It's only a month away...

Hi All,

Somebody said that very thing to me this morning and at this point it's difficult to know whether you should be excited or just plain nervous. Nerves seem to be getting the upper hand at the moment but I'm sure that will all change in due course...

Anyway, on to the latest news to date...

The flyers arrived on Wednesday last week (hooray) and I spent most of Thursday afternoon with one of my trustier volunteers posting around 4500 of them to locations around the country. Still a fair few to go but plenty of time to shift them yet!!

Unfortunately one of our local authors, Steve Dean, has been forced to drop out of the event. This will be prompting a bit of a rejig of the day's programming. Expect full details both here and on the Alt.Fiction webpage (www.derby.gov.uk/altfiction) soon.

The Leicester events that I have been involved in seem to have gone really well so far. Thursday's Fright Night was attended by about 70 people and the Friday workshop with James Barclay was also fully booked. Thursday was really enjoyable- three great stories from Tony Richards, Sarah Pinborough and Ramsey Campbell. The feedback also seemed really positive, which is really pleasing.

The Sunday Alt.Fiction film showing will be Mulholland Drive, which will be introduced by Ramsey Campbell. Time TBC but it will be mid-early afternoon. It's a good way to extend the reach of Alt.Fiction and hopefully we'll be able to work more closely with Metro Cinema for the event next time around.

That's all for now- keep your eyes peeled for another update soon.

Many Thanks

Alex

Latest news

Hi All,

Things are still moving along here irrespective of the impending bout of flu I feel coming on...so here are the latest headlines...

We've just managed to book Stephen Gallagher to take part on the day, and he'll be involved in our scriptwriting session in the Reception Suite. It's great to have somebody of Stephen's profile on board and it should be a great session.

Bloody Books have now confirmed the three authors for their launch slot- it'll be Scott Stainton Miller, Brian Ross and Suzanne Elvidge.

I'm glad to confirm that Ramsey Campbell will be introducing the Metro Cinema's Sunday matinee showing. Film TBC- hopefully we'll know by the end of the week.

Flyers will be going to print today and will be completed by next week. If anyone would like a batch just let me know at the work email: alex.davis@derby.gov.uk. The big mail-out will probably be next Thursday so expect to see them in your local bookshop, Tourist Information Centre, library, comic book shop and wherever else I can get them!!

The Leicester Fantastic series is booking up really well, with Fright Night on the verge of being sold out and two of thew workshops also booked out. There are a few spots left on Tim Lebbon's workshop the night before Alt.Fiction so if you are in the area it could be a great warm up. Full details for that series on http://leicesterliterature.wordpress.com/

And I know I have mentioned this event before but if you are interested in seeing Michael Marshall here in Derby TOMORROW NIGHT we are now running a special offer for that event. If you call Assembly Rooms Box Office on 01332 255800 and quote 'Derby Arts Offer' you can get your ticket for only £5!! A bargain if ever there was one...

That's the update for today- expect another one soon.

Many Thanks

Alex

Onwards and upwards...

Hi All,

Things for Alt.Fiction have been increasingly taking shape, so a quick update on the latest plus some other tidbits of interest...

Probably most important of all the Alt.Fiction webpage is now up and running and you can check that out at http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/ArtsEntertainment/altfiction.htm. You'll be able to see the latest programme for the day, link to online ticket purchasing and find out more about Derby if you are planning to stay overnight.

And for those of you staying until Sunday- I'm currently working on arranging a film showing at out local independent cinema, Metro, to tie into the event with an author introduction. Full details on that early next week.

I've found out in the last couple of days that Paul Finch, who was due to take part in a scriptwriting session, will unfortunately be unavailable on the day. We're currently looking at a slight shift in that session, and again the updates will be here and on the webpage.

For those of you who are astonishingly organised, the date for next year's event is already down and will be 26th April 2008. I'm hoping to have a few names confirmed by the time this year's event comes around.

Flyers should be out the week after next. I'm hoping to send them to print by Monday and distribute through the course of that week. Last year we had 10000 although I may go for a few less this time around. Sales so far have been pretty encouraging.

I've been involved in some events over in Leicester by the name of Fantastic! and the first of those ran on march 6th featuring Paul McAuley and Ian Watson. Although I couldn't be there due to a prior work commitment all reports have been really positive. The series still has a whole host of events left featuring Ramsey Campbell, Graham Joyce, Peter Hamilton, Tim Lebbon, James Barclay and more. You can find full details at http://leicesterliterature.wordpress.com/

Finally for all you Michael Marshall Smith/Michael Marshall fans, Michael will be appearing in Derby on March 15th at the Guildhall Theatre, supported by three leading local crime writers in Rod Duncan, Sally Spedding and Clare Littleford. If you're interested in a ticket you can visit http://www.assemblyrooms-derby.co.uk/WhatsOn/Shows/070315michealmarshall.htm

I'll also be opening up a Derby literature myspace in the near future, so will be posting that address up here also. As always if there are any question about Alt.Fiction don't hesitate to contact me at alex.davis@derby.gov.uk

Many Thanks

Alex