Reflections on World Fantasy Convention
I spent last weekend at World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, after a rocky journey down on Wednesday last week. I was not one of the organising team this year, but as BFS were partnering with the organisers, I still had plenty of official duties to fill the weekend with.
I spent a lot of the time at the BFS table, talking to people about joining and having the opportunity to catch up with members, which is absolutely one of my favourite parts of any convention. We also did a lot of talking about Fantasycon 2026, which I will be running on behalf of the BFS, and we’re doing some new things so we’re really keen to get some new people coming along.
I got to spend (not enough) time with people I love and whose company always lifts me up and fills me with renewed excitement about writing. If I tried to list them all here, I would be bound to miss someone and that would upset me, but I hope they know who they are.
On Friday, I moderated a panel on Scottish Fantasy and Horror, which ended up being a really interesting discussion, with lots to think about in how the otherworld fits in with daily life here, and how the culture of oral storytelling that stretches back throughout Scottish history feeds into how we approach storytelling now,
Later on Friday, I attended the Flame Tree Press launch and celebrated the launch of Daughters of Nicnevin, followed by participating in the mass signing session. Very encouragingly, we sold out of Daughters of Nicnevin, and I was absolutely thrilled that a few people had brought copies of older books for me to sign - including Petra MacDonald and the Queen of the Fae, which has been out for about 7 years now, so that felt very special.
On Saturday, I had a lot of official duties, followed by interviewing the ever-lovely Joanne Harris, and presenting a couple of the British Fantasy Awards. I was delighted to award the Karl Edward Wagner Special Award for services to the BFS and/or UK genre community to Rosemary Pardoe, one of the three original founders of the BFS.
Sunday morning saw the BFS AGM, followed by even more chair admin. We closed the table down at 1pm and I joined the banquet and watched the presentation of the World Fantasy Awards. I managed to find a little downtime after that with friends, before travelling all day on Monday to get home.
It was a hectic and full weekend, with moments of great stress and others of pure joy. My body has not yet fully recovered - pain and fatigue are both still higher than usual - and I’m not quite back to my usual routine yet.
There are always a few sad days at the end of a con. Returning to ‘real life’ can be hard, and knowing that I won’t see some of my most beloveds again for months, or even a year, can leave me feeling a little empty. But then I pull myself out of it, and choose to focus on the very great privilege it is to have these people in my life at all, to have the experience of getting to spend a few days at a time in that space, where I feel completely safe and accepted, just as I am.
This coming week is all about the public release of Daughters of Nicnevin, which I am both excited and very nervous about. Do check out the events I’ll be at, and if you happen to come along to one, please do say hello.
What I’m working on - I’m getting back to work on Rise of a Witch Queen, as well as having a full docket of editing work up until the end of the year.
What I’m reading - House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson. I’m really loving this, So very gothic and fun.
What I’m watching - The current ‘jigsaw viewing’ is Bones - something I can follow without having to be looking at the screen all the time.
What I’m listening to - Enjoying silence as much as possible after the busy weekend.
Something Interesting - Mary Shelley and the Scottish Gothic Tradition | National Library of Scotland
