Funniest programme description - EVER ?

"Forget those overpaid young men who chase bags of wind around in the rain, an Ashes series is on the horizon. What better time to look back at the history of the summer game? The first episode of a four-part series focuses on cricket’s development in England."

Oh, and in case you were interested in the programme:

Empire Of Cricket
Sunday 31 May, 10.30pm, BBC Two
Further details here


EDIT: BBC iPlayer

- Episode One England: A look at how the English invented cricket and exported it to the wider British Empire.
- Episode Two West Indies: The story of the development of cricket in the West Indies.
(includes an interview with Michael Holding - he of that quote)
- Episode Three Australia: How Australia got the best cricket team in the world.
(and 'The Boy From Bowral')
- Episode Four India: The Indian game, from the sport of the English colonisers to the Indian Premier League.

All available until:
Sunday 28th June 2009

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I've finally managed to watch all four episodes, and would like to congratulate the BBC for a job well done.

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The British Fantasy Society - Open Night

The evening of July 3rd '09, at 'The George' Fleet Street in London.

Further details here on their website. But, for the lazy amongst you ;) here's the blurb:

"BBC Books - Torchwood Discussion and Signing
The British Fantasy Society and BBC Books are pleased to announce that on the 3rd July they will be hosting a free Torchwood event at The George pub on London's historic Fleet Street, a short walk from Temple Tube Station.
Authors of the latest Torchwood novels from BBC Books, Mark Morris, Sarah Pinborough and Guy Adams are joined by scriptwriter Joe Lidster in an informal panel discussion hosted by Andrew Cartmel, fellow Torchwood author for BBC Books and onetime script editor of Doctor Who.

The discussion will last approximately one hour and will be followed by an opportunity for people to buy books and have them signed by those attending.
The event will start at 19.30 and is free to attend but please note that space is limited. "




And, on another exciting note (b#, I think),
Sam Stone will be launching her
new literary baby, 'Futile Flame'.

Details from here:
"The quest for the origin of the Vampire Gene continues ...

Gabriele searches out Lucrezia, who reveals to him the horrors of her teenage years in the house of the Borgias in the sixteenth century, and the possessive obsession of her brother Caesare who cannot accept that his love for her is unrequited. Her transformation as a vampire gives her freedom to escape for a short time, but leads to the terrifying world of the Allucians; throwing her back into the arms of her now much stronger and powerful brother, two centuries later.

Gabriele discovers that Lucrezia is just as much a victim of her past as he is.

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Author and poet Sam Stone's first novel, Gabriele Caccini – The Vampire Gene Book 1 (as Paigan Stone), was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Like all good authors she drew on her own knowledge and passions to write it. The novel won ForeWord Magazine's silver award for BEST HORROR NOVEL 2007. In September 2008 Gabriele Caccini was re-edited and republished by The House of Murky Depths as Killing Kiss. She has recently sold a couple of short stories and is working on a film treatment for Killing Kiss as well as a new urban fantasy series for young adults. "

You can support Sam Stone on Facebook, or via her blog.

Update from Sam's Lair:

The Vampire Gene Series is available at
Borders, Oxford Street, London
Saturday 4th July 2009
12pm-4pm.

Sam Stone will be in store to sign copies of
'Killing Kiss' and 'Futile Flame'

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Sampling Silver's delights

.... that is, there's a sneaky peak at
chapters One and Two here



And there's a brief Q&A with the author
of 'Silver', Steven Savile, here.




You can show your support for Steven Savile
on Facebook here




I think that's all the updates for now... :D

A World Of War

Earlier today I read a new poem by Sam Stone called 'The Dream', and it reminded me that I still hadn't dug out the old poem of mine that I'd been asked to post here ages ago (in fact, it was when I had my previous blog) - a bit late, I know, as it's was written for Remembrance in November... but I'll only forget again, so here it is now.


A World Of War

The final shot had been fired.
The last fighter fell,
His enemy wounded and still.
All was dark.
A lonely wind blew through the void,
Whispering its silent wail of senseless agony.
A river of blood burst over its banks of death.
Pain seeped into the earth.
All seemed lost to the world of war.
Trees lay in splinters,
Lands barren and torn.
A moment of peace.
A moment of calm.
The Poppies will grow once more.

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'The Story of Martha' - audio

I see that the audio for 'The Story of Martha' has been announced online. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (the stories and the concept), and highly recommend it.

There have been some thoughts I've shared with a few people: mainly, that I wonder if it's the BBC's version of 'Short Trips'... will we have the standard 'novels' and this new short story type as a regular set of releases in the future?

'The Story of Martha'

written by
Dan Abnett

read by
Freema Agyeman

further details
here

Due for release:
4th June 2009









*wavies* to Messrs. Lockley and Lewis - a family of penguins to Mr. Shearman - and a novella licence to... well, that's between me and certain Mr. Savile ;)

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How to waste another evening the fun way

What can I say... I was feeling down and lonely, so wondered if an hour or two on Facebook would be just what the doctor ordered (no, not the Doctor - he suggested I watch Classic Who dvds, so I did that as well).

Anyhoo.... Facebook... There were a few quizzes doing the rounds, and I thought they'd make a great distraction. Little did I know, four hours later (yeah, and the rest) ... You get the picture.

I did discover, however, that:

1) my "Euro-persona" is British - "You are sophisticated, well-mannered, polite and proper. You prefer negotiation over violence. You have a witty, sometimes wacky, sense of humor....", etc..

2) I should be living in the 1700's - "The world saw many revolutions in the 18th century, the bloodiest being perhaps the French Revolution (feel like grabbing a pitchfork and storming Bastille or a nobleman's estate?).

3) that I'm "upper class" (which I think had more to do with the fact I said yes to polo and horse racing than anything else (???)).

... but then a simply brilliant quiz came into view ...

4) Which Doctor Who are YOU?



Well, what were you expecting?

Actually, don't be fooled: there were quite a few of us in total who did this quiz, and most didn't get the Doctor they thought they would.

... and then, finally, the ultimate in ALL quizzes...

5) Which sort of Tim Hirst are you?

(for the record: I did question the postcard bit)

So that was my evening of fun... and, honestly, it was - would have been better if cuzzy had stayed up a wee bit longer (although, knowing our luck, msn would have crashed)... but on the whole it was a FABtastic evening with Alex and James on msn, and... oh, the usual suspects...

There was even a couple of bacon wraps at one stage!

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Silver on twitter - Steven Savile

StevenSavile 124,000 words down, into the last scene of Silver. Tomorrow the new novel will be done. Finished. Complete. And my soul will be damned.

[Well technically, Steven, a man's soul is only truly damned if he forgets his wife's birthday.]



And don't forget FaceBook for further updates on 'Silver', so take a look here, and join up to show your support for Steven Savile ...

Ah well, that explains it

I did wonder, every so often: and now I know...

Which Star Trek Character Are You?
find out here

:D

Silver twitterings - Steven Savile

twitter with author Steven Savile

The latest:

StevenSavile - just wrapped another chapter and another storyline, one storyline to go and that's that for Silver. Feeling pretty chuffed. Grin. Feels good

StevenSavile - I am rather nervous about the bodycount in this book... I think it might be my most ahh mmm fatal todate... looks around innocently.

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Anneke Wills - the autobiographies

'Self Portrait' - what can I say: I laughed and I cried. Got goose bumps all over. An amazing story to tell, and what a wonderful way it was told - as if I were an old friend catching up on the gossip of years missed. The highs and the lows; the mundane and the totally eccentric; the loves and the passions, and the betrayals. But what shines through is the devotion of true friends, and the honesty that Anneke speaks. Although I guess there is one warning worth heeding: make sure the jam jar is big enough before you start.





And then I went off to get 'Naked': all the way through the 'Bhagwan years' I was often thinking of the time Anneke's mother had wanted to set the finches free from their cages in Spain - I wondered if, deep down, that Anneke had been frightened to be released from 'her cage', to be completely free, in fear of not being able to survive. I won't pretend to understand the actual details of these years, but the sense of spiritual healing rang true, and sure enough, the strength and belief in herself blossomed - and she survived the freedom in more ways than one. I sobbed my heart out for her, and smiled and cheered for her; and I cried some more, as much for myself as for Anneke. Then to feel the final contentment in her life is truly inspiring - she had Greers books, I have Anneke's.

Both books
Available online
through the official Anneke Wills website
here.

And please visit
Anneke Wills' Facebook page
here
(managed on Anneke's behalf by her publisher, Tim Hirst).


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Twitter with Steven Savile

twitter with author
Steven Savile here


Steven Savile, a #1 UK bestseller and International bestseller, is sure to frighten you with this tale of terrorism, murder and grim scenes... yet intrigue you with his vivid descriptions of landscapes, character interactions, and accurate historical events (speculative re-creation of course - this is a work of fiction after all).

'SILVER' - A Thriller by Steven Savile Due out October 2009, SILVER is a dark thriller that is both compelling and controversial like Dan Brown's, The Da Vinci Code.


EDIT 050509:
Steven Savile is currently celebrating selling 'SILVER' to Replika in Poland.

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