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Tales of Horror, mixed with the Nightmares of a Writer,
with a final spattering of Dark Fantasy for Children added to the cauldron. The work of Catherine J Gardner & Phoenix Rendell. One Soul. Two identities.
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Another Twisted Tales event last night. First one in awhile and a bit of a landmark as before snagging the Bestwick, I used to meet him for coffee in Liverpool before Twisted Tales events and then we'd go to the readings.
This time the guests were Adam Nevill (always charming), Stuart MacBride and Steve Mosby. The theme, as you can guess from the poster to the left, was serial killers. Each author read a piece from their books and then David McWilliam hosted a discussion on serial murder, crime and its connection to horror, before opening the questions for the audience to ask the authors.
I haven't read anything by Stuart MacBride or Steve Mosby before so I'm looking forward to checking out their books, especially as I haven't read any crime/thrillers in a wee while. Stares at to read pile. Falls over.
After the event, we went for a meal in China Town with several awesome people including Ramsey & Jenny Campbell, Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane, David McWilliam, Stuart MacBride, Adam Nevill and Glynn Morgan. Lovely food even if I did have a minor spat with the Bestwick over what I was eating because I couldn't make up my mind. I can be annoying. Also good to see
Priya Sharma and Roy Gray again. Hopefully, I haven't missed anyone out.
Actually, food caused me no end of problems yesterday including the death of my porridge. It went splat all over the work kitchen sink. Guess, I'm a cereal killer. You have permission to groan.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 2/19/2013
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After waiting weeks (and part of last year) to see Les Misérables, I finally saw it today. Does a mad-dance-scream combo and grins madly. Love, love, loved it. Just resisted singing along during the movie, but I've spent the time since we left the cinema singing, skipping and being generally annoying. This is not unusual.
I want to see it again. NOW. In fact, I threatened to watch the 10th Anniversary Concert on DVD this evening but Mum has lent it to someone. Noooooooo! Maybe, I could watch 'Once More With Feeling' instead.
Skips some more.
Then, when we were leaving the cinema, I opened my Gmail and discovered to my unrestrained joy that I'd sold a short story to
Daily Science Fiction. Look out for my story 'Puppet Man' sometime in the coming year. You can read my previous Daily Science Fiction stories
here and
here. And, if you're in the mind to submit something yourself then you'll find guidelines
here.
Skips away.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 1/27/2013
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Lots of goodness this week.
Received my contributors copy of 'Burning with Optimism's Flames' (edited by Jay Eales). It contains my story '...and from the tower she did fall.' All the stories are set in the Faction Paradox universe (an off-shoot of the Doctor Who universe). Mine is a dark little tale about ravens, men in terror-bird masks and a killer. You can also read a review over at Daniel Tessier's blog.
Issue 16 of Shimmer is now available to purchase. It contains my cake-filled story 'The Binding of Memories'.
Finished the first draft of my novella and the first draft of a short story, which makes this coming week 'second draft week'. I also have a clearer idea where my novel is going and am back at the excited stage. Keeping up with my steps (what do you mean you don't care about my steps! Pfft). 87,562 steps this week. Best week so far despite the snow.
I usually hate walking in the snow.
No, make that, I usually despise walking in the snow. Oh, how I moan.
Not this time though. It was after eleven at night, the lighting was glorious, very few people were about and the Bestwick and I got to trample through the virgin snow, holding hands and pelting each other with snow balls. Everything looked so pretty. Although, no snowmen were built. Shame on us.
I told you there was lots of goodness.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 1/20/2013
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It snowed.
Only a little snow for Liverpool and Manchester but enough for me to finally get to wear my pink flowered Wellington boots. Possibility of my falling over in them is high. I am normally very steady on my feet. Honestly.
She lies.
Because I'm a wimp when walking in the snow (the Bestwick can confirm this) it put a dent in my steps this week. However, I did get my required 70,000 with 73,443 for the week. If someone could blow away the ice from my street for tomorrow morning I would be very grateful.
This Foolish & Harmful Delight is now at 14,490 words. Getting there. I also have a plan for another short story. Or rather, I have notes that will hopefully become a feasible plan when I type it up later. Bizarre prompts were supplied by the Bestwick. Really need to write a new short story not just plan on writing one.
Okay, back to the grindstone. Or rather, may cheat and read some blogs and make a lettuce sandwich. I'm so rock 'n'roll.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 1/13/2013
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So the photo of the week this time is of some wee ducks taken at Dunham Massey in Cheshire. The Bestwick and I had a delightful day sinking in mud, looking for a slaughter house and getting rather close to stags (thankfully of the animal variety and not the drunk variety). Or, as close as I needed to with my camera. Their antlers were huge. I may have annoyed one in particular by calling it Charlotte.
Continuing with my 70,000 steps a week challenge. This week I accumulated 84,771 steps. For the coming week, I'm still aiming for 70,000 steps but rather than building extra steps up by using a stepper of an evening I'm going to concentrate on the midriff section. I won't be bouncy at all soon. Who am I kidding?
My novella 'This Foolish & Harmful Delight' is now at 7,297 words. Not many words written this week but a new twist to the plot. Excited to see where it leads me. Still sorting out the future chapters of Last Seen Drowning. I also scratched out a 900 word plan for a new short story 'The Roar of the Beast at the Station at the End of the World', but I'll probably change that title as it reminds me too much of Rob Shearman's awesome '
The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World'. But it'll do for now.
Back to the typewriter... Only I don't use a typewriter.
I miss typewriters.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 1/6/2013
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Having been rather neglectful of this blog lately, I thought it time to dust it off and attempt to keep it up to date. New Year resolution and all that. Which, of course, means I may neglect the blog again come February but the spirit is currently motivated.
I thought that each week I would add a photo of the week. Hence, the photo to the left. It was either this wild, magical tree or a steaming pile of horse dung. I think I made the right choice. It was taken on New Year's Day at Clifton Country Park. Please feel free to write a story about said tree. I may do so too. Eventually.
On the writing front I've been working on a commissioned novella 'This Foolish & Harmful Delight' and have completed 4361 words this week (up to Saturday). I'm rather foolishly delighted to be writing again. I appear to be back on track. Heck, I may even catch up with reading everyone's blogs soon. It's like a mini-miracle. I've also been reading through and editing the first 10,000 words of my novel 'Last Seen Drowning' before I move on to re-writing the next 50,000ish words.
I've also decided to walk 70,000 steps a week (averaging 10,000 a day - ooh, look I can do maths). Imagine my delight when I discovered that a bunch of people were doing the 'Million Steps Challenge'. We have a
blog and everything. So far this week (1st to 5th Jan) I've walked 62,136 steps (easily within my 10,000 steps a day by 12,136 - ooh, more maths). I'm aiming for three and a half million steps by year end.
And that is that, for now...
Read the rest of this post
By: Cate Gardner,
on 12/18/2012
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My day took a delightful turn when I discovered that my novella, Theatre of Curious Acts, has been nominated for 'Short Fiction of the Year' in the This is Horror Awards 2012. Thank you to whoever nominated it - I'm blowing kisses in your direction. I wonder if the coming apocalypse this December 21st will be caused by my wanton kisses flying about the globe.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 12/13/2012
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I may not have achieved much writing-wise this year, or have written anywhere near as much as I usually do, but I'm very proud to finally have a story in Shimmer Magazine. The issue is out in January and E. Catherine Tobler has built a rather pretty trailer for it:
That be all.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 11/19/2012
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Jim McLeod kindly interviewed me for one of his Five Minutes slots over at his blog. Here there be talk of mud wrestling, World War One soldiers and ghosts.
And this may have just entered the category of shortest blog post ever... Although, possibly not.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 11/14/2012
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I've been ignoring my blog. Bad writer. Be assured I have slapped my wrists with a ruler. In fact it broke. So what to report...
1) Since last I visited this here corner of the internet I have fallen down several hills (that may not actually classify as hills) with Pendle Hill (or close to) being the most spectacular. Conclusion: I need walking boots or the Bestwick should give me a piggy back on the downward slopes. What I learned from this: sheep hide their humour well.
2) Received my contributor copy of
Circus - Fantasy Under the Big Top. I remain stoked by the fact I have a story in a Prime anthology. Dreams are made every day be they big or small. I just vomited.
3) Because if you're making a list there should be at least three things.
4) My story 'Too Delicate for Human Form', which is forthcoming in Dagan Book's
Fish anthology, has been selected for Proxima Books' anthology 'Best British Fantasy 2013'. Falls over. Bruises nose.
5) I will / should (someone tie me to a chair - leaving my hands free to type) finish editing my ghostly novella 'The Bureau of Them' this week. When and if I stop procrastinating and exercising and eating and.... Now I'm just coming up with lame excuses.
And that is my cue to leave this blog. Hopefully my next post shall follow shortly or at least within the month.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 10/22/2012
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Bernie Mojzes tagged me and now I must write a post about my WIP - which is almost finished. Praise (insert here whichever deity or random object you worship) chocolate. I miss blogging. I miss having the time to catch up with blogs and twitter. I don't twitter as much as I used to. You may have noticed. Or not. I hope you haven't because that means a) I've got away with being semi-silent, and b) you're not stalking me; but it also means a) no one notices me, and b) darn, you're not stalking me.
Oh, and my WIP is a novella rather than a novel but I will start working on a novel again soon, I promise, maybe, no I definitely will. Sorry, the angel and the demon on my shoulders are having an argument (at least they're not chips). I just have one more project to work on (about 20,000 words long) and then I can write three books at once (two middle grades and one adult) because that is so happening.
What is the title of your book?
The Bureau of Them.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The story was born of numerous places. Firstly, I fell in love with the Katy Perry song 'The One That Got Away' (check it out and try not to sniffle) and wanted to write a story about lost love. Secondly, there is an old building that I pass on the way home from work. It's empty, it's ugly (1960s or 1970s), the windows are covered in grime and in that grime people have written messages - some obscene some the general x loves y. I realised one of my characters was trapped within the building. Thirdly, I pulled a page out of a catalogue (Urban Outfitters or something similar) that had pictures of objects - a metallic owl, blocks, a tape measure and other stuff, and wanted to include them in a story. Thus, The Bureau of Them was born.
What genre does your book fall under?
Horror. It's a ghost story.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Ooh, I've never considered who could play Katy and Glynn. Now I must think (cogs turn, cogs rusty). My knowledge of the current crop of young actors is rather limited so I'm going to pretend it’s the 1980s and cast Jami Gertz as Katy and Judd Nelson as Glynn. Jack Nicholson can play the twisted leader of the ghosts, Yarker Ryland.
What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Evil question - I should just delete it but…
Ghosts watch from behind the windows of the abandoned building, waiting to destroy those who once loved them.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Neither. As it's a novella, I'll be sending it to publishers myself. Beware, the ghosts could land in your inbox soon (although, probably not as I suspect you're not an editor and if you are an editor, 'hey, you're looking good today' and please do not judge me on this sentence).
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I can't remember. About a month. I could check in my writing diary but that would require effort. It's Monday. I don't do effort on a Monday.
What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
Oh… Erm… I'm not certain I can.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A little metallic owl.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It's set in the streets I grew up in and I've kept some of the buildings from that era (although they're long gone) and moved them to a modern setting. I guess that would only interest the reader though if they were interested in stalking 'little me' and that's just odd or if they grew up in those same streets. Sheil Road Flats and Boaler Street school anyone? Anyone? Okay, shall have to think of something else to pique the reader's interest…
Well there is a little metallic owl if you're into owls and a broken butterfly pin if you're into butterflies or pins. If you like having your heart broken, then this is a tale of lost love that is determined to remain lost. These are ghosts who have forgotten who they were and do not recognise what was once dear to them; all they know is that they no longer exist and thus believe the places they haunted in life should disappear too. They are destroying the world and in doing so, Glynn is also destroying Katy.
Now, I'm supposed to tag five people. Of course, I don’t expect you to play along but as I'm falling behind on my blog reading and not up to date on what everyone is writing I'm going to choose some folk in the hope that I'll find out what their current WIP is the lazy way.
Last weekend, I attended my very first convention - Fantasycon - and I loved it. Here are some of the things that occurred and helped make it something to remember...
- Simon may never forgive me for making him run from our B&B to the convention hotel because I wanted to attend Rob Shearman's reading. The run included stairs. I will apologise eventually. Maybe. Probably not. It was Rob Shearman after all. I also attended readings by Simon Bestwick (duh!), Alison Littlewood, Gary McMahon, Graham Joyce and Jon Oliver.
- Beware of Graham Joyce and seemingly innocent lists of signatures. Always check under Joyce's thumb. Several writers signed their names to the List of Cunts. Snort.
- An absolute thrill to finally meet Ray Cluley and to discover that his girlfriend, Victoria, is VH Leslie who's had stories published in Black Static. At several points during the weekend I was surrounded by Black Static and Interzone authors. This makes me part of the gang, right? Right? It's almost like having a story within the pages, right? Simon and I went for a meal with Ray and Victoria on the Friday night. A definite highlight of the weekend. The following night we returned to the same restaurant with the brilliant Gary & Emily McMahon. I ate swordfish. This is exotic for me.
- Arriving at a disco via the dance floor when your boyfriend is an extrovert and you are an introvert is scary. I demanded a pint of cider and after a few sips discovered my rhythm - or rather, no longer cared whether or not I had rhythm. I didn't have rhythm.
- Beware of DJs with a wicked sense of humour.
- I can hold my drink. Cue one boyfriend who was slightly less concerned when I demanded he buy me another pint of cider.
- During the British Fantasy Awards the room erupted when Rob Shearman won the award for best collection. Although all the winners received generous applause, the announcement of Rob's win almost brought the hotel down. In fact, I suspect parts of Brighton are still shaking. Adam Nevill got a rapturous applause too. Someone needs to check if the hotel is still standing.
- Despite claiming we would, the Bestwick and I never managed a trip on the big wheel. We ran out of time. It wasn't because we're wimps or that we were still trying to catch our breath after running to Rob Shearman's reading. Although, hearing Soozy Marjoram's report of her experience on the big wheel I'm rather grateful to the beast that stole time.
- Nina Allen is so lovely.
- Alison Littlewood & Fergus are lovely too. But this I already knew. In fact, lots of people were lovely and in some cases bonkers. I appreciate bonkers. Amongst the lovely and the bonkers who I spoke to (leaving out those already mentioned) were Graeme Reynolds, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Jay Eales, Rosie Seymour, Christopher Teague, Rio Youers, Lynda Rucker, Mark West, Selina Lock, Joel Lane, Gary Cole Wilkin, David Price, Simon & Lizzie Marshall Jones, Neil Buchanan, Maura McHugh, and... okay, I've mentioned him before but... Rob Shearman. So, so excited to meet Rob. I don't think it showed though. Apologies to all those I forgot to mention (I have just face palmed)
- Somebody forgot to attend any panels. That would be me. No matter the awesomeness of the Guests of Honour if you get lost in Alice in Wonderland corridors you'll never find your way to their interview. Oops! In fact, I think my reflection is still trapped somewhere in the basement of the con hotel.
- I didn't take many photos because I suffered a strange case of Behind Camera Shyness. This is a new illness. I'm going to prescribe something sugary.
- I developed an addiction to ice cubes. My home made ice cubes do not compare. I would also like to continue having breakfast in bed. Someone arrange the latter.
- Roy Gray (of Interzone / TTA Press) kindly gave us a lift to and from Fantasycon. Much thanks to him. I think he survived the experience.
- Candy floss was consumed.
- Most important of all, the convention made me desperate to write. I'd lost a little of that want over the past few months. Oh, and did I say, I met ROB SHEARMAN!!! This may have pleased me.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 9/24/2012
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Normally you'll find me raving about how cool my city (Liverpool) is but on this rare occasion I am going to rave about a city close to mine - Manchester. For those who falsely believe Manchester is superior to Liverpool note that this is a one time event...
Liverpool is way cooler. For one, it has me in it.*
The folk at
This is Horror were holding an event at MadLab to celebrate the launch of
Thin Men with Yellow Faces, a chapbook by Simon Bestwick and Gary McMahon.
(Side note: MadLab was far less mad than expected - colour me disappointed - although we did spend some time in an Odd Bar before the event. I'll take whatever strangeness I can find.)
The wonderful Jasper Bark hosted the event (a seriously brilliant host) and there were readings by Ramsey Campbell, Conrad Williams and, of course, Simon & Gary read an extract each from their chapbook (available to purchase
here - although if you're at Fantasycon this week I believe you'll be able to pick up a copy there (hint - it's brilliant and chilling). Jasper interviewed all four authors and then there was a panel discussion. There was also an ass pressed up against the window - I missed that bit. I always miss everything. Oh wait... I didn't miss the bit where I was pointed out in the audience. I believe I may have fallen under my chair at that point. I'm such an attention seeker obviously.
It was lovely to finally meet Michael Wilson and Jasper Bark, and also lovely to meet Dan Howarth again, also Jo Baldwin (who had the most gorgeous coat in the history of coats - priorities people), Ian Graham, John Costello, Conrad Williams, Ramsey Campbell, Jenny Campbell, Ronnie Bark, Pat Kelleher, Shaun Hamilton and other folk. Fabulous, fabulous night, which was rounded off with a meal at a Korean restaurant with a bunch of good folk.
Now I shall scrutinise the Fantasycon programme and decide which panels, readings etc I want to attend. I already see two things that clash but I have a plan. A cunning plan. Okay, it may not be that cunning.
*actual ego can fit on a pin head (but not
the Pinhead)
**Manchester is also rather cool because it's where the Bestwick resides
By: Cate Gardner,
on 9/20/2012
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Last year, a very good friend and a kick-ass writer asked me to write a foreword for his forthcoming short story collection. My immediate reaction was 'hell yes'. I love said friend's short stories and he's a pretty kick-ass person too, and funny (funny is essential).
Now, said short story collection is available to buy as a hardback from the man himself,
Mike Stone, and it is a beautiful thing as you will see if you scroll to the bottom of this post were said cover is revealed in all its gorgeousness (art is by Mark Cartlidge). The paperback and eBook are forthcoming from
Graveside Tales.
Trust me, this is a fabulous collection. Of course, if you don't trust me perhaps you'll trust Graham Joyce and his opinion of Mike's writing - "Mike Stone is a vivid and exuberant writer and a terrific storyteller." Now for the book...
By: Cate Gardner,
on 9/11/2012
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The world changes every day. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. At the moment, I'm lucky. Every day my world seems to be changing for the better.
A guy at work died this weekend. No warning. Just gone.
Okay, that was a brutal change of tone. Sorry. But eleven years after 9/11 I guess most of us are reflecting today about how the world changed on that awful day, on loss.
Such events cause you to appreciate what you have and to consider how you should make the most of every moment. You should do what makes you happy without hurting others in the process. I can honestly say I am the happiest I've been in a very long time. The only thing that could make me happier (well there are a few things but this is something that is within my control)...
Is wrapping my wee brain around my novel/novella and it, in its turn, co-operating. The story (The Bureau of Them) deals with loss, with heartbreak, and strangely, now that I have someone wonderful in my life, I understand those emotions more. Now that I have someone to lose I appreciate how my characters--Katy and Peter--feel and why they are driven to get back those they love. Even if those they love are dead...
...well it is one of my stories after all.
So living and loving life may take me away from writing at times but each new experience offers further depth to future stories. I shall stop stressing about possible future events and start living more in the now. For as someone wise once said, the now is all we have.
And hey, I've written 104 words today.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 9/3/2012
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My story
Six Feet Above will appear in the
Something Wicked anthology. The story originally appeared online. The white cover (to your left) is available as a limited edition of 100 and I believe there will be a non-limited edition with a different cover. More details over at
Something Wicked.
I was delighted when Jay Eales invited me to write a story for his Faction Paradox anthology and even more delighted when I discovered
...and from the Tower she did fall will be appearing in anthology with such an awesome cover. Just gorgeous.
A full list of authors is available
here.
This is Horror are hosting an event on Saturday September 22 to celebrate the launch of their second chapbook
Thin Men with Yellow Faces by Gary McMahon and Simon Bestwick. Joining Simon and Gary will be Ramsey Campbell, Conrad Williams and Jasper Bark.
The launch event will be held at MadLab in Manchester from 6:30pm running through to 8:15 pm.Tickets are just £3 and you can purchase them via the
This is Horror website. I have mine and if you're in the area then go get yours.
Thin Men with Yellow Faces will be available for the special price of £4 in Manchester for one night only and as it's a collaboration between two hugely talented writers you know it's going to kick-ass.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 8/25/2012
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'A Season in Carcosa' an anthology inspired by Robert Chambers' King in Yellow stories is now available to preorder from
Miskatonic River Press.
Here is the rather awesome TOC:
Joel Lane "My Voice is Dead"
Simon Strantzas "Beyond the Banks of the River Seine"
Don Webb "Movie Night at Phil's"
Daniel Mills "MS Found in a Chicago Hotel Room"
Gary McMahon "it sees me when I’m not looking"
Ann K. Schwader "Finale, Act Two"
Cate Gardner "Yellow Bird Strings"
Edward Morris "The Theatre & Its Double"
Richard Gavin "The Hymn of the Hyades"
Gemma Files "Slick Black Bones and Soft Black Stars"
Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. "Not Enough Hope"
Kristin Prevallet "Whose Hearts are Pure Gold"
Richard A. Lupoff "April Dawn"
Anna Tambour "King Wolf"
Michael Kelly "The White-Face at Dawn"
Cody Goodfellow "Wishing Well"
John Langan "Sweetums"
Pearce Hansen "The King is Yellow"
Laird Barron "D T"
Robin Spriggs "Salvation in Yellow"
Allyson Bird "The Beat Hotel"
By: Cate Gardner,
on 7/17/2012
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I think I need to empty my study.
It's full to the brim with things I love like notes, Jack Skellington, books, pens, pocket watches, Christmas angels that are too pretty to live in a box all year, a glum photo of my gorgeous niece wearing butterfly wings, and several million works-in-progress.
I need to tear down my memo boards. All four of them.
They are covered in dozens of pictures from six different books (all in various stages of repair, some even waiting in the wings), notes I've scribbled of things wise people have said online, coach tickets, theatre tickets (or rather ticket as I'm going to said show alone - I can't decide if I'm brave or rather sad, perhaps both), and jingle bells (yeah, they never got put away either).
I need to empty my study because as the saying goes a tidy desk is a tidy mind and place a white sofa against a white wall and scribble words onto white paper or a white screen. Only, I don't do tidy, I do chaos.
I won't declutter my study, but a corner of space would be nice, somewhere I could lose myself in a story rather than twirling in my chair and making the little doctors, Tennant and Smith, walk like zombies across my desk.
Focus is nice. Maybe I'll sit in the empty bath and write and see how long it takes me to clutter that. Ooh, rubber ducks...
(P.S. there is no photo of the cluttered office because my camera is dead. "Phew!" said I).
By: Cate Gardner,
on 7/21/2012
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On a trawl of the internet, I noticed that the electronic version of Phantasmagorium (edited by Joe Pulver) is now available to purchase. It features my story 'The Sour Aftertaste of Olive Lemon' along with stories by Edward Morris, Cody Goodfellow, Ann K Schwader and Michael Cisco. #
It's the first day of my summer holiday today (not that I'm going anywhere more exotic than my back garden or maybe Blackpool) and we have actual sunshine with the promise of more to come. I was expecting to spend the week in pink Wellington boots. I shall have to de-mothball the summer wardrobe (which is in fact a lie as, despite the weather, I tend to wear t-shirts all year long).
Day one has gotten off to a productive start. One short story finished, one biography made up (well that was the brief - actually made up bio's are so much more fun and easier to write than real bio's), and about to type up an old short story and thus start the beginnings of a new short story collection that I've been meaning to do for forever (okay, a few months). What is with the lies today?
My story,
The Mechanical Heart of Him, is now available to read over at the Daily Science Fiction website. Here there be little folk and visible hearts.
Thank you to all subscribers who read, tweeted and emailed me about the story last week.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 7/28/2012
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Earlier this year, Jay Eales invited me to write a story for an anthology he was editing set in the
Faction Paradox universe and I am pleased to announce that my story,
...and from the tower she did fall will appear in the anthology 'Burning with Optimism's Flames
' forthcoming from Obverse Books. Jay has been revealing the authors day by day over at
Factor Fiction, although our bios are a little tricky.
Dagan Books have announced a
Kickstarter campaign with some awesome perks for backers. My story
Too Delicate for Human Form will be appearing in their Fish anthology. (
Full TOC here). The beautiful cover is by Galen Dara.
And on this delightful and (after last night's Olympic's opening ceremony) slightly surreal Saturday afternoon I am fixing-up a novella, shuffling some cards around and wondering if I can turn it into a novel but that all depends on if I can find 60,000 more words of plot plus an injection of scare - but I don't have to worry about that today. Actually, forget the injection of scare, I'd quite like an injection of funny. They're a humourless bunch. I think I shall have to invent someone new to shake them up.
In other news, I can currently be seen zooming around my office in my new chair and tomorrow I'm hoping for a rematch of Space Hopper Football with my nephew. I think I'll go for Gold this time.
It appears my glorious two weeks off work have whittled down to this last day. I'm not certain how that happened. Okay, I know how that happened but some of it is a blur and some of it deliciously highlighted in its wonderfulness. Back to reality tomorrow.
Ugh! (Uttered like a caveman in pain)
The plan for today (should I ever escape the endless loop of Twitter and Facebook) is to work on my novella/novel, which I haven't touched since Tuesday. My first week off work I wrote, wrote, wrote. The second week not so much, but that doesn't matter as I was out having adventures. One of those adventures included going to a Terror Scribes meeting in Manchester yesterday. I always feel so brave going to events because I can be incredibly shy. Annoyingly shy. God help me at Fantasycon--I shall have to get drunk on candy floss. At Terror Scribes, people were lovely and welcoming, and luckily I went with Simon Bestwick so that helped the nerves a little.
Now I shall go play with some ghosts, including a malicious one who appears to be channelling Willy Wonka.
Life has taken an interesting turn at this end. If you're one of my Facebook friends you may already know what I'm talking about. If not...ooh, the mystery.
Here's a clue... Faceless
Don't panic, I haven't removed my face. Actually, that may be cause for some to start panicking. Don't worry, the lesser-spotted-me doesn't leave the North West area very often. Fair warning: I will be in Brighton this September.
Here's another clue... Twisted Tales
You may recall that I've mentioned attending writers events at my local Waterstones. You may also recall that I meet a friend for coffee before these events. I've known said friend since the late 1990s when he edited a magazine, we spoke on the phone a few times, he published some of my stuff and then I vanished from the writing world and we didn't catch up again until I returned to the writing fold, found his blog and yelled 'hello'. We started meeting up for the occasional coffee two years ago, in August 2010.
Another clue... My head is in the clouds and airships are floating by.
No, I'm not tripping.
I think.
So, for those of you not on my Facebook friends list, I just updated my status to... In a relationship with Simon Bestwick.
By: Cate Gardner,
on 8/16/2012
Blog:
The Poisoned Apple
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I am beyond delighted to announce that my story 'The Binding of Memories' has been accepted by
Shimmer magazine.
For me, Shimmer was a bucket list goal and I sent them a decent weight of stories. In fact, I may have drowned several Shimmer slush readers beneath the weight of them.
Note: This story includes cake and in no way did I mean to bribe editor, E. Catherine Tobler, by mentioning said cake. It is a coincidence that she adores cake. Frankly, most people adore cake.
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It was really lovely to see you again too, beautiful!
Congrats again on your story in Shimmer. I'll check it out.
All the best and hope to see you again,
Priya
Thanks, Priya. Hopefully we'll bump into each other at another event.
Sounds like a good time, Cate!
These events looks fabulous. Very jealous.
Always, Lee :D
They are, Deborah :D