Hello all, it’s December and so time for the annual roundup of my writing year, be it thick or thin. And this year has a hefty thickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have had three stories published, one about an old gnome<\/a>, one about a shepherd<\/a> and one about a talking cat<\/a>. I also have a fourth due soon. Technically it was due by the end of the year, but that’s looking unlikely, so something to look forward to next year. It’s about food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like all these stories in different ways and I’m pleased that they each do their own thing. The upcoming one might even be considered dark. For me , at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the big thing of this year was obviously editing Gallus and launching it at Worldcon. That still feels a hugely surreal experience but wonderfully satisfying. To be able to help produce a great anthology and to then have it sell so well at both Worldcon and the Waterstones launch is a definite high point. To help people get their first work out there and to make it the best we can makes me very happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can recommend the experience (font size arguments not withstanding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worldcon itself was excellent, easy to get to and full of fun. Possibly too much as I ended up running from pillar to post. I did enjoy every minute of it, though. Here’s to it being in Dublin in a few years time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the real world I have mostly been looking to get my gas boiler replaced with a heat pump, something that is currently ongoing, and that has taken up far too much of my brain space. It’s going to spill on into next year as I have tidying up to arrange and more insulation to add to really get the best from it. But I’m pleased that this means I no longer have any gas appliances in my house. It’s a drop in the ocean, but I feel better knowing I’m trying to make up for all the climate problems that are coming down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so we come to the traditional part of an end of year post, the old story posted up. In this case it’s from a collection called The Speculative Book that was published in 2016 and the story is called “The past does not watch over us”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s me playing with my science background while delving, ever so slightly, into the problems of family expectations. You can read it here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n