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Wednesday 1st January, 2020

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Happy New Year!

It’s a little late in the day to get the post out but… I had other things to do. Dogs walked, minor DIY done, things measured for more DIY, Doctor Who watched but also… writing things. At least everyone on the globe is now officially in 2020, so, you know.

Happy New Year!

And now on to the writing things what I have done. I’m not in any position to give you an accurate forecast of the future but I know that my main WIP that I’ll be working on in the next few months will go by the working title of “The Three Lancers”. There is now a tag although it remains to be seen whether I’ll manage to make site updates often enough for it to get much use.

Anyway, in the last year, I have re-read The Three Musketeers and the story The Duellists is based on, and I’m part way through Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It looks like they’re all going to be a strong influence. I keep talking about it being Not The Three Musketeers, so it’s going to be pretty blatantly based on those group dynamics.

I have a bit of stuff lined up in advance for Plumtree, my Patreon project [External Link], and the next passage goes live (to backers) on Monday.

My other side WIP at the moment is going through some substantive edits of City of Dreams. I last worked on that back in 2010 and the first draft actually dates from 2009. Twards the end of last year, Mab Morris [External Link] offered to go through it for me and I’m now working through the resulting notes. I hope to be able to declare the latest draft finished in the next few days. And I definitely recommend Mab to other writers, particularly anyone who’s thinking of going the Indy route (which I am unlikely to, as I am not brave enough) and needs an editor to check things out. It’s a hard skill to master, stepping back from your own work to see where the structural issues are. Sometimes it’s good to get an outside observer to help.

25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire has been passed along to readers, so that’s gone from my mind and my work queue until I find out if other people think the story was worth telling, too.

And with that, time for me to disappear – maybe I’ll reappear in time for next week.

Wednesday 31st July, 2019

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So, I guess I’m still intermittent. On the plus side, I made it to tai chi last week, even if I didn’t post here. On the downside, I didn’t make it to tai chi today, although I am now posting here.

To be fair, other than my current mental state, I rarely have much to report at the moment. That said, yesterday I finished the 18th method in 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire and today I started Method 19. I may get to the end of that chapter within a month!

I’m feeling so positive about the end – of the first draft – in sight that I’ve started to give some serious thought to what becomes the next main WIP:

“Three disgraced Queen’s Lancers are put on royal-sitting duty – the shame compounded by their charge not even being the heir. They remain impressed when they discover they have a role in their charge’s audacious plan to win their own throne.”— Jo M Thomas (@Journeymouse) July 31, 2019

I figure it’s time for that gender-bent Three Musketeers homage I’ve been thinking about. Although I am still undecided whether it will be set in a similar fantasy era or somewhen different— Jo M Thomas (@Journeymouse) July 31, 2019

OK. That should be *unimpressed— Jo M Thomas (@Journeymouse) July 31, 2019

Just don’t hold your breath about me getting to it!

Oh, and the August issue of The Future Fire [External Link] should be out pretty soon, so I will be shouting about that in the next few weeks.

Wednesday 10th July, 2019

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I think this is where I say something about it having been three weeks since my last confession. Apologies but I needed another few quiet Wednesdays. I’m only partially back to an active Wednesday in that I’m writing this. I haven’t actually done any of my chores or made it to tai chi – but I’m writing this and I have DIYed, so go me!

And this weekend contains Edge Lit Saturday, so I’m kind of saving my energy for that. As per usual, it’s at the Derby Quad – and there’s a Facebook event page here: [External Link] Please do say “hi!” to me. It’s highly likely I will struggle to put a name to a face and fail to recognise you but I am always happy to chat if you can put up with my failure to function.

In writing news, I have finished Method 17 of 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire and seen Goodbye, Snow Child in its electronic environment – it’s waiting for illustrations and August, when the fiftieth edition of the Future Fire [External Link] hits the Interwebs. Incidentally, TFF’s issue 49 is up and it’s full of lovely poetry. Please go read!

And if you fancy being a Patreon backer, if you hurry, you can get involved in a vote on the latest passage in Plumtree, the current project: [External Link]

Wednesday 12th June, 2019

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I’m in danger of peaking too soon! Today I have made it to tai chi in person for the first time in an age (my teachers have a youtube channel here: [External Link], worth a look if you’re into that kind of thing), did my shopping, got the littlest Hellhound to the vets, and now I’m posting on the website.

So, other achievements.

I started on Method 17 of 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire shortly after posting last week but my average time on these 4,000 word chapters is about a month, so I’ll probably keep my mouth shut about that until I limp to a close on each method for now.

I’ve done my usual quick acceptance posts for In Sunshine Or In Shadow and Goodbye, Snow Child. They’re back-dated to when the acceptance became “official” (i.e. when the editors and I were talking about it). Also as usual, the versions accepted are unlikely to be identical the versions you get to read when they’re published – typos, grammar mistakes and poor structure are about to be hunted down by said editors and destroyed with extreme prejudice.

I intend to prepare a couple of posts about the Story Background for both of these, which will be posted as part of my getting the word out when they’re published. In the case of Goodbye, Snow Child, it’s going to include a detour via XKPasswd [External Link]. Yes, really.

And final thing to mention, Plumtree is on Passage 14 (The End of The Jungle [External Link]), although only backers can read it at the moment – and only they can vote on where she goes next. Yes, that’s right. If you pay one US dollar a month, you occasionally get to choose some poor, abused / abusive character’s adventure. I would appreciate some direction, so get on that, eh?

Wednesday 5th June, 2019

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OK. I’m alive. I admit it. I have just been well out of spoons over the last couple of months.

The cause, if anyone is interested in that sort of thing, was that my work office moved. I didn’t change job, my employers’ office just had an address change. The move itself – which happened the weekend before Easter – was bad enough but the office is not designed for people who have issues with sensory overload. To be fair, I’m not convinced it’s designed for more neurotypical human beings, either, but they seem to wear down a little slower and a little less dramatically than, for example, me. Things should be turning around now but this is mainly down to my working from home most afternoons. This is not a long term solution.

Anyway, I’ve managed to keep things ticking over since then but posting to the website has not been one of the things ticked over. Here’s a list of things that may be of note – and I’ll try to turn up next week for an update of how things are going as well as completing some non-weekly posts in between.

  • I made it through method 16 of 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire. I am both simultaneously shocked and appalled. Shocked because I’m surprised I’m still going, appalled because of just how long this one is taking. It may be the side projects, or it may just be that I really need to get my head together and spend more time writing.
  • 25 Ways To Kill A Werewolf has been reviewed at Runalong The Shelves (here: [External Link])
  • Michael S. Collins of The Other Side Books [External Link] is working on a ghostly horror anthology – to arrive at some point next year. I have been invited to take part and the story I put together (I came up with the In Shunshine Or In Shadow idea mentioned previously for this) was accepted. I need to do an acceptance post for this and I’ll prepare a story background post for when the anthology comes out. Until I manage the former of those, file this under “Sekrit Projekt”.
  • The Future Fire [External Link] had a call for longer works for their August issue and I submitted my Goodbye, Snow Child story. It got accepted (yes, that’s another acceptance post I need to do) and, again, I’ll prepare a story background post for when the August issue comes out.
  • Plumtree creeps on through the other world she finds herself in. Or maybe thatshould be continues to rampage. Anyway, Patreon backers can now get Passage 13 (14 comes out Monday, after I’ve written it) and everyone else can go to the index page [External Link] where you read up to Passage 11.
  • My employers, JBA Risk Management [External Link], supplies mapping and modelling data on flood risk – and they also have a blog. So, in the interests of doing a bit more than their systems administration and stretching my writing skills a bit further, I crossed the streams to write for said blog and you can find my post on the terms used in flood insurance here: [External Link]

I think I caught everything. Maybe. Well, hopefully see you next week, spoons allowing.

Wednesday 10th April, 2019

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Hello! Welcome back to the website and I actually managed to put up another post within a week! The DIY continues in small steps in meat-space but here’s the round up of things that are happening in my writing world.

I’m now more like 3/4 of the way through method 15 of 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire. There has been a minor stall this week because I’ve been focused on other writing related things.

The main bit of obvious work is that I’ve read through and made a few (slight) changes to The Isle of Ravens, that thematic follow-up to The Knight’s Daughter, making further use of that mythological Greenwood. This has, in principle at least, already been accepted by Michael S. Collins of The Other Side Books ([External Link]) for release later this year. So, I need to send that along to Mr Collins and await the editor’s edits.

(I’m sending it now, honest!)

I’ve re-read and redrafted a few bits of my Goodbye, Snow Child story. I ought to have come up with a better name for it but the working title has stuck. It’s now looking for a new home, so fingers crossed.

I’ve also made a start on that ghost story idea I mentioned last week – In Sunshine Or In Shadow. For those who think they recognise the title, yes, it is a line from Danny Boy. Which, apparently, is actually supposed to be Eily Dear when sung by a man. This may or may not have some bearing on the story I’m trying to tell.

For things people can actually see, Plumtree Passage 6 is now in the index [External Link] and available to everyone, so please go read!.

Wednesday 3rd April, 2019

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A coat rack hanging in a hall
This is my handiwork

I skipped a week again. I’m assuming you don’t want to know about how I did nothing last week. I gave myself a cracking concussion the Friday before and it took a few days to get back to my normal.

However, today I did DIY while waiting for things to be delivered. So you can have a photo of my new coat rack because this is the first thing I’ve done that required power tools in over three years and I’m proud of it, dammit.

Incidentally, now I’m waiting for someone to turn up about a gas leak…

This week has also seen a two-part interview with Damien Seaman [External Link] go up – I’m the interviewee, by the way. You can find the two parts here:

  1. The Buzzfeed approach to writing a novel, with dark fantasy author Jo M Thomas [External Link]
  2. What to do when writing overwhelms you <[External Link]

Damien will be releasing an indepth review of 25 Ways To Kill A Werewolf in the not too distant future as well. I may be a bit nervous.

In writing news, I’m about half way through method 15 of 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire, I’m considering getting into redrafting The Isle of Ravens (thematic follow-up to The Knight’s Daughter, making further use of that mythological Greenwood) and I’ll be playing with a ghost short story idea this week or next. Pencil that in as “In Sunshine Or In Shadow”.

For my Patreon backers, Plumtree Passage 9 is now available to read (here: [External Link]). Passage 6 gets added to the index ([External Link] on Monday.

Wednesday 20th March, 2019

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I didn’t get around to writing an update last week. I basically had nothing to share.

Unless you particularly want to know that two men fitted vinyl flooring last week and a plumber who the dogs think is great (to play with, not eat a whole one) fitted a thermostat today. Ah, the joys of owning a house and three dogs. Incidentally, the dogs weren’t to happy with the flooring guys and i think the flooring guys wee a little scared.

Anyway, I continue to limp along a few hundred words at a time with 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire. I don’t question that I will finish it, but I do wonder if it’s going to be one of those things that lives in the notional desk drawer for the rest of my life. I actually finished the first draft of Goodbye, Snow Child – and, yes, that does mean I spent more time on it in the last fortnight than I ought to have!

I also have a growing list of ideas and notes of things I intend to work on – including space westerns, dragons, and maybe an epically un-epic fantasy – although the next thing (whether after the Vampires or alongside) is probably going to be dusting of an Under Smoke City apocrypha idea that didn’t get finished before.

And, finally, Plumtree Passage 7 is now available for backers (here: [External Link]) and it has a vote (only open until Monday if I’ve wrestled Patreon into submission) on what happens next.

See you next week!

Wednesday 6th March, 2019

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I exist and I have had pancakes!

Other than that, not a lot to share with you. I’ve put a few hundred words into 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire while Goodbye, Snow Child is probably about halfway through the plot line. I have reached an impasse on working out how things will resolve, so maybe I shall [not] be killing more vampires next week.

Due to having made an obvious commitment to my patreon project, Plumtree movement is more obvious. Passage 7 came out for backers on Monday and there’s a new question up for Navigator and Back-Seat Writer backers along with the previous open vote. (Both here: [External Link]). I may have another one for them next week! The index page with all the publicly available passages listed is here: [External Link]. Passage 5 goes public next week.

Wednesday 27th February, 2019

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I have been silent for a fortnight because, basically, I went to the cinema last week and forgot to post. How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World was just that good, folks, sorry.

In other news, I have been writing. 25 Ways [Not] To Kill A Vampire is still limping, which proves it’s not dead yet, and I’m barely over half way through but here’s hoping I can get to the final stretch some time this year!

The Goodbye, Snow Child idea is moving a little more but will probably hit a “So, what happens now?” wall any time soon. I have not plotted this one out (I rarely do) and it’s not really telling me how it wants to be. I just find myself adding a few hundred words more every now and again.

Plumtree is progressing and Patreon backers are now up to passage 6 (7 is due out on Monday) while non-backers can get up to passage 4. The index page with all the publicly available passages listed is here: [External Link]. It’s probably also worth reminding people that there’s still a Back-Seat Writer vote open on whether I explain the torso and arm found while people were looking for the missing Erin Plumtree (here: [External Link]) – and I’ll be opening another Back-Seat Writer poll this time next week.

Was there anything else I was supposed to mention?