I suppose it's something of a writerly tradition to have a Year's End blog post, which usually necessitates that you have actually done something (or things) worth blogging about. And in fact 2017 has been a reasonably eventful year, all things considered. I began the year with forest-green hair and the publication of a short… Continue reading the end (of the year) is nigh
How I came to write short stories
It occurred to me the other day that I have been a published writer of short stories for six years now. I've been writing for far longer than that - since I was very young, in fact (my first poem was written at 6 years old. My mum still has it.) My 'journey' (god I… Continue reading How I came to write short stories
What I Read In October (which wasn’t for uni)
Okay. So I actually only managed to finish one non-university related book in October. But - what a book. There are nineteen stories in total, all of them good, some of them incredibly good. The book opens with a strong offering from Alison Littlewood, whose story 'The Boggle Hole' is unexpectedly melancholy - to great… Continue reading What I Read In October (which wasn’t for uni)
Looking for Laika Artwork (& new issue of Interzone out now!)
One of my favourite things about being published by TTA Press is the artwork which accompanies the story. There's something really special about seeing the way someone else has interpreted your story, in a vastly different art form, and I feel like Richard Wagner has captured the essence of 'Looking for Laika' quite beautifully here.… Continue reading Looking for Laika Artwork (& new issue of Interzone out now!)
Mental Health & Naming the Bones
I probably should have posted about this a long time ago, but Andrew Knighton has written an incredible blog post about the portrayal of mental health in Naming the Bones (which you can find here) And there are minor spoilers for Naming the Bones, if you haven't yet read it. My intention in writing Naming… Continue reading Mental Health & Naming the Bones
in which things finally start to click
University, Week 3. I'd be lying if I said it was getting any easier, or that I no longer have to read texts two, three, four times before I begin to understand them (get stuffed, James Joyce). But...and I say this tentatively, not least because the OCD gremlins might hear it and put the mockers*… Continue reading in which things finally start to click
I know one thing: that I know nothing
My MA classes started two weeks ago and while some of the initial trepidation (read: screaming anxiety) has mercifully dissipated, I still feel rather daunted by the whole thing. This week, while reading a Karl Marx essay, followed by a Dorothy Richardson short story, I felt very much as though I had forgotten how to… Continue reading I know one thing: that I know nothing
Fantasycon 2017
a politer bunch of reprobates you'll never meet Fantasycon 2017 has been and gone, and in its wake that peculiar sense of almost-bereavement. You forget, over the course of the year, how liberating events like Fantasycon can be. It really is a rare pleasure to find yourself surrounded by people who 'get it': the largely… Continue reading Fantasycon 2017
Short Story Acceptance
I'm very excited to be making my first ever appearance in Interzone with my short story "Looking for Laika" - dipping my toe into the sci-fi pool for the very first time.
Fantasycon 2017 – my schedule
Not my entire schedule - I'm not that well organised (and my Fantasycon experience is that no matter how well organised you are, your plans WILL fall by the wayside!) But I am scheduled for a reading and a panel, and the details of those are below: Saturday 11am - Sandringham Reading Room Weird… Continue reading Fantasycon 2017 – my schedule
Dispatches from the Sinister Room 