How to use this Page

I wrote an odd tale about balloons, cake, vicious aunts and memory stealing fiends (The Binding of Memories)
I wrote a desperate tale of loss (In the Dark Hollow of a Caravan Someone Waits)

And, those were the shorts.

I completed the second draft of The Bureau of Them at 19,214 words - edited it, edited it some more, decided it was missing a certain something and have left it to brew.

That was my only longish thing.

Other things...
- I wrote an article for This is Horror (Decapitating Gingerbread Men)
- I survived an interview with Peter Tennant (though word is yet to get back to me if he survived)
- Pedro the Pedometer entered my life and just as swiftly departed it when he refused to count all the steps I'd done while mowing the garden. No one should mess with me when I'm gardening. He winks Hello at me every morning, but I'm determined to ignore him. Next time, I shall buy a pedometer that calculates zombie steps.
- I lost 12lbs and shook my hips in front of the mirror like a narcissist.
- Attended a house gig for my brother's 40th birthday where he'd hired Henry Priestman (formerly of The Christians). Very, very awesome. And my brother joined him on stage (or rather in the kitchen)
- Hadley Rille had a sale of their eBooks (officially started on Saturday 31st so I can include it) and it's still ongoing (due to end soon) - so at the moment you can read Theatre for 77p or 99c. A steal.

I wrote a story about Eric Snow that's sure to melt your heart. He's out in the world seeking acceptance
I thought about things for Bibliotheca Fantastica (Dagan Books anthology - deadline March 31st) and made some odd little notes.

Those are the shorts for this month.

Completed the first draft of The Bureau of Them (previously titled Wicked, Full of Promises) at 21,876 words (20,000 words of which were completed this month) and I ended the month 12,786 words into the second draft and discovered that people are not necessarily called what you think they're called. The minor characters aren't playing ball but I will discover their true names.

Didn't touch Cobwebs at all. Permission to slap my wrists granted.

Those are the longer things.

Jeremy C Shipp accepted Dreams of a Ragged Doll for the Attic Toys anthology
The story I wrote last month The Mechanical Heart of Him found a home (Daily Science Fiction)
An old story The Scratch of an Old Record (originally published in Necrotic Tissue) is to made into a podcast (that's a first for me)

So that's two and a bit acceptances.

Other things...
- I wrote a Women in Horror post for Damien Walters Grintalis's blog.
- I lost 8 pounds. In weight, not money. I lost far more money, I'm sure.
- I finished watching season 3 of Fringe and now have to wait until about September for season 4 to be released on DVD. Next up, I'm going to try Broadwalk Empire, which I bought on DVD a few months back. Damn Sky and their darn exclusive Atlantic channel.
- I danced like a mad woman to The Muppets theme tune.
- Armed with a laptop and a debit card I hunted down the lesser-spotted blue guitar just in time for my nephew's 5th birthday. I ate cake. Actually, I ate two cakes because my niece was 7 the same weekend. Well not the whole birthday cake, obviously...Small people would have bitten my hands off if I'd tried. Hands don't taste as good as cake.
- Davy Jones died, which made lots of people :(. I had the pleasure of seeing The Monkees (minus Mike Nesmith - I ♥ Mike Nesmith) in concert in the late 80s. They were fekkin' brilliant.

I wrote a story about a puppeteer (Yellow Bird Strings) and it found a home (A Season in Carcosa anthology)
I wrote a strange little tale about even littler people, betrayal and loss (The Mechanical Heart of Him)
Monster Colours is a hibernating work in progress with a first draft full of graffiti and sacrifice.

Those are the shorts.

Completed the plan for Cobweb Strings of the Rotting House (a 'to be' novel*) and have so far scratched out 4,296 words. Hit a stumbling block when my protagonist slipped back in time to her ten year old self and we are currently searching for her ten year old voice. So far we have excitement, marionettes and rotten mattresses.

Completed the plan for Wicked, Full of Promises (a 'to be' novella*) and I'm just over a 1,000 words into it. This is the one that has me ensnared at the moment. It's kind of an Orpheus in this world, and I've stolen parts of my city and littered it with broken jukeboxes and I'm stealing my childhood home and pretty much destroying the streets of my childhood.

Those are the longer things that at the moment are not so very long at all.

- I also booked tickets for my first ever convention.
- Attended an event in Liverpool where I a) met up with a friend and b) stared wide-eyed and petrified at other folk.
- Took an online self-confidence test that claimed I was semi-confident and thus I cried bullshit.
- Ate chocolate, vowed never to eat chocolate again, ate more chocolate, vowed never to eat Cadbury's chocolate anymore, bought a creme egg.
- Watched so many episodes of Fringe that there are almost none left to watch. I ❤ Joshua Jackson.
- Bought books. Read less books than I bought.
- Scurried across the blogverse with my Travelling Theatrical Tour. Now I'm relaxing in the tent and the audience and acts have gone home.

Here's how March rumbled along in Liverpool.

Sales: 2
Publications: 4 (Cold Coffee Cups & Curious Things in Malpractice, The Man who Climbed out of a Suitcase & The Man Who Wasn't a Man at all in Flash Scribe, and The Marionette Manipulator & The Headless Bride in 52 Stitches )
Approx Word Count: 32,921 words
Total Word Count 2009: 88,453 words
Stories out in submission land: Plenty
WIP: The Poisoned Apple (redraft) - 24,914 words ; Church of the Vacant Lot (first draft) - 1225 words.
New Subscriptions: Copies of Space & Time, Talebones & Grave Tales.

This month I began regrafting 'The Poisoned Apple' - layering book one and book two together and hoping they blend seemlessly, plus I started work on my new book 'Church of the Vacant Lot'. I wrote one flash story 'The Unfortunate Tale of Captain Unworthy' (no flash should be allowed a title that long), and 2 shorts 'Parasol Dance with the Chalkstripe Man' and 'Chalkstripe Jigsaw 101' - I hate that final title and it will change at some point.

Looking forward to no shorts in April and one completed Poisoned Apple.

Submissions: Lost Count - we'll go for one billion and seven
Sales: 1 (after an invite to submit)
Rejections: Stopped counting when it hit 7 (boo, Cate)
Publications: 1 (Uncle Eric's Leather Bound Tale in Arkham Tales)
Approx Word Count: 22,813 words
Total Word Count 2009: 55,532 words
Stories out in submission land: That would require counting.
WIP: Planning Novelette/Novella - 'Church of the Vacant Lot'; trying to ignore 'The Poisoned Apple', and casting a hungry eye over my plan for 'The Moth Maker'.
New Subscriptions: Necrotic Tissue, plus 2 books - Frozen Blood by Joel Sutherland and Bury Me Deep by Joshua Reynolds.


I finished editing 'Theatre of Curious Acts', wrote the synopsis and the query letter (phew!). I wrote three short stories: See Saw, In Silence We Stalk, Insomniac Ink; and two flash stories: Dead Green Glow, Flattened.

And to start the month off on a happy note: Andrea Allison awarded me a 'Superior Scribbler' award.

Here are the rules:

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Well, this is a tough one because I know many, many superior scribblers. In fact, that would be all of you on my friends list. So in the interest of fairness, I've placed all your names in a hat (well a heap on my desk actually - folded up of course) and dipped in blindly. So here are the superior scribblers 2009:

1. Camille Alexa. A blue haired writing goddess on the verge of super stardom. No more to be said.

2. Natalie L. Sin. Where else on the web can you find such dedication to Korean boy bands? If you're in need of a smile, check out Natalie's blog.

3. Jamie Eyberg, who manages to blog and write and twitter while a toddler scurries around his desk.

4. Gustavo Bondoni, who I am convinced is glued to his chair and that his fingers are tied to his keyboard.

5. Aaron Polson, who when not writing about House Eaters and Rock Gods is educating young minds as to the brilliance of literature.

Go spread the love.