I've Been Tagged!!

Aww I’ve been tagged – thanks Rich!!

This is how it works: Display the award. Link back to the person who gave you this award. Nominate at least 7 other blogs. Put links to those blogs on your blog. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated. You can only answer in one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Somewhere

2. Where is your significant other? Work

3. Your hair colour? Dark

4. Your mother? Abroad

5. Your father? Deceased

6. Your favourite thing? Intrigue

7. Your dream last night? Intriguing

8. Your dream/goal? Published.

9. The room you’re in? Lounge

10. Your hobby? Writing.

11. Your fear? Betrayal

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Published.

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. What you’re not? Mean

15. One of your wish-list items? Time.

16. Where you grew up? Rural

17. The last thing you did? Eat

18. What are you wearing? Jumpers

19. Your TV? Off

20. Your pet? Hungry

21. Your computer? Old

22. Your mood? Content

23. Missing someone? Yes

24. Your car? Broken

25. Something you’re not wearing? Handcuffs

26. Favourite store? Waterstones

27. Your summer? Rainy

28. Love someone? Definitely

29. Your favourite colour? Green

30. When is the last time you laughed? Earlier

31. Last time you cried? Forgotten

And I will tag...

Emma, Liam, Jean, John, Crowe, JD, Kelly

2009 Writing Resolutions

A new year, and new opportunities – so what are my writing goals for this year? Here are my targets for 2009:

1. Find an Agent to represent Myth Making
2. Sell a short story to a SWFA pro market
3. Sell more short stories than in 2008 (more than 3)
4. Complete first draft of current WIP.
5. Enter the Yeovil Prize again.
6. Start putting reviews on this blog.

And do check out the Preditors and Editors readers poll – Ruins Metropolis has been nominated in the anthology category so if you’ve read and enjoyed it why not give it a vote.

Oh, and Happy New Year!!

2008 Summary

This is my last entry of 2008. It’s time for the festivities to begin! So I thought I would give a quick summary of what 2008 has meant for my writing. All in all, it’s not been a bad year, what with my success in the Yeovil Prize, and I’ve kept up the momentum with the short story sales.

Short stories accepted for publication in 2008:

“The Oralce” Jupiter SF # 25 due July 2009
“And Let Them In” Arkham Tales Issue TBD
“The Cone Key” Escape Velocity Magazine # 4, due 2009

Short Stories Published in 2008:

“In the Precinct of Amun-Re” Ruins Metropolis July 2008

Competition Results:

“Myth Making” Western Gazette Award for best local Author Yeovil Prize
“Myth Making” Highly Commended Yeovil Prize (Novel)
“Remember Normandy” Commended Yeovil Prize (short story)
“Moondust” Honourable Mention, Return to Luna Contest (Hadley Rille Books)

So all that remains is for me to wish all the readers of this blog a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy and prosperous 2009. May all your writing dreams for 2009 come true.

Another Story Finds a Home

I've just heard from Ian Redman - the editor over at Jupiter SF - that they would like to publish my short story 'The Oracle'.

It should be in Issue 25 which is due out in July 2009.

Jupiter SF is a fabulous UK based SF magazine with some first class fiction that regularly appears in various awards lists. So needless to say I'm thrilled that I'm going to be part of it.

And I'm also thrilled to have found a home for 'The Oracle' which is a personal favorite of mine.

Head over to their website and check them out. You won't be disappointed.

It came to me in a dream...

I woke up this morning with the most brilliant idea for a novel. I was buzzing with excitement as I stumbled through to the bathroom, shivering in the grey chill of dawn. When I flicked on the lights the grey turned to black outside and I stood in the shower as the water stirred me from sleep into wakefulness, mulling over my dream – my story – it was wonderful, so unique, so original, everything linked together so well…

But wait a moment… I blinked; more awake now…what was that? A gaping plot hole? And another? And the MC? Talk about one dimensional! And how could I have possibly thought THAT would work – it was ludicrous – preposterous!

I laughed. I was awake now and the dream was vanishing in the grey dawn light. There was no story – no plot, no great idea for the next big thing. For a dream was really all it was.

No matter – I’ll just have to stick with the WIP!

Prose Cafe with Bonnie Sartin

Last nights Prose Café at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil was a talk by Bonnie Sartin of The Yetties, one of England’s most popular folk groups.

Now I have to admit that I’ve never really known much about this part of English culture before, so, for me, Bonnie’s talk was a real eye opener.

He told us about Henry and Robert Hammond, two brothers who cycled round Dorset at the end of the 19th Century recording the songs sung by the local people, and sang some examples for us which was superb. There was even a bit of audience participation!

So it was well worth braving last night’s Yeovil parking nightmare!!

I can safely say that I have completely changed my perception of folk music. Thank you Bonnie for a fascinating talk!

Launching My Website

Well, at last, my new writing website is ready for launch. I've tweaked with the layout and fretted over the content, changed the colour scheme again and again until I found one that I liked, not to mention going through several possible titles...

I've had a stack of fantastic help on this from fellow Litopian Emma Shortt - thank you Emma!

So, let me present:

The Weird World of Writing

Please take a good look around and if you have any comments or suggestions then please make them here. I hope you like it.

Oh, and what could this be?