SciFi Now – Blackbirds

My review of Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig for Issue 66 of SciFi Now magazine

SciFi Now – Carpathia

My review of Matt Forbeck’s Carpathia, published in issue 65 of SciFi Now magazine.

SciFi Now – Hell Train

My book review of Christopher Fowler’s novel Hell Train, published in the December 2011 issue of SciFi Now magazine.

SciFi Now – Mirazor

Book review of V. Peter Maslin’s Mirazor in the November 2011 issue of SciFi Now magazine.

 

 

Bournemouth Echo

I spent a week at the Bournemouth Echo daily newspaper and managed to get several articles into the newspaper. Two, which have my byline on, were also published online:

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9253090.Planning_rule_means_nursery_children_are_told_to_stay_indoors/

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9247581.Britain_s_rarest_lizard_released_on_Hengistbury_Head/

Throughout the week, I wrote articles sourced from press releases and telephone interviews, attended a court case and visited the town hall to research information for an article. A collection of published articles are available by clicking here.

SciFi Now – Cowboys and Aliens

Review of Joan D. Vinge’s novelisation of Cowboys and Aliens published in the September 2011 issue of SciFi Now magazine. 

News Shopper – Printed Articles

After my week’s placement at the News Shopper, several of my articles made the newspaper. Most of them haven’t got my name on, but the web versions do – you can find links to all the web stories by clicking here.

To see a gallery of printed articles, click here.

SciFi Now – The Power of Six

My review of The Power Of Six by Pittacus Lore, which was published in the August 2011 issue of SciFi Now magazine. It is a sequel to I Am Number Four, which was recently adapted into a film starring Alex Pettyfer.

Virtual Festivals

In a week when a lot of people were reluctant to visit London, it was the city’s West End where I headed daily for work experience at Virtual Festivals.

Over the course of the week, I wrote news stories from press releases about new line-up additions, ticket sales and other things important to the festival world. I also got to write a few festival previews, where not only did I have to pick five must-see artists and add the videos to the site, I had to create a Spotify playlist as well.

I learnt a lot about how the website works; I had to upload my own stories and the accompanying photos as well as editing festival line-ups and creating new events on the site. Although on the surface it did seem quite complex, I picked it up really easily.

Another task involved writing a blog about whether there were too many festivals in the UK. It was a two-sided opinion piece with one of the other writers taking the other side of the argument. It came about after an article on the subject, and the editor decided a topical blog would be good for the site to feature.

The highlights of my week were the two interviews I was able to conduct. I met rising star Ayah Marar in a quiet pub just around the corner from the office, where I had a twenty minute conversation with her. Despite being slightly nervous (I wasn’t sure if I’d recognise her) it went well, and I wrote up the interview as a website feature.

The other interview was over the phone, with Suggs from Madness. I was shown how to use a telephone pick-up microphone to record the whole conversation as 60wpm shorthand just wasn’t going to be fast enough.  Again, there were nerves, but there was no need to worry in the end. He was very pleasant to speak to and said at the end that it was a good interview – a definite compliment there.

News articles

Tickets for Camp Bestival 2012 on sale

V Festival 2011 comedy line-up revealed

More for Wizard Festival 2011 line up 

The Devin Townsend Project top Damnation Festival 

IOW Festival boss: ‘The festival market is saturated’

Snowbombing 2012 announce launch party

More for Loopallu 2011 line up

Boomtown Fair 2011 tickets have sold out

Groove Armada, more for Freeze Festival 2011 line up

Rob Da Bank, more for Jersey film festival  

Last day to get Endorse-It-In-Dorset tickets online 

Features

Level Up: A Beautiful Days 2011 preview 

V, 2, 1…the countdown to V Festival 2011 begins

Ayah Marar: a singer enjoying the calm before the chaos

Blog: Are there too many festivals in the UK?

My Festival Life… Suggs, Madness 

 Monkey business: Modeselektor prepare for South West Four

 

 

News Shopper – Day Five

The end of the week didn’t disappoint, as I was invited to shadow one of the reporters on a court case. We caught the train up to Waterloo, where we walked to Blackfriars Crown Court. While waiting around for about twenty minutes for the case to start, I spoke to the two other press members there; a woman from the Bromley Times and a man from Central News.

We were there to hear the sentencing of two brothers who had pleaded guilty to lead theft. Unfortunately, after spending a couple of hours in court (plus an hour’s lunch break) the judge decided he needed a further report before he could sentence them. Back at the train station, the reporter I was shadowing tried to type up his story so it could be put online as quickly as possible. As his laptop ran out of battery, he resorted to typing it on his phone and emailing it to the newsroom as time was of the essence – something I’d never have thought of doing myself.

Back in the newsroom I had a couple of stories to type up, and before I left for the week, my deputy news editor said I was welcome back any time. I had a good week at the News Shopper; I learnt a lot, managed to get loads of bylines and reaffirmed my wish to enter the newspaper side of the profession.

£5m refurbishment of The Pavilion underway

Bromley band Van Susans launch EP at world famous 100 Club 

Boris Johnson’s sports funding boost for Lewisham and Greenwich 

Garden party raises £793 for dementia daycare centre 

Olympic hopeful pays visit to school