New Tabs

Using the new Blog feature of adding pages, I've done a bit of a tidy up of the sidebar. You'll see new links directly above the heading of this post.

Why am I mentioning this? At the end of April 2009, I'd posted 140 times. That's 140 posts in 120 days!

This year I've posted 37 times in the same period :c(

I think it's official--I've gone just a tad quiet...

Doing a bit of site maintenance is as good a reason as I could think of for today's post. Sorry about that.

Too Long

I think I've spent way too long contemplating my next move. The wife snapped this picture of me recently while in one of my trances...

What do you think? Should I get out more?

News is through that things are looking up to enable me to move forward with the renovation schedule--excellent news! Woohoo!

I think much better (and I'm much better to be around) when things move forward.

Onwards!

Still Not Writing

It's been 12 days since my last post, in that time my writing and reading has continued to stand still--but the house is coming along.

The bathroom is all but done. The electrician is booked to come in and fit the three-in-one light/heater/vent unit and new switch arrangement, and then we can call it completely done.

I've begun installation of the range-hood above the stove. The unit has been attached to the wall and the flue kit and external 'chimney' will go in this coming weekend (hopefully).

By the end of next week I'm hoping to have all my ducks aligned and we'll have the ready cash to move forward on things like the landscaping and kitchen cupboard renovations. Fingers crossed.

The day job is still an amazingly 'lost' place to be. We have a saying here: 'Couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery' - I believe the inventor of this saying also worked here once upon a time as it describes our management team to a 'T'!

The stress of work and of getting the house sorted has been immense. The uncertainty of it all, the total lack of any control of forces that impact so largely on me directly is a new experience I haven't been sure how to cope with. I like to be in control of things around me, even if it's only a perceived control. Perception is a person's reality, and my reality has been somewhat warped of late, but I'm getting help and support from my loved ones so, hopefully, I'll be back on track sooner rather than later.

Getting things sorted will hopefully allow my creative side to surface once more and the words will begin to flow. Being able to sit quietly and get some reading done would be a nice improvement, but at the moment any spare moments need to be used to get the house finished and I feel guilty if I'm not moving that project forward--and the last thing I need is more self-imposed stress, so reading just has to wait. Oh, and I'm hooked on a computer game at the moment which allows me to sit for long periods and not think about anything of consequence. I love my art too much to be able to not care about it so the game is my way of zoning out without having to think too much.

Strangely, I'm still picking up new visitors and followers to this blog. To the new arrivals, I apologise for the current irregularity of posting and the lack of writing related material - it's one of those moments in a writer's life when art is forced into the background and life takes over, but welcome anyway. Feel free to back over the older material and ask any questions in the comments section. I still check my emails (not as regular as I once did but still regular enough), and I'll make sure I do a new post to answer any questions you may have.

And just so I don't feel alone (because I know I'm not in this one), what's the longest period you've gone without being in a real writing schedule? I know some of you began writing, stuck at it for a few years, and then had a break before coming back to it. How long was that break?

Only 5

Once upon a time I would blog at least once a day, every day for the duration of the month. Often it would be more than once a day. And then I would do it all again the next month, and every month there after.

This is my fifth post for this month - which is nearly over. That's sad.

When I have writerly things to talk about, I post. When I've not had time to scratch my writerly bum, not so much.

Why?

A few reasons.

The good wife and I are preparing the house for sale. With the blooming of Spring in three months, we expect to place our love nest of the past five years onto the market. Before then I need to do the few jobs that we've been intending to do but never found the time or inclination to do before.

As is my normal linear thinking is want to do, I made a list. I went from the fence at the front of the house, to the fence at the back of the house and every room in between and made a list of what needs to be done. Some jobs are small, some are large, some need me to find some extra cash, some require additional consideration on which way forward we go, but all of them add up to around 100 jobs. I have 122 days until a man's fancy turns to the fairer sex.

Of course I still have my full time job, my wife still works, we share the load in a second job three days a week, and there's the family to consider. We are not particularly interested in living in a building site so things have to be done as when time allows.

This will make for a tight push to get things done on our current deadline, especially since we're still waiting on a couple of things falling into place before we can progress much further. These things are out of our control so the wait is frustrating. But while I'm waiting, I'm trying to whittle down what jobs I can. Tonight I patch the kitchen wall where the old exhaust fan once lived (and never worked), in preparation for the installation of a new range-hood unit.

Last week we finally knocked the stuffing out of the bathroom renovation. It took us a long time to get to where we are but it does look pretty good. Once the kitchen is done, I can worry about landscaping front and back and then the jobs are all pretty small(ish) (except for the de-cluttering).

So with all this going on (and no Jamie helping me out) I have exactly zero time for anything else. I've promised to read a manuscript for a publisher friend (I know more than one) and provide a review/blurb. I'm still going to find the time to do that (oh, the life of a famous editor/part time writer...(shoot me now)). I'm still helping another friend with a series of competition entries by tearing them to shreds providing insightful and helpful critiques. But I'm doing naff all else with writing = very little to post about on the blog.

Still reading your posts when I can and even occasionally, okay, rarely, posting a comment or two. You're all still in my thoughts and wishes.

Best of luck with your submissions and Works in Progress.

Swept Away

My short, and yet again, nautically-themed piece is up on 52 Stitches. There have been a lot of seriously cool stories in this years version of the micro/mini-flash anthology.

Thank you to those who have read it and left nice comments.

And yes, I totally forgot it was out this week until today - I'm getting very slack and wandering way off course from my writing.

Life is what is.

Hope you enjoy the story.

***Breaking News***

Rumour has it, Dark Pages Volume One could be available in the very-not-too-distant-future!

You must all buy it--and an extra copy for your partner, possibly one for your Mum, and another for your local library.

Seriously, if we don't sell heaps, then I don't get anything more than the satisfaction of editing a kick-arse anthology. Warm fuzzy feelings are all very nice, but they won't buy me a new golf bag (yes, I've started playing golf again).

Happy reading!

Dark Pages Volume 1

Here it is in all its stunning beauty, the cover art for Blade Red Press Dark Pages Volume One anthology. 

(I believe if you click on the image it will open in its own window for better viewing)

Superb - isn't it?

The official release blurb can be found here. Check more images from the artist Halinka Orszulok here (worth the trip).

We have excellence both inside and out now sorted with the cover art above and the previously announced ToC listed below.

The Stain of the Psychopomp King by Lucien E G Spelman

Heart Of Ice by Martin Livings

Neptune’s Garden by Lisa A Koosis

Dust by Naomi Bell

To Die For by S D Matley

The Franchise by Joe L Murr

Clip Notes by Marty Young

Blood on Green by Victoria Anisman-Reiner

Cargo by Aaron Polson

Nepenthe by Felicity Dowker

Yellow Water Pike by Derek Rutherford

Surveying The Land by B D Wilson

Nightwork by Robert Neilson

Hand And Cradle by Trent Roman

Almost there. Keep watching this space and/or the Blade Red announcements page.

Sweet.

Much To Do About Nothing

Today I was going to write about the unique, and very odd, thing long distance writing friendships are in this age of the Internet and email. But I'm still mulling it over in my head on exactly how to phrase things.

So I figured I'd talk about how different writers approach their public image and how some have blogs and websites and twitter and etc, etc, etc - and how others only have their stories out there. But that needs me to come to a set of conclusions on how I feel about it all and therefore more consideration.

And then I figured I just wouldn't bother posting anything today as I've written nothing, edited nothing and read nothing, but that seemed like a very defeatist attitude and it has been that type of thinking that has stopped me from doing anything anyway.

In the end, I have nothing to say of any consequence.

But I wish you all the very best with whatever writing project you are currently wrangling with, or should that be with which you are currently wrangling? You know what I mean...

And finally, I've decided to throw up a bizzare picture of .... (fill in the blank) every now and then as I like seeing pictures appear occasionally on a blog. It breaks up all the blocks of text nicely. So for the first of such bizarre stuff I give you the perfect Valentine's gift for that special woman in your life who has everything.

Moving Right Along...

I'm at work and they've blocked access to Youtube and other Internet video access - again :c(

Kermit & Fozzie Bear
Things are picking up a few paces in the world of Dark Pages.

Final tweaks are just about done on the master copy (removing typos, finding missing words, etc), and the gathering of blurbs from wind-swept and interesting people is going well(ish).

In tweaking the master copy, I've once more had an opportunity to read the stories we've chosen and I'm happy to say I'm still blown away by what we have coming up for you. After you've purchased a copy and read it a few times because you can't put it down, I fully expect you all to nominate us (and your favourite story from the collection) for every award under the sun. I'm clearing space on my shelf as we speak...

With the content just about put to bed, the publisher's foreword has been done, the editor's (that's me) foreword has been done, the back cover blurb has been done (and will be released when the publisher says I can), and things are starting to look good for the whole thing to go to the printers within weeks.

Not long now till we have cover art to reveal...

Stay tuned.

Edits

We have finished editing the stories for Dark Pages!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the editorial staff and the authors on getting through this period - an excellent job was done by all. We now move on to more mundane stuff like an editorial foreword, the gathering of quotes from ARC readers, blurb writing, and cover art finalisation! As promised by Blade Red, it will be released in the first half of this year.

I've also done 'another' final edit on Dreaming, my piece in the Apex anthology "The Blackness Within", which is due for release around August. This was a request from the editor, Gill Ainsworth--not something I did off my own bat. Hopefully it is now well and truly done and the next time I see it will be inside the cover of my contributor copy...

One last thing of note - I've not written often or recently on this blog, and yet I'm still gathering followers. Kind of scary to be reminded that what goes up here will be available for the rest of time. I guess it's a timely reminder to always be very aware of what you publish, and never ever burn a bridge with harsh words because it will be around to haunt you for a long time to come!