Tuesday, 23 September 2014

'Thrash' Published at Daily Science Fiction.



My flash story 'Thrash' is published at Daily Science Fiction today. This is a coming of age story. I love using life transitions in my stories: birth, coming of age, marriage, divorce, death. 

Rocket Dragon ratings are appreciated. Rate me.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then, the whining school-boy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then, a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then, the justice,
In fair round belly, with a good capon lined,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.


The Monologue from Shakespeare's As You Like It

What a killer last lineSans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Friday, 12 September 2014

Collaborative Story Published at Perhilion



'Crowd Control' by Gareth D. Jones, Aliette De Bodard, Nancy Fulda, Deborah Walker, John Murphy, and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley is up at Perhilion today. 


This is a collaborative story brainchilded by Gareth. All I needed to do was provide him with a 500 word vignette and he did the rest. 

And guess what, he's doing another. Last I heard there were 14 authors involved. My word. 

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Sale to 'Lane of Unusual Traders'




I'm pleased to announce that my flash story 'Venom' has been accepted by The Lane of Unusual Traders. This was a shared world call, the publishers Tiny Owl Workshop provided a background to the world and writers were invited to submit stories set in the world.

These are my new TOC buddies.


  • Aimée Lindorff – The Lost Chapel of Santa Lusca
  • Robert G. Cook – Irrealty & Ferns
  • Jim Stutz – Giving and Taking Away
  • Meryn Beattie – Seeing
  • Steve Toase – The Sugarman
  • M. M. De Voe – Orran’s Music Emporium
  • Deborah Walker – Venom
  • Tom Wells – The Crippled Door
  • S. G. Larner – Caesura
  • Ian Versace – Potential
  • Debb Bouch – The Last Gasp
  • Madison Dusome – The Lions
  • Jennifer Purse – Juno Filth’s Pest Shop
I'm looking foward to seeing what artwork is associated with the project, as the art they've published so far has been lovely.


Friday, 5 September 2014

Invitation to SFComet's SF Contest

Very exciting news. I've been invited to take part in SFComet's October science fiction contest. Each month SFComet invite five authors to write a 1500-2500 words story based on a theme. The story is translated into Chinese and published on the web for voting. 

This will be my first time translated into Chinese. 

Thursday, 4 September 2014

Tuckerised in Qualia Nous



"A literary blend of science fiction and horror, Qualia Nous contains short stories, novelettes, and poetry from established authors and newcomers from around the world. Featuring the imaginations of Stephen King, Gene O'Neill, William F. Nolan, John Everson, Lucy A. Snyder, Thomas F. Monteleone, Elizabeth Massie, Gary A. Braunbeck, and many others."


I'm thrilled to be in this book. Not because I've sold them a story. But because Lucy N. Snyder has tuckerized me (used my name as one of the characters in her story). That means I could say that I'm in a book with Stephen King! Sort of. Not really.

Anyhoo lots of fun. I got tuckerized by responding to a post on Lucy's Facebook, and then getting pulled out of a hat. It pays to be lucky.

Qualia Nous is available on Amazon.com, and as soon as it's available on Amazon.co.uk, you can bet I'll be buying a copy.

Let's make this a thing! Everyone should tuckerize me.

Tuesday, 2 September 2014

To Be Read: September



I'm going to stick my to be read list, on my blog. And I'll put my own stories here, too. Genius. It's going to be short stories from people who's work I enjoy all free on the interwebs. Anything speculative. 

I'll keep updating it as we go along. If you (and I enjoy all your work, kind readers) want something added to the list comment me up. 



'Eine Kleine Nachtfilm by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro in Galaxy's Edge
'Wourism' by Ian Whates in Galaxy's Edge
'Net-working' by  Frances Silversmith in  Grantville Gazette
'A Cup of Salt Tears' by Isabel Yap in Tor.com
'Anna Saves Them All' by Seth Dickinson' in Shimmer 
'No Lonely Seafarer' by Sarah Pinkser in Lightspeed
'Waste Knot, Want Not' by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro in Natures Physics
'Investments' by Simon Kewin in Natures Futures
'Dharmas' by Vajra Chandrasekera in Shimmer 
'A Fly's Work' by Paul Magnan in Liquid Imagination





Sunday, 31 August 2014

Busy as a Bee in August






August has been a good month, extremely busy. I've fitted in a two week holiday to Brittany, a four day holiday to WorldCon here in London. And provided three squares to the children. And my mum came down for a few days from Derby to help me celebrate my birthday.

And any spare time I've had, I've been working on my novel, writing short stories and poetry and submitting like the wind. 


August News

August 31st Two poems by Kelda Crich sold to Eternal Haunted Summer
August 30th: Secret Sale of a Reprint to Best of X anthology
August 29th: 'Drink Deep and Long the Circean Posion' to be translated into Dutch and published in SF-Terra
August 27th: Mind Meld  'Under appreciated Authors' by Kelda Crich published in SF-Signal 
August 25th: Crowd Control, a collaborative Story with Aliette de Bodard, Sylvia Spruck Wrigley, Gareth Jones and John P Murphy sold to Perihelion
August 11th: 'House of Cards'  published T Gene Davis' Speculative Blog 
August 10th:  'Drink Long and Deep' reprint accepted by Strange Constellations
August 7th: 'I Sing the Recurring Melody' accepted by Love, Space, Time, Magic Anthology 
August 3rd: 'Beyond the Turning Orrery' accepted by Abbreviated Epics Third Flatiron
August 1st 'Ghost Nebula' reprint accepted by Spirit Caller

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

SF Mind Meld: My Favourite Magic Item: The Fancy Dress Shop in Mr Benn

I've taken part in SF Signal's laterst Mind Meld: Favourite Magic Items.



I chose the magic fancy dress shop in Mr Benn. What's your favourite magic item? What would you do with it?

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Two Sales to Beam Me Up




'Aunty Merkel' and 'Looking Good' have been accepted for podcasting at Beam Me Up (guidelines here). As a bonus, these stories will also be broadcast on the local listener supported radio station WRFR lp/fm.

My first time on the airwaves!

Monday, 14 July 2014

Data Crabs at Mad Scientist Journal and Story Sale

My story 'Data Crabs' is available to read at Mad Scientist Journal, with some lovely art by Shannon Legler.




And I'm pleased to announce that I've sold a fantasy story to Daily Science Fiction. It's always a pleasure being published by DSF.

Thursday, 10 July 2014

First Foot Published in Bil Pankia



'First Foot' has been translated into Hebrew by Amber Greenstein and published in Bli Panakia. This is my first translation into Hebrew.

Sale to Young Explorer's Adventure Guide

I'm very pleased to announce that my story 'Chit Win' is to be reprinted in Dreaming Robot Press' Young Explorer's Adventure Guide. 


We’re looking for stories that:
  • Have a main character a middle grade reader (ages 9-12) can identify with;
  • Show a diverse set of real characters;
  • Are well written, fun to read and encourage a love of reading science fiction;
  • Tell of adventure, space, science.  Give us rockets, robots and alien encounters, and we’re pretty happy. Steampunk, time travel, weird west and alternate history are all fine;
  • Are between 3,000 and 6,000 words.
The anthology is still open (full guidelines here):

Sunday, 6 July 2014

Story Sale to Nature's Futures 2




I'm pleased to report that my story 'Glass Future' has been selected to appear in Nature Futures 2  to be published by Nature and Tor. With one hundred stories in this volume, I'm pleased to be sharing the table of contents with lots of my writing friends.

Natures Future's 2 will be promoted at Loncon this August, which I'm attending.