2,802 words done today - and it's only 1pm. How did that happen?!!

Ok, now I'll go in search of lunch in preparation for a deadly confrontation with the bramble which has sneakily grown in our front garden. Wish me luck.



Oh, yes - Tim Hulme and I will be appearing on 7 Waves Radio this Friday, between 11am and noon (GMT). If you live on the Wirral or nearby you can tune your radio to 92.1 FM. Otherwise, you can hear the show via their web site at:- http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-the-wirral/

I don't know which of his stories Tim will be reading, but he's an excellent writer so do listen in.

I'll be reading Beautiful, which was published in Quiet Lives (Amazon Shorts, 2008). It's the story of a woman's determination to live life to the full despite other peoples' assumptions about her. If you've ever felt disappointed by what you see in the mirror, this story is for you.

I am pleased to anounce the publication of Quiet Lives, ASIN B0013CX3HQ, available only from Amazon.com.

Direct link:- http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Lives/dp/B0013CX3HQ/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202834377&sr=1-12

Four tales of seemingly quiet lives:-

Dear Harry - Armajeet writes a parting letter to Harry. He is lovely but she's tired of too much compromise - and her friends would rip him to shreds.

Mirror - Having violated Melissa's hospitality, a salesman learns that not all witches comply with New Age stereotypes.

The Four Seasons When Granny visits, teenager Megan and her mother face a yawning generation gap.

Beautiful Dawn is as tall as a man and twice as broad, yet her determined quest for love, passion and beauty will strike a chord with everyone who has ever felt disheartened by their own reflection.

Two interesting articles on writing:- http://www.themidnighthour.net/a-sensitive-canvas/ and also:- http://www.themidnighthour.net/avoidance/ both penned by author Lilith Saintcrow.

So, how are your own writing projects coming along?

I've been invited to give a reading followed by a Q&A session with pupils of my old school, Golborne High School in late February. I've not been inside the building since I was sixteen - and no, I will not tell you how many years ago that was! I'm looking forward to it; it should be an interesting experience, and I'm curious to see how the school has changed.

No prizes for guessing that I've been working away at Rowan, which is now at 62,500 words. I've also now finished a short story, Clara's Wristwatch, which is my response to this month's writing project for Riverside Writers, and which I'll probably include in my next (third) Amazon Short. I've lined up four new Dark Fantasy stories for that already, but have yet to summon a title.

I'm still waiting to learn the publication date for my second Amazon Short, Quiet Lives, but it should be soon now.

Oh, if you wish to read some reviews of my first Amazon Short, click this link:- http://www.amazon.com/A-Wirral-Otherkin-Trilogy/dp/B000SMZ3I4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201354600&sr=8-1

To view the list of contributing authors for the forthcoming Ruins Metropolis anthology, which includes my Old world Magic, go to:- http://ericreynolds.livejournal.com/20882.html

This list can also be viewed here:- http://sfscope.com/2008/01/ruins-metropolis-table-of-cont.html

Most of my morning was devoted to writing one hundred words.

Yes, you read that correctly; one hundred. How could such a tiny task take so long, you ask? It’s a fair question! And the answer is that I needed to write a small piece of promo blurb for Quiet Lives, a skill I’m not great at.

Emily burying the dried - and very revolting - pig ear in my bed (after she’d dug it up from the small heap of bonfire ash in the garden) helped only to create another distraction and more laundry. White cotton sheets patterned with black ash paw prints might be in vogue one day, but not here, not now.

And I’m sulking about my new solar powered garden lights. Pinpricks would be a more accurate description; pinpricks of light which last about forty minutes before winking out entirely. They don’t even illuminate the grass directly beneath them, never mind the garden path.

Have you watched King Kong Lives with Linda ‘Terminator’ Hamilton? Richard bought a copy for £2 yesterday, and after I’d taken the dogs for a long walk along the beach and over Caldy Hill, we sat down to view it. Basically, after Kong fell from the Empire State Building, he was saved by a heart transplant (ER move over!) and by the love of a Ms Kong, who looks similar to the ape himself ‘cept she’s had a ginger rinse. They fall in love, get chased across America by nasty army people, smashing stuff up along the way. Watch out for the Nativity scene. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be a comedy….

We also watched an unusual and imaginative film called Lady in the Water, which will appeal to those with a taste for folklore and fantasy.

And we watched the “Bourne Ultimatum”, which didn’t interest me much. Blowing stuff up seems to be a popular Hollywood theme. ‘Nuff said.

More stuff gets blown up in Earth Alien, when a game warden sets out to stop a hunter from… well, hunting, actually. Humans are the prey of choice in this Sci-Fi tale, which has enough snazzy hi-tech gadgets to keep the most pedantic of enthusiasts content. Fun!