British Fantasy Society Open Night June 2007

Remarkable as it may seem 1st June was my first visit to a BFS Open Night. I'd planned to meet Gill Ainsworth from Apex Digest there earlier this year (or was it the end of last year?) but I couldn't make it in the end. She'd given a positive report though.

It took me half an hour to find the place but luckily I was early and had a pint of Waggle Dance in my hand when Marie and her new husband Paul strolled in - not that I knew who they were at that point. However, the barmaid told me they were asking about the BFS booking too so I introduced myself and ended up spending a good part of the evening with them, and left convinced that I had to attend this year's FantasyCon in Nottingham later in September.

As the evening went on the upstairs room began to fill and there was probably thirty or forty people there. I had an interesting chat with Trevor Denyer, publishing editor of Midnight Street, who I swapped notes with, and whose philosophy on print mags isn't that far removed from my own. Spoke to a couple of artists, though they were more purest sword & sorcery - not what Murky Depths is looking for although I liked their work.

I could have been talking to an international best seller and not known it, and Marie pointed out that Les Edwards, the artist for the cover of Promo Issue #0, was sitting directly behind me. After I'd introduced myself and met his lovely wife, Val - we'd only ever communicated by e-mail before - Les offered to sign the few copies of Murky Depths that I had with me. Even as he signed the covers three people bought copies. I've not decided yet what to do with the other signed copies but keep watching the website.

Check out the BFS website for the next Open Night. They might be changing venues

Terry Martin
Publishing Editor