EVENT DETAILS
Hosted by the Shropshire DM
Roll for charisma! Meet Shropshire’s most popular dungeon master
Joel is a well-known and popular figure on the Shropshire gaming scene, known for hosting amazing adventures and crafting incredible worlds as an experienced Dungeon Master.
He will be our host for the day, leading panels and interviews. You can catch his regular livestreams and videos on his Twitch channel.
What's On
Join us for the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Spotlight, a brand-new, one-day event designed for avid readers and aspiring writers. Throughout the day, you'll have the opportunity to attend numerous speaker panels, interviews, live readings, and workshops.
You can also discover incredible artwork, merchandise and comics at our vendors tables.
Feature Interview
-Dex Legacy-
Our feature interview with special guest Emily Inkpen. Join us to learn more about the BSFA award-winning Dex Legacy science fiction audio-drama and novels. Since the launch of Season 1 in 2022 the drama has received over 200,000 downloads internationally, placing it in the top 3% of global podcasts. Followed by a Q&A
Panels
-Making the Magic Happen: Magic systems and Lore in Fantasy-
Magic has rules - and usually a cost. Join us for a discussion exploring the best examples of magic lore in literature and how authors develop magic systems in their own works. With LL MacRae, Emma L Adams and Phil Parker.
Sponsored by author David Green
-Ready Draft One: Getting Started with your First Novel-
Have an idea for a book but don't know where to begin? Confused about the difference between plotters and pantsers? We've assembled an expert team with the writing, editing, and storytelling experience to help you get started. With Stephen Aryan, LL MacRae and Ed Crocker
Sponsored by The British Fantasy Society
-Larping to LITRGP: The intersection and influence of gaming on writing-
From writing for the gaming industry to fiction influenced by popular game franchises, a discussion that looks at how and why writing and gaming goes hand in hand. With Emily Inkpen, Lee C Conley and Alex S Bradshaw.
Sponsored by author A J Rettger
-Out of this World: Worldbuilding in Science Fiction-
Explore the art of building brave new worlds with insights into the technology, politics, and history behind some of the best science fiction literature. With Emily Inkpen, Frasier Armitage, DB Rook and Simon Kewin.
-Discovering your next great read-
Indie or traditional publishing? Grimdark or cosy fantasy? Dive into the world of words, with advice on discovering new authors and getting involved in the writing community, whether you're a reader or a writer. With Ed Crocker, Tim Hardie and Steven McKinnon.
Sponsored by The Broken Binding
Readings & Workshops
-Get a glimpse into the works of Phil Parker and Simon Kewin-
Get a glimpse into the works of Phil Parker and Simon Kewin. Join Simon Kewin, who will be reading from his The Triple Stars series; and Phil Parker, who will be reading from his novel City of Onyx
-Fantasy worldbuilding with Stephen Aryan-
Join Stephen Aryan, David Gemmell Morningstar Award finalist, for an insightful workshop on building better fantasy worlds in your writing. This workshop will equip you with the skills and techniques to enrich your world's history and setting. Don't forget to bring a pen and paper!
-Plotting your storyline with Tim Hardie-
Join SPFBO finalist Tim Hardie for a workshop designed to help you organise your ideas, plot your story beats, and manage your characters effectively. Perfect for aspiring writers with great ideas who need some organisational advice. Don't forget to bring a pen and paper!
-Tasting Steel: Separating combat fact from fiction with Lee C. Conley-
Join author Lee C. Conley for a talk on separating fact from fiction when writing compelling combat and battle scenes. Lee is a practitioner and instructor of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). He specialises in various Longsword styles and also practices Military Sabre, British Military Backsword, Arming Sword & Buckler, Tomahawk & Knife, and Staff.
-Young reader's and writers sessions with Hazel Meredith-Lloyd-
Younger readers and writers can join author Hazel Meredith-Lloyd for our fun and creative family-friendly storytelling sessions (suitable for all ages). No need to bring a pen and paper – all you need is your imagination! We have two sessions running during the day at 11:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 14:30. Please note participants will need to sign up on the day and children under the age of 12 years will need to be supervised by a parent or carer.
Vendor Tables
We have a fantastic selection of vendors attending our event, who will have an array of cool, creative and original items for sale throughout the day. You can find out more about them by clicking on the links below:
-Comics and art-
Nevercity Creations: Comics, prints and original artwork
Foxhat: Cute animal prints and gifts and original comics Bubblegum and Marzipan and Therian Tail
Psycomics: Details to follow shortly
Jon Lock: Acclaimed comic series Afterlife Inc.
-Authors-
DB Rook
Karl Forshaw
Sandra Bond
Sarah Elliot
Hotel Information
Fancy making a weekend of it?
We are excited to announce that the lovely folks at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury are offering a special room rate for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Spotlight ticket holders, giving you the opportunity to turn your visit into a weekend trip to beautiful, historic Shrewsbury.
Regular rate
Saturday night £103 per BB double room
Sunday night £58 per BB double room
Fantasy and Sci-Fi Spotlight rate
Saturday night £79 per BB double room
Sunday night £49 per BB double room
Please contact the reservations team directly to book.
MEET OUR SPONSORS
We are very grateful to our fantastic sponsors below. Their support is helping to make this event a reality - so please read on to find out a bit more about them and don’t forget to check out their websites and social media.
-The Broken Binding-
The Broken Binding is a UK based Online Bookstore specialising in; Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, SFF Masterworks and Signed books.
Special Edition Store
Regular Bookstore
-Page Chewing-
The Page Chewing blog and forums are a great place to meet new people, discover great reads and chat about books, games, films and anything and everything cool.
-The British Fantasy Society-
For all things fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction. Learn more about the British Fantasy Society’s history, works and the benefits of becoming a member on their website. You can also follow them on social media to keep up-to-date with their upcoming events and news.
-AJ Rettger-
AJ Rettger is the author of Oathbreaker and Season of Kings. He has a Bachelor of Education degree, as well as a certificate from a private vocational college. His hobbies include playing Dungeons and Dragons, listening to heavy metal, and reading and writing fantasy books.
-David Green-
David Green is a neurodivergent writer of the epic and the urban, the fantastical, the cosy and the mysterious. With his character-driven dark fantasy series Empire Of Ruin, or urban fantasy noir Hell In Haven, David takes readers on emotional, action-packed thrill rides. Hailing from the north-west of England, David now lives in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland with his wife and Godzilla-obsessed son. When not writing, David can be found wondering why he chooses to live in places where it constantly rains. David's Path Of War was nominated for Best Novel at the 2023 BFS Awards. He is repped by Laura Bennett of LLA, and has an own voice neurodivergent cosy fantasy novel on submission.
Stay tuned for information on our vendors and sellers for the day coming soon!
-Fantasy Files Podcast-
The Fantasy Files Podcast is a fun, relaxed and often hilarious channel where a bunch of best friends discuss fantasy and sci-fi books and interview authors and fellow YouTubers! Hosted by Spencer, Gabe, and Sam, Fantasy Files Podcast explores everything from big budget blockbusters to up and coming indie authors. Please give them a visit, check out their content and smash that subscribe button!
-Alternative Stories-
Alternative Stories is the multi award-winning audio fiction and podcast production company behind top quality radio programmes including the globally successful, BSFA Award-winning, sci-fi audio drama, The Dex Legacy. Our dramas have appeared on BBC Radio and represented the UK at the International Radio Drama Festival and been heard at festivals around the world. Our writing podcast The Writers' Gym Podcast offers topic-based advice to authors and has featured guests such as Rhianna Pratchett and Gareth L Powell.
We provide services to writers and the publishing industry, offering a full podcast setup and production service. Services include: professional promotional materials for books and authors, and consultancy services to help authors develop their brand and marketing strategy. We also offer a full end-to-end production service for audio drama scripts allowing writers to get their work professionally edited, recorded and produced. Chris Gregory and Emily Inkpen offer a range of courses and workshops teaching every aspect of writing for audio. As a not-for-profit organisation we always aim to keep our prices competitive and affordable. Get in touch at office@alternativestories.com
Writing for audio workshops & courses
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.