Wavy

With the unending chaos that is my life at the moment, I forgot to mention that Andromeda Spaceways #37 is out, featuring my story "Under waves and over".

This is a story I'm quite fond of, but I did wonder if anyone else would feel the same way. Because, you know, mermaids? Really? But it's also got Tupperware and you'll learn that the correct word for a group of sharks is a shiver.

If you know Auckland at all, you may be interested to know that the mall Julia visits is the Botany Town Centre. Which would make the beach they drive to in the end this one, where, for the next few months we'll be taking the kids for fish and chips on a Friday night.

Other stuff you really don't want to know but I'll tell you anyway: there were two extremely different earlier versions of this story. One was set in the sixties and featured an astronaut who was hiding from the CIA in the South Pacific and who watches Julia's brother be killed at Altamont. Yes, that Altamont. And the other was set at Coney Island in the Forties. Weird huh?

The hopper is empty.

Not Dennis.

As at this moment, 9:38 PM on Thursday night, I have no stories lying around. Everything I've completed so far has either been accepted or is sitting in a slush pile somewhere. I'm also done with my own slush reading, so there's absolutely nothing holding me back from finishing the stories I'm working on now. Well, nothing but the day job, two small children and a garden that grows at a rate that would terrify a triffid.

But apart from that.

You know what, I'm not going to post some edgy modern indie stuff for this post's music. Yes, The National are still ten flavours of awesome. But this song was embedded in my brain at a very early age, popped up on my ipod a few days ago and still won't leave me alone. I still can't figure out why this music worked so well for this show - it's completely anachronistic. But work it does. Bang your head to this:

2007: My report card

2006 values in parentheses

Stories completed: 4 (3)
Stories sold: 3 (0)
Stories published: 1 (0)
Stories unfinished: 4

OK, so my pace is glacial. But I've only been taking this writing thing quasi-seriously for a couple of years and I'm pretty pleased with what I've achieved so far. I've also been reading slush, which eats into my writing time, but is very educational. Often you can't see an error in your own writing until you've seen it somewhere else.

The high point for was seeing my first story in print in the pirate issue, modeled by Emily above.  If you haven't already checked it out, you need to - every story is great. (And I hope it's not a spoiler, but every one has pirates in it).  Working with the Shimmer crew and cap'n Adams was a privilege.  And look - there's a new interview with the man himself here.

Other excitement this year- I got my first 'Alas' from Gordon Van Gelder, no doubt the first of many. Is it weird that I don't mind the rejections?  None this year have been form letters and most contained encouraging comments.  I think this is a Good Thing.  

Since it was published last year, "Hard Times for Bartleby Crow" is eligible for this year's Sir Julius Vogel Award. If you liked it, feel free to nominate me here.

What's next? Lots more writing. Those unfinished stories are going to be completed, which should give me far more completed this year (forgive me father Heinlein, for I have sinned: I have not been following your second rule). There will be sequels: I'm currently back in the Bartleverse. Also working on a sequel to another story that has not seen print yet, with at least another two in the pipeline.

If I end up in your slush this year, expect to see: Zombies! Zeppelins! Fairies! Space worms in need of trepanning! Aging rockers on their farewell tour! Pigeons! I know, it all sounds so cliched. But dammit, I want to write my pigeon story. And for those of you who prefer drama - there's sport.

Depending on the progress I make in the first half of the year, I may attempt my first novella. Since my short stories don't seem to stay, you know, short, I might as well see how far they run.

This probably means I'll be light on the blogging. But I can always fake it by throwing up videos every few weeks. And since this post is all about my writing, perhaps this. I'm pretty sure most of my ideas come from a caravan this guy set up in my brain years ago.



But hey, this entry isn't just about me.  Look: The Smurfs are worth four billion dollars!

Yarrr gonna like it and various other pirate-related comments*

It's here! Well, not here, but if you sail over to Shimmer, you can purchase the pirate issue! One hundred and thirty pages of mainbrace-splicing, deck-swabbing goodness, written by people in various stages of eyepatch readiness and leg-peggery, one of whom is me.

By John Joseph Adams' reckoning, near a hundred copies were sold at the launch party this last weekend at World Fantasy, which sounds impressive. I would have been there, but for that whole wrong end of the world thing. Maybe next time...

And I guess now is the perfect time to thank John, Beth Wodzinski and the whole Shimmer crew. This is the first of my stories to see publication and they did a great job of showing me the ropes and where to mop again because I'd missed a spot.

So if you're the reading type, go read some pirate stories. And if you like it, why not subscribe? It's only seventeen bucks. Twelve, if you don't kill trees. If you're the writing type, you could do a lot worse than sail your stories their way.

Coming up on the d1sc0b0t: no more nautical allusions! For at least a week!


*Yes, I'm all out of pirate headings.

Cats. Also bags.

I suppose since The Slush God has released the table of contents, I can finally release one of my cats from my bag. Of cats.

My story "Hard Times for Bartleby Crow" will be included in Shimmer's upcoming pirate issue. It's a tale of a pirate, a mouse and... well, basically a pirate and a mouse. All I know of the other stories are the titles, but what titles! I can't wait to read the rest of them.

If, like many people you are thinking: "Hm. My (nothern hemisphere) summer has been OK, but it's really been lacking in the pirate department" Then get thee to the Shimmer website afore ye perish. Avast!