Canada countdown 3

This time tomorrow we’ll be calling a cab to take us to the airport, then catching our flight to Toronto. I’m mostly packed, with only the important decisions like whether I should take something to read on the plane or whether I should use the time to work on the book (or whether I’ll do […]

Free samples

Since someone just asked, if anyone coming here wants to sample my fictiony stuff, there’s a secret page (cunningly hidden inside another one) that lists my Published Stories. The free-to-read online ones have links. This has been an aberrant moment of self-promotion. Normal irrelevance will be resumed in the next post. (ps If you actually […]

A dawning sense of idee fixe

While researching the WFC panel I’ve come to the realisation that I tend to write about music quite a lot myself. My last publication was a piece about competition karaoke and sirens, and my next is near-future SF about music-sharing. I’ve written about well tempering a misbehaving child (rather than the piano she refuses to […]

Canada countdown 2

The latter part of our trip to Toronto involves camping out at the World Fantasy Convention for a few days. This will be my fourth WFC. My first was Minneapolis in 2002, and I’ve managed back every three or four years since then, calling in at Austin and San Jose on the way (next years, […]

Canada countdown

This time next week we’ll be on holiday in Toronto. As it’s effectively our summer holiday, it’s long over due, so understandably we’re both more than ready for the break. The bidey-in spent some time in Toronto back in the day and is looking forward to going back, but for me it’s a whole new […]

Too cabaret!

When was the last time a Gary Barlow song made you laugh? Or made you cry? Or made you laugh and cry, and think at the same time. When was the last time Gary–or indeed anything that represents the mainstream chart pop industry in the last twenty years–gave you anything remotely resembling a good time? I […]

Ignoring the music

Even when he has one big, must-be-done thing to concentrate on, the writer’s brain always seems to find time work away quietly at any number of various other ideas. Which is fine until it has an unexpected and ill-timed eureka moment. Mine happened at 5.31 this morning, and concerns my Musical stories. Long term readers (are […]

Small Cabaret

I’ve been remiss here in not blaring out in dazzling fanfare that the 2012 Glasgow Cabaret Festival is upon us. I’ve been busy, but no excuses, and I apologise. Hopefully those who follow us on Twitter and Facebook will have heard about the Glasgow showing of Israphel’s Book, the de Saw-Finkle show we performed to […]

Silvergold bright and edgechill

My favourite season has always been autumn. On a bright September or October morning, I love the balance between sun warmth and air chill, an excuse to pull on a jumper and enjoy the caress of wool. And I love the clarity of the light, not slow and honeyed like a summer morning, but gimlet […]

September reading

Decent haul on the reading front this month. The novel for September was one Ian R McLeod’s Wake Up And Dream, a book I’d bought almost a year ago, read (and loved) part of and then had to put down for non-reading reasons. I then waited for a suitable period of quietness that’d allow me […]