'Juvie' Out Now

'Juvie' is now available to purchase on the Kindle (Amazon store).

The UK link is here.

The US link is here.

"Juvie" released this weekend

Just a quick reminder, that "Juvie" in e-format hits the virtual shelves this weekend. The good thing about releasing electronically is that I can guarantee there will be enough copies for everyone!

A Fine Moustache

Just a real quick reminder that "Juvie" should be out on the Kindle next week and print copies should be available not too long after that.

"Juvie" is book one in at least a two part series, however it's the sort of series that does not necessarily require you to read all the other books to understand what has happened. It's a shared universe kinda thing!

Anyway it's out next week.

Also, I am taking part in Movemeber. Now, I'm cheating a little as I already have a head start having had for a long time a trimmed moustache and beard combo. Things are looking somewhat less smart at the moment, and I hope to try the most manly of moustaches, the handlebar. I think Lady Thrillington has been rubbing off on me.

Current situation is this:

So I have someway to go.

If you feel like sponsoring me, then here is the link to my sponsorship page. 

"Juvie" is coming

Quick update. "Juvie", my novel set in a world not too dissimilar from our own, is finally on the cards. It looks like it will be available as a Kindle book from the end of November and should follow as a print on demand, physical, object you can put on your shelf, not too long after that.

"A town stranded in the Green, isolated, ruled by the Laws of the Governors; a community reeling from pain and tragedy, where nothing is taken for granted. Not a great place to grow up, not a great place to be a “juvie.”

Ben Hewitt is missing a brother. He has stopped taken his Inhibitors. He has found the gun. Now he is scared. With only a few days until the Anniversary, the musors are after him and sinister strangers have been seen in town. On the run, unable to trust anyone, Ben must learn the black secret hidden in the heart of Greenville’s residents if he is to survive. 

Time is running out."

Published by Wild Frontier Press

Stockfest Video

So as part of Stockfest we went to the end of festival party in a cocktail bar. It was a 1940s evening. Someone made a video.

That Part Where

Reviews and marketing must be like buses, as they seem to arrive together. A review from The British Fantasy Society was received and it's a good 'un. It is great getting reviews, as this is probably the only way I can promote the book for now (that and word of mouth), until I build out a website; it's even better when it's a good review.

At the same time a snippet of the first Thrillington book appeared on That Part Where. This is a website with a great premise, in that it allows authors to to showcase a part of their novel that they feels truly represents the book rather than showing the standard marketing copy.

The first Thrillington is now available on the the Kobo. The link is below.

The Horror of the Never-Ending Army

Time doesn't so much fly as disappear at warp speed. It sometimes feel every day should be accompanied by those streaming stars seen when the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars goes into hyperdrive - but that's mixing my sic-fi metaphors.

The first Lady Thrillington novella is selling - not many, but a few copies which is good. I expect this e-book strategy will take time as it's all about marketing on a limited budget, which was hard enough with old style publishing. Also, it's a new reading strategy for a lot of readers. The novella never really stood much of a chance, back in the day, but e-reading allows for snippets to be downloaded and read quickly for a small price. You're going back to the days of Dickens, since that last happened.

To assist the first novella, The Case of the Cursed Star, is almost out on the Kobo format. If any reader has access to a Kobo reader and wants to give it go and give me feedback, it would be most appreciated. Unfortunately the version on Kobo is slightly more expensive than Amazon, due to restrictive pricing. I have no idea why.

The Kobo version is available here.

And of course you can still by it on the Kindle from all the stores, including. co.uk and .com

Book two is due out mid-November, in time for that important Christmas rush. I am able to announce here that the new novella will be titled (fanfare):

Lady Thrillington and the Horror of the Never-Ending Army

Also, I hope to have a new sic-fi novel under my own name coming out soon. Part one of a trilogy. So lots to look forward to.

Last Days in Barga

We've been away on holiday to the Lakes of Italy and spent a week back in Barga, the town where my writing journey really began, to box up and sell on our little house. Helen and I moved out there 10 years ago - and I can't really believe it's been a decade. I'm not one for measuring the passing of time, but - blimey! The little house that we did up has now passed into memory and folklore.

A frantic day was spent working out what to take, what to ship and what to leave behind. Together we rummaged through drawers, stuck our hands down the back of the sofa, let the light into long forgotten cabinets and chests and what did we find. Memories - good ones. Old photos of family and friends, many still around, some now departed, letters from old girlfriends, correspondence from colleagues, collections of long forgotten stories, bills and receipts from meals long digested, holiday snaps, birthday and Christmas cards, discarded jewellery, books everywhere, music - the collection of a life well lived, a beautiful haunting.

Whilst there I did an interview, which you can find here:

http://www.barganews.com/2013/07/09/300-books-donated-to-the-barganews-library/

You'll also be pleased to know that Lady Thrillington no.3 has been started in ernest.

And we're back in the room!

Hello...I know, I know, it's been a long time, but I'm back. So we're having a bit of a renovation here at 'A Walk in the Dark Woods,' the reason being is that I've finally got something out which you can download and read. After a long time of hiding out in the real world, I'm glad to say I'm back at cyber towers to let you know that the first (of many) Lady Thrillington novella's in now out on Amazon Kindle.

Who is Lady Thrillington, I hear you ask. Well read on:

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls - welcome to the world of the dangerous and captivating Lady Thrillington, retired locksport and secret adventurer. Deadly shadows haunt the gas lit and fog bound alleyways of a London that never was and never will be. Marvel at acts of bravery high above the cobbled streets, acrobatic daring do’s in the late night; gasp as our heroine fights for her life against the evil that lurks deep within the Empire, cheer as she uses her clever mind to outwit the police as only the greatest of Victorian heroines can. Read with delight as she solves the infuriating puzzle of the Cursed Star, aided and abetted by her stoic manservant Jeffers, with his brass and steam contraptions; and Detective Inspector Carter of the Yard, her majesties most gallant and brave policeman. An adventure for the modern age full of mechanical curiosities, elektric golems, steam powered stallions, mechanoid rats. All written and presented in glorious modern English, by that mysterious man of letters, Havelock James."

Available to purchase at your preferred kindle site:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.de

Amazon.fr

Amazon.it

Amazon.es

Different name, I know, but I can assure you, it's all me. This is a series of books that will be coming out approximately every six months. The second is already written and with the publishers and due for release December 1st 2013, whilst number three is in progress. 

I hope you like them. If you do, can I encourage you to spread the word and even put a review on the Amazon sites, the more I get the easier it is to market elsewhere.

If you are not a Kindle user just yet, don't worry, versions for iBooks and Kobo are in the works, and we might even look at some printed versions (how modern!).

So read, enjoy and I'll keep you posted on several new works all coming very soon.

Welcome to the Adam J. Shardlow Resource Page

Welcome to the Adam J. Shardlow Resource Page:

Adam J. Shardlow is a successful writer of 'dark' fiction. His work has been printed around the world including articles for The Guardian, The Idler and Aesthetica. He used to write for the popular BBC comedy quiz 'Call My Bluff.' He has lived in Italy, New Zealand, India and the UK. His first novel, The Missing was published in 2009. He has an invisible dog called Marlowe.

Night Shift - A Dark Christmas Romance

Working as a security guard gives him valuable dreaming time, a skill he practises during the long hours that make up his dull day. He is a natural fantasist, having honed his skill to such a level that he can enter a fugue like state for several hours at a time, and yet function and complete his rounds on time.

It is during a lucid stupor, triggered by trying to remember what Sally subtly hinted at only the night before, when he first sees her. She stands inside the large store window, straight and true, her face turned away from him as if winking at some unseen admirer. She is exquisite, not a term he thought he would ever use, or even knew. With skin a shade darker than alabaster and hair almost golden. He realises he is being poetic and forces himself to look away, embarrassed. Fearful others might see his awkward reaction to such a face, he turns his back on her, joining the crowds that throng the perfume counter, getting lost in the crush.

He thinks about her later, whilst cooking dinner.

Twice when watching television.

And again, cleaning his teeth.

In bed her face floats before his closed eyes like a shimmering mirage; and she is there when he wakes up in the morning.

He doesn’t mention her to Sally. He knows she will disapprove, so he keeps it a secret. He doesn’t feel bad, a little guilty, maybe.

A week passes. Christmas draws closer. Decorations go up, prodigious amounts of food is bought and the weather seriously deteriorates.

He sees her again inside the shop. He is on the third floor, ambling through women’s hosiery. She stands with her back to a pillar, looking out onto the shop floor, eyes wide and blue, mouth perfectly pouting. He watches her for a good ten minutes, examining the curve of her bust, the line of her thighs and long legs visible through the pale skirt that modestly covers them. Only when interrupted by a lost customer does he pull himself away, but he thinks about her for the rest of the afternoon, and the following day. Even when he isn’t at work she plagues his mind.

Eventually he makes a decision.

He wants her, desires her, covets her.

She will be his.

It will happen on his night shift. The last one, Christmas Eve. Just as the customers are leaving and the staff are thinking of going home, their day done. During that perilous period between open and closed, he will make his move. The act is illegal, but he has done it before. In his mind, he has already pardoned himself. 

Fortunate favours the brave and his plan is made that much easier by the fact she is standing close by a staff entrance, seemingly absorbed in a selection of pillow cases and duvet covers. He moves in quick, takes her by the hand, her fingers tiny and cold in his own, and drags her through the double door before anyone notices her missing.

In the early hours of the morning, the world asleep, Sally in bed dreaming and snoring, he smuggles her into their flat, bound tightly in a roll of thick plastic to disguise her shape. In the living room he goes to work, pulling open her dress and making a deep incision between her shoulder blades, pulling apart her legs and searching up her thighs for his goal. Right there, in the dark of the cold crisp Christmas morning, in almost silence, he mounts her.

The next day he sheepishly reenters the room, the knowledge of what he has done the night before weighing heavy on his mind. He hopes he has cleared up after him, hidden any evidence, the deed erased from trace, but Sally already knows what has happened. He is surprised when she forgives him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but then his daughter understands that he loves her, and the fairy on top of the tree; with her too blonde hair, snow white skin and waxen stare, stolen to please only her, proves that.

Merry Christmas.

Knuckle Down

I've missed a deadline.

I hate missing deadlines.

I'm off to Venice early tomorrow morning, but I go with a feeling of incompleteness, a feeling which will nag at me as I look at Tintoretto's and sip prosecco. It can't be helped. I tried my best, but still...

I wanted to finish the rewrites on 'Waters Deep,' and I've come up three chapters short. This is partially due to including several new scenes, which meant others had to be rewritten or moved to different parts of the story. The other reason is that I'm trying to do too much writer related stuff at the same time, juggling multiple projects and my time, and having to work at a day job. It can't be helped, but it is very frustrating.

I could take it with me and finish it on holiday, but that's not fair on my wife, (who likes to see me every once in while, if only to remind herself she's married), and I like to travel light. I'll take the ipad and do a bit of research and short story work, but I don't want to lug a laptop as well (along with camera's, phones and all the leads and chargers necessary to keep things working).

I'll just have to me more organised when I get back, knuckle down and do some work.


- From the desk of AJS. Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

October Catchup

A quick catch-up on links and reviews:

A few new articles on why the printed book is doomed. The first from The Telegraph the second from The Guardian, where Lloyd Shepherd takes a more balanced view. If we are going the way of the e-book, then Julian Saunders asks, 'how much should we charge?' And The Passive Voice asks if writers can make a living wage.

Jeff Goins asks if writing at night is best, whilst Janna Qualman has three writing lives. There are 25 ways to plot your story through Chuck Wendig and Judy Black Cloud exposes writing's dirty little secret.

Tales of Terror From the Black Ship
By Chris Priestley
Great little gothic novel made up of several short stories featuring ghostly goings on on the high seas and in the sort of mist shroud port towns that feature in tales of pirates. Aimed at children with equally young narrators this is a charming book reminiscent of M. R. James tales, with a final sting in its tail (tale). Some nice little illustrations as well.

Almost Transparent Blue
By Ryu Murakami
The first short novella from the cult Japanese author. It was written in the 60s but feels a lot fresher, whilst the writing style is reminiscent of hipster Hubert Selby Jr. It doesn't really have a split, but short direct dialogue and bruising prose sure makes up for it.

Desolation Jones
By Warren Ellis & J. H. Williams III
Another work from the fetid mind of Ellis, featuring the sort of broken character that he loves to write. Jones is an ex-spook forced to live out his days in a LA, a town given over to the ageing spooks who have made it their home. Not his best, but certainly good enough to make it on to my comic book shelf.

The Burning Soul
By John Connolly
My favourite thriller writer is back with the latest instalment for Charlie Parker. This started a little contrived, as if Connolly was having to push the novel along, but about 80 pages in that all changed and the novel became as good as all the others. I have a feeling though, that the next novel needs to bring back some of the more supernatural focused bad guys.

Beer Whenever I Want It

I have my head down, pressed into the virtual pages of Waters Deep, working and reworking characters and situations. It's coming on and as usual I've set myself a strict deadline to get the manuscript finished. So - no rest for the wicked. However, the way I work has got me thinking about the sort of skills I have learnt in my day job that are proving useful in my creative life.

I have a career. It keeps a roof over my head, food in my stomach and clothes on my back. It pays for holidays, trips to restaurants, the cinema, theatre and most importantly lets me buy beer whenever I want it. It is the means by which I can afford to exist, but it doesn't define me.

That said, through this daylight persona I have learnt and become quite adapt at certain skills. Skills that are often put into practice when starting large writing projects (project is the key term here). Writing is about skill, passion and putting in the hours, but I've also found that it helps if you are good at developing a business like attitude to production. Splitting a novel up into realisable goals, ensuring timelines are met, research techniques and the promotion of the writer as a 'brand,' are all techniques that enhance a literary life.

Could I turn these into a sellable product? I'm not sure. There are freelance consultants advertising on the net for all sort of artistic endeavours, but is there really a market for such a thing? Hmmmmm...something to ponder.

The Publishing Snail

Well the Edinburgh Festivals are almost over and the good people of the city can once more reclaim the streets, stretch out a little more in the local pubs, get a restaurant booking on a saturday night and catch up on all the TV they've missed.

I spent the last day of the Book Festival meeting with my agent. Whilst there is no concrete news with regards publishers, the report he gave was encouraging. Frustrating, but encouraging. 'Juvie' is still out with the different imprints and whilst several have now turned it down, they all gave good feedback and blamed it on similar titles already on their books, whilst asking to see more work. Half of the number still have the book, and so far haven't made a decision.

The publishing snail moves ever onwards.

Now the festival is over I can get back to the rewrites on 'Waters Deep,' the aim being to finish it by Christmas.

****

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
Another meta-text book where the words have combined to create a monster that wants to destroy the hero. Clever and witty, being more accessible than most books in this area. He's also written some Doctor Who work.

The Playwright by Eddie Campbell and Darren White
A comic that outlines the life of a playwright past his prime and his yearning for someone to love him and gain some kind of connection with a woman. Simply drawn and coloured.



Batman - The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison
Thought this was very disjointed and didn't really gel. The story felt as if whole scenes had been left out leaving the reader to fill in the gaps.

X'ed Out by Charles Burns
Another weird and wonderful idea from Burns that feels familiar yet completely alien at the same time. As usual he deals with young adults suffering from both psychological and physical ailments. Brilliantly crafted and executed, but over too soon. Book 2 coming soon I hope.




Romp by Adam Pollina
The straight forward story of an armless street fighting champion. The dialogue isn't up to much but the art work is bold and exciting.

Celluloid by Dave McKean
Art that takes the breath away - as usual. An explicit adult story of one woman's fantasy that delves into her mind and dreams. Freudian and intoxicating.

Mr. Palmer put in an appearance

I'm meant to be doing some drawing and finishing the third plate for 'Last Words of the Human Race,' but it's gone so overcast in the last twenty minutes that it is now too dark to draw with both the main light and my lamp on. Guess, I'll just blog instead.

It's the last few days of the Edinburgh Book Festival and I've had a good old go at it this year. Tuesday I got to see Shaun Tan, the artist and writer behind such illustrative works as the haunting 'The Arrival,' and the dream ladened 'Outer Suburbia.' He's a clever, witty talker and was able to make the most of the situation, as the interviewers seemed extremely nervous at talking in front of an audience.

Wednesday I watched a debate hosted by the masterful Joan Bakewell, on the future of the city. The poet Miles Glendinning was an engaging speaker, thoughtful and considered in his appreciation of the urban 'out lands,'. The other guest, (who I won't name) seemed to prattle on about nothing of any consequence, neither able to answer any questions nor say anything insightful. He might be a leading thinker, but I guess that doesn't make you a speaker.


Thursday night it was Amanda Palmer, hitting all the right notes with her new band. She played four new tracks - which were brilliant guitar led rock punk numbers - from the unreleased album, along with all her classics, ending on the high of 'Leeds United.' Mr. Palmer put in an appearance.


During the course of events I was able to meet up with @Lumpinthethroat, also know as the poet Mairi Campbell-Jack, to put a little more flesh on an idea called 'Scrawling Forth.' I'm not going to mention too much about it yet (as I don't want to jinx it), but I'm very, very excited.


****
From the boards:

• How to write a great novel - top authors discuss their writing habits.
• What to bring to a publishing conference, with regards one sheets. I've never been to one of these. I thought about it, but not really sure how successful hounding publishers and agents at such venues are. I might, if I get desperate.
• The way we publish now - a good overview of the changes in publishing both pre and post Kindle. Hopeful for the future, which makes a change.
• Are books dead, and can authors survive - a debate from the Guardian at the EBF on the changes in publishing, with a response from 12 Books in 12 Months.

Homo-extremis

The Edinburgh Book festival has been excellent this year. Last night I saw Grant Morrison and today it was Neil Gaiman.

Morrison spoke knowledgeably about superheroes and time dilation, in that many of the attributes assigned to those who wear spandex is both a reinterpretation of god myths of old, as well as being stories written about our future selves and those humans who will become homo-extremis with the growth of technology.
Grant is a deep thinker, who probably spends just a little bit too much time examining meta-fictions and his own experiences of 'becoming the hero of his own story.' So much so, that he is in turn afflicted by the the same physical machinations as his characters.  I very much look forward to reading his new work 'Supergods,' a history of comic books and superheroes, interlaced with Morrison's own story.

Supergod?

Neil Gaiman is a firm favourite of mine. Today's talk was a reappraisal of 'American Gods,' a tenth anniversary celebration. Similar to Morrison, gods and humans intermingle in the modern world, the myths of human past intruding into modern America (or at least the US of 10 years ago).
It was made clear at the talk, hosted by the Guardian, that HBO is definitely pushing ahead with its endeavour to turn the book into a series. I can envisage 'American Gods making good television, unlike, (in my view), the unfilmable Sandman. If anyone can, then HBO is probably the best place for it to make the long journey to the small screen.

The first of many signings for Neil at the Edinburgh Book Festival

Afterwards I met with John McShane and had a pint. John is a comics guru (he owned the world renowned AKA Comics in Glasgow) and has many a yarn to spin on all the comic writers, artists and producers he's met over the years. I'm not sure if I can repeat many of his stories here, but they certainly help pass an afternoon!

****

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
I love Wyndham. I love the fact they're sci-fi trapped in a bubble of 1950s respectability. I love aliens attacking whilst the British finish tea and listen to the wireless to hear the events unfold. They are of their time, but the actual ideas are scary. Get beyond the nice manners and polite talk and Wyndham taps into phycological horror. He knows how to turn the screw.
The cuckoos of Midwich are children. Born to mothers who had not conceived naturally, all at the same time during a period when everyone in the town was in a coma. There is something wrong with the children, something not quite human; and it's this unnatural creeping horror that seeps through the novel.
My only problem with it, is that it finishes all to soon, and not all the ideas are fully explored, but don't be put off. This is a classic for a reason.

There's a Festival on Here

There's a festival on here, as if you didn't know. This will be a short update, because it's August and time is precious in August.

I caught the rather amazing and all round singer-songwriter-comedian and diet hero, Mitch Benn yesterday. He was on good form and did something amazing with an iPhone and mentioned the Doctor only several times. I would urge anyone who hasn't seen him live to get tickets to his Edinburgh gig, but he's already finished his run and buggered off on holiday, so you've missed him. Catch him next time he comes.

In the evening I got to see a literary hero of mine in the form of Cory Doctorow. I've read most of his work, both fiction and journalism, and know that he is one clever tech-dude with a passion for all things open source and digitally free. This was the first time I've heard him speak and would like to recount what he touched upon, but he speaks so fast and hits so many points of interest that I could never get them down. I know he spoke about the maker movement, open source software, 3D printing, publishing and ebooks, sci-fi versus the future; and that was just the stuff I could understand. He encouraged those in the audience to record his talk. I hope someone did, because I want a transcript. I've looked online but can't find one yet. If it appears, I'll stick the link up here.

Cory in flow (and wearing great shoes).

To round off the night I got to see Professor Richard Wiseman explaining magic and how it works. The science of the paranormal could not find a better host. I know Richard from the Edinburgh Secret Society, events as good as those at the festival, but available all year round.

****
On the links I would set time aside to read the Terrible Minds blog on '25 Ways to Make Exposition Your Bitch,' a straight telling of how to get rid of all those nuisence wordy bits that clog up novels.

NPR has a list of the top 100 sic-fi / fantasy books. I think I've managed about 30% of those listed. I guess that means more books to add to the reading pile.

****

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

Book 2 in a series that must be good as I read both books back to back. This second work picks up straight after the previous finishes and places the hero, DC Peter Grant straight into a new mystery. This one features the afterlife and jazz, both of which Aaronovitch seems more than comfortable writing about.
The plots a page turner and the characters have been set up to grow, with relationship issues starting to become apparent, though the hero doesn't read that convincing as a black character. Like the previous book the star is London itself, carefully detailed and executed so that you can almost smell the overflowing bins of Soho.

Every Other -ly

I went to the Inky Fingers book fair at the week (twice, as it happens, as the first time I got the wrong day). It was small and intimate, with a selection of zines and small print offerings. In the end I didn't buy anything, mainly because my reading pile takes up the length of my study and I don't have time to read anything else at the moment, what the iPad being updated daily with my RSS feed, plus my magazine subscriptions. I'm always amazed so many people produce these small works, the effort that goes into them is immense and the reward small. I takes a certain type of artist to commit to them.

More reports on epublishing, this time from the Guardian, that argues about the inherent worth of digital versus paper.

An interview with Adam Christopher turns to Twitter and its use in pitching novels. His new book, 'Empire State,' sounds like my cup of tea, must add it to the growing pile.

There's also an interview with Julie Bertagna, a fellow YA sci-fi writer, living in Scotland. She sound as if she had the opposite reaction to her trilogy (no YA sci-fi as opposed to too much, now).

And, is this future of libraries? I'm not sure I like the idea of the local library being run by religious groups. To me that would mean a conflict of interests. Libraries should be neutral - politically, religiously and every other -ly.

A Plethora of Other Arty-Farty Types

The festivals of Edinburgh are gearing up and the city is starting to bloat with visitors and tourists, mingling with acrobats, actors, comedians, writers and a plethora of other arty-farty types. I have my tickets ready and will report back over the coming weeks on my highs and lows of the festival.

Publishing is in a state of meltdown. Tech is changing the industry faster the it is able to keep up. This is probably the worst time ever for a new writer (such as myself) to try and make it with a big publisher (I'm trying, really I am). The publishers are unwilling to enter into lengthy expensive contracts with unproven talent and yet a new model for ebooks has not yet arrived. Publishers are trying to keep up with the demand of readers wanting works quicker and in different formats, but so far they seem to be at loggerheads. So bad has it got that some writers are quitting, which is a real shame. This week M. D. Lachlan (Mark Barrowcliffe) wrote a polite opposite view over at The Speculative Scotsman. I have to say, I agree for the most part with him. I'm a quick writer and I thrive on deadlines. If the last year has taught me anything, it's that I have both the ability and stamina to write and to move my projects along. I just haven't got a publisher (yet) willing to take that chance on me.
The views above were then amplified by both the Guardian and the Independent. Their respective websites carried articles about an established authors inability to sell ebooks (but get free advertising) due to the sheer amount of work being produced and the death throws of the printed medium.

Over at the blog Dee Scribe, there is helpful advice for writers maintaining some kind of network. This is something I plan to concentrate on over the next year. I need to get the writer "Adam J. Shardlow" better known and during the festival is probably the best time to do this. I just need to be a little more assertive at meeting people.

As part of my task of meeting other writers in Edinburgh I plan to visit the Inky Fingers Minifest at some point over the weekend. They are completely free events, so if you get the chance, pop down.

I've been using Twitter for several years now and I didn't realise how many #hashtags for writing there now were. I really should learn some and make use of them. PublishingTalk has a handy list.

Some very lucky students at Napier University get to be taught by a real Doctor Who writer. Wish I could gate crash and meet Robert Shearman. I'll just have to be content with the second half of the new series.

Not writing related, but I wonder if my brother DC Benny has seen the Dark Spartan in action. I believe the real life (and maybe suicidal) superhero prowls his patch.