Yes, I went again, as did many, many others, and all had a good time!
Friday night, the night before, around twenty of us headed off to the Spitfire BBQ Restaurant on the quay. The weather wasn't the best, but the food and service was amazing. One of our number ordered a Growler of Cider (4pts) and double Ribs... enough food for a family of four... and we watched, amazed, as he tucked in. Later on, he shared the ribs around and they were, without a doubt, amazing!
Saturday was BristolCon day. There is a family feel to the event now - a comfort to be with everyone whether author, budding writer, fan, or person who stumbled into the wrong hotel and got lost (there's always one).
The programme had a larger selection of panels than I had seen before and I followed a few friends into them at different times of the day.
It is always interesting to hear the opinions of people on subjects such as "chosen ones" and "monsters". Plus, panels are always full of humour - well, they should be and these were (flashbacks to BristolCon panel which decided the only way to truly survive into the future was to own a canoe ... and I was on that panel).
Adrian Selby (Snakewood and Winter Road) and Marielle (pictured) have developed (though that may be an overstatement) a book setting called "Purple Skies" ...
People Live. People Die.
But when the sky turns purples, eyes start popping out.
We are eagerly awaiting the first book in this series - and may be waiting for some time. However, I am sure it will be worth it!
And it would be remiss not to mention the String Quartet who appeared in the hotel bar and played a selection of songs. Bolero was a particular favourite - and one I'll never listen to the same way ever again.
Strangely, the most emotionally draining and yet most exciting part of the evening revolved around a bowl of pasta which seemed unending. I like carbonara pasta, however I would now be concerned about consuming a bowl to myself - the potential for it to last almost four hours was unknown to me then, and all to clear to me now.
Lastly, it was good to see Corin Hayes make an appearance in the form of this amazing gift from Julia. He now sits, pride of place, above my desk, watching all I write and making sarcastic comments designed to distract me from the task. Which really means I must get on to writing the next of his books... Standing Up.
The thing I like the most, about BristolCon, is the people I get to meet and talk to. No one is horrible, no one is conceited, arrogant, or stand-offish, they are just are good people. So thanks to (And I'll miss someone out... sorry!) Julia, Andreas, Steve, Anna, Matthew, Michael, Laura, Colin, Jenny, James, Pippa, Marielle, Adrian, Marc, Peter, Jamie, Mark, Rosa (and son), Lee, Rita, Tom, Luke, Phillip, Steven, Barbara, Nicola, Timy, Jon (good call on the Spitfire), Dan, Jude, Sophie (those maps are amazing)... so many more I'll have to come back and add as I go!