Okay, to start with more apologies - I’ve been meaning to leave something on here for a good while now, but things have just been so hectic. Firstly, we had some pretty serious family health issues not long after my last post and between that and juggling work, days just seemed to pass me by (then weeks and months). We’d only just got over that period, when it was convention season again - and Marie and I trotted off to FantasyCon in Nottingham for the launch of Broken Arrow, then to our first ever World Fantasy Convention in San Jose, California, to launch Hellbound Hearts. We really enjoyed both, made some new friends and came back with some great memories. Before we knew it, Christmas was here. None of this meant that I stopped working, by the way - quite the opposite, in fact. I’ve managed to fit in writing the first draft of the next novel, some shorts and some scripting work. Which brings us pretty much up to date, I think.

Believe it or not, there are two more cons on the horizon - the first of which I’m a guest at, the second I’m on the committee of. The SFX Weekender is just round the corner now, less than a week away - and there looks like being about 2,500 people in attendance. I’ve just heard I’m doing a reading and Q&A session on the Saturday, plus signing stuff, and I’m also on a panel with Paul Cornell, Mark Newton and Jon Oliver, which I’m really looking forward to. You can see who else is going to be there at the website here. Then there’s World Horror down in Brighton, which promises to be the horror con to top them all (see for yourself here). I’m also launching my new novel The Gemini Factor (from Screaming Dreams) there on the Sunday, so it’ll be especially exciting for me that day.

So, what else is on the agenda this year? Well, my short novel Of Darkness and Light is released just in time for Easter and there’s a non-fiction book coming out not long after that (keep checking the journal and the Shadow Writer site for more details about this closer to its release). Plus there are a couple of very special things coming up that I can’t talk about just yet…

In terms of what we’ve been watching movies and TV-wise, we went to see Avatar as a family and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. It’s one of those moments you’ll look back on and say, ‘I was there at the birth of a new kind of cinema experience’. It was like being in the movie, and at certain points you could swear some of the characters were sitting in the audience. On TV, we’re gearing up for the start of new seasons of our favourite shows: Supernatural and Lost… sadly the last seasons of both if reports are true (definitely Lost, as it reaches the end of its arc). We also really enjoyed the new Wallanders on BBC1 and have bought a couple of the novels it’s based on - I’ve only dipped in, but they promise to be just as good, if not better.

Looking ahead, I can’t wait for both the remake of Clash of the Titans and Iron Man 2 to hit cinemas - but more on them when I’ve watched ‘em.

Anyway, it’s almost the weekend and I’m taking a couple of well-earned days off. Catch you on the other side of the Weekender when I’ll be reporting back on how it all went and also looking forward to both Valentines and my birthday

Take care of yourselves in the meantime,

Paul.

Okay, so I lied – it was slightly more than a week. But now that it’s officially official, I’m shouting from that rooftop about something that’s a bit of a dream come true for me. Those who know me know I absolutely love the Hellraiser mythology, so they’ll also appreciate how much it means for me to have co-edited (with my lovely other half, Marie, a fantastic editor in her own right) an anthology of stories based around the original novella Clive Barker wrote back in 1986. And Hellbound Hearts is that very anthology! I can’t believe the talent we got to take part, listed below in full, but somehow we did. Anyway, enough waffling, here’s the stellar line-up.

Cover art: an original Cenobite Clive has painted specifically for Hellbound Hearts, called Vestimenti.

Foreword:Clive Barker
Introduction: Raising Hell, Again by Stephen Jones
Prisoners of the Inferno by Peter Atkins
The Cold by Conrad Williams
The Confessor’s Tale by Sarah Pinborough
Hellbound Hollywood by Mick Garris
Mechanisms by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola (illustrated by Mike Mignola)
Every Wrong Turn by Tim Lebbon
The Collector by Kelley Armstrong
Bulimia by Richard Christian Matheson
Orfeo the Damned by Nancy Holder
Our Lord of Quarters by Simon Clark
Wordsworth by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
A Little Piece of Hell by Steve Niles
The Dark Materials Project by Sarah Langan
Demon’s Design by Nicholas Vince
Only The Blind Survive by Yvonne Navarro
Mother’s Ruin by Mark Morris
Sister Cilice by Barbie Wilde
Santos del Infierno by Jeffrey J. Mariotte
The Promise by Nancy Kilpatrick
However… by Gary A. Braunbeck and Lucy A. Snyder
‘Tis Pity He’s Ashore by Chaz Brenchley

Afterword by Doug Bradley

Special Bonus Material: Wordsworth Graphic short story Original Script by Neil Gaiman.

How cool is all that, eh? Very I’d say. Word is spreading rapidly through the net and elsewhere, so I thought I’d better post something on here too. If you want to know more, though, you can read an interview with me on the Fangoria site here

Words can’t describe how excited I am right now

More soon,
Paul.

Another apology due for the radio silence - as I mentioned last time this is because I’m busy working away behind the scenes on some pretty major projects at the moment, one of which we should be able to unleash on the world this very week! It’s an exciting time, but also extremely hectic. I’ve just sent off my fourth book of the year - this one non-fiction, which meant I had to deal with all the images as well. And there are more to deliver before the end of the year, too. All good stuff. Of course, one of the major releases in a few months is the sequel to Arrowhead, Broken Arrow - the edits of which have just come back from Jon and I’m steadily working through this week. But, as I do, I can’t help noticing the similarities between this fictional world and the real one at the moment. In the Afterblight universe I’m writing about a civilisation brought to its knees by a deadly virus, while out there in the real world… well, you get my drift. Now, I’m not saying that the post apocalyptic world of the Afterblight is coming true, just that it’s scary how frighteningly close to it we could be at any given time; that all we hold dear, people we love, could be gone in a matter of weeks and months. It’s the reason, I guess, that the series resonates so much with readers - and the reason why heroes such as Robert, emerging from the ashes of the disaster, are so loved. They give us all hope ultimately.

That’s not to say I’ve just been sat around contemplating the state of the world recently. We watched and absolutely loved Torchwood: Children of Earth when it was on. Strong writing and characterisation made this a must see TV event, and it’s not often that happens these days. There were also some very tough story decisions made and I for one applaud the writers for doing so. Torchwood finally came into its own with this season, out from under the shadow of Who, and gave us some riveting telly. No wonder it was pulling in 6 million viewers…

Speaking of which, pictures have now been released of new Dr Who Matt Smith as everyone’s fave iconic time traveller and is it just me or does the costume look a little bit like Indy’s dad’s? Still, this might only be part of the get-up and it’ll be interesting to see the rest - as indeed it will to watch Smith’s take on the character. Roll on the new year!

Finally, we’re taking Jen to see the new Harry Potter film soon. I’ve heard mixed things about this one - primarily about the slow nature of some of the scenes filling in the back history of Voldemort. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve seen it, but by all indications this one is setting up the finale as a really dark and thrilling ride. We can but hope.

That’s it for now, will check back in when I can actually talk about that thing I’m not allowed to talk about quite yet. In fact I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops

Till then, adios for now,

Paul.

So where did those five months go, eh? I can only apologise again for more blog silence and, in my defence, say that while I’ve haven’t been on here I’ve been seriously busy beavering away on projects that I think you’ll be very happy with when they come out this year and early next.

For starters, I’ve been finishing off the sequel to Arrowhead: Broken Arrow. I completed the first draft in Feb and have been editing over the last couple of months. That just went off to Jon at Abaddon last week, so now I await his wise words with bated breath. On top of that I’ve been co-editing a very exciting project for Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster) with my better half Marie - it’s almost done now bar the shouting so expect some announcements soon. It’s a pretty big deal for us because it’s world rights, and we’ve been working with some of the top names in the genre (pinch yourself time). So hang tight for more info on that.

I’ve just about had time to draw breath before launching into the final stages of two non-fiction projects (one on my own, the other with Marie) that have been ongoing for a couple of years. Again, more about those when I’m allowed to announce. All this has been on top of several short story commissions, teaching my Wednesday night class, and the normal smattering of reviews, plus putting together the latest Terror Tales antho with my good friend John B. Ford. Those of you who’ve visited the SW site for the two updates this month will also know about the exciting news regarding my script of The Opportunity, which filmed earlier this year. The guys are out in Cannes as I type this and are having a great time promoting it. I’ve also joined the World Horror Convention 2010 committee as Hospitality / Events liason. James Herbert has just been announced as our Special Guest of Honour, so as you can imagine I’m very excited about that.

Okay, ‘excuses’ over with We did find time to go and see Wolverine recently, which I thought was okay but not a patch on the X-Men movies, and we’re off to see Angels and Demons and Star Trek this week, followed by Terminator 4 soon (is it me or are there so many more ‘must see’ films on this year than ever before?).

I’m hoping to check back in sooner here, though, but of course you can always keep track of what’s happening in my world on the news section of my site - which, I’m delighted to say, so many of you do! Thanks for all the visits - you lot keep me going and give me the push to carry on doing what I’m doing (and I’m sure I also speak for Marie there, as well).

Right, time to get on. Speak to you all in the not too distant.

Laters,

Paul.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing - life never is. As well as dealing with illnesses in our own families, we’ve mourned the passing of my best friend’s wife (the funeral, just recently, was heartbreaking even though it gave us all a chance to celebrate her life as well). Like a lot of people, we’ve found ourselves tightening our belts because of the financial situation in the world, but are still thankful that we can make a living doing what we love. Not many folk get to say that.

So, I think it’s important as one year ends and another begins, that we all think about what truly has meaning in our lives. The highs and lows make it what it is, and the people we share these things with… well, we’re very lucky to have them. I know as I sit here writing this I feel like the richest man in the world because I have friends and family who love me; and I can’t begin to describe how much I love them too.

I hope everyone reading this and who visits my site has a wonderful, safe and happy Christmas. Never take it for granted and savour those special moments cos they never come round again.

See you next year,

Paul.

Been a few weeks so I thought I’d nip on again, basically to talk about the amount of new genre shows on our screens in the UK at the moment. The new series of Heroes began recently on BBC 2 (and 3 if, like me, you can’t wait for the next episode and have to see it a week in advance). Hitting the ground running, it got straight into the action by having Sylar unzip Claire’s head and steal her power, Peter coming back from the future to try and stop the Heroes being revealed and hunted down, and the villainous inmates of Level 5 being released. Stepping up a gear from the plodding, but still intriguing, second season, the show has returned to what made it such a phenomenon in the first year…

Adding to the US shows we’re getting over here pretty soon after their airing in the States is JJ (Lost, Cloverfield) Abrams’ Fringe on Sky One, starring Anna Torv and Dawson Creek’s Joshua Jackson as members of an organisation who investigate strange occurences on the ‘fringes of science’ (hence the name, geddit?). The pilot had the crew and passengers of a doomed flight (what is it about Abrams and planes?) suddenly contracting a disease and melting. A cracking start to the series I’d say! With good characterisation and intelligent plots, this is an X-Files for the 21st Century - in fact it’s more X-Files than the X-Files movie was!

Marie and I have also been getting into The Sci-Fi Channel’s latest offering, Eli Stone, starring our very own Jonny Lee Miller (from Trainspotting). Playing the eponymous character of the series, Miller is a lawyer who suddenly discovers he has the powers of a prophet - which also apparently include seeing George Michael singing ‘Faith’ in his living room for some reason. These, naturally, help him win his cases in court. The downside is that it’s all being caused by a brain tumour inherited from his father…bummer. A sort of Ally McBeal with a hint of Dead Zone, this is fluffy - but fun - stuff which should appeal to fans of programmes like Pushing Up Daisies.

As if all that wasn’t enough, we’ve also recently caught the end of the second season of Dexter, which went out with a bang…quite literally. If you haven’t watched any episodes of this show, I can’t recommend it highly enough - it’s expertly written, acted and produced, with a brilliant main turn by Michael C. Hall as everyone’s favourite serial killer with a heart…usually someone else’s, in his hand. Plus, we’ve been re-watching various series like Farscape, Buffy and Life On Mars (my stepson Joe missed this the first time around and now loves the Gene Genie… so much so that we’ve just had to buy Ashes to Ashes too).

Who needs to find time to write? Er…and edit/do articles/reviews/teach? (Paul whistles quietly to himself…) But seriously, it has been a busy few weeks since FCon, including last minute proofing on a couple of books coming out in the next two or three months… a new collection and a novella. Plus I’ve been working hard on a non-fiction project that’s quite close to my heart and loving every minute of it.

Contracts have also just arrived for a major project I’m working on with a tentative launch date of this time next year. I’m extremely excited about this because it’s a collaborative effort and I’m thrilled and honoured to be working with the people I’m working with (in fact I’m pinching myself on a daily basis). Should be able to say something soon about it, but until then I’ll leave you all in suspenders as they say.

Just time to say if you haven’t entered the competition on my site yet, why not? We’re giving away lots of book goodies and the response so far has been staggering. You still have a little time before the November 15th deadline, but don’t leave it too long or you might miss out…

Till next time movers and groovers,

See ya,

Paul.

Have finally recovered enough to blog about FantasyCon 2008. It was hard work running the con with my better half, but well worth it as it seems to have gone down a storm with the punters. Couldn’t get to any of the panels, readings or whatever, because I was rushing about making sure things ran smoothly, but I had a great time at the launch of Arrowhead on Saturday at noon (a piece about which is also on the Abaddon blog here with piccie) and also interviewing Dave McKean (the look on his face when I asked him the question I’d got from Neil Gaiman was priceless ). The two curries (one on Friday with two of the GoH’s and MC Chris Fowler, one on Sunday with Martin, Helen and Steve Volk - who has the ability to have me in stitches instantly) were also a major highlight of the weekend.

Have to admit, I’m looking forward to getting down to the personal projects I’ve got on the boil at the moment, now that I’m no longer FCon co-organiser/BFS Committee/Special Publications Editor, but I’ll never forget the standing ovation Marie and I got at the AGM on the Sunday morning. And for anyone who asks, I had something in my eye, okay?

I’m also left with a little bit more time to read now, and I’m starting with an advance review copy of Neil’s Graveyard Book, which I’m happy to report is absolutely stunning (as is Dave’s artwork on the front and inside). Telling the story of a boy who is orphaned as a baby and brought up in a graveyard by the dead, I’m really looking forward to finishing this off.

That’s all for now, but don’t forget there’s an update of the site next week - with a very special Guest Writer - and there’s more news on some very exciting future projects coming soon, so keep checking here and on my news page.

Abyssinia,

Paul.

We went to see the new X-Files movie last night and I felt compelled to leave something about it on my blog. I’ve been a fan of the series since it first started, when we began getting it on Sky One all those years ago not long after it aired in the States. So, like many other folk, I’ve followed Mulder and Scully through all their highs and their lows, through mainstream acceptance (hey, where were all you guys during seasons 1 and 2?), the height of its popularity when the first film came out (that’s what I call a cinema experience!) right up to its inevitable and gradual descent into confusion with the aliens plotline, as Mulder and Scully got together - always the kiss of death for a series revolving around a ‘will they, won’t they?’ premise - and then pretty much left the sinking ship.

After six years off the air, I believe there was a real need for an X-Files movie. Something to bring it back to its glory days, something involving a supernatural occurence or a good old-fashioned monster hunt! A pity, then, that what we were given was a film that had barely anything to do with The X-Files at all. In fact, ‘The X-Files’ do not even exist in the film - the department is not brought back, neither Mulder nor Scully are reinstated - they’re not even armed! At least in the show they had some form of protection; the closest they come to that here is Mulder waving around a wrench.

If an excuse was needed to bring back the duo, it should have been a damned sight bigger than a missing agent and Billy Connolly. Like a Kraken out at sea or something (I was still hoping for something like this right up to the very end with the post credits ‘extra’ but all we got was a little wave from M & S). There was no real need for Mulder to even be on this case, apart from the tenuous link that he’d ‘dealt with psychics before’. What exactly did he do, other than hang around with the other FBI Officers? And Scully appeared to be labouring under the misapprehension she was in an episode of Chicago Hope. How and why would a career FBI agent like her suddenly turn into a female Dr Kildare? Yes, you can argue she’s trying to escape from ‘the darkness’ but it’s just not her character’s thing. And the way Mulder and Scully’s relationship was handled (with a rather clumsy attempt to wrong foot the audience about what happened after the show, which I won’t go into for those of you who haven’t yet seen the movie) was a contortion of the one we knew and loved. For the most part, I Want To Believe could have substituted any male and female character for Mulder and Scully and we wouldn’t have known the difference. As a thriller it was a good idea, albeit an incredibly slow burn with few action set pieces to move it along, but as a part of The X-Files mythology I’m afraid this one completely missed the mark in my opinion.

Much better was the preview of BBC’s upcoming supernatural TV series, Apparitions, which we were lucky enough to see over the weekend. Written and directed by Ultraviolet’s Joe Ahearne, this stars Martin Shaw as an exorcist battling people who have been possessed. It’s absolutely gripping TV, full of good characterisation, excellent dialogue and jaw-dropping moments of pure horror. I urge any genre fan to catch this when it airs later on in the year; if you don’t, you’ll really, really regret it.

Talk soon,

Paul.

Well, my episode of Fear Itself has come and gone - and I sat nervously waiting on what people thought (actually I slept nervously as the episode was screening over in the US and I’m here in good old Derbyshire ) And for the most part fans seemed to have enjoyed it, which is good. I’m still waiting to see it myself but when that DVD comes I’m going to have one hell of a pizza night in with Marie and the kids. It’s always been a bit of a dream to have something I’ve written adapted and made for the screen, so I feel pretty damned lucky at the moment.

Back in the real world, when not working we’ve managed to grab a few hours to watch the superbly dark League of Gentlemen (for me a rewatch, for Marie the first time). I’d forgotten just how disturbing this BBC comedy series was in places, though hilariously funny with it. The truly unnerving thing about it all is that the show was filmed not too far away from us. Every time I go in the nearby shop I keep expecting someone to ask me: “Are you local?”

We’ve also just started watching Carnivale again, which was a mind-blowingly excellent genre show from HBO in the states. Only one episode viewed so far, but already I’m looking forward to the next - it’s been long enough for me to forget little touches here and there. But I do remember the finale was a corker!

Finally getting round too seeing The Dark Knight this weekend. Can’t wait.

Look out for a update of the site this week too in time for August.

Till next time, adios,

Paul.

Just had to leave a quick post today to mark the occasion. Only really got one thing to say, though.

Very, very, very excited.

Take it easy,

Paul.