No excuses, just busy, but that’s probably going to change over the next few months so I thought I’d get back on the horse and see whether we cleared some hurdles (or something).

 

So, straight to business, having lost a lot of work to a computer malfunction recently I’ve been writing quite a lot.

 

I now have four new short stories at various stages of finished and an outline, research and four chapters of, of all things, a horror novel set in the trenches of World War One sitting on my (multi-multi-backed-up) hard drives. I’m not sure how I’ve ended up writing a horror novel – the story just jumped up at me and though I’ve had my doubts: I don’t really like horror novels, especially ones with monsters (which this one certainly does) and I’m terrified of doing that thing that genre outsiders do of repeating stuff that’s gone before. At the same time, however, it’s a story that seems to want to be told so I’m going to try to treat it seriously and finish it.

 

The next few weeks/months should see three short stories published, at last. Proper Little Soldier – in Conflicts a NewCon Press anthology being launched at Eastercon, Barcode Babes – in DayBreak, Jetse DeVries’s online companion to his much-anticipated Shine anthology and Eskeragh – in (I think, but I’m not certain) the next issue of Albedo One. Thinking about it, I suppose Eskeragh should be classified as a horror story as well… maybe I do have a darkside?

 

I’ve also been busy with BSFA stuff – the next issue of Focus is just about ready to go, I’ve been laying up a really fascinating book which members will receive soon that has been edited by Niall Harrison which surveys writers on their views about sf and f and their roles within it. And I’ve been administering the James White Award – the closing date for which is only a few days away.

 

Oh, and I’ve quit my job and am looking at alternative forms of gainful employment.

 

All ideas welcome.

 

And then there’s Eastercon. I’m on four or five panels of one hue or another – I’ll post details for those vaguely interested later. I hope Moira and Niamh might be able to come along to this one – which is exciting and a bit weird – they’ve never been to a Con before, who knows what they’ll make of it (actually Niamh won’t care because it’s in a hotel and she loves hotels, so she’ll be happy).

 

It will be nice to have them around (if we can sort out hotel accommodation – I’m waiting to hear back from the folk at Odyssey). I’m pretty hopeless at conventions at just going up and talking to strangers (or even, sometimes, people I know) – yet people never believe me when I say I’m shy, presumably because I overcompensate horribly when I finally do talk to people!

 

Plus, I can’t wait to see fandom through Niamh’s eyes. I think some of Eastercon could blow her mind.

 

That’s it for now, I’ve also been doing a lot of reading – which I’m going to get around to talking about here in the near future.

 

Back soon.