Can you hear me at the back?

I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't, as I'm a little hoarse. "Naaayyy!"I hear you say.

I do the jokes, buddy.

Games Day. Well, that happened. It was great too, but the sheer scale of it was so vast and the ambient noise so loud, I had to shout to make myself heard all day and was left with little or no ability to speak ("Hoorah!" they cry). Thank you in huge great big dollops to everyone who came and queued for the signings, everyone who had a question or a comment, everyone who said hello, and everyone, basically. Also an especially shout out to Steve, who brought his custom built Blood Pact army to show me. Pictures of this must be distributed to all immediately. It was fantastic. Badger Guy Haley at White Dwarf until he does a feature on it (well, don't ACTUALLY badger him, just an odd email request, maybe).

There are pictures of Games Day and a report on the BL boards. Go look.

In other news...

Hello, my name is Cal Hamilton. I include that piece of information for the benefit of readers of the recent Malone strip on 2000AD. I didn't use a fake name to be sly, I just thought people would guess Malone's secret right off the bat if they knew I'd written it. Seems to have gone down well, anyway. Standing ovation for Simon Coleby, for the fantastic moody art.

Games Day this weekend. Are we excited yet? 10,000 people in one room, united by their love of Warhammer. Apparently, after last year, the NEC has insisted on crowd-control crash barriers to cope with the queues that form at my signing session. When I was told this, I thought they were joking. Then I felt very famous for about, oooh, ten seconds. Then I got over myself.

This week, Dan's been reading H.P. Lovecraft: Against The World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq (which he believes is essential reading for any fan of Lovecraft OR fantasy fiction); he's been watching the final series of The West Wing (which he thinks is probably the TV show that all the other TV shows in the history of TV shows have been evolutionary steps towards): and he's been listening to Out Of State Plates by Fountains of Wayne (just plain good, and a brilliant cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time. Honestly).

They say truth is stranger than fiction. Here's proof. At Steve Irwin's funeral, they had the word CRIKEY spelled out as a floral tribute. You couldn't make that up.

An Eventful Life

Just a reminder about the Abnett/McNeill/Swallow super-signing at Watford GW this coming Saturday (the 9th) from 1 PM.

And while we're on events, Forbidden Planet has asked me to sign the hot off the presses Armour of Contempt (Gaunt #10) hardback (and the equally hot off the presses His Last Command paperback edition) on Saturday the 21st of October, from 1PM, at their flagship store on Shaftsbury Avenue. I'll be there an hour or so at least. The last FP signing was fun, so come along and make this one funner.

Then of course, the big one, Games Day '06 at the NEC Birmingham, Sunday the 24th September. Everyone's going to be there, including the God-Emperor of Mankind, Abaddon, Sigmar, and the guy recently arrested for setting the Galaxy alight in the first place.

Other news... still can't tell you about the Very Exciting Project I've just started working on, though I will be able to soon. If I keep writing sentences like that, I'll soon have devised the anti-blog.

He's back, and so soon

Hey, look at me blogging. I’m like all bloggy now. Two blogs in a week, come on.

Actually, I figured out why I haven’t blogged that often, and it’s got nothing (ah, well, little) to do with work pressure.

It’s because I can’t think of anything to say. I’m torn between the fear that I just don’t have an interesting enough life, and the concern that blogging should actually be called “Boy, do I like the sound of my own voice-ing.” To illustrate, what have I done recently? What have I done today? I cooked meatballs, and went out underwear shopping with my wife. The underwear was for her, though I suppose I have a vested interest, but I was really only there to offer some company.

See? It’s not very interesting is it? If I blogged every day it would be like “Got up. Found cat in bath. Saw the man from number 75 on his way to work. Thought about dimetrodons. Ate blueberries...” The most interesting thing that’s happening right now is that I intend to start work on my next novel tonight. I’ve got that pre-project, anticipatory buzz on. Unfortunately, due to a pesky confidentiality agreement, I can’t tell you anything about it. So that’s the blogging well and truly stuffed.

Oh, well. At least I’m trying. Think, think, what else? I just reread The Inferno by Fred and Geoffrey Hoyle (excellent, and accidentally apropos, given the news reports about that supernova) and The Outward Urge by John Wyndham and Lucas Parkes (also excellent). I started watching the second season of Battlestar (a whole different level of excellent - and no bloody spoilers, please!). I noted the demise of Airfix (not at all excellent) and discovered that as my next Dr Who audio for Big Finish is likely to be recorded in Manchester, I’m unlikely to be able to attend the sessions (disappointing).

Still, the meatballs were good.


P.S. Quote of the month - my daughter, of superheroes and their superpowers: “I always thought I ought to be able to fly... or at least bounce.