Shadows at the Door
The 'Shadows at the Door' horror anthology gets closer to completion every day, and soon the Kickstarter will be coming into play for all of those great extras, like wonderful cover art, fantastic (ahem) editing and audiobooks! From what I've seen so far, the anthology is going to be chock-full of truly superb stories, and all of the contributors have surpassed themselves. To say I'm excited would be a massive understatement - and I can only hope that readers enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed being a part of it.
What Comes From The Earth
My first novel, set in contemporary South Africa, is finished, and with beta readers as I write. The feedback I've had so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and while there may be a few bits to tidy up, I'm hopeful that it can be released in a form very close to its current one. On something of a whim, I submitted it to a publisher who was looking for diverse characters - though I'm unsure if perhaps they wanted minority authors too - either way, perhaps we'll see. If there's no interest, I'll revert to my original plan of self-publishing regardless. I already have the cover, so there shouldn't be too much additional work to do.
This Burning Man
This serial is my first real foray into writing sci-fi, and it's incredibly good fun. Chapter 5 went up this weekend, which is excellent, and I've managed to get a few episodes ahead of myself to free up the time and allow me to play with the plot a little in later stages. The aim is to produce a novella-length serial, lasting exactly one year, with chapters spaced out evenly, a fortnight apart. The whole thing will eventually be available for free, though I'm hoping that I can release the ending on Kindle for a couple of pounds a little bit in advance of its appearance on the blog, so fans can get it in advance and I can make a little bit of money from it.
My Travels Through Imaginary Lands
This is another serial piece which has been appearing on this very blog (Chapter 4 is here) and is inspired by my love for travel writing, particularly the work of Patrick Leigh Fermor. I came up with the idea to write a journey much like the one Fermor describes in his walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople in the 1920s, but to set it in a imagined world of steam, conflict and thaumaturgy. Because it is a travelogue, there is no underlying plot as such, but a whole lot of fascinating details about the world, its history and culture, the flora/fauna and so on will emerge as you read through. Once again, when this is finished, I will probably make it available for a couple of pounds on Kindle.
This project, more even than any of the others, is something of a labour of love for me, so I would be very keen to hear what people think of it, and would like to see me do with it.
Escalator Fiction
Last but not least, I've applied for a spot in the 2016 Escalator Fiction competition, a chance for writers from the East of England to receive a year's mentoring, workshops and support from established writers and publishers. I have a plan for second novel that I'd like to start really soon, though it's moving (both geographically and emotively) a long way from my first one, so I'm going to need to do a lot of research before I can begin. That said, I'm hopeful that it will be both fun, and able to strike a lot of emotional notes at the same time. I'll keep you updated when I hear more.
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