We are pleased to announce that Phil Lunt has joined the new BFS Journal team as designer. Phil’s background is in interior design and architecture and he has over 10 years experience working on the design of exhibition stands, booths, events and interiors. He also produces promotional material for various theatre companies across England as well as for publications such as Hub Magazine.

Since last year Phil has also been Book and Media Reviews Editor for the British Fantasy Society.

Also, we are pleased to say that in his role as BFS Features Editor Stuart Douglas has joined the BFS Committee, filling the shoes of Lou Morgan who leaves the committee to concentrate on her writing.

We are sure you would like to join us in thanking Lou for all her hard work for the Society and welcome Phil and Stuart as they start their new roles.

We hope you have been enjoying your copy of the Spring BFS Journal and thank everyone for the many messages of support for the new combined publication that we have received from the membership and beyond.

As you are aware, the Journal is put together on a volunteer basis, the contributors and editorial team giving their own time to produce every issue. Over the last year Lou Morgan has been instrumental in helping form the new Journal, combining the three previous BFS Publications into one title. Now, due to her growing writing commitments, Lou has decided to step down as Non-fiction Editor. We’re sure that you would like to join us in thanking Lou for all her hard work and wish her well for her new novel, Blood and Feathers, out 2 August from Solaris.

We are taking this opportunity to look at how we produce the Journal – how the entire process can be streamlined to ensure it is the best it can possibly be; a publication to be proud of, free of publication delays.

In line with this, a new Editorial Team is being assembled. Cavan Scott is to take over as Journal Editor, responsible for the overall feel and direction of the Journal. Cavan has many years experience editing newsstand magazines for such publishers as Future Publishing and BBC Magazines and will also continue to oversee the production process. He is joined by Stuart Douglas, publisher of Obverse Books, who is coming onboard as Non-Fiction Editor. Guy Adams and Ian Hunter are also remaining as essential parts of the Journal team, continuing their sterling work as Fiction and Poetry Editors respectively.

In order to ensure that we can establish a regular publishing schedule, we have made the hard decision not to publish a Summer Edition. This means that we have the entire Summer to make plans, gather second-to-none articles and set out plans for the years ahead. The next edition will be published in the Autumn and will be packed with must-read articles, fiction and poetry. To accommodate the short hiatus, members will automatically have their membership extended, meaning that they still get four issues in their ‘year’ of membership.

We would like to ask for your patience as we run through this process to ensure that the future of the Journal is as smooth-running as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact Cavan Scott on journal@britishfantasysociety.org. Contributors who have already submitted articles should be assured that their content isn’t going to waste. They will still appear in the Journal.

New submission guidelines are currently being compiled and more news about the Autumn Journal will be posted soon – so, as the saying goes, watch this space.

Solaris is delighted to announce that it has acquired the follow-up to the much anticipated debut novel from Lou Morgan, Blood and Feathers, which is to be released in August of this year.

The sequel, Rebellion, is due to be released in August 2013.

Rebellion will continue in Morgan’s fresh post-Milton world of gun-toting angels, demonic plots, and a heroine whose life is torn apart in the battle between heaven and hell!

Blood and Feathers is already garnering attention and praise from across the industry, with Sarah Pinborough describing it as “dark, enticing and so sharp the pages could cut you, Blood and Feathers is a must-read for any fan of the genre”, while Philip K Dick award-winner Michael Marshall Smith said it was “a hell of a ride, but heaven to read: eerie, compelling and very funny”.

“When you discover a debut author of such strength and range, as I did with Lou, it’s always a great privilege to bring them to the wider world,” said Jonathan Oliver, editor-in-chief of Solaris. “Blood and Feathers is a brilliantly original novel, that is both affecting and witty.  Rebellion promises to raise the bar even higher.”

BFS Members should now be receiving their copy of the Spring BFS Journal. Edited by Lou Morgan, Guy Adams and Ian Hunter, the latest edition features a brand new look.

The contents include:

FICTION:
Don’t You Like The Bird Man? – Jonathan Oliver
The Call of Chavthulu – Neil Fulwood
Jenny Khan – Rhys Hughes
Mother’s Boy – Grant Quimper
Listen – Marie O’Regan
Faerie Mails – Allen Ashley
The Fabulous Beast – Garry Kilworth

NON-FICTION:
Why YA? – Tom Pollock
Worlds Which Never Were – Sarah Pinborough & Will Hill in conversation
A Glow Born of a Different Process – a cover artist spotlight on Chris Roberts
Laying the Foundations – Simon Bestwick
A History of THE SERVANTS – Michael Marshall Smith
BFS Masterclass #2: Writing for Children – F E Higgins
Enterprising Minds – Andrew Reid
Progressive + Inclusive = Popular? – Amanda Rutter
Anne McCaffrey: A Tribute

POETRY:
Morningmares – Zoe Elizabeth Barrett
Shadow Whisper at Black Hole Hotel – Kelda Crich
Doorways – David Glen Larson
The Wheel of Whumpus – John DesPlaines

Plus regular columns from Ramsey Campbell, Mark Morris, Sophia McDougall, and a special feature from Jared Shurin, interviewing Jane Rogers.

We would love to hear what you think of the edition. You can leave feedback at our Facebook page and at the forum.

For the first time, members will also be able to download the journal as an ePub, mobi or PDF file. Members should watch their email inboxes to find out how to access their digital editions.

The Winter 2011/12 issue of The BFS Journal has gone to press with a fantastic mix of fiction and non-fiction. Contents are as follows:

Ramsey’s Rant – Ramsey Campbell
The First Con is the Deepest – Sarah Doyle
Father Christmas 2011 – Rod Rees
The Mark of Fear – Mark Morris
Bad Vibrations – Allen Ashley
Granny’s Lucky Charm – Stuart Hughes
Tick-Tock Woman – Deborah Walker
Genre War: What is it Good For? – Sophia McDougall
Learning by Rote – Julian Baxter-Cockbill
Lamia, Alone – Sarah Doyle
Antisocial Media – Jared Shurin
The Monday Rebellion – Andy Oldfield
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like… – Ray Cluley
BFS Masterclass #1: How to write a fight – James Barclay
Heading Home – Ian Hunter
The King Is Dead… – Alister Davison
On Publishing: Jo Fletcher
Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult Fiction: Hell with Hormones – Lizzie Barrett
Swings and Roundabouts – Allen Ashley
Mostly in Shadow: Lesser Known Writers of Weird Fiction: Part Four: Henry S Whitehead – Mike Barrett
The Ghoul – Deborah Walker
Kindling – Alasdair Stuart
The Sea is in My Blood – Deborah Walker
A Man of Many Talents: Peter Crowther – Interviewed by Caroline Callaghan
The Evoked – James Brogden

The Journal is edited by Peter Coleborn (fiction), Ian Hunter (poetry) and Lou Morgan (non-fiction), and is designed by Cavan Scott. The fabulous cover art is by Vincent Chong.

‘Solaris Books is very proud to announce its latest exciting debut author – BFS member Lou Morgan. The Brighton-based author is a distinctive new voice in Urban Fantasy and her debut novel, Blood and Feathers, will be released in August 2012.

Pitched as ‘Alice in Wonderland goes to hell’, Blood and Feathers is about the search for family set against the backdrop of the continuing war against heaven and hell. But her angels are hardly ‘angelic’ – funny, wise and sometimes utterly horrifying, Morgan’s characterisation and dialogue sparkle in a novel that is both heart-breaking and thrilling, and introducing an exciting new voice into urban fantasy and a fresh take on the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil.

“What’s the first thing you think of when I say ‘angel’?” asked Mallory. Alice shrugged. “I don’t know… guns?” Alice isn’t having the best of days – late for work, missed her bus, and now she’s getting rained on – but it’s about to get worse.

The war between the angels and the Fallen is escalating and innocent civilians are getting caught in the cross-fire. If the balance is to be restored, the angels must act – or risk the Fallen taking control. Forever. That’s where Alice comes in. Hunted by the Fallen and guided by Mallory – a disgraced angel with a drinking problem he doesn’t want to cure – Alice will learn the truth about her own history… and why the angels want to send her to hell.

What do the Fallen want from her? How does Mallory know so much about her past? What is it the angels are hiding – and can she trust either side? Caught between the power plays of the angels and Lucifer himself, it isn’t just hell’s demons that Alice will have to defeat…‘

Pandemonium: Stories of the Apocalypse will be launched on Friday 4 November 2011 as part of Tate Britain’s “Late at Tate” night. The anthology contains eighteen original stories of the end of the world, as seen by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Lauren Beukes, Jonathan Oliver, Lou Morgan, Scott K. Andrews, S.L. Grey and other science fiction, fantasy and horror writers.

This free late night event will explore apocalyptic visions from a contemporary viewpoint through a vibrant mix of performance, music, film and readings.

Entry is free (except for special exhibits) and anyone who registers as one of Pandemonium’s guests will receive special offers throughout the evening – including 2-for-1 tickets to the John Martin: Apocalypse exhibition and a free poster (while supplies last).

For more information visit the registration page