Reaching for the Void

It’s been a few months now since my novel, The Disinformation War, was published in paperback.

An ebook version is now available through Amazon and Kobo, and most places that sell/rent/loan ebooks.

Readers are leaving reviews in various places — thank you! I also love the kind words people are sharing with me about it.

I was thrilled to read such a thoughtful review by my favourite book-tempting Womble in early February 2024.

I’ve done a few readings, which seem to have gone well. On 20 February 2024 I presented a talk to HighlandLIT in Inverness, Scotland, about the novel, aspects of my previous career in intelligence analysis, disinformation and what we can do about it. We had a great conversation afterwards.

On 5 March 2024 I was on a panel with Una McCormack, Adam Marek, Dan Coxon, and Abi Curtis talking about GoldSF, feminist SF, and writing the future. That's part of the York Literature Festival.

I was delighted to see that The Disinformation War on the long list for the BSFA Awards 2023! It was in exceptional company - an honour, even if it didn't get into the short list. The winners will be announced at Eastercon Levitation in Telford, England. Voting is open for Eastercon and BSFA members.

Speaking of Eastercon, I shall be there for the entire weekend. I hope to see some of you there. I'm scheduled to be on the following panels (Programme may be subject to change.)

Resistance is Useless! Or is it?

Sat 13:00–14:00
We all grew up believing that if we resisted oppression we would win. But the past thirty years seem to be undermining that. How has SF taught us to resist, given us false ideas of resistance, or offered new was to think about it?

Doctor Who and the Industrial Revolution

Sat 16:00–17:00
Over Doctor Who's 60 years, the industrial revolution has influenced many storylines and their telling through allegory and motif. One serial, The Mark of the Rani (1985), featured George Stephenson, and was filmed extensively around Ironbridge Gorge; a theme of the story is the exploitation of workers. The panel goes beyond that one story and looks at how Doctor Who has examined the multiple legacies of the industrial revolution in terms of industrialised manufacturing, labour relations, and growth of an exploitative middle class, among other themes.

"Sorry" is the hardest word.

Sun 12:00–12:45
Why is apologising so hard? What are the cultural differences around the meaning of apologising? How does an apology work when you add in power differences? What does a good apology look like, and what might be the implications of a bad one? Our panel discusses notable apologies in history, myth, fiction and fan wars.

Motherland Fort Salem: a complex allegory...

Sun 13:00–14:00
...about contemporary US politics. Motherland Fort Salem is queer, women-focussed, gloriously intersectional, and complex It only lasted three seasons of 10 episodes each and is next to impossible to watch legally. Is it time to show it some Eastercon love?

Doctor Who in Audio

Sun 19:00–19:45
There have been many Doctor Who radio broadcasts over the years. In addition to a small number of in-house BBC productions, a larger number of radio plays produced by Big Finish began to be broadcast on BBC Radio 7 from 2005. How has this audio approach fitted in with the rest of the series and what unique properties do audio stories bring to our enjoyment of Doctor Who?

<<<>>>

WorldCon and the Hugo Awards have been in the news of late. I'm not going to comment on it here except to say that my heart goes out to everyone affected by the goings-on by a few individuals in charge of last year's Awards and convention.

Finally, on Ko-Fi each Monday I'm posting about politics and each Thursday about writing. Do consider following me there to keep in touch.

Updated: 23 March 2024.