The Olton Necronomicon

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 19:34:56 GMT

During the four months since last I strolled along this stretch of the information superhighway: chrissie_harper and I produced two more news items for Big Centre TV, just before it was taken over by the Made TV network; then began submitting material to its successor, Made in Birmingham TV (one of these, an interview with horror author Adam Nevill, is also earmarked for a print appearance in the magazine Fear). Image quality should be improved by my investment in a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, which also brings Chrissie's and my film-making plans a step closer.

Meanwhile, I've continued to write movie reviews for Britain's longest-running horror magazine, The Dark Side, and have just been asked to provide a column for its forthcoming sf-themed sister title Infinity.

The Birmingham Horror Group entered its second year in December and recently announced the first Birmingham FearFest for late May. The next monthly meeting's on Saturday, when I'll be screening Romero's Night of the Living Dead.

You'll find my work-related blog here.

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 22:45:21 GMT

Following my guest appearance back in July on regional cable channel Big Centre TV, I've been acting as resident 'roving reporter' for its cinema magazine The Big Picture. The first item featured me interviewing the general manager of Birmingham's Mockingbird Theatre, the second (which airs in just over seven hours) has me chatting the director of the Flatpack Film Festival, and there's a third scheduled for next week which my colleague Chrissie and I shot at the city's Blue Orange Theatre. They'll all be available soon at our YouTube channel, which is where you'll also find my vidcast Ghostwords TV.

In other news, our first comics collaboration -- a regular strip for the horror magazine The Dark Side -- makes its debut in November.

Eight Years On

stevegreen — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 01:15:26 GMT

There are a number of dates which weigh heavy upon my mind these days, and 29 July is among them. It's eight years - and a matter of hours - since I watched over my wife Ann as she slipped away from me, but the event feels as near to me still as though it's in the next room.

I won't pretend that much of the intervening period slid just as easily out of my grasp. It's true that I stood for the TransAtlantic Fan Fund in 2009, won, toured parts of both Canada and the United States (with an unexpected reprise visit for the 2013 Corflu), eventually chairing my third Novacon in 2014. However, much of the rest is a blur, unencumbered by any real purpose or achievement.

The past nine months have, I'm pleased to say, seen some movement back into focus. I began writing movie reviews for The Dark Side, Britain's longest-running horror magazine. Along with the assistance of my friend/lodger/colleague Chrissie, I launched Ghostwords TV, a video channel. We're also putting together plans to produce video/editorial content for DVD/Blu-ray labels and a local cable channel.

There are times when I wonder if it's really worth it. Actually, that's most of the time. But, let's be frank, the alternative is bleaker. And this way, I still get to hang out with my friends.

News From Planet me

stevegreen — Sat, 23 Jul 2016 14:10:34 GMT

Photo by Chrissie Harper

That's me on the left, talking to host Carl Jones on last night's episode of the Big Centre TV show The Big Picture. We recorded it the previous afternoon at the channel's Walsall studio.

News from Planet Me

stevegreen — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 19:16:48 GMT

Not much, to be honest. I had a cold, gave it to my lodger Chrissie. Oh, and the Birmingham Horror Group had quite a decent Saturday night, with guest author Stan Nicholls.

Meanwhile, Chrissie's dog Fred has become convinced I'm a vending machine for biscuits, activated by the pedal inside my left slipper.

Dog Days [13]

stevegreen — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 15:20:29 GMT

Chrissie and I took her dog Fred to his groomer yesterday, with the usual impressive results. Here's a before-and-after comparison.

News from Planet Me

stevegreen — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 02:00:11 GMT

The inaugural episode of Ghostwords TV is now available online, featuring an interview with Ramsey Campbell, news and reviews, editorial opinion and a personal tribute to David Bowie. You can subscribe to the feed here.

News from Planet Me

stevegreen — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 19:45:55 GMT

Much to my own surprise, I am about to embark on a new 'career' as a vidcaster, with a fortnightly genre-themed show on YouTube, Ghostwords TV. The first episode features me chatting with my old friend Ramsey Campbell, plus segments on David Bowie, Steve Ditko's new comics and Doctor Who.

Please subscribe to our channel here. The more subscribers we have, the more we can achieve with the show.

Spam of the Day

stevegreen — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 18:05:25 GMT

"Naturally, this is one of the swimming pool celebration concepts you could use and we’re not referring to living fireflies."

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 23:55:23 GMT

Well, it's official: I have now joined the Blu-ray / DVD review team at The Dark Side, alongside James Khoda and editor Allan Bryce. You'll find me in issue #171, assessing The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane and the first-season boxset of Dark Matter.

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 01:25:36 GMT

The Spread Eagle pub, Acocks Green, Birmingham, 5 December 2015: the inaugural meeting of the Birmingham Horror Group.

From left: Ray Holloway, James Brogden, Chrissie Harper, Louise Palfreyman, yours truly, with honorary president Ramsey Campbell on-screen.

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 16:55:26 GMT

Solihull Observer, 3 December 2015

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 23:50:10 GMT

Cooked trottole trichlore pasta for Chrissie and myself tonight, but felt the 190g jar of Sainsbury red pesto sauce needed a little bulking up.

Here are the chopped vegetables I put together: tomato, red pepper, green pepper, garlic, red onion, Spanish onion, cucumber.

These were then sautéed in a little olive oil, after which I poured any remaining oil into the saucepan I was using to cook the pasta.

Finally, I added the pesto sauce, plus a little freshly ground salt and pepper, then warmed this through whilst taking our pasta over to the sink for draining. Once that was done, the contents of both pans were combined (except for the spoonful of plain pasta Fred demands as his tithe) and dished out in bowls. Rather yummy it was, too, even if I say it myself.

666: The Number of the Tweets

stevegreen — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 02:05:09 GMT

In Passing...

stevegreen — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:40:43 GMT

Looks like those budget cuts have really undermined the BBC's plans to create a show to rival Game of Thrones...

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 21:15:08 GMT

Thought I should remind folks that I have a growing archive of articles and reviews over at the Ghostwords website. The latest additions include a review of the new Dark Matter DVD. Feedback always most welcome.

Dog Days [12]

stevegreen — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:45:21 GMT

Just in case anyone was concerned by Fred's recent absence from these pages, here are a selection of Chrissie's recent shots of him. As you can see, he's rather more friendly towards her than he is to me.

Dog Days [11]

stevegreen — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 18:40:10 GMT

As you can see from these charming portraits of Fred from earlier this evening, my furry chum is as friendly towards me as ever.

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 19:00:22 GMT

As previously mentioned, I've begun the process of archiving essays, interviews and criticism at my new website. As well as Arrow's recent Theatre of Blood Blu-ray, you'll find reviews of novels by the likes of Ramsey Campbell, Graham Joyce, Christopher Fowler, Terry Pratchett, Kim Newman, D G Compton and Shaun Hutson. More will follow in due course.

Situations Vacant

stevegreen — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 14:10:54 GMT

The Edinburgh-based science fiction magazine Shoreline of Infinity, for which I write a regular column, is looking for a book reviews editor.

The Magic Goes Away

stevegreen — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 22:50:42 GMT

This afternoon, Chrissie and I sat through all eight episodes of the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Invasion (two of which were lost in the 1970s, but have now been recreated as animations featuring the original audio track). Tonight, we watched The Magician's Apprentice, the opening instalment of NuWho's ninth season. No prizes for guessing which experience I found more fulfilling.

It's likely there'll be folks reading this post who haven't seen the episode yet, so I'll limit myself to saying I found it deeply disappointing on numerous levels, and get more specific on the comments page.

The Abbey Habit

stevegreen — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 21:10:58 GMT

So Clara's the Walrus?

In Passing...

stevegreen — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:05:48 GMT

The Computer Says No, I Have a Headache

stevegreen — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 22:55:05 GMT

Intelligent machines: Call for a ban on robots designed as sex toys
Sex dolls already on the market are becoming more sophisticated and some are now hoping to build artificial intelligence into their products.

News From Planet Me

stevegreen — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 20:30:28 GMT

Thanks to halloween_jill, I have now launched an online archive for reviews, articles, interviews et cetera. There's not a massive amount there yet, although I have posted a fairly long review of Arrow's recent Theatre of Blood Blu-ray and plan to continuing adding to it just as soon as we can OCR more material to upload.