Longtime readers will know I've had a fascination with the Mari Lwyd for a few years now, even going so far as to write a poem about her (which Strange Horizons were good enough to publish). Well, I've actually met my obsession at last ( Read more... )

The thunder over the city this afternoon sounded almost gastric. At five it seemed as dark as it would be by eight: I'd put the living room lights on a good while before ( Read more... )

I've sat on this one a little longer, but I can now announce my second story sale of the summer! My weird tale "Imago" will appear in  the Swan River Press anthology Uncertainties: Volume II, coming out in August: here are more details."Imago" itself is a pretty old story of mine, dating back to about '99 or 2000 (it's had a good polishing since ( Read more... )

My story "The Men Cast By Shadows" has been accepted by The Alchemy Press for their tribute anthology to Joel Lane, Something Remains. It's a collection of stories - collaborations - based on unfinished fragments and notes left by Joel at the time of his death. It's a very important book to me, and this is the second (and I would say final) ( Read more... )

The demolition crews have bisected the Central Library. M and I walked up there after a pub lunch today. We looked at it from the new Library, which didn't seem right at all. He took a picture of the wreck and it's on my Facebook if you know me there. (Someone there commented Is this the new Damian Hirst?)The chasm frames the spire of the fountain ( Read more... )

I spent most of Valentine's Day working on The Men Cast By Shadows and had it finished by early evening. This is the first short story I've completed in almost a year, and surprisingly I don't hate it.It needs some fleshing out, maybe. I'm already making notes for a gentler weird tale called Like Stone, Like Salt, Like Time. Probably a vein of kink ( Read more... )

I wasn't up late enough to see the moon blush. Just a shadow tilting across her face. But there was a tawny owl crying over the Stratford Road traffic as I waited for the bus back from fade_2_blacks house.

My ghost-poem "Rainspeaking" is live at Strange Horizons today! And the podcast of September's poems can be heard
here. It gave me goosebumps to hear my ( Read more... )

The contract's signed and sent, so I think it's safe to announce my poem Rainspeaking has been bought by Strange Horizons! It started out life as a short story which felt just a bit too flat to work. I like it a lot better in this incarnation and I'm pleased it found a good home. In other news, Other Voices got its fourth rejection last week. I've ( Read more... )

My Facebook account was hacked last night, and a few spam chat messages got sent out before I caught up with the problem. Apologies if you got anything that seemed to be sent from me! In better news, I sold a poem an hour later; I'll give you more details when I've dealt with the contract ( Read more... )

A few things (such as catsitting for zoetropix) have kept me from announcing this until now: Lackingtons issue 7 "Skins" is available now. It contains my story Facing The Wind, as well as fiction and art by Nin Harris, Penny Stirling, miir and others! I am very pleased with the results! Go get yourselves a copy here!