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Travelling…
I almost only travel when I go to book fairs or conventions, lagging boxes of books. Last weekend I celebrated a good friend’s birthday. We had to do a bit of travelling for it, towards the Black Forest, almost to the French border. A party location that was perfect for medieval festivities. I had dressed accordingly. My wardrobe still holds a lot of things from the time when I was still actively attending fantasy festivals as my alter ego Gaoith na bhFharraige, the Bard. That was a lot of fun. Lately, I’ve been going less to such festivals, not because I suddenly dislike the people, but rather because of my health-related inability to sleep in double-decker beds or having to walk half a mile to the loo at night. I had also made some garments for my Beloved, but as my talent for needle and thread is as good as…
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The Reading Season has started
In two weeks, “Schlange des Bösen” (Part 1: The Student) will be published by Torsten Low. I’m really looking forward to it. The English version “Serpent of Malice” will be published a little later. The first reading will take place a week before the official publishing date, and I hope the audience will all pre-order the book immediately in great numbers. They won’t have to wait long, just a week or so. This first reading will take place at CaveCon in Aschaffenburg. That’s a cozy, small roleplaying convention that also has a few book stands (e.g. mine) and at least two readings. The people there are truly nice. Readings at RPG cons are not always easy, because when everyone is playing and RPG campaign, the players often don’t like to interrupt to listen to a reading. But I promise it’s worth it. It will be exciting and funny. The story…
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Last reading in 2024
Yesterday was the last reading for this year. I read together with Axel Aldenhoven at the Phantastische Bibliothek Wetzlar, the one and only library in Germany where they stock all German language Fantasy+Science Fiction+Horror literature plus adventure stories for kids. Not many listeners, unfortunately. St Nicholas must have lured off our audience, since all the parents with children preferred to wait for him and Krampus and stuffed footwear rather than listen to our unusual heroes. A mistake, albeit an understandable one. Depriving children of their St Nicholas feast just because their parents want to go to a reading is probably not a nice thing to do. I know what I would prefer, but then I don’t have any children so my opinioin probalby does not count. Nevertheless, we had a good time. After the reading, we had dinner together – Indian, very tasty. The Wetzlar Indian Take-Away can do ‘spicy’…
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2023 – readings and other events
The new year has started and I am in the process of organising readings for this year. There are a few events that I’d like to go to. At some of them I have read many times before. Some are new. Some would interest me, but are rather too far away and difficult to organise. Most readings at fantasy events (festivals or conventions) tend to be unpaid. Some organisers offer accommodation or even a travel allowance. But that has become rare. So you have to think very carefully about whether or where you want to go. As always with advertising measures, you have to weigh up the positive effects against the possible costs. When I still had a day job, I was more relaxed about that. Then you also have to decide whether you want to “just” read somewhere or perhaps also offer a book table. Of course, the latter…
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Reading in Berlin
This weekend I’ll be in Berlin. I have a reading there on Friday evening at Kulturbremse, Jagowstr. 29 in Berlin Moabit. I’m sharing the reading with Bernhard Stäber. The organiser has called it the “Welten” (=Worlds) reading, because our books each have the word “Welten” in the title. Ju Honisch „Weltendiebe“ In the cellar of an old villa in Munich there is an interdimensional weak spot. Every few decades, nefarious world-jumpers seek to open it from the outside to steal into our world. The last opening happened in 1952, and just now it has been opened again. Anne’s grandmother is horrified when she finds out that her granddaughter works in the very house where she experienced unbelievably terrible things back then. She remembers, but won’t speak. So Anne has no idea how dangerous the men are who suddenly appear in her life. Only when her sister Ev disappears and ominous…
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Enchanted nights at Linn Castle – reading
On September 18, I did a reading at Burg Linn. It was the first “real” reading with an actual audience instead of a digital one. I enjoyed it. The audience seemed to enjoy it, too. Bernhard Hennen moderated the event and had me tell some of my adventures from my time in Ireland. So I didn’t just read, but also told some anecdotes. Before the reading, the nice man from the city of Krefeld showed me around the castle. It is a beautiful old castle with a moat and everything you could wish for. The reading took place in the upper knights’ hall. The ambience is wonderful between the old walls and tapestries. The readings of the “Verwunschene Nächte = Enchanted Nights” take place here every two to four weeks. The reading was well attended, which made me very…
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Saar Online Book Fair
The Saar Online Book Fair is over. What has remained is a reading from the book “Elgar Eisbär und die Zivilisation” with a short interview afterwards. The book fair was well organised, even though I probably didn’t use or even find all the options for interaction. My little avatar bravely trudged through the rooms, but only found some people for a conversation once. The events and readings were interesting. As I am a big Ben Aaronovitch fan, I was particularly pleased to watch his contribution. It was also nice to see Tad Williams again, whom I had met once at a living room reading at Friedberg. If you want to listen to my reading, please follow the links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/102874055328774/videos/254215736475802 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkSnRC1pdWM Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1060985923
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Once and future readings
I went to two readings last month. The first one took place at Fark Convention , a wonderfully nerdy event in an old mine near Saarbrücken. I can only recommend it to everyone. There was role playing, a post-apocalyptic camp with impressive homemade end of time cars, much Steampunk, much costuming, a humungous dealers’ area and of course: readings. And it was all for a good cause, too. The event managed to make – and donate over € 20,000 to a children’s hospice. So not just fun, but help for those who need it. What could be better? I was scheduled for two readings. I read from my novel “Schwingen aus Stein” and also from my “Cinderella” interpretation published in the photopraphic + short story project “Wahre Märchen 2” (True Fairy Tales). I had a nice, interested audience both times. This is unfortunately not always the case. Only two weeks…
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Meissen Literary Festival
Meissen is a wonderful town, mostly famous for its porcelain manufacture which started out in 1710 at the somewhat brutal instigation of Augustus the Strong (Elector of Saxony and King of Poland). The city also has a marvellous literary festival. Four years ago, I did a reading there. The sun was shining just as brilliantly down on the late medieval buildings which are lined up in perfect historical harmony all the way up to the cathedral hill. Quaint and wonderful. The town looks a bit like the best effort of a mad modeller to whom you would like to give the advice not to overdo it because real towns just aren’t that pretty. You’d be wrong, though. Our reading was set at the Meissner Obscurum. This is a medieval dungeon-like vaulted cellar and the venue for quite some events. Two vaults invite the horror-fans to stay and enjoy. The larger…
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Dungeons and Readings
Last year, the Meissen Literature Festival had to be cancelled due to flooding. East Germany and parts of Eastern Bavaria were submerged in rather too much water in places where water was not at all welcome. This year the festival will (hopefully!) be held again. And I’ll be reading there again. I last read in Meissen four years ago, but I remember how pretty and nice everything was. I am sure it still is. This time it is even more thrilling, because this time, Feder & Schwert Publishing has been granted a special event, the “Fantasy Night of Feder & Schwert”: Oliver Plaschka, Oliver Hoffmann, Oliver Graute and I read from our novels. – And even though my name is not Oliver, I shall be there. The Fantasy Night will be held on Friday, 06 June 2014. The entire festival runs from Thursday to Monday. I am particularly thrilled with…