Wednesday 23rd January, 2019

Hey folks! I have moved and, although I still have a few boxes to unpack, I’m back to having the brain-space to write. This now includes updating the web-site. Apologies for the month of silence but you must be used to me being a terrible correspondent by now.

ASIDE: Yes, this does mean we’re without a “what I learned from last year / what I intend to do next year” post. I’m skipping a year because I was without t’Internet when I should have written it.

In the process of moving, I discovered that I have two complete sets of the Elkie trilogy (not my very own author copies, just copies I have for events) and an almost complete set of the Fox Spirit [External Link] Fox Pockets. I have mentioned on social media the possibility of giving these away when I’m more organised. So, expect me to have rules for at least the Elkie giveaway set up by next week. I shall probably run a giveaway on Facebook and one on Twitter.

The Fox Pockets will wait until I’ve sorted out the complete set, because giving you a set with some missing would just be mean, right?

The 25 Ways [Not] To Be A Vampire limps on. I’m now about 50,000 words in, I more-or-less know how everything works out and where I need to go to do it – and I’m doubting whether it was a good idea to start in the first place, given no-one will ever read it or, if they do, like it. So, business as usual for a writer!

I also have another idea that would quite like to be written, please, so I may detour slightly or try juggling three WIPs at once.

And on Plumtree, non-backers can read the prologue, first passage and epilogue and can get to them from the index page here: [External Link]. Passage 2 should become available to everyone on Monday and I’ll update the index page at some point to point to that, too. Backers are currently up to passage 4 – and they have a vote to decide (some of) what I write for passage 5.

Pretty sure that’s everythig up-to-date… See you in a week!

Wednesday 19th December, 2018

Welcome to my Wednesday.

In non-writing news, the mouse has a new house. Completion was today, so I shall be spending the next few weeks actually getting moved and handing the keys over for the current place (rented). This will, no doubt, be the next major source of wibbling, seeing as I’m not me if I’m not getting all wound up about the work I ought to do but can’t (for whatever reason) or don’t want to.

For those of you who may have an interest in seeing how my latest Patreon project, Plumtree, is going but don’t want to pay me a dollar a month for early access, the prologue has just gone live to the public. To make things easier to find, I’ve started an index page that will link with passages as they’re made publicly available – so the only link at the moment is the prologue – and you can find that here: [External Link]

Glass Mouse

Pictured here: my stunt double sitting in a fireplace at our new abode

The main WIP has now hit 45,000 words. This is not halfway through. This is about two fifths of the way through, so the wee beastie is likely to end up about 115,000 in total. On the good side, I seem to know where we’re headed at the moment and my output has gone up a bit.

Your final song video for this year’s advent as another George Michael:

Enjoy and see you in the time between celebrations.

Wednesday 7th November, 2018

And I made it for two in a row! Not that I have much to tell you. IRL, the mortgage offer on the house I’m intending to buy has been made official, I filled in the conveyancing solicitors’ forms and I’ve almost been at my current employers for three years. There have been minor distractions involving dog gates on various entrances and Houdini impressions (looking at you, Rosie). Doctor Who continues, the rugby Autumn Internationals are underway and I am watching more tv than is good for me. None of which means anything to anyone but me.

ASIDE: In my defence, as Finn can no longer go upstairs, I am now basically confined to the sofa or the breakfast bar unless actively walking the dogs or out. This makes for a very sedentary lifestyle in front of the tv or an uncomfortable writing position. It also means the four of us are getting a bit stir-crazy while we wait to move.

I’m not producing anywhere near enough word count to consider NaNoWriMo but I’m pecking away at the main project and I’ve started to get the background in place for Plumtree, which will have it’s first official post on Patreon on Monday.

You’re officially up to date, so see you next week!

Sunday 3rd April, 2016

Continuing the theme of being an unreliable narrator (but not in TV Tropes / standard sense: [External Link]), I’ve managed to lose a few weeks to emptying out the old house. In theory, I shouldn’t lose any more weekends to this real life task as the house is basically empty now.

So, the weekend before last was Easter weekend and also my birthday weekend. I got sent home from work with the Birthday Bear for the weekend and Mousie got a postcard out of it.

Sometime last week, I was also contacted by people behind the scenes at Satellite 5 [External Link]. I’ve had a membership since some time last year (but only just put up an event link here) and put my name forward to be involved in content. So, it looks like I’ve managed to talk my way into doing another HEMA-for-writers presentation!

Just to round out the post and because I haven’t pointed you in that general direction for a while, don’t forget that I have some free short stories available on site. And Fox Spirit Books, my esteemed publisher, also has too: [External Link]

Sunday 24th January, 2016

OK. I’m officially settled in the rental property in Barnoldswick (Barlick to the locals). The main change being I have a broadband connection at this end. What this means is that I should start making regular posts here – although odd weekends will be skipped as I still have to sort out the house for sale in Thurnscoe. I will be get some more posts up on the Otherworld Gazetteer [External Link] for February 15th and I may even manage to put something together for The Finishing School [External Link] for Wednesday 3rd February. We shall see.

In offline writing, I’ve finished Elkie 3 and it’s now circling the Fox Spirit [External Link] airport, waiting for its landing window. (There will, of course, be further work required on landing before reader-passengers are allowed on, if we’re going to carry on the analogy.) I’ve got the first draft of my first non-Elkie novel (in a while) out with beta readers and I’ve started the first draft of something else. I even managed to squeeze in the first draft of a short story and some redrafting of a couple of novellas that have been sat on my computer for a year or more. Things are moving on.

Finally, come to London on March 3rd. (Please?)

Other than that – more news as and when!

Sunday 19th September, 2010

A web-site tweak or two and life / writing update.
(Oh, and happy talk like a pirate day! Yarrr!)

The first thing you may notice is that the Swords section has disappeared. In the offline period, I realised that I don’t really hold a lot of information in it so the section itself is fairly pointless. My interest continues (where time allows me to attend the weekly classes) so I’ve moved some of the words to the About Me page. The fact that I have just received a rather shiny Pappenheimer from Armour Class [External Link] should show that my enthusiasm hasn’t waned. I’ll take some photos and show it off next week.

Time is, of course, the important thing about this week’s diary entry. Anyone and everyone knows how difficult it can be finding time for everything one wants to do. It’s a struggle fitting everything in at times. Other things that have fallen by the wayside in the offline / moving period have been World of Warcraft – which I am unlikely to start up again – and Blacksmithing – which I hope to get back to when things have settled down. The former has been removed from the About Me page and the latter is staying there as a note-to-self. (“Book definite time at the forge! Go!”)

Juggling time demands also holds my writing back. I’m fairly content to view it as a hobby – I like having a roof over my head, etc, and I’m not going to be financially successful at writing any time soon, so it’s definitely not my main focus. Not to mention that I actually like my job. At times I love it. But writing is something I need to do to clear my mind – a weird sort of therapy as I can’t generally write about what’s on my mind. I generally find I need to write about those weird ideas that sit in the back of my skull going “Yeah, but what if…?” Which is why I write speculative fiction. With concentrating on moving house, putting my work-life in order and looking after Finn (and doing my best to help my lovely sister, but you don’t want to know about that), I haven’t actually had the brain-space to have these thoughts so writing has effectively been on hold for at least a month, now. You may have realised, if you’ve been reading the diary entries, that I was struggling for a while before that to fit it all in. I’m on holiday for a week from tomorrow, though, so I hope to be able to get some more writing time in. I managed to get 4000 words down yesterday – but they’re actually on my non-speculative fiction work. My confession / unveiling of what I have been working on will have to wait for another time (there it is again).

Next week, I should have a TABERNER update from information I’ve been gathering since my return to the Internet. It will also be Finn’s birthday party next weekend, so more incriminating photos once we’ve decided on a theme for the kids. My sister’s suggestion of pirates appears to be winning.

Sunday 12th September, 2010

Finally back online.

Yeah, so… Took a while to sort out the Internet connection – but now I’m back! The house is working out ok. There were a couple of internal water feature related issues but we’ve got it sorted.

As I was offline, I didn’t get the rest of mum‘s smallholding pieces up by Sunday 29th August. But they are up now. Check out Kids Will Be Kids and Lame Ducks.

“Pride and Prejudice”, as performed by Illyria [External Link] at Nostell Priory [External Link], was pretty good. Very funny and well arranged with a cast of 5. (Yes, 5!)

More next week.

Sunday 1st August, 2010

Progress update on the house move, a plug and the repeated plea.

Sorry for not posting last week, I’m a bit distracted by moving stuff. Which extends to the foreseeable future. How do you know when you’ve hit maturity? When you spend hours looking at a very tight budget wondering whether it’s better to:

  • Buy some curtain gliders (probably about a tenner for the number I need) to fit curtains to existing rails that you don’t want.

Or:

  • Buy a new curtain rail that you actually want or a close proximity thereof. Bearing in mind I’m going to be buying them at some point, anyway.

It’s getting rather daft, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

The moving van officially rolls up next Saturday (7th August). The phone-line, of course, won’t be connected in the new place until the following Thursday. Probably. So next weekend definitely will be without update and possibly the week after (Sunday 15th). I will get the rest of mum‘s smallholding pieces up by Sunday 29th August, however.

The plug. You may remember that I took my dad to Nostell Priory [External Link], about this time last year, to see Illyria [External Link] perform “The Three Musketeers”. Well, we’re going again. Tonight we’re off to watch “Pride and Prejudice”, weather willing. I hope it will be as fun as “The Three Musketeers”! And I shall try to remember to comment on the next update.

My plea is a repeat of last update‘s. If you take a wander through the site, you may notice that a few people have been kind enough to comment. But in some places the comment order has got all screwed up. I use the basic (mos)comment component of Mambo 4.6.2 – it all came free with my web-space – and I’m not happy with it. It’s not as interactive as it could be and then it goes and starts screwing up the display. Does anyone know a semi-decent comments set-up that will take the existing comment database? Oh, and tell me how to do it?

Sunday 18th July, 2010

Well, not a lot to say (New House!) but…

First off, a belated public Happy Birthday to the parent. This weekend has been his birthday weekend but I didn’t mention it last week as that would have been, well, too early. Sam and Sproglet came down from West Cumbria for the family meal and that about sums it up. No, we’re not very exciting!

On the same day, I got keys to the new house. Which I have been banging on about ever since. I’m not yet prepared to admit it scares the crap out of me (growing up and being responsible and all – not to mention spending all that money) and am currently enjoying the high of owning my own property. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

However, you may also notice a certain lack of updates around here for a while. I will try to make time for the diary but I shall be as lackadaisical as usual about the site and even more-so about the writing. In fact, my last acheivement for at least a month has already passed: I submitted the first ten pages of the first part (keeping up?) of The Longest Night (from the New Dryas world) to the Red Planet: [External Link] competition.

And now I shall close on a plea: If you take a wander through the site, you may notice that a few people have been kind enough to comment. But in some places the comment order has got all screwed up. I use the basic (mos)comment component of Mambo 4.6.2 – it all came free with my web-space – and I’m not happy with it. It’s not as interactive as it could be and then it goes and starts screwing up the display. Does anyone know a semi-decent comments set-up that will take the existing comment database? Oh, and tell me how to do it?

Sunday 28th December, 2008

I am now part way through moving. I have two sets of keys (different houses) and the lovely removal men come to take my furniture down to Yorkshire on Monday. Everything else will be done by car. If only because I can’t find enough boxes for my books.

And probably of more interest to you all: Nesting Instinct should come out this week. Keep an eye on the Crossed Genres web-site [External Link]. Issue 2 is due out on the 1st.

And here are two people more qualified than I to bring you an important message: