Hi everybody. That's right, Jo' and I have just arrived back from a few days in sunny Spain! What a way to break up February! It was almost twenty degrees celsius in the sunshine, and we spent loads of time walking along the coastline, looking at Picasso art, taking in a flamenco show, pottering through the narrow streets and, of course, eating paella and drinking sangria. We even came back with a bit of colour on our cheeks.
Anyway, with January in the rear-view and February almost over, I'm starting to eye the barbecue almost daily. I can't wait for winter to be done. I'm sure you feel the same.
I've just uploaded a piece of micro-fiction I wrote for an online magazine onto the 'Free Reads' page of this website. It's less than 400 words, so it'll take you longer to drink a mouthful of coffee than it will to actually read it, but I'm not being stingy, honest. I genuinely like it and I felt it needed a home. I hope you enjoy it - for as long as it lasts :)
A few things have been going on. Obviously, I'm still looking for the right home for my completed horror novel, The Faraway People, so I'll keep you updated on that. I really love the book and want to get it out there as quickly as possible, but as we all know, the publishing world is a tricky business, and I'm still learning how to navigate it.
Twitter has been a great stomping ground for me this past month. I've taken to posting difficult questions about the craft (no, not witchcraft, although that would be fun. I mean the craft of writing fiction), and I get hundreds of responses each day. There really is quite a vibrant literary community on the platform, which I never knew existed. Shame on me. Hop on there if you want to get involved. A link to my Twitter account (as well as FB and Insta) can be found on this website.
I held a 'show and tell' style session with the year five and year six children from Milton Court Primary Academy a few weeks ago. It was fantastic fun. The children and I created two pieces of short fantasy fiction together. It really demonstrated to me that the younger generation still do love and cherish books. They had some great ideas, and really knew how to get their message across. I even learned a thing or two.
HorrorCon is just around the corner (May), as is the release of Night Terrors Anthology 26, featuring a story from yours truly. I'll add a link on here when it's out. I wrote the story a year ago, so it will be great to see it finally in print.
The next time I write, the weather will be a little warmer, the days will be longer and Easter will be on the way. In the mean time, stay safe, be good to each other and, above all, enjoy yourselves.
Speak soon.
SD