Plug for an old friend (or five)

Tags

Candra Hope, Dark Tales, Fantasy, Fiction markets, Georgina Bruce, Horror, Paul Johnson-Jovanovic, Richard Smith, Sci-fi, Short Stories, Writing

After an incredibly long time (A year and a half almost to the day…), Volume 15 of Dark Tales is out. It doesn’t contain any of my stories this time, but does have four by friends of mine – Georgina Bruce, Iain Paton, Paul Johnson-Jovanovic and Richard Smith, and again the gorgeous artwork is by Candra Hope.

Dark Tales gave me a huge boost by publishing two of my stories in the past, and in my opinion would be one of the great independent UK SF/F/Horror print zines if it could stick to a regular publishing schedule. Understandably, though, it is all the work of one man, Sean Jeffery, and as I know well, there is only so much you can accomplish on your own with the pressures of normal life to take care of at the same time.

I’ve often thought about trying to get involved with a zine, online or print, in a slush-reading capacity to begin with perhaps, but I already know that I struggle enough to focus my time and energy on simply writing every day, so that sort of extra-curricular activity (no matter how educational) has to wait.

Anyway, go, support the small press and buy a copy of Dark Tales Volume 15!

Dark Tales Volume 14

Tags

Dark Tales, Edinburgh, Existential Horror, Fiction markets, Georgina Bruce, Horror, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Writing, Writing competitions

Out today, officially, is the new volume of Dark Tales. Been looking forward to this one for a long time. Within is my story, ‘Divination‘, which, if I had to put a tag onto would call it ‘existential horror’.

Many other great stories in there I’m sure (not got my copy yet, of course, seeing as it was only out today), and the cover story is ‘Touch, Typing‘ by the superb Georgina Bruce.

You can purchase this shiny volume of nightmares from the Dark Tales shop – – http://www.darktalesbooks.com/ for a mere £3.99, which will barely even buy you a pint in Edinburgh these days.

Snippet

Tags

Candra Hope, Dark Tales, Fiction markets, Horror, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Writing

It’s on its way – not long now for Dark Tales Volume 14, and possibly my last published story of 2009, ‘Divination‘.

Check out the Dark Tales website for a tiny snippet of my story and a neat little slideshow of Candra Hope’s terrific artwork for the issue.

Dark Tales changes

Tags

Dark Tales, Fiction markets, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Writing, Writing competitions

It seems like every time I take a look at the Dark Tales website these days there is something new going on.

The competition format has changed now to a monthly competition (first new deadline is end of June). Top prize is £100 plus publication. But, elsewhere on the site it says that general submissions are also being  accepted. Dark Tales is run by Sean Jeffery and, with reference to my previous post, he is another lone wolf running the whole thing by himself. Pretty impressive really when you see what he turns out, and hearing that the competitions get around 500 entries each time.

Another new feature is the ability to purchase single stories from the current issue – Dark Tales Vol.13. So, for the price of a Crunchie you can read my story Disconnection. And I notice there is some artwork up for volume 14, which includes my story Divination.

First third update

Tags

Critique, Dark Tales, Online Writing Workshop, Short Stories, speculative fiction, The Harrow, Writing

In other words, a third of the year gone, and here’s an update on writing progress so far this year.

Still just the two new publication credits from the start of the year, although was nice to see my story on The Harrow, and Dark Tales 13 out finally. Hit a bit of wall recently on one story which I have drawn a veil over for the moment after various attempts and rewrites.  Trying something else at the moment until I have the strength to attempt an ending. Will start the second draft on the book imminently (no really, I will do it, I’m not procrastinating at all), but it is a huge undertaking and I’m slightly concerned at the commitment of time it will take.

Submissions: rolling along with the usual frequency. Four out there at the moment and two stories under review at the Online Writing Workshop that I will revise and send out again very soon. Should hear from at least one of those submissions in the next week, and one other by the end of May hopefully. The other two might be away until July before I hear anything. One I have high hopes for, but not so high that their sudden plunge to the ground will kill me.

Speaking of the Online Writing Workshop, I have been trying to take an active role there, reviewing as much as possible to make good critting contacts. It is proving to be a valuable involvement and the range of reviews is extremely helpful.

Dark Tales Volume 13

Tags

Candra Hope, Dark Tales, Illustrations, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Writing

Dark Tales volume 13 is finally out. Well, so the website says, but I’m still looking forward to my copy arriving. Should be any day now. My story, ‘Disconnection’ is contained therein and is my first printed publication. In fact, there is a brand new shiny web outlet where you can buy it at The Dark Tales Shop. Lots of great stories inside I’m sure, and some brilliant artwork by Candra Hope (which I’ve had a sneak preview of.)

Time

Tags

Dark Tales, Novels, Short Stories, speculative fiction, The Harrow, Time, Writing

How can it be February already? Blink. Oh, I’m sorry, did you miss it? That was January.

Anyone over the age of 30 that I speak to these days describes the same phenomenon of time speeding up as they get older. It is all down to perception of course, perhaps to do with the daily routines that barely register in the brain as passages of time. They are folded away neatly into slots, shrunk down to collections of ‘walking to work’; ‘eating breakfast’; ‘shopping at Sainsburys’ etc…

The primary calibration for time measurement I am using at the moment is word count per day. I am finally calling the current writing project a novel. I realised that the only way to do the story justice and end it properly without rushing was to write it as five chapters with a brief epilogue instead of the original three that I had planned. So, word count as of today is 39,161, with approximately 15-20,000 left. Daily count fluctuates wildy with work pressures during the week and leisurely desires/housework at the weekend. Probably averaging out at about 500 a day, which is okay.

As for short stories, I am itching feverishly to get on with some ideas that are filling too much of my thinking time, before they boil over and evaporate. Still five pieces out in the ether being considered and a couple of publications imminent with Dark Tales Volume 13 and The Harrow, March 2009 both due soon.

Dark Tales Autumn Competition

Tags

Dark Tales, Horror, Short Stories, speculative fiction, Writing, Writing competitions

My story, ‘Divination‘ has come 2nd in the Dark Tales Autumn Competition. It will appear in Volume 14 due out later in the year.

That’s the first acceptance this year and I am delighted to be appearing in volume 13 and 14 of Dark Tales – which, by the way, is an excellent and long-running magazine of horror and speculative fiction. Check out the website here – Dark Tales. And check out the list of other winners here – Result.