Okay, so I'm going to do a real convention report about Gallifrey, but a few urgent things have come up, namely that I'm going to a convention again on Saturday, and really should mention it before it happens. This one is Picocon:

http://www2.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/icsf/frameset.php?warp=picocon

At Imperial College in London. I'm guesting alongside (authors) Cory Doctorow and Liz Williams, and I'm really looking forward to it. Do pop along and say hello.

Now, here's one of those bits of big news that I haven't been able to talk about yet, but today I can. I've been commissioned to adapt Iain M. Banks' novella 'The State of the Art', from the collection of the same name, into a play for broadcast on BBC Radio 4 later this year. My producer is the wonderful Nadia Molinari, and we're looking to keep all the SF goodness of the original. I'm enjoying how serious and thoughtful the brief is. The story is about Banks' spaceborne utopian civilisation, the Culture, encountering Earth. Some interesting casting of a Ship voice ahead, I should think, and who should be Diziet Sma? I'm anticipating the process hugely.

Our own Mark Roberts is responsible for this lovely new Captain Britain and MI-13 icon. Please send it rattling around the net. More icons always welcome!

As the ever-vigilant awards expert Cheryl Morgan pointed out recently in this blog's comment section, the Eagle Awards, the central British comic awards, are now open for online nominations.  I'd only be up for Favourite Reprint Compilation, with Wisdom (as a write in the box vote), but you may see fit to honour my highly tolerant Marvel editors: Nick Lowe; Tom Breevort and Molly Lazer, or the upcoming artist on Cap, Leonard Kirk...

http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/nominate.asp

And speaking of Leonard, he has a blog, with lots of sample art, so you can anticipate greatness along with me:

http://leonardkirk.comicbloc.com/

And so does James Moran, the writer of the Torchwood episode 'Sleeper', the Brit horror film Severance, and a Doctor Who in the new season.  Having met him at Gallifrey, he's one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of having a pint with.  And is, judging by his work, a bit good too:

http://www.jamesmoran.blogspot.com/

Phew, I think that's everything.  Convention report soon!  Everything soon!  More work continually!  More I tell you!  Wa-hey!  And Cheerio!