Bec Zugor

Is it a delf or a shesk? This is the newest addition to my writing corner.

I normally write on an ironing board in a corner of the bedroom, because there’s simply no room for a big desk. I have to fold the ironing board away at night so Mr Z doesn’t trip over it in the dark. Less pain for Mr Z (good), but a pain in the neck for me, because all my writing projects get stacked together at the end of the day and I have to sort it all out in the morning. If only I could leave some of my stuff out, so I could find what I want easily...

My son’s crummy old desk has been stored in our lean-to for some time. It was too long to fit in my writing space, and too full of graffiti to sell or give away, but I reckoned if we cut it down, it’d fit nicely into the corner. After much sanding down, I applied my home-made chemical-free polish to the desk-top and the job was done.

It’s not very deep, and I usually sort my projects into three piles on there, so I use it more like a shelf. Hence, ‘shesk’ or ‘delf’. I still write on the ironing board, but my new addition means I can leave stuff in tidy piles.

So, one desklet/shesk/delf for hardly any cost, and nothing taken to the tip. (And we still have the drawer section of the old desk in our lean-to, to store odds ‘n’ ends).

It passed its first test yesterday, when someone from a magazine rang. I was able to snatch up the relevant stuff from the right pile and zoom downstairs to take the call. No rummaging, no stress. Magic!

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.

An update: I’m not doing any book reviews for a few months, and here’s why...

It’s been a difficult year (I can’t go into details), which has led to stress-related health problems. It also means I’m way behind on all the stuff I’d hoped to do. So I’m going to spend time catching up on my own writing and other projects. Sorry to disappoint anyone who wanted reviews – but thank you for asking!

Even though I’m not doing ‘proper’ reviews until around April 2012, if I read anything I really like, I’ll give a brief mention on here. Which leads to...

Shock Totem’s special holiday e-book, which I read the other day. It’s full of holiday-inspired dark fiction and true-life tales. All the stories were well-written and entertaining, but I especially liked One Good Turn, and Streamer of Silver, Ribbon of Red. And the excellent Santa Claus Is Coming to Get You will stay in my mind for a long time, as will the unusual story Heartless. Good stuff. If you hurry, you can be in with a chance of winning a copy over at Lee Thompson’s blog.

Happy reading! I’m off to write a ghost story.

The lovely people at Shock Totem have just had a puzzle contest, and I won! I’m still stunned at the news, because I’m recovering from a heavy cold and the accompanying sleep-deprivation hasn’t helped my concentration levels at all. But what a prize! Have a look at the list here, and you’ll see why I fuelled myself with strong tea and carried on trying to crack the code. For the answer to the puzzle, see here.

My thanks to Ken Wood and everyone at Shock Totem for  such a generous prize. I can’t wait to get my hands on all the lovely goodies.

If you enjoy curious tales of the macabre and twisted, and haven’t checked out Shock Totem yet, the e-version is currently available at a very low price here. But I reckon that once you see the gorgeous cover art, and read the excellent fiction and non-fiction inside, you’ll want a print copy for your bookshelf. Just sayin’.

Last week I was chuffed to spot my name on the longlist of Brighton Community of Writers’ summer competition. Sadly, I didn’t win a prize, but I’m pleased to have been in the top 20 of 127 entries. I’ll send my story elsewhere this week, and keep my fingers crossed.

Book news: I finished reading The Caretakers by Adrian Chamberlin, and hope to write a review soon. I also recently received a signed copy of Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children, by the inspirational Lee Thompson (thanks, Lee!).

One of the editors of Escape Velocity, Geoff Nelder, was staying in Brighton for FantasyCon at the weekend, and nipped over to West Sussex to visit me. He brought along a signed copy of the British Fantasy Society's  Full Fathom Forty. Thanks to all those authors who signed it.  And thanks for visiting, Geoff.