It’s great to get positive feedback, so I smiled this morning when I saw Craig Smith’s review of K in M is for Monster. Hooray, he liked my story! Check out the review here. You’ll also find some of Craig’s entertaining flash fiction on his website.

Some other stuff I’ve enjoyed reading lately...

Shock Totem #3, especially the stories Drift and Mr. Many Faces.

Stephen King’s Full Dark, No Stars, which contains some of his shorter stories. Loved the book.

Sorrow’s Breast, by Lee Thompson. Beautifully written. I also read this brilliant blog post by Lee. If you’re a writer, check it out.

Writing... I’ve got several pieces ‘out there’ at the moment. Way more than at this time last year, so I’m hoping I can keep up the momentum. I also wrote a brand new ghost story, which is my favourite out of all those I’ve written so far. No news about that one until the end of May. Fingers crossed.
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October Treats 18/10/2011
 
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M is for Monster (the e-book) is available at the special price of only 86p during the month of October. Yes, you read that right. My K (for Kul) story is lurking inside, along with monster tales by Ash Krafton, Jonathan Green, Stuart Neild, Kate Jonez, and many more. If you want to relearn your ABC, treat yourself! At 86p, it’s cheaper than your favourite caffeine fix, but will keep you awake much longer. If you prefer the smell/feel/rustle of real paper, I have a few print copies available for sale, and you can let me know here.

I enjoyed reading Beyond Bermuda, the fantasy tale by Walter Dinjos, the other day. I didn’t edit it, but I was pleasantly surprised to spot my name in the acknowledgments – for friendship! Thanks, Walter. Walter is also a talented singer/songwriter. Check out Beyond Bermuda here.

And last week I read a good novel, Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children, by the awesomely talented Lee Thompson. Another reading treat!
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Goodbye to 2010 31/12/2010
 
It’s time to look back to see how it all went, so here goes...

In January I heard that my one and only children’s story Escapism, with Raya Riken had been shortlisted in the Writers’ Village Best Writing Award. A good start to the year.

My futuristic flash fiction Flipped was accepted by Weirdyear. I’m fond of this little tale. During a bout of flu, I suddenly remembered one of the What Ifs on the brilliant ideas4writers site, and added my own spin (spin – geddit?) to it. I desperately needed to lie down, but sat and wrote the whole story out in my notepad before keeling over on the bed. I’ve tweaked the story a little, and you can read it here.

Other publications this year include:
Letter to Bertha, 6Sentences: The Love Book
Irresistible, Microhorror
The Tip of My Tongue (inspired by a childhood accident), Weirdyear
Digging (which won 3rd prize), Delivered
Fitting In, Delivered (and reprinted in Town & Village)
Flying Room, Ink Sweat & Tears
Beyond Pessimism (poem), Monkey Kettle.
K (for Kul), M is for Monster.

So far I have three publications lined up for 2011: Taking Root to accompany an illustration in The Sixty, a fantasy art book by Andy Bigwood, Sleep Disorder in Delivered, and Caveat Emptor! in the sci-fi anthology Escape Velocity. There’s talk of a couple of interviews too, but I don’t have a date for those yet.

Other writing activities included setting up my website and blog. I’ve had a great time chatting to other writers online (and horror writer Adrian Chamberlin in 3D) this year, and am so grateful for the support and encouragement they give. So thank you to my friends at ideas4writers, Cafe Doom, Facebook, and especially my lovely blog followers.

And my biggest thanks to my long-suffering husband Laz, who regularly catches me in the kitchen reading a book or jotting down notes when I should be cooking the dinner, but still hasn’t traded me in for a more efficient model.
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I’m going to be in an art book! No, my watercolour daubs aren’t going to appear in public any time soon, but I love art, so when my writing buddy Geoff Nelder mentioned this project I jumped at the chance. The book, entitled The Sixty, will have 60 fantasy/sci-fi pictures by the award-winning artist Andy Bigwood, and each will be accompanied by a piece of flash fiction. My fantasy story is called Taking Root. I’m unable to give a publication date yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing the finished book. You can see some of Andy’s awesome work here.

Geoff and another writer friend, Jonathan Pinnock, will have flash fiction in the book too. Did I mention that the three of us are in M is for Monster? Of course I did.
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It’s out! The monster book has been released and has been spotted prowling around Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle forms! Magically, it’s also lurking on my website, so if you’re in the UK and you’d like a copy of M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations for yourself or the horror-lover in your life, then you know where to come.

Despite the title, this is not a children’s book. You may want to sleep with the light on after reading it... Are you ready to learn your ABC all over again?
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Here’s the back cover blurb:

“Monsters and creatures and horrors, oh my...

With each letter of the alphabet comes a different monster, and with each turn of the page comes a new foray into another author’s sinister imaginings. From new twists on traditional favourites to modern glimpses into lesser-known mythology, from time-honored staples of the horror genre to never-before-seen beasts of the authors’ design, these twenty-six tales take you on a wild roller-coaster tour of wicked conjuration.

A shrieking banshee of the High Moor... a seductive (and deadly) incubus spirit... a ghastly lot of blood-frenzied hogs... a biblical giant whose side of the story has never been told... the sword-slinging God of War himself... a vampire, a demon, a jabberwocky, and a whole hellish host of other creatures and fiends known only by a few...

It’s all jam-packed inside M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations. Twenty-six international authors, twenty-six diverse tales. Legend and lore the world ‘round have come together to bring this collection to chilling, spine-tingling life.

And the alphabet has never been so frightening.”
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Monster delivery 26/10/2010
 
I had a great weekend. My copies of M is for Monster arrived, and I got to meet one of my favourite horror writers, Adrian Chamberlin. Adrian very kindly drove all the way from Oxfordshire to West Sussex to deliver a box loaded with books. It’s always a thrill to have a story published in a magazine, but to see my story in a 250-page book was on a different level. I touched one of the books to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but then remembered my manners and offered to make tea.

Luckily Adrian hadn’t heard about my previous cooking disasters and agreed to stay for lunch, and it was lovely to chat about writing and stuff. Later, I signed a book for the very first time, which made me feel like a proper writer!
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I’ve been reading some of the stories this week, and they’re awesome. I’m deeply chuffed to share anthology space with such amazing writers.

M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations (compiled by John Prescott) will be available from me, or any of the 26 authors’ websites, or from Amazon.com from 31st October.

To find out more about Adrian's writing, please visit http://archivesofpain.com
John Prescott is at www.john-prescott.com.
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I don’t do much new writing in the school holidays, so during August I’ve been concentrating on getting my website up and running. It’s been fun choosing fiction and poetry samples and deciding on what goes where. Hope you like the result!

In July I was pleased to hear that my futuristic story Caveat Emptor! has been selected for the Escape Velocity anthology, produced by Adventure Books of Seattle. No definite date for publication yet, but I can’t wait. If previous editions of the mag are anything to go by, the quality’s going to be great.

Over the summer I’ve been keeping an eye on preparations for M is for Monster: An Alphabetical Anthology of Abominations. This project is headed up by horror writer John Prescott, and I feel honoured to have been invited to take part. The book contains 26 monster stories, one for each letter of the alphabet. My story, K is for Kul, is about a water demon. I’ve read the D, G, and S stories and loved ‘em, so I’m looking forward to reading the rest. Publication is scheduled for 31 October 2010, and the book will be available from Amazon.com or from me. In the meantime, I’m drooling over the cover:
 
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