Sci-fi and Fantasy author Oisin McGann is a regular and popular conference attendee and was a favourite with literary panel goers at SCI-FI-LONDON this year. After that, and his experiences at the likes of Octocon, The Phoenix Convention, Eastercon and Worldcon amongst others, Oisin has written a witty guide to the conference scene entitled: ‘Don’t Panic: The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Sci-Fi Scene’ and you can download at the bottom of this page.
Oisin’s writing reflects his passion for sci-fi and fantasy and his latest book looks like it’s no exception. ‘Wisdom of The Dead Men’ is the sequel to the brilliant ‘Ancient Appetites’ published last year.
1. What prompted you to write it?
In my ongoing and shameless attempts to flog my books to anyone and everyone, I attend mainstream literary festivals, children’s literature festivals, arts festivals, and any number of other types of events on top of my forays into the world of sci-fi and fantasy. Writers are expected to be such gluttons for publicity these days – but I draw the line at getting breast implants or trying to put my kids onto the covers of magazines. I have become fascinated with how different genres of publishing regard each other with ignorant suspicion, despite having more in common than they have differences. They’re a bit like religious orders that way. This article was aimed at those who peer with hostile defensiveness over the fence of the Genre world.
2. You picked three very different examples, a literary convention, an SF/Fantasy convention and a film festival. Where do they really differ and where do you think they are the same?
I wanted to give a sense of the range of events out there. Those outside the Genre world think it’s full of the ‘Comic Book Guy’ kind of stereotype that confirms all their suspicions about Cons. This is untrue – there is a much wider range of stereotypes to be seen, if you know where to look. Yes, there are gatherings of Geeks Anonymous, but given that many of the most successful books and almost all of the Top Ten grossing films of all time fall into the sci-fi/fantasy category, it suggests that there’s a bit of geek in everyone. The literary Con tends to have a more intensely intellectual crowd – picture the kind of person who has time in their life to read a ten-part series of 800-page books. The Con with a wider range of formats can attract the most eccentrics – a veritable Las Vegas show for those who like people-watching. And then I think film festivals like Sci-Fi London can, for many, put a more palatable face on Genre work – and there tends to be a lot more marketing money for the gloss, of course. People who might never read a sci-fi book would often watch sci-fi films. Maybe because cinemas are dark and their faces can’t be seen for most of the time.
3. When it comes to SF/Fantasy Cons are the people just like that or do people at Mystery and Crime Cons dress as policemen/thieves?
The only other literary events I’ve attended where people dressed up were celebrations of kids’ books. It tends to be mostly the kids, but sometimes the grown-ups get in on the act too. Some storytellers do it for a living, but then other ‘traditionalists’ mutter under their breaths about how the storyteller should be drab in appearance so as not to distract from the story. There’s that religious order thing again.
4. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had a Con?
Tough one. At one of the Irish Cons – Octocon, I think – we took turns somersaulting into a giant beanbag. Sitting on a panel at Worldcon in Glasgow, discussing teenage sex and ‘rainbow parties’ was interesting . . . and hilarious. At the last Octocon, we built a model of a Neolithic passage tomb, complete with light-box, out of cardboard boxes. But I’d have to say that seeing the BeebleBears picnic at Eastercon in Bradford would be hard to beat as an example of weird experiences.
5. What’s the best experience you’ve had at a Con?
Again, hard to say. I got to do a panel with Terry Pratchett at Worldcon – the teenage sex one, actually – and he’d be one of my favourite writers. I sort of threw my first novel at him when I met him too, which didn’t make a great first impression. I couldn’t help noticing he doodled all the way through the discussion – no doubt planning his next book as he talked. But to be honest, I just love a good conversation and there are plenty to be had at Genre events. Just so long as I don’t get cornered by any hardcore fanatics.
6. Have you ever felt the need to dress-up yourself? If you ever did, who would you dress up as?
No, the compulsion has never really grabbed me. If I ever did, I think I’d like to go the whole hog and turn up as some monstrous creature – I quite like the idea of casually sitting in a city centre cafe dressed as H.R. Giger’s Alien or maybe standing at a bus stop, holding a newspaper, and looking like one of the Prawns from ‘District 9’.
7. What events are you planning to go to soon/next year?
I have events going on all the time in schools and libraries, it’s the national Children’s Book Festival over here at the moment, a time when kids’ authors have to become travelling variety shows. I’m running a weekend’s writing workshop down in the Kerry Writers’ Centre in Listowel and another day course in Dublin in March. I’ll be at the WexWorlds Fantasy Festival in Wexford in November – set up by Eoin Colfer. I’ll be attending the Falkirk Red Book Awards in Scotland (‘Strangled Silence’ is nominated) where I’ll be doing some school events to promote my new novel, ‘The Wisdom of Dead Men’ too. I’ll be at P-Con VII in Dublin next March (Iain Banks was down as Guest of Honour, but had to pull out, apparently) and I’ll probably be over in the UK a few times over the coming year on promotional work. I write books too, when I can find the time.
8. Will we see you at next year’s SCI-FI-LONDON?
I’d love to make it over – I had a great time at the last one – as ever, it’s down to time and money. I have a baby daughter now and it’s getting harder find either. But I’m over in London any chance I can get, so maybe I’ll be able to fit it in.
Don’t Panic: The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Sci-Fi Scene
by Oisin McGann
[PDF File, 49k]
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