ALMOST IN THE ENVELOPE, 'TIS

Well, the three chapter package is complete, a whole bunch of beta reader volunteers are offering their comments, and I'm beginning to fashion a synopsis that reflects the goings on in the novel. Nouvelle Hollande is less than a week away from being sent to the agents who requested a look.

Wonder if they'll remember me?

Time to start thinking about the next novel. The paranoid SF tale about identity loss, or the sprawling architectural fantasy about bridge civilisations? Or should I just say "fuck it" and write an 18000-line linked haiku about cats?

THE TWILIGHT HAS BEGUN TO FADE

Boy it's been fun listening to Luscious and Martin Livings talk about how far into their Fading Twilight stories they've been getting, while my block kept piling higher and higher, and the deadline loomed over me large a large hairy bloke with a hood and a sharp axe.....

Fully polished and complete 10 000 word story by the end of August? Like Hell it was going to happen.

Sat down last night, with no excuses left, and forced one finger after another onto the keyboard, trying not to look.

2800 words in 24 hours.

Block over :)

TWO BATTERSBIES IN ONE ISSUE: THE RACE IS ON

Luscious and I have co-habited three magazines so far: a jointly-written article in Gynaezine, an interview in the latest issue of ASIM, and of course, the approaching-legendary ASIM 11, which she edited and I appeared within. But we're yet to appear in a magazine as separate entities, that is, to submit stories independently of each other and have them accepted just like any other writer.

Well, it's on for young and old now: Borderlands Issue 6 is due out sometime between now and the end of the year, and we're both in it. And Luscious' story Hush has just been accepted for the Shadow Box anthology that accepted I Can Make You Famous... a few days back. It's a bloody creepy story, too. Shadow Box will be launched at Halloween.

Maybe Luscious and I are the only ones who care, but that's what you get for reading the blog...