About half-an-hour before I was due to leave for the event it started to lash down and added a thunder and lightning show to spice up my nervousness, so I booked a taxi and dashed as fast as I could from the drop off point to where I was meeting Simon Bestwick.
Had a drink and a natter with Simon before the event and got to fondle a copy of The Faceless which is out this week (in fact, Amazon insists a copy is on the way to me). Looks fantastic.
The Twisted Tales readings this time were by Paul Kane (bloody awesome short story with a fabulous ending - but, of course, I always loved Paul Kane's stories back in the late 90s), Peter Crowther (reading from his new novel Darkness Falling) and Ramsey Campbell (who did a hilarious and character-full piece from his book Ghosts Know). Our little corner of Waterstones was packed. I think that has to be the most attended event yet. Or at least, the most attended one that I've been too. There was a question and answer session after the readings, and then a signing. Ramsey needed a pen. I provided said pen. Claim to fame achieved.
I bought Ramsey Campbell's Ghosts Know, Paul Kane's The Butterfly Man - both PS Publishing books and bloody gorgeous - and I also bought Peter Crowther's Darkness Falling. All signed of course.
Then, on attempting to leave the store, the automatic doors wouldn't work. This isn't unusual - automatic doors often don't recognise me or they decide to eat me. But this one even refused to recognise Ramsey Campbell or Peter Crowther. So wrong! We escaped eventually at which point I turned back from a mouse into a person and climbed into a pumpkin.
In other news, I finally (it's only taken two years) booked tickets to FantasyCon, which takes places in Brighton this September. Let the nail-biting begin.
