HumberSFF #7 SOCIAL ON YOUR SOFA

It’s not often you get the chance to invite authors into your house but this time, that’s exact what were doing. Stay home AND stay social.

We think it’s time to be social again, but we want to keep you safe. So…we’re attempting a virtual tour. September’s guests all hail from the north of the M62 and represent of the spectrum offered by Speculative Fiction.

For HumberSFF 7 you must register with us to attend.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

So grab your favourite snack, pour yourself a drink and join us on your sofa.

Our guests for HumberSFF are:

Horror, Science Fiction Author and Editor Tim Major

Our tour starts in York, home of Tim Major. Tim has written stories published by genre giants such as Interzone, Fox Spirit, and Shoreline of Infinity, as well as in The Best of British collections from NewCon Press. Tim will be reading from his supernatural mystery novel Hope Island, recently published by Titan Books, as well as his YA novel Machineries of Mercy by Luna Press.

https://cosycatastrophes.com/

Genre-Spanning Author Joe Hakim

 

Anchoring back in Hull, Joe Hakim’s novel The Community was nominated for a British Science Fiction Award. Joe’s non-fiction and poetry work has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and at festivals around the UK. His most recent work, Extra Life, is a musical spoken word extravaganza which was part of this year’s Hull Freedom Festival.

https://joehakimwriter.weebly.com/

Steampunk and Crime Author Keith W Dickinson

 

Completing our scenic tour of the region’s genre talent – and stretching north east a bit – our third guest is Keith W Dickinson. Shortlisted for the Lindisfarne Prize in 2019 for crime fiction, Keith’s debut steampunk novel Dexter & Sinister: Dectecting Agents was launched as part of Lincoln’s Steampunk 2020 festival.

https://keithwdickinson.com/

Shona Kinsella’s novella, Flame and the Flood, was published this summer by award winning Fox Spirit Books. The sequel to her 2018 Science Fantasy novel, Ashael Rising, will be out soon from the superb Scottish publisher Stirling Press. Shona also edits the British Fantasy Society’s fiction journal, Horizons.

https://www.shonakinsella.com

Even our raffle is going socially distant. We’re working with local independent bookshops J E Books, (Hull) Portal Bookshop (York) and The Rabbit Hole (Brigg) to give away 1 copy of each author’s most recent book.

Our meet will be using Google Meet. It is simple to use and free to access (https://meet.google.com/). We will forward access details to ticket holders closer to the event, so we must ask you to register to attend.

All HumberSFF events are free, and we’ve done our best to keep it as safe as we can. If you would like to support Humbersff please use our Kofi donation page (https://ko-fi.com/humberspeculativefiction).

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HumberSFF #6 Anna Smith Spark, Jane O’Reilly, Eli Allison

This International Women’s Day join us as we celebrate female authors within the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror genres and enjoy the tasty delights of the award winning White Rabbit Chocolatiers.

MARCH 7th. 5.30pm

Click HERE to reserve your seat now. Space is very limited.

Anna Smith Spark

…is the author of the critically acclaimed grimdark epic fantasy trilogy Empires of Dust. The David Gemmell Awards shortlisted The House of Sacrifice is out now with HarperVoyager/Orbit.

The Empires of Dust Trilogy by Anna Smith Spark

http://courtofbrokenknives.org/

Jane O’Reilly

The Second Species Series

…is the author of numerous contemporary and erotic romances published by Harlequin Escape and Carina UK. Blue Planet, the third book in her science fiction series, Second Species Trilogy will be available in March 2020.

https://www.janeoreilly.co.uk/

Eli Allison

Sour Fruit by Eli Allison

Eli Allison’s vibrantly realised post-apocalyptic genre-busting debut isn’t set in 2017—or, at least, not the one we lived through—but it shows all the energy that city displayed while it was the UK city of culture. Only, turned to the bad. It may be set in the near future, or it may exist in an alternative now.

Reserve your free seat via our Eventbrite page by clicking here.

Coming Soon….

Sorry to keep you waiting for your next Science Fiction/Horror/Fantasy fix…

 

We’ve found a great looking Hull indie bookseller J. E Books…
…and another one!

We’ve found a new venue. (we hope.)

We’re bribing authors with coffee and cake(and possibly beer…)

And now we’re looking at our schedule…

HumberSFF#5 Daniel Godfrey, RJ Barker and Ren Warom

Yes, we’ve been on autopilot for a while. The good news is we found another port of call.  This time you’ll find us at Hull Waterstones, on November 10th 2018 from 4.30pm.

Waterstones cafe will be serving refreshments for you to enjoy.

As Waterstones will be letting us stay out late (whoo-hoo, bookshop lock in!) we must ask that you reserve a seat. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  Although our format has altered slightly the quality and talent of our guests has not.  There is a limited availability due to space restrictions. Don’t miss this one. Book here.

Our guests for Humber SFF 5 are:

Daniel Godfrey

(New Pompeii, Empire of Time, Synapse Sequence – Titan Books)

Our very first guest returns – we must be doing something right. Since his last visit, his time travel novel New Pompeii was nominated for a British Fantasy Award, and he’s had two further books published. AI and algorithms are responsible for keeping crime incheck in his latest tale. Frighteningly close to being fact not fiction, we think Synapse Sequence, his third novel with Titan Books may be his best yet. Crime meets Science Fiction and Thriller – there’s a reason why the critics are comparing him with Michael Crichton.

http://www.daniel-godfrey.com/

Ren Warom

( Escapology, Virology –Titan Books. The Lonely Dark –Fox Spirit Books. Like Wheels For Wings – Fox Spirit Books – late 2018. Coil, Apex Publishing – 2019.)

We’re really excited to be able to bring Ren Warom to Hull. Her work can be found on Tor.com as well as the novels and numerous short stories she has set loose in the world.

We understand that there is more to come from her vivid and captivating writings in 2019 as well. Ren Warom’s science fiction is supported by knowledgeable and informative blog on mental health.

https://renwaromsumwelt.wordpress.com/

R.J Barker

(Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins, King of Assassins – Orbit)

 

Having played in a rock band before deciding he was a rubbish musician, RJ returned to his first love, fiction, to find he is rather better at that. Books in RJ Barker’s The Wounded Kingdom Series have been shortlisted for the Gemmell Awards, The Clarke Awards, The British Fantasy Awards to name a few. Featuring Girton, a club-footed assassin, we think you’ll agree the series is a fun and entertaining read.

https://www.rjbarker.com

 

HumberSFF4 Peter Crowther & Ramsey Campbell

On May 27th at 1pm the James Reckitt Reading Room at Hull Central Library will be the atmospheric surroundings for HumberSFF4.

HumberSFF is excited to be able to host Peter Crowther and Ramsey Campbell as our guests.

The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes Ramsey Campbell as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer”. He has been given more awards than any other writer in the field, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild and the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for outstanding services to literature.

The Searching Dead Tray Case Cover

 

The Edwardian reading room is ideal for Ramsey Campbell’s reading of the Lovcraftian inspired novel The Searching Dead. It is the first in a trilogy published by PS Publishing.

Ramsey Campbell recently returned to the Brichester Mythos for his novella The Last Revelation of Gla’aki. His new trilogy The Three Births of Daoloth further develops the cosmic horrors he invented in his first published book, The Inhabitant of the Lake. The Searching Dead is the first volume, to be followed by Born to the Dark.

SYNOPSIS (THE SEARCHING DEAD):

Dominic Sheldrake has never forgotten his childhood in fifties Liverpool or the talk an ld boy of his grammar school gave about the First World War. When his history teacher took the class on a field trip to France it promised to be an adventure, not the first of a series of glimpses of what lay in wait for the world.

The Searching Dead Hard Cover

Soon Dominic would learn that a neighbour was involved in practices far older and darker than spiritualism, and stumble on a secret journal that hinted at the occult nature of the universe. How could he and his friends Roberta and Jim stop what was growing under a church in the midst of the results of the blitz? Dominic used to write tales of their exploits, but what they face now could reduce any adult to less than a child…

 

For Science Fiction fans, Peter Crowther will be reading from his short story collection: Songs of Leaving.

Peter Crowther is the recipient of numerous awards for his writing, his editing and, as publisher, for the hugely successful PS Publishing (now including the Stanza Press poetry subsidiary, the Drugstore Indian Press paperback line and PS Artbooks, a specialist imprint dedicated to the comics field). As well as being widely translated, his short stories have been adapted for TV on both sides of the Atlantic and collected in The Longest Single Note, Lonesome Roads, Songs of Leaving, Cold Comforts, The Spaces Between the Lines and The Land at the End of the Working Day. He is the co-author (with James Lovegrove) of Escardy Gap and The Hand That Feeds, and author of the Forever Twilight SF/horror cycle and By Wizard Oak.

He lives and works (and still reads a lot of comicbooks!) with his wife and business partner, Nicky on the Yorkshire coast of England.

REVIEWS (SONGS OF LEAVING):

“Crowther’s collection opens with a magnificent homage to Ray Bradbury, ‘Some Burial Place, vast and Dry’ (the title is one of several references to Whitman), in which the last survivor of a lost colony remembers his home and is visited by it. Despite that tough first act, the quality of what follows remains consistent. These lovely and thoughtful stories are speculative fiction at pretty much its best, conjuring self-contained worlds that for all the stories’ brevity, teem with life.”

—Booklist
“The best of the 12 mostly SF stories in this collection from British author Crowther evoke a genuine sense of wonder and offer near miraculous restoration of hope. Like Ray Bradbury, who is intentionally invoked, Crowther enchants as he tells deceptively simple tales of eternal truths.”

—Publishers Weekly

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As always there’ll be the chance to ask questions and a free raffle. Books have been provided by TorUK, and The British Fantasy Society. There will also be an after-event at The Old English Gentleman with complimentary food, places are limited both at the pub and the library, so please book!

This will be our last HumberSFF for a while, so don’t miss out!

It’s all go!

If you missed our Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy event on April 25th, guest Linda Acaster has summed up the afternoon nicely on her blog.

It’s the season for books, (it’s always the season for books!)  and there are plenty of genre authors making themselves known in our region, our sibling social in Sheffield has a handy round up of where you can find  Robyn Hobb, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ben Aaronovitch, and Anna Smith-Spark. 

But if you don’t want to wander too far from home, our next meet up happens on 27th May. Hull Central Library is once again allowing us to cause genre chaos without hushing us, and there may even be free food at the after event! We’ve two genre masters Peter Crowther and Ramsey Campbell  so  WE STRONGLY ADVISE RESERVING A SEAT! *

We’ll have more on the next Humber SFF soon!

 

*The comfy seats are disappearing fast!

 

HumberSFF#3 Women in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Humber SFF is back with its free get-together for those interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. Once again held at Hull Central Library’s James Reckitt Reading Room, this time we’re tying Hull’s strong female influence with the City of Culture’s second season Roots and Routes.

On April 15^th we’ll be celebrating Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy with three female authors covering a range of sub genres.

Linda Acaster is part of the successful Hornsea Writers Group. Linda has written over 70 short stories, as well as reading for a literacy consultancy. Linda will be reading from Torc of Moonlight. The first in a paranormal romance which draws from Hull’s history and merges with mythical lore.

Rugby fan Jo Thomas writes both Science Fiction and Fantasy as knowing how to handle a sword. Jo will be reading from 25 Ways to Kill a Werewolf, the first book in the Elkie Bernstein trilogy published by the award winning Fox Spirit Books.

 

Suzanne Jackson hails from Selby and will be reading from her debut novel The Beguiler, a fantasy romance from Venus Ascending.

Humber SFF provides the opportunity to meet others who love the fantasy and speculative fiction genres, and to discover new books. The social gathering is backed by the British Fantasy Society and the British Science Fiction Association. Anyone who enjoys reading or wants to write Fantasy or Science Fiction HumberSFF offers opportunity to discover what’s happening in the industry and make contacts with others who work within it.

All three authors will be reading from their latest works, signing copies of their books as well as answering questions. The event will start at 1pm and also features the opportunity to win a range of Science Fiction and Fantasy books in a free raffle.

Reserve a seat and let us know you’ll be there too!

Humber SFF#2 Made In Hull

We’re really excited to be holding our next FREE event  at Hull Central Library from 1pm February 25th. Check out their Science Fiction and Fantasy offerings, along side their digital library they  have an impressively up to date collection with plenty of the classics too.

Three authors will be our guests, each of whom have award-worthy reputations.

Jim Hawkins’ screenplay was nominated for a BAFTA, but he will be reading from his latest collection Fragments of Tomorrow. Jim’s prose work has regularly appeared in “The Best Of ” styled anthologies and his short stories can regularly be found in Interzone, one of the UK’s leading genre magazines. Jim inspired new writing for both screen and novel through the Hull University’s Creative Writing Degree. You can find more aboutJim Hawkins on his author page

 

Lee Harrison’s debut fantasy novel, The Bastard Wonderland, was recently featured on the Not the Booker Prize Longlist, a real coup for a Hull-based genre author. Lee is currently working with First Story promoting literacy within schools in the area. Discover more about him here: http://www.thebastardwonderland.com/

 

 

 

 

Sheffield based author Steven Poore’s novel, Heir to the North, was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award, winning many over with his writing style. The High King’s Vengeance is the second in the Malessar’s Curse series. Several of Steven Poore’s short stories have been published by the award winning Fox Spirit Books and most recently with Woodbridge Press.  You can find out more about him on his website: https://stevenpoore.wordpress.com/

All three authors will be reading from their latest works as well as answering questions. The event will start at 1pm and as always the opportunity to win a range of Science Fiction and Fantasy books in the free Raffle.

All our guests are welcome to join us for drinks at the bar after. Let us know you’re planning to join us and book your FREE place now.

Save the date! Humbersff#3 will take place on April 15th – with an all female lineup!

HumberSFF-the first. A brief review.

It happened. The Monk’s Walk provided the ideal cosy environment on a wet Bank Holiday Weekend for our two guest authors.

After a chance to say hello to a room full of new faces, Daniel Godfrey got things rolling with an excellent extract from New Pompeii, a story that starts where most end: the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It might well have been his first public reading, but Daniel was more than happy to field questions from the audience after, and sparked a number of interesting discussions between runs to the bar.

David Tallerman gave us a peek at a new, fun book coming out from Digital Fiction Publishing at the end of the year. It’s a return to the humour found in The Tales of Easie Damasco. Those who like Dungeons and Dragons might well want to keep an eye out for it. 

A massive thank you to our guests and everyone who made the journey. It’d be rude not to thank the BFS and the BSFA for helping make HumberSFF happen. Don’t forget the Hull SF meeting in September, we hope you’re all enjoying your book booty and we’ll see you again soon.

Guest Author: Daniel Godfrey

In a building which has avoided time for around 600 years, it is only fitting to welcome Daniel Godfrey, author of New Pompeii published by Titan as our guest reader for our first meeting.

“In the near future, energy giant Novus Particles develops the technology to transport objects and people from the deep past to the present. Their biggest secret: New Pompeii. A replica of the city hidden deep in central Asia, filled with Romans pulled through time a split second before the volcano erupted.

Historian Nick Houghton doesn’t know why he’s been chosen to be the company’s historical advisor. He’s just excited to be there. Until he starts to wonder what happened to his predecessor. Until he realizes that NovusPart have more secrets than even the conspiracy theorists suspect.

Until he realizes that NovusPart have underestimated their captives…”
Author Daniel Godfrey has had several short stories published but New Pompeii is his first Science Fiction novel. Daniel gained an MSc from Leeds in transport planning, he is currently working on the sequel.

Praise for New Pompeii

“Fascinating, cleverly wrought, intelligent and occasionally brutal, New Pompeii is a thrillingly original take on the time travel genre.” – Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestseller

“An exuberant, high-concept thriller that brings ancient Rome crashing into the present day. Smart, inventive and action-packed.” – Tom Harper, bestselling author of The Lost Temple

“That rare science fiction novel that reads like a thriller – fast-paced and intricate. Godfrey has crafted an astonishing debut, and I can’t wait to see where his story goes next.” – Alan Smale, Sidewise Award winner

“An impressive debut. A smart, intriguing thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick.” – Gareth L. Powell, BSFA Award winner

“A first class debut. I couldn’t put it down!” – Adam Christopher, author of Empire State

“A cleverly woven tale of ancient Romans, time travel, and ageless power struggles, which builds to a stirring conclusion.” – Janet Edwards, author of Earth Flight