Midnight Men in Niteblade

Just had my story The Midnight Men published in the first issue of Niteblade Magazine. The accompanying artwork and the general layout of this brand new ezine is very impressive. I even have my own "author page", with some info about me and a link to this blog. Editor Rhonda Parrish has done a cracking job, and on the strength of this premiere issue the future of Niteblade looks very bright indeed.
Here's a little teaser:

The Robinsons were the first to go.

It was the all-pervading purr of a powerful motor engine which dragged me from a deep and blissful sleep. The LED display on my alarm clock said: 12:03. It wasn’t unusual to hear cars on our street at that time of night--people being dropped home after a night out; nightshift workers heading off--but something about the drone of that car whispered to my subconscious. Something was not quite right...

Other News
Deeply frustrated at the moment. I have three writing projects on the go at the moment, two of them so close to submission stage that it's painful, but I have zero time to commit to them. The Hotel Galileo, the novella I completed during last November's NanNoWriMo contest, is undergoing a bit of tweaking. It was actually in a form that was passable as a complete work, but I had to go back and tinker with it because it didn 't fit in with the steampunk detective novel I'm currently working on. And then there's Lazarus Island, still needing that one final edit and minor rewrite. I would feel so much better if I could get Galileo and Lazarus out there, but family, work and study commitments continue to demand all of my time. Well, it's just a case of one little step at a time. If I manage to write 500 words of an evening, that's an achievement. If I write 50, well that's a step in the right direction, too. All these words add up in the end, so they say.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams . . .

Image
Twelve months ago I was in a bad place. The New Year was looming, I had some personal problems that were kicking my behind, and my writing career was not progressing the way I'd hoped. Then, on Jan 2nd, I received a late night phone call from America. It was Joni Labaqui from the Writers of the Future Contest. The story I had entered almost four months previous (and which, to be honest, I had forgotten about) had reached the final 8 of the quarter. Ms Labaqui assured me that my story was really good and that I was a talented writer. I almost cried. As it happens, the story didn't make the all-important Final 3 but shortly after I went on to sell it to Realms of Fantasy Magazine* . [*That's another story.] Anyhoo, this episode taught me a couple of things. One, I can do this . I've "got the chops", as they say. Two, I started telling myself to stop waiting around for things to happen. Make your own opportunities . At the time, I didn't quite know what tha
Read more

Symbiosis

Image
Light years from home. Bonded to an alien for survival. A dark secret is about to be revealed . . . The planet Verdana was supposed to be their new home, their new Eden. But shortly after arriving the human colonists were faced with a dilemma - join with the alaahi or perish. In the end, they chose the process of symbiosis, a physical conjoining with the native alaahi. But now there are whispers amongst the colonists. The alaahi are not the benevolent beings they made themselves out to be. Before long a dark secret is about to be revealed, and young Jena must make a terrible choice . . . If you haven't read Symbiosis yet (now with a brand spanking new cover), download your Kindle copy for free. But hurry, it won't be free for much longer. Amazon US Amazon UK
Read more

Music for Writing

Image
How do you write? In silence? Or with heavy metal blasting out at full blast? I used to be able to write with my favourite music playing (usually on my headphones, especially if the kids were in bed). But in recent times I've found it increasingly hard to concentrate with music, particularly music with lyrics. Quite often now I will play a movie score soundtrack. Batman Begins is a favourite, as is John Carter . Recently, though, I've discovered some even more useful musical accompaniment on YouTube. The video below is a good place to start. Not quite 'ambient', more... 'atmospheric'. Puts me in just the right mood for composing prose. ['Comprosing'? Err, no.] Check it out. And if you don't like this one, there are plenty more to choose from.
Read more