Apart from SF and Fantasy (and literature in general), my main interests are film, archaeology and history, sport, opera (particularly Mozart), cookery, military history and hardware, computer games, both world wars, music in general, mythology, Shakespeare and the history of theatre, and English literature.
Music
50s and 60s RnB; opera; jazz (from big band to the Jazz Warriors); lots of Good Stuff.
Movies
CASABLANCA, THE MALTESE FALCON, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE SEARCHERS, BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH, HEAVEN KNOWS MR. ALLISON, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING, GALAXY QUEST, THE LAST VALLEY, SLEEPY HOLLOW, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE CORPSE BRIDE, ED WOOD, ZULU, THE LONGEST DAY, A CANTERBURY TALE, SCROOGE (ALASTAIR SIM), THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP, ALFIE (ORIGINAL), GET CARTER (ORIGINAL), A FEW DOLLARS MORE, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A DAY AT THE RACES, GUYS AND DOLLS, THE IPCRESS FILE, HIGH SOCIETY, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, LEON, THE THIN MAN, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, CAPTAIN BLOOD, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THE RIGHT STUFF, THE BIG CHILL, THE BIG EASY, THE BIG SLEEP, ALIEN, GHOSTBUSTERS, CYRANO, THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, THE BLUES BROTHERS, OLIVIER'S HENRY V AND RICHARD III…many others
Television
The Avengers, The West Wing, The League of Gentlemen, CSI (original series)...
Books
Many, many favourites. Fiction ranges from Dickens' OUR MUTUAL FRIEND to Iain Banks' THE BRIDGE. Non-fiction from Orlando Figes' NATASHA'S DANCE (A Cultural History of Russia) to Roy Porter's ENLIGHTENMENT.
Since I published SF and Fantasy for fifteen years, I have a number of favourites there, too. Let's mention authors rather than specific books: Alfred Bester, Philip K Dick, Frederik Pohl & C M Kornbluth, Greg Bear, Brian Aldiss, J G Ballard, Tom Disch, Roger Zelazny (pre-AMBER), Robert Silverberg, Ursula Le Guin, William Gibson, Iain M Banks, Ian McDonald, Alastair Reynolds, Ken MacLeod, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, on the SF side. Fritz Leiber, E R Eddison, J R R Tolkien, George R R Martin, Robert Holdstock, Tim Powers, Mike Moorcock, Ian R MacLeod, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Steven Erikson, Guy Gavriel Kay in Fantasy. There are a great many others I could also mention!
I work as an editor directly for new and published writers; a literary agent; and a freelance editor for publishing companies.
Check my website:
http://www.johnjarrold.co.uk
About me: I work as a literary agent, and editor for new writers and publishers. I started attending SF conventions in 1973, and joined publishing full-time in 1988. I spent fifteen years working in London publishing, running SF and Fantasy imprints Orbit, Legend and Earthlight. I have published authors from Iain Banks, Robert Holdstock and Greg Bear to Robert Jordan and David Gemmell, as well as thriller writers including Stel Pavlou, John Sandford and Tim Willocks. Having also worked in public libraries for fifteen years before getting into publishing, I think you might say that I like books. I've also been asked by indy film producers to do some script-editing on occasion.
Check me out on this website:
http://www.johnjarrold.co.uk
Who I'd like to meet: Jenny Agutter, Sigourney Weaver, Diana Rigg...oh, sorry, you didn't mean that, did you?
Writers (published and unpublished); publishing and other media professionals; interested parties.
HAPPY NEW YEAR JOHN!! Here's hoping that 2009 will be your best year ever. Thanks so much for all your wise words and support, getting that book contract was the best Xmas present ever and I couldn't have done it without you! All the very best for the new year! XXXX
Saw your name pop up in an article in this month's writers news, so thought I'd stop by and say "Hi!" Hope you are well & busy. Have a great w'end - it's s'posed to be SUNNY!!!!! :)
Thought I'd stop by and wish you all the best for Christmas & New Year - I hope 2007 was just a sign of things to come and that 2008 will rock for you & the agency!
Thanks for adding me. It's great to see Jaine Fenn getting a publishing deal. Thanks for helping her achieve that. Maybe I'll be published too one day....
John, darling! Thank you so much for the "add", as Asif tells me the young people are saying these days. We simply must meet up for a stiff Pimm's soon.
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