For many of us the Winter is a dark and, frankly, depressing time. The days grow shorter and colder and the departing light and warmth seem to take our motivation with it. Sometimes that’s alright, dialing back our efforts, ‘hibernating’ our creativity needn’t be a bad thing, but not this year, not for me. I have plans, of yes, I have plans.
2024 is a Worldcon Year, ‘But they’re all Worldcon Years?’ you might reply, ‘Yes indeed‘ I’d counter, ‘but I’m *going* to this one.’ Glasgow Worldcon 2024 will be the second of its ilk that I have attended since Dublin 2019, what with Covid scuppering my Chicon 2022 plans and all. Still, Dublin was a very successful event for me, and I’m not about to rest on my laurels and hope that I do the same again. Greater efforts reap greater rewards after all.
So, first things first, Camelot 2050 – what’s going on there then? The answer? A lot. First stop, Promotional material. My standee’s are long overdue some attention. I plan the get a single stand printed to represent the Camelot 2050 Trilogy making the best use of the artwork and quotes. Not only am I intending to update my standees but the books themselves are getting something of a tune-up. I’m doing a thorough re-edit, no major changes to story but certainly a wash and brush-up of the prose, given how much I’ve learned in the intervening time between first release and now. I’m going to find someone to revamp the covers too. Don’t worry, the stellar artwork isn’t going anywhere, but definitely the arrangement, title and blurb. It’s about time I got them up to snuff on that front. I’m also planning a range of bookmarks with QR codes to link to this very site.
Next on the docket – Riding the E-Rail, I want to have the first two books out before Worldcon opens it’s doors and I’m planning to have a big launch party for the third and final installment of the series at Glasgow itself! This is going to involve a new standee, pin-badges and possible bookmarks. At present I’m working on a simple little ‘No Humans’ design, it’s in a proto-iteration, but here’s a sneak peak…
It’s a work in progress and I have one or two ideas to make it stand out a bit more.
Of course there are my other projects that I am pushing forward with, as hard as the stern overseer we call ‘motivation’ will allow. Ruination, Rendered Flesh: Alpha Access, and the first novel in the Bentley Pennywhistle Stories are all vying for my attention right now alongside some other ideas, rather less defined as yet.
In terms of events, everything revolves around Worldcon. I’m rather hoping that the Young Adult Literature Convention returns to LFCC Summer (which will at least go some way to justifying the cost) but, beyond that I’m having to shelve a number of my regular conventions in favour of Glasgow. Portsmouth FCC is still on the calendar, as is Fantasycon, and I’m not missing *another* Bristolcon, not with new releases to offer.
I am also looking ahead to 2025 and making plans there. World Fantasycon is coming to the UK, I’m not sure what the scale or associated cost of the event is going to be, but I’m going to be there. I’m also looking at starting the application process to get into MCM events, either in London or Birmingham. At a rate of around One Book per Year I’ve got more than a decade’s worth of stories to right so I’m not too concerned about new concepts at the moment and (somewhere along the timeline) I *am* going to return to Camelot 2050. In the meantime, busy, busy, busy. There is much to do and little time to do it before August rolls around so, should I be rather more absent from this blog than ususal, I hope you’ll understand. I should have plenty to talk about next year.
David Cart-Writer 