IN WHICH CALLISTO SHAMPOO AND CHESHIRE NOIR DISCOVER THAT WHAT THEY'VE DONE OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS WAS THE EASY PART

A huge hello and welcome to Vincent John Parker, who joined us all at 9.50 last night, much to everyone's delight.

Lovely to have you on board, little guy.

ANOTHER SALE, AND A SURPRISE ONE TO BOOT

Received an email from the froody editors at ASIM last night. They want to buy Instinct, a story I wrote in cahoots with Nigel Read, for their special collaborations issue, number 22, due out this December. Which is cool, especially as I'd forgotten about it and had no idea where it had been sent out :)

Could be an interesting issue: Luscious and I have just completed our own collaboration entitled C, which we'll be submitting to the same market by the end of the week. If it gets picked up, I could have my first double-banger!

WELCOME TO MIDWICH

I've been banished to the Fremantle office for 2 weeks, before entering my permanent work posting at Booragoon. How much do I love being there?

One of the women asked me what else I did (Her exact words were "So why don't you want to work full-time?"). When I told her I was a writer, she replied "Yeah, but that's like the kids at school doing their art."

Later in the day, one of the other women (there are three, plus myself in the office) complained about the "raucous rubbish" the radio station was playing, and bemoaned the fact that we're not allowed to switch channels so she could listen to something decent. Which radio station? MIX 94.5FM, known to all and sundry as Bland FM. All INXS, all of the day.....

I'm in hell.

WHY I HATE FANTASY, or READ THE MASTERS BEFORE YOU TELL ME HOW GOOD JULIAN BLOODY MAY IS

Picked up a copy of The First Book of Lankhmar the other day, which collects the first 4 of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser books in one volume.

Ill Met In Lankhmar, which I haven't read for a few years, is still the best fantasy short ever written. Yes it creaks a bit at the hinges, and the dialogue is overblown and unnatural, and filled with comic book portent. But for all that, it is still the best fantasy short ever written. Read it again, or if you've never read it before, get your nose out of that fucking Harry Potter box of toilet paper and read it for the first time.

Fantasy with consequences.

A pox on your Fiests, Mays, Brooks', Jordans, and their evil brood.

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS

Saw the last episode of Dr Who on Sunday night, many thanks owing to the Sunday Night Crew, who came through for a Batfam in need.

I should have guessed the owner of the voice, shouldn't I? That's what comes of trying to be too clever and second guess the obvious. As to the Bad Wolf, hmmm. When is a deus ex machina not a deus ex machina? When you've set it up all season, and yet it still manages to feel like you've written yourself into a corner and had to jump free with a mighty bound? Because that's what it felt like, in a lot of ways. Sigh: I can't wait until you've all seen it, so I can discuss it properly without dropping spoilers.

A flawed ending to a series that has seen some amazing highs (Dalek and The Empty Child being the absolute pinnacles, for me) , and very few genuine lows (Only The Unquiet Dead and Father's Day missing the mark). It's going to feel like a long time before the second series. I'm hoping there's a box set before Christmas: I want to hear the commentaries on these episodes.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN

Hi Vincent!

Song of the moment: Dancing In The Moonlight Thin Lizzy