Not through a rabbit hole, though it feels a bit like that right now. Wonderlands is a new Ning-based social networking site for the fantasy fiction community. I found out about it from Mark Newton, and it appears to be UK-based as it only has 19 members and I can see John Jarrold, Debbie Miller, Neil Williamson and Darren Turpin amongst the usual suspects. So I have gone and signed up and now I’m waiting to be approved. I’ll let you know if that happens.

In the meantime I’m none too impressed with the software. Maybe it is just a theme that someone did for it, but the sign-up screens are pretty much impossible to read. Also when I clicked on “My Page” I got a message box that managed to tell me that my account was both pending and approved.

Anyway, I am now apparently approved, so I’m off to chat to people there. Feel free to come and join us.

Update: Now 50 members, and a whole lot of US people joined as well. Word is getting around.

Update 2: Debbie Miller appears to be the person who started this. Who knows what it might turn into, but thus far I have discovered a new fantasy convention due to take place in Chester next June. It is called Aetherica, and the GoHs will be Peter Beagle and Joe Abercrombie. Aside from John Wilson, the committee are people I don’t know, and that is good news because it means new con-running blood. Sadly I have to be in San Francisco for this, but I hope the con goes well and that they manage to make it a regular event.