Editorial Matters

By Cheryl Morgan

This issue is being produced just in time for the great rush of Memorial Day Weekend conventions in the US. In particular paper copies will be available at both BayCon and Wiscon. Kevin will be at the former, I’ll be at the latter. If you pick up a copy of Emerald City at either convention, welcome, and I hope you enjoy the magazine.

There isn’t a lot to say about World Horror Con that I didn’t say in the blog, which is basically that we had a great time despite the convention. It looked like a con, it felt like a con, but it was full of people I didn’t know talking about films and books that had no interest for me. Thankfully a whole bunch of people, including Peter Straub, Kim Newman, Gary Wolfe, Rick Kleffel, Chris Roberson, John Picacio, the folks from Tachyon, Night Shade and Locus, and many others I have probably forgotten, conspired to make it a fun weekend.

Immediately after getting back from Wiscon I will be turning round and going back to UK. This is hideously inconvenient for all sorts of reasons, but I have to abide by the INS rules or I’ll be banned from the US for the rest of my life, so I’m going. I expect to be back briefly for Worldcon, and for a much more extended stay towards the end of the year.

As with last issue, the presence of actual fee-paying work has made a major dent in my reading schedule. There are at least five books that I wanted to read but have not got around to. Apologies are due in particular to Ken MacLeod and Greg Keyes, because I had promised reviews of Giant Lizards from Another Star and The Blood Knight for this issue. They will be top priority for next time. Also coming up in #130 will be Infoquake by David Louis Edelman and Snake Moon by Ray Manzarek. I’m not making any more promises than that, partly because I’m likely to be very busy again, and partly because I have no idea what will be waiting for me when I get back to Somerset. I’m hoping to pick up Rainbow Bridge by Gwyneth Jones and Keeping It Real by Justina Robson, but I don’t know when I’ll see them. In July, of course, we get to the books the publishers have been saving up to launch at Worldcon, and my world goes crazy.