Click here to read another excellent review of Cone Zero.

It states “the anonymous authors of Cone Zero manage to twist and turn ensuing events in each case into something new and different and well worth reading.” And this comment, “The stories are a mix of the fantastical, the horrifying, the puzzling, and the downright weird. Overall, the stories are well-written and engaging, and the best of them inspire introspective paths of thought, or simply won’t leave your memory once ensconced therein.”

I attended the annual British Fantasy Society Convention, or FCon, at Nottingham last weekend. It was a great event. Meeting writers, chatting with friends, buying books, attending panels – life doesn’t get much better than that.

All in all, the weekend was a great success. I acquired many books, all of which I’m eager to read over the next few months. It was great to mix with luminaries such as Ramsey Campbell, Pete Crowther, James Barclay, Christopher Golden, Stephen Jones, Reggie Oliver, Chris Fowler, and many others.

Got there early on Saturday and registered. Hit the dealer’s room instantly and purchased Bull Running For Girls by Allyson Bird, from the Screaming Dreams table. What a gorgeous cover, by award-winning Vincent Chong! I can’t wait to dive into these stories. The head of Screaming Dreams, Steve Upham, was there, even though he’d been ill recently. It was great to see him. Although it was a tiring weekend, I’m sure he enjoyed being there.

Spent quite a while in the room, frittering away my budget. While I was browsing, Gary McMahon and his wife arrived, and we spoke briefly (and he signed a few books). Troo Topham from Humdrumming let me collect my copy of Tim Lebbon’s The Reach of Children, and I picked up The Second Humdrumming Book of Horror. Also got Paul Meloy to sign my copy of Islington Crocodiles, and we chatted – his Cockney accent was so strong, I thought he was a character from Eastenders! Managed to mumble my regards to Tony Richards, declaring my admiration for his work. I attended a good panel in the gallery suite about writing short stories; brilliantly funny, hosted by Pete Crowther, featuring Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, Christopher Fowler, and Tony Richards. Bought my copy of Beneath the Surface, and got it signed by the elusive Simon Strantzas. It’s a lovely looking book with a wonderful cover.

After lunch I picked up my winnings from Chris Teague of Pendragon Press – a signed limited edition of We Fade To Grey and a copy of Rough Cut by Gary McMahon. Chatted to John L Probert briefly, and got him to sign my copy of Coffin Nails. Nipped up to the 10th floor to see some readings – Gary McMahon, Tony Richards, Chris Fowler, and Joel Lane – all of them brilliant.

PS Publishing book launch next, and I got Mark Samuels and Ramsey Campbell to inscribe my copy of Glyphotech. I also bought a Chris Golden chapbook, and got Nicholas Royle to sign a copy of The Enigma of Departure.

Of course, I bought loads more books than I can list here. I wondered blindly around, staring awestruck at Reggie Oliver, almost getting stuck in the lift with Charles “the new Herbert Van Thal” Black and John L Probert. Then stood in line for The Best New Horror signing, chatting with John Probert and Charles Black about various bits, before talking to Wayne Mook, just as it was time to go. Other writers at the event included Sarah Pinborough, Mark Morris, Tim Lebbon, Simon Clark, Conrad Williams, Graham Joyce – all favourites of mine.

All in all, I had a great time. I’ll definitely be back next year. It’s nice to be surrounded by like-minded people, who share your interests in film and literature, and who know the difference between Ligotti and Layman. There’s certainly more to horror than the average Joe-on-the-street realises, and it’s an honour to have mingled with such pioneers of the genre.

The Fix is an online site which deals with short fiction from varying sources of media. It’s an excellent resource, as there’s nothing like it anywhere else, in that it concentrates on purely short stories. They’ve just posted their review of CONE ZERO so click here if you want to read a very in-depth synopsis of the anthology in which my anonymous story is featured.

Click here to read the first full review of CONE ZERO. It gets a fantastic write up, ending with the comment, “I expect to see Cone Zero on the lists of this year’s best anthologies. It will richly deserve any such place.”
Praise indeed.

Here is the first independent review of Cone Zero. It describes the book as “Highly recommended and is easily a pioneer of the genre.” It’s from the blog of Charles Tan.

You can get hold of a copy of CONE ZERO for £10 (including postage) here.

This has just been posted on the CONE ZERO website –

CONE ZERO AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION COMPETITION

A prize of £50 by PayPal from Nemonymous to the reader who guesses or assesses (by whatever means) the most correct authors of the stories in the CONE ZERO book..

The authors themselves are not eligible to enter.

Deadline: March 4^th 2009 (when authors are due to be revealed).

If there is a tie, the prize will be shared.

The Editor’s decision is final.

Please write to bfitzworth@yahoo.co.uk with your choices. If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your entry within a week, please try again. 

You can enter the competition up to three times, but each entry will be treated separately.

The story titles:

·         “The Fathomless World”

·         “The Point of Oswald Masters”

·         “Cone Zero” (page 23)

·         “Cone Zero” (page 33)

·         “Cone Zero, Sphere Zero”

·         “An Oddly Quiet Street”

·         “Always More Than You Know”

·         “Cone Zero” (page 129)

·         “Going Back For What Got Left Behind”

·         “Cone Zero” (page 147)

·         “The Cone Zero Ultimatum”

·         “Angel Zero”

·         “How To Kill An Hour”

·         “To Let”

The authors in a random order:

• Neil James Hudson
• Colleen Anderson
• Jeff Holland
• John Grant
• A.J. Kirby
• Eric Schaller
• Kek-W
• S.D. Tullis
• Stephen Bacon
• Sean Parker
• Dominy Clements
• Bob Lock
• Grant Wamack
• David M Fitzpatrick

If you decide to enter the competition and try your hand at winning the £50, good luck! I won’t help you by revealing which story’s mine because not knowing is half the fun.

Finally got my contributor’s copies of CONE ZERO and I have to say it looks great. It’s a well-made book, quite heavy, with excellent production quality.

I’ve had a quick flick through the stories and it looks like the remit for submitting – loosely linked with the phrase ‘Cone Zero’ – has generated a wide variety of interpretation. I suspect there will be something for everyone in the tales; science fiction, horror, fantasy, and the blurred edges where genre overlaps.

Now I’ve seen the book, I have to say the price of £9 (including postage) is an absolute bargain. Click on the cover to the right to follow the link to purchase. You won’t regret it.

If you do buy a copy, I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts on the stories – including speculation towards which is mine.

Got my subscriber’s copy of this cracking horror magazine last week and I’m slowly working my way through it, savoring each word as I go.

I wanted to mention it because – as well as containing some of the best dark fiction currently being written, alongside great editorials and breathtaking artwork – as a subscriber I’m eligible to enter the competition to win FREE DVDS. A couple of months ago I won 28 Weeks Later. Yesterday I was informed I’d won a copy of Cloverfield.

If you haven’t read anything by TTA PRESS (Interzone and Crimewave), I’d recommend you pick up a copy. You can get more information here.