figure it’ll come in useful for the attendees, as well as for people who wanted to come along but couldn’t make it!

We kicked things off by going around the room and finding out more about each of the attendees, as well as about their interest in writing. We had about twenty people of different styles and experience levels, which isn’t bad for the group’s first meeting!

Then I talked about content marketing, to help our writers to get the word out about their work – that’s what I do as a living, and so it was pretty fun to essentially volunteer my time to help out other aspiring authors. You can find out what I talked about by heading over to Slideshare or by checking out the presentation below.

 

 

After that, we had a short break so that people could get some refreshments and have a chat to each other, before kicking off the editing workshops. Here, people were able to talk to each other about their projects and to offer each other tips and advice – we also mixed things up by asking people to swap groups on a regular basis to talk to as many people as possible.

After that, guest speaker Stevyn Colgan took to the stage. Stevyn is the author of several books including Joined-Up Thinking and Constable Colgan’s Connectoscope, as well as being a researcher for QI. Stevyn told us about the changes that the publishing industry has gone through, with a particular focus on Unbound, the crowd-funded publisher that he’s currently using.

After that, we gave out some homework – I know that Neil has already made a start on his by revitalising his blog, but here’s what you should all be doing ahead of the next workshop:

 

Writing Challenge:

Write something using synaesthesia!
Experience one sense through another
For example: The taste of music
Write something and bring it to the next workshop!

Marketing Stuff:

Sign up for a WordPress website
Start trying to release a post every 1-2 weeks
Sign up for a social networking site that you’re not currently using
Come back next time to learn what happens next!

 

We rounded the event off with some readings, and we had a respectable five attendees get up to do a piece, which was especially impressive because a lot of people were first-time writers. Kudos to everyone who took part!

Our next writers’ group is scheduled for Saturday September 19th, with special guest speaker J. G. Clay – be sure to come along to that one for all sorts of fun and hijinks, including some ideas that the attendees gave me on how to make it even better!

In the meantime, be sure to follow Arts4Every1 on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest updates! You can also keep up with me and my writing, as well as any events that I put on, on Facebook and Twitter. See you at the next workshop!

The post Words4Every1 Writers’ Group Wrap-Up: 22nd August 2015 appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Attention People I Know: Sorry for Writing About You…

I know, I know – writers always steal aspects of people that they know, because otherwise characters can seem two-dimensional. The key is to only steal aspects, and to disguise it well enough so that no-one else can figure it out.

Unfortunately, I quite often take the more direct approach, particularly in my poetry – see, the thing is, it’s a technique that seems to work really well for me, because everyone has their little quirks and it’s fun to observe them and to write them down in a way that sounds awesome if you say it really quickly from memory.

But it can also lead to a lot of awkwardness, too. For me, it has the same vibe as being friends with your boss on Facebook – you have to be careful, and sometimes you have something really cool you want to share in the form of either a status update or a poem, but you have to self-censor because you don’t know how other people might react.

That’s led to a fairly unfortunate situation, because now the best poem I’ve done is a poem that I don’t think I can perform, because reasons. And that’s kind of crazy, because I’ve performed stuff about god not existing whilst standing at a pulpit in a deconsecrated church, and dropped c-bombs in front of children.

Either way, I’m not going to stop, so I guess this post is a warning – if you’re friends with me, I’m probably going to write about you. You should either stop being friends with me, or continue to be your usual, quirky self. You’re good at that.

The post Attention People I Know: Sorry for Writing About You… appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

“What are you working on at the moment?” Well…

Hi, folks! I thought I’d write something a little different today, now that my Glastonbury journal series is over. People often ask me what projects I’m currently working on, and half the time I struggle to remember myself, and so here’s the definitive list of what’s floating around inside my head at the moment:

 

 

Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home:

This is what I guess I’d call my current main project, in that I’ve pulled together a manuscript and circulated it with a couple of beta readers to get their thoughts. Essentially, it’s a collection of my poetry, which means that half of the work is already done because not only have I written the poems, but I’ve memorised most of them as well, ready for performance. My publisher hasn’t actually committed to releasing it yet, but I’ll be pulling a finalised manuscript together over the next couple of months, anyway.

 

Growing Up Fast:

Growing Up Fast is a rework of the first ever novel that I wrote, aged seventeen. It’s incredibly dark and will need some careful editing and rewrites, but I think people will like it – it’ll be pretty hard-hitting, if it’s done well. Themes include suicide, rape, child abuse and alcoholism, so you know that you’re in for a fun one.

 

Forsaken RPG:

I have a separate website for the Forsaken RPG, which is a game that I’m making that’s loosely based on the characters and peculiarities of some of the writers on my imprint at Booktrope. At the moment I’m at about six hours of gameplay, and you can download the first version for free from the site.

 

Svengali Musical:

This is a musical that was co-written by Dave Ford and Phil Ryan. Dave is a regular at the Arts4Every1 Centre in High Wycombe and I guess so am I, and so when he asked me if I’d be up for doing it, I said yes – especially because I owe everyone there a favour after all of their hard work on my book launch! I’m playing a character called Lukas, and I basically have to play a lot of songs. And maybe act. Or just blag it.

 

Writers’ Workshops:

I’m helping the Arts4Every1 Centre to relaunch their writers’ workshops, and the first one will be taking place on Saturday August 22nd from 3 PM – 6 PM. It’s going to be a monthly thing, and it’ll include editing workshops, marketing lessons and guest speakers, so get down there. I’ll be posting more information about that soon.

 

Former.ly:

This is the novel that I’m currently 80,000 words into. It’s about a social networking start-up for the dead, but it’s taking forever for me to finish and so don’t be surprised if I release something else before it’s ready.

 

Social Paranoia:

A non-fiction book that I want to work on, about how social networking usage affects our lives and how we can combat the inevitable paranoia that it causes. I’m currently carrying out a research survey to provide the data that I’ll need to get the book written, but I’m hoping it’ll be out within a year. Maybe.

 

Robots Versus Zombies:

This is my latest thing, and just something that I’m making notes on during cigarette breaks at work. But basically, it’d be a semi-serious horror series in homage to my work at Forsaken. There are rough plans for a trilogy at the moment, but seeing as I’m not really a horror writer, I’m hesitant to write more horror. We’ll see.

 

No Rest for the Wicked Stage Play:

I’d need some help on this one, but it’s a possibility. Also, I really want it to happen, which helps.

 

 

Anyway, that’s it – at least for now! But be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and wherever else takes your fancy, to stay up-to-date with all of these crazy schemes. I’ll see you soon!

The post “What are you working on at the moment?” Well… appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Five

Got up at about half six, although it felt a lot later. Most stuff was already packed from moving around the day before, so I just had to take the tent down. I knew that all busses and coaches picked up from Gate A and so I headed there. Turns out not to be too difficult to wing it by public transport – free shuttle bus to Castle Cary, which took about an hour if you include the waiting, then the train went to both Paddington and Reading. Got off at Reading and farted around finding a bus stop – found one, and hopped on the 850 to Wycombe, the same bus I take to work, only going the other way. And so that’s how I got home.

 

Encore

Kill me twice

and send me to hell

and back;

dig up the bones

of my ancestors

and ask them

what they’re playing at.

Blood

stains your hands,

whether it’s your own blood

or your enemies’ –

everyone bleeds

sometimes,

and so we’ve just gotta do

what we can do.

It’s everything

you ever dreamed of

since you

were a little kid,

ready to drop into the fire,

like when you’re playing

for the prize of a lifetime,

and you could gamble it all

for a bonus question:

“Can I kiss you

just there

on the nape of

your neck?”

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Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Four

Sunday:

Woke up hanging so bought Fanta, packed shit ‘cause Ali had to take her tent down, then wanted to see Cassetteboy so…

 

Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home

I’ve seen the future

and the two of us

are in it,

which right about now

is all we can hope for –

we are not

the types of lost soul

who spot abandoned wellies

in the mud

and decide

to try them on.

We are the unicorns

of time,

sent back

to write rhymes

in time with

the music –

People prefer poems

when they’re set to

a bangin’ tune,

and that’s a fact –

I’ve started writing words

for your eyes

only.

 

Staring at People’s Watches

Trying to work out

what time it is,

the girls

with their tits out

and covered with mud,

and I feel like meh

because they haven’t

got a watch on.

So you try to

figure out the time

from the line-up,

sitting

in the mud

in front of stages,

until a new band comes on,

then realising

you’ve lost the booklet

with the line-up on,

anyway.

People,

with their weird mix

of clothing,

bobble-hats and shirts

and morph suits,

and one guy

who I think is in fancy dress,

but I’m not sure

what of.

It’s somewhere

between noon

and 3 PM,

and we’ve got the magic

even if you don’t.

 

At Cassetteboy stood up for a bit then sat down, made friends with some steward lady who’s been coming since The Cure in the 80s, and Cassetteboy remixed ‘German Whip’ as ‘Sherbet Dip’.

 

All the Fire

Raining from the sky

in a silver haze,

threads to stick us together

that seem so flimsy

by the sunshine,

and all my life

I’ve run away,

and look how far

it got me.

 

Was going to stay there for DJ Yoda but didn’t, so West Holts stage and Poetry and Words, both of which were fun. Pyramid was packed for Lionel and rain threatened, so after he was over I headed back to set my tent up for the final evening, then thought about the Bootleg Beatles.

Fell asleep in tent, missed Bootleg Beatles, so went to watch Alt J at the Pyramid instead.

 

God Particles

Battered,

bruised and

broken, and

in no way

fit for reintroduction

to society.

I need the

healing water

sitting in

the reservoirs –

I can’t feel my

tongue

and I believe

that we’ll believe

in anything.

 

Striking Black Lines Through What You Wrote Before

Today, we’re talking about

the CERN

people; the machine of

mankind attacked

blasphemy, acting like

good people, determined to

question the truth.

The answer is our society, white

and black are

ignorance, but people

demand the truth.

First, we need to know

something – critics

coined the nickname, but why

would they break

the evil

media?

So what is existence?

It’s little more than a theory, believed to

be the world that we see before us –

it would help to explain

our universe,

the communion

of the scientific concept

that scientists say

is expected to explain

Christians.

Disprove the existence of God,

and that shouldn’t be heretical –

we understand creation,

beauty

that man should never know.

Un-Christian

Newton’s gravitational pull,

science and religion,

understanding hand-in

-hand.

Understanding

blame at their feet,

thousands involved,

a life-long

dream.

Friends or as enemies in the end,

strong and faithful

whatever the outcome.

 

Sunday Evening

So it’s Sunday evening

and I still don’t know

how to get home,

and I’m pretty sure

I’ll struggle to beat

‘Eyes Like Lighthouses

When the Boats Come Home’.

It’s funny

how times come

to haunt you

because there’s No Rest

for the Wicked and

your friends look

different every day

and still beautiful.

And then you

throw out the good

and remember the bad

and then six months

down the line,

you look back

and wonder,

what the hell

was I thinking?

 

After that, back to camp for a bit, then walk towards The Other Stage to grab a pint and catch the start of whoever’s on, and then to Buzzcocks at left field.

Arrived about 8:15, just as the previous band finished playing – turns out Phil Jupitus was compere, so I did see him after all. Mad set where I knew almost all songs, went to get a beer then mad things, then walked back to tent to pick up a lighter and watched The Who. Couldn’t really be bothered to do anything else at that point, ‘cause I didn’t know where anyone was and still didn’t know how I was getting home.

The post Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Four appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Three

Saturday

 

Going to See the Juice Man

As the sun shines

at eight ish

in the morning,

and the cigarette smoke

burns your eyes

as the hangover

kicks in again;

it sounds like

I’m speaking in code,

but the truth is

he’s just a man

who sells juice.

The busses

roll out

with their loaded

cargo,

and you should

go and sit

in the corner.

 

Had no money so went for walk – found cashpoint and emptied account, plus Laura had money in joint that I could borrow. Still not sure how to get home, but currently chilling out at Poetry and Words.

 

Always Zinc

Always answering

back begrudgingly,

calling Cthulhu’s

demonic darkness,

evil everywhere

for fireballs,

great garbage

heaps helping

insects in

June’s joy,

killing kittens

like life

means mortal

nothings, not

on our

pure principles,

quick quandaries

reeling, rancid,

sodden shit

‘til they

understand us,

violent violets

with weird

xBox xenophobia

yesterday you

zoomed zinc.

 

 

Watched some dance act for a while, then caught the end of the Antipoet and some of Jess Green and the Mischief Thieves (I think?), who smashed it, kind of like Kate Tempest but really good. Then left and came back to the end of another poet who talked about her Ugandan roots, who was good, followed by an open mic. I was better than most of the people (and all of the males), but as I was alone I thought it’d be weird to go up. Then back to the tent to chill and listen to The Waterboys, and the realisation that I missed Frank Turner. Walk to Other Stage and Young Fathers – pretty good, but finished pint and moved on to Glade for John Fairhurst, who was unmemorable but had good riffs.

 

Preservation

You could

hit me in the face

with a hand grenade,

and you could rage

and rave

until the voices fade,

but you won’t change

the way

I’m feeling.

We ration

life –

it’s what we do,

and it amazes me

how the same governments

which send soldiers to their deaths

fighting wars which we

(frankly) don’t belong in,

can also control the purse strings

when it comes to

preservation.

I wouldn’t trust those guys

with a packet of peanuts,

so what the hell

is going on?

Is this what we were born

for?

So they could apply

chloroform

in a thunderstorm?

I refuse

to be represented

by reprehensible entities,

I am my own man

and the voice of one

is never the voice of many,

and that includes me too,

reluctantly.

In the movies,

you can believe

the reluctant hero;

in reality,

reluctant heroes

are usually the most corrupt

of all,

and I’m tired.

I’ll still use my vote

though,

folks.

 

Then over to West Holts to see some jazzy band.

 

Reuben

So I just made friends

with a kid called Reuben,

maybe six years old

although I’ll admit

I’m not the best judge

and I’m four beers in

chaining cigarettes

when all of a sudden

he tells me he likes my wellies

because there are superheroes

somewhere beneath the mud,

and he’s dressed head to toe

as Iron Man

and so we’re talking

about our favourite superheroes –

Spiderman for him,

and Batman for me

because he’s fallible,

even though I hate superheroes –

and everything is going fine,

even though I’m not a paedophile

because I fucking hate kids

almost as much as

I hate fucking kids

and then he finds

this fake moustache

in the mud

and wants

to stick it

to my face

and Reuben’s dad

was like,

“Leave the man

alone.”

Reuben’s dad

seemed like a nice man,

and in 20 years’ time,

that kid’ll be headlining,

unless he tries to attach a moustache

to the wrong kind of person.

 

Drank a lot and tried to write poems. I was drunk, but I made it to Foreign Beggars at Arcadia, then stumbled on to Sly and the Family Stone at West Holts.

 

Notes Where Mushrooms Grow

She is definitely

a waterfall,

and just my handwriting

is a study

in what spiders do.

She is

delightfully

George Clinton,

and all I can think of

is the way she smiles

and she acts surprised

like she doesn’t know

my words

are about her.

She

lights up the sky

and I would die

for her smile.

 

After that, I caught the end of Kanye, and I think I ate something. Then I wandered for a bit and bought a hat, more wandering what a time to be alive, then back to pass out.

The post Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Three appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Two

Friday:

Fuck, so I got mangled and can’t read my shitty handwriting – got pissed and wandered around, and all was insanity. Had a bit of a dance, got lost, found everyone again (what are the chances?), got lost again and made my way slowly back to the campsite, where there was fire, and then passed out in my sleeping bag.

 

Coughing Blood

It’s all a bit fucked

because as soon as I arrived

I lost my mind;

I broke my phone

and have no way of getting home,

so I roam the fields alone.

It’s the morning after

my Wednesday,

even though it’s Friday,

and I scream

for the dogs and the badgers

and try to decipher some line

I wrote whilst pissed

in the dark

about time being like

a waterfall.

We come alive in the night-time

and we live to bring fire

to the lowlifes and liars

and to fight the good fight

for a lifetime –

we will not be beaten

by the loss of our modern technology.

It’s a good time

all over the place,

and I’m back

with poetic vengeance

mother

fucker.

 

Then I went to get OJ and a coffee, hoped the rain wouldn’t happen. Then had really bad anxiety – walked to Other Stage in search of food but not feeling it. Eventually walked back and got a fruit salad.

 

Pistols Mk#2

Skin tight lines

packed in Glade

and tucked up in

chloroform,

storms falling

like stars from the sky

and ganja smoke

rifling the bra-less,

fallen in the cracks

as they search your bags

for contraband;

a trumpet,

announcing another trumpet

brought down

in sickening harmony,

fallen in and out

and down again,

with vomit on my trousers.

Glade?

This ain’t a glade,

it’s demons in the shade

when we are not the same,

the blame game we played

an age ago,

true dub

tucked under

chloroformed jungle.

 

And now I’m feeling dire, sat by the Pyramid Stage watching weird ballet people – The Michael Clarke Company.

 

Let’s Get Vulgar

Hey man

dontchaknow

how it is?

The stench of

portaloos

baking

in the heat –

we’ve all got

bodily functions,

but some bodies

function more

than others –

as for me,

I have IBS

and anxiety –

both are made worse

by booze,

and they are

the two worst things

for a festival.

I have so much to do

and no time to do it in –

bring me hippies

or bring me peace.

 

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

This message

is brought to you

by the sane,

who refuse to pay

for the pain

you cause

to strangers –

I want my £100 billion

back

so bad –

think about what

we could do with it –

Bail out bankers!

Fund the NHS!

Pay my pension!

My nukes

are your nukes,

and if we are

all going to die,

then let us die

together.

 

After that, reggae from Chronixx – they were pretty good and helped to lift my spirits. Then back to camp for a couple more beers.

 

On-Site

Droplets of rain

as the fun bumps,

singer songwriters

with names like Tom Fletcher

and Carl Hopper

who all sound the same,

whatever the weather.

Photographed

mugshots

tripping along guy ropes;

the burn

of the high UV

and pollen count.

Battered barrels

used for scooting

usefully,

tops and bottoms

holding back

on the hillside.

Gotta be

homeschooled

living the life

uneventfully;

gotta catch the madness

like a butterfly

in a glass cage.

 

Then for short wander to Theatre & Circus field to chill at Poetry & Words before Dub Pistols. Heard John Hicks get welcomed onto the stage and shortly afterwards get taken offstage, whilst having a quick pint at the Ridge & Furrow bar. Then joined Greenpeace by accident and moved on to Dub Pistols – started raining but I was already inside the tent. Danced and shit, then back to campsite to resupply.

 

A Quick Poem Before the Wolves Come Home

All of the evil

spread like a hooker’s legs,

and your devilled eggs

are heaven sent,

I reckon –

I am an American

veteran,

sent to protect you,

and did I mention

that affection’s

my intention?

I wish I could afford

to risk my fortune

on the dice that fall

from your hand.

 

Out into the rain for Mary J Blige who was okay, then went for a walk and ended up getting cheesy chips and curry sauce, then watching Motorhead as the sun came out again. The sound wasn’t particularly good, but they were enjoyable enough.

 

Lemmy

You shoulda retired

and kept the glory

while you had it,

but with your sideburns

you try,

and that’s commendable.

Here we go again

fam,

it’s uncontrollable.

 

Back to the campsite again, then to Pyramid for the secret act before Florence, which turned out to be The Libertines, who were pretty good. Then to Park Stage for Jamie XX, followed by the walk to Sonic for Borgore. Couldn’t find it, so had a sit and listened to whatever the last act of the day at West Holts was.

The post Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part Two appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Glastonbury 2015 Diary: Part One

Wednesday:

Work then finished at 11, home to set up tent and to take it back down. Missioned to Tesco for booze then back to finish up, get drunk and go to sleep at like 9:30.

 

Thursday:

Alarm at 5:15, finally up at 5:40, then missioned with all shit to bus depot – had to remove some beers first, ‘cause of the weight. Drifting in and out of sleep, then chillin’ at bus depot in Reading. Met up with Hayley, then separated for the bus. There were three leaving at the same time, and mine left last but arrived first. There was a Nicholas Cage film showing in the coach on the way there, but it never said what it was called and I slept through most of it. Something to do with gun smuggling? It finished just as we were pulling in, and so I jumped out and headed off to meet Ali. Also, at some point, I lost my notebook, and so I had to make one by tying some torn pages of tickets together with some string.

 

Losing a Notebook

It’s the loss

of anticipation,

but I’ve gained a friend

to defend me –

Carla would love it here

and Amanda would lose her shit,

and Dave would befriend his enemies

and end up programming

a small tent.

I smell incense

when I close my eyes

and it takes me back,

so that what I left behind

and what I discovered

are just melting in my eyes

again.

I would share Stella

and sunburn,

if you asked me to.

 

Anyway, Ben Rose is about and I keep getting texts from people that I don’t know. The plan is to just continue. I’m hammered though, so I might not write any more today.

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No Rest for the Wicked Book Launch at Arts4Every1, High Wycombe

Hi, folks! As many of you know, we held a launch party for No Rest for the Wicked over at the Arts4Every1 Centre in High Wycombe on Friday 19th June. And it was fricken awesome.

I wanted to write this blog to give you the lowdown on what went into executing the event, who was instrumental in making it happen, and what actually happened on that fateful, fateful evening.

I’ve been going to the open mic night at the Arts4Every1 Centre ever since my first ever stand-up poetry set, which I did at their open mic last November. It has a really supportive atmosphere, and so I ended up going there every month, and I made friends with a bunch of the regulars – yeah, you know who you are.

 

Dane Cobain – No Rest for the Wicked Cover

 

At around the same time, my debut novella, a supernatural thriller called No Rest for the Wicked, was accepted for publication by Booktrope. I was chatting to Carla, who’s one of the team at Arts4Every1, about running a launch party at the centre, and she had the bright idea of mentioning that there was another part of the premises. And then she showed me around.

As soon as I saw the place, I knew that we had to use it – it’s beautiful and also kind of haunting, especially with the right lighting, and it also fits perfectly with the novel. After all, a substantial part of it is set in Montgomery’s rectory.

I met up with Carla one weekend to hatch some plans, because you can’t plan properly at an open mic night when you’re three beers in and about to go on stage. Besides, we had to make sure that everyone else at Arts4Every1 was happy with it, and that the venue was available on the date that we needed, and a whole other bunch of stuff.

 

 

But by then, we were pretty much unstoppable – it was one of those things that just needed to happen, and so many people got involved. I can’t name all of them but we’re talking 20 odd people, if you include everyone who helped somehow. I felt like I’d created a monster.

I ended up being so busy trying to promote the book launch that I didn’t get much time to practice my set. In the week leading up to the event, we worked on the venue on Tuesday and Thursday, and that doesn’t count all of the planning time that went into it before then. I’ve never put on an event before, and so it was a learning curve for me – I definitely needed the help!

Fast forward to Friday morning, on the day of the event, when I was suffering badly from hayfever and trying to get some work done at the office. Luckily, work let me leave at 4 PM instead of at 5:30, and so I had time to trek home and to grab a shower before going to meet Matt at the train station and heading to the venue.

 

 

Even though it was already mostly set up, we still had a few last-minute things to get sorted, and so there was still plenty to do. Worse, I realised that I’d left a vital adapter at home, but luckily Carla’s mom, who was kind enough to (wo)man the book stand, was able to drive me home to pick it up.

We got everything ready just in time, and doors opened and people started coming inside, which was a huge relief – imagine if we’d opened the doors and no-one showed up! But loads of people did, and a lot of them were people I’d never met before, which was cool. I kind of want to give a shout-out to some folks, but yet again, there are so many people to mention that someone will inevitably feel left out if they don’t get a mention.

Amanda kicked things off with a quick speech about the Arts4Every1 Centre, talking about some of the stuff they offer and introducing me to the stage. I had the outline of a speech prepared, but I hadn’t really had time to practice it – luckily, I think it went pretty well, even though I had a lot of ground to cover and a lot of cool stuff to talk about, including the acts that followed. First up, following my speech, I did a reading – chapter one, A Fair Trial, from memory.

 

 

After I did my reading, I introduced Father Montgomery to the stage, and he came up to deliver a speech about the god particle, only to be disturbed by Niall, one of his parishioners. You can check that out in the video above, and you really should because it was awesome.

After that, we screened some films. There were three short videos about No Rest for the Wicked that I wanted to screen – the book trailer, Maddie Von Stark’s introduction and a clip of Angels appearing on World News. Following that, my colleague Matt introduced a couple of his films – first up was Rec 279, followed by I Heard It Too. You can check both of those out on Vimeo by following the links.

We had a pretty jam-packed schedule, and so I went up after that to perform some of my poems, a few of which are available on YouTube – Supernovae, Arriva #800/850 and Christmas Poem for a Saviour That Doesn’t Exist, to be precise. The poems are the easy bit, because I’ve been working on them for a while and they’re committed to memory.

 

 

Then we had my good friend Neil Denham performing some stand-up, which I unfortunately missed most of because I needed to wee, smoke and get another drink. Luckily, I caught it all on video, and so I’ve been able to watch it since. You can check that out here, if you’d like to.

Neil was followed by Unhealthy Biscuit Fascination, the musical duo of Ant and Ali Lightfoot, who performed a hybrid music and comedy set. I’ve known those two for a while, and both of them vlog on YouTube as MrHeavyhand and 0HeadlessChicken0, as well as together as Tasty Llama Yoghurt, so you should check them out!

And so it was that I rounded off the night with a set of my own songs – again, you can check some of them out on YouTube, including Yes She Does, Not the Same, All the Love and Lights.

 

 

And so, the evening ended. I had to come back the following day to pick up all of my stuff, and so I foolishly left my bag behind. Y’know, the bag with my house keys and iPad in it. Luckily, we managed to break back in to my house (nobody tell the police), and all’s good.

So there you have it – the launch party was a success! I have a bunch of new videos and photography coming your way soon, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for further updates, and to check out No Rest for the Wicked on Amazon. I’ll see you soon!

The post No Rest for the Wicked Book Launch at Arts4Every1, High Wycombe appeared first on DaneCobain.com.

Book Launch and Competition: Dane Cobain – No Rest for the Wicked

Hi, folks! Well, today’s the day – it’s the official launch day for my debut novella, a supernatural thriller called No Rest for the Wicked. I’m excited to share it with you!

You can find out more about the book on its Amazon page, or keep on reading below to see the cover and synopsis, but right now, there’s something else you ought to know about!

See, I’ve launched a competition where you could win one of three Amazon vouchers! There’ll be a £15, a £10 and a £5 voucher available, so be sure to get your entry in below:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No Rest for the Wicked: Synopsis

When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.

The Angels are naked and androgynous. They speak in a dreadful harmony with no clear leader. These aren’t biblical cherubs tasked with the protection of the righteous – these are deadly creatures of light that have the power to completely eradicate.

When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Dane Cobain – No Rest for the Wicked Cover

 

Big thanks for stopping by and for checking out No Rest for the Wicked – as always, you can find out more about the book on Amazon, or you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for further updates.

Terms and conditions:

1. The promoter is Dane Cobain.

2. Dane Cobain, his family members, or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter it.

3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.

4. Closing date for entry will be Saturday July 11th 2015. After this date, no further entries to the competition will be permitted.

5. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

6. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the case of any event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

7. The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.

8. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

9. Winners will be chosen at random using Random.org’s random number generator.

10. The winner will be notified by email and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

11. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

12. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

13. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.

14. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

15. The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the following address: Dane Cobain, 11A Amersham Hill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 6NR.

16. By entering this competition, you agree to join our mailing list to hear about future competitions as and when they’re announced.

17. Entry in to the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

18. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other social network. You are providing your information to Dane Cobain and not to any other party.

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