pornokitsch

Gail Carriger, who we seem to name-check daily, just shared a brilliant column: Advice for Hosting an Author Event, with an emphasis on genre writers. Brilliantly timed for us, as the Pornokitsch team are stepping off the sidelines and throwing our first launch party in May. (No, not our book, but it is a proper book from a properly-published proper author. Consider this foreshadowing.)

The Week in Geek (Feb. 15 - 21)

Here's what you may have missed this week in geek!

Gail Carriger outed herself as a fan of Pornokitsch favorite John D. MacDonald.  Viva la Travis!

Joe Abercrombie interviewed Chris McGrath, the artist responsible for the controversial cover art on the reissues of his First Law trilogy.  What follows is an absolutely fascinating look at what kind of control artists and authors have over their cover art (short answer: not much) and suggest that, once again, the power responsible for all those perplexing decisions that have long left book geeks shaking their heads in confusion is the marketing department.

The Pornokitsch editorial staff discovered (and spent countless hours exploring) Fallen London. Don't laugh - Jared's Dangerous (actually, not that Dangerous. But very Watchful), and Anne's got a dead rat on a string.

Kate Beaton (Never Learn Anything from History) has posted the second in her ongoing series "A Book by its Gorey Cover," in which she revisits novels (in comic form) for which Pornokitsch favorite Edward Gorey designed covers long ago.

Mark Charan Newton inspired an great conversation in his blog about grittiness in modern fantasy novels, both what it is and what it means as a marketing and as a psychological category.  And if you feel like giving one of his stories a spin - literally - he's invited readers to "remix" something he's written to see what they might come up with.

London's Prince Charles Cinema is making a strong case for its inclusion on the Pornokitsch London GeekMap with this week's double-bill of Aliens and Predator.  (There were costumes!)

James Purefoy (Rome, Solomon Kane) looked foxy at Forbidden Planet. Very. Foxy.

Peter V Brett (The Painted Man, Desert Spear) gave our London GeekMap a thumbs up on Twitter - saying it'll be handy on his upcoming April visit. Celebrity endorsement AND advance news of Desert Spear signings? Awesome.

Underground Reading: Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

I'm an avid reader of the vintage tea cozy mystery, from the inspired puzzles of Agatha Christie to the quiet grace of GK Chesterton's books to the sublime "novels-with-detective-interruptions" of Dorothy L. Sayers (my all-time favorite author).  As prolific as many of those authors were, however, they just aren't writing any more books.  So I occasionally pick up modern tea cozies, in the great good hope that I might have found another author or series to help stretch out the time in between rereading Gaudy Night.

Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series has not proven to be such a stopgap.

SFX Weekender Post-script: Young Adult Fiction Panel

A little less than a year ago, Jared and I attended the Sci Fi London's literary panel "Writing Young Adult Fiction."  Although fascinating, the event had a few major weaknesses, mainly an overwhelming moderator and an overstuffed panel. 

The young adult fiction panel at SFX's Weekender, however, shared none of these problems. 

In case you haven't noticed, quite a few people made it to the SFX Weekender. Paul Cornell, Joe Abercrombie, Mark Charan Newton, Abaddon's David Moore, Stephen Deas, Den Patrick and the Geek Syndicate all have something to say. Plus us. Twice. 

Post-Script: SFX Weekender, Feb 2010

The interblogspacesnets are already filled with reviews of the first SFX Weekender, so I'll do my best to keep this concise. For our two cents on the lodging & general environment, check out Anne's notes (and photos) earlier.

The SFX Weekender is a promising event that could, and should, improve with time and practice. Ultimately, we had a fantastic time this past weekend: good intentions and great people overshadowed a few pesky flaws.

You can stop right there, or press on to find some lengthier rambling after the jump. All, of course, from the bookgeekish point of view.

SFX Weekender: The Other Side

In the days to come we will be posting all sorts of luscious details about our weekend away in Camber, Sussex.  (For example!  We met the author of Doctor Screw!)  For tonight, however, Pornokitsch is delighted to bring you a few photos of the non-geeky bits - or, in some cases, the less geeky bits - of the SFX Weekender.

Gail Carriger x Sartorial Excellence

The courageous Gail Carriger comes out and says what needs to be said. Folks, don't wear pajamas to conventions:

You are disrespecting the authors and presenters (if you're a fan) and the fans (if you're an author), not to mention all the other important individuals who have arranged for and attended the event (con organizers, editors, agents, producers, actors). Most importantly, you are shaming yourself and the SF/F industry as a whole. Yes you are. Suck. It. Up.

It isn't all vitriol and shame - she offers tips & links to snazzy, geeky fashion advice. We all don't have to look like Lord Akeldama, but, as she points out, there's still no excuse for an 'untended beard'.

Post-Script: Art Spiegelman @ Kansas City, 1996ish

Finding this image reminded me of an Art Spiegelman reading/signing in Kansas City, over a decade ago (yikes).

The occasion was UMKC's annual Cockefair Lecture. Given the lecture's history of getting big name speakers, the crowd consisted of Ladies Who Lunch and me (wide-eyed and clutching my sister's copy of Maus).

Spiegelman promptly shocked the bejeezus out of everyone by giving a fantastic, forty-five minute lecture about all the New Yorker covers he'd done that got banned. With illustrations. 

Upcoming Signings: Paul Hoffman & Jasper Fforde

Both Paul Hoffman & Jasper Fforde are coming to Forbidden Planet (London) next week. 

Hoffman's The Left Hand of God is the author's first fantasy novel, and has been highly lauded. He'll be at FP on Thursday, 14 January - 6 to 7 pm.

Jasper Fforde is a fantasy regular - Shades of Grey is the first book in his newest series. Done with fairy tales & literary silliness, his new series is set in a color-based dystopia (reminds me of Paranoia). He's dropping by FP on Monday, 18 January - 6 to 7 pm.