Happy end of March everyone, and welcome to springtime, although it really doesn't feel like spring at the the moment, does it? Still, as I always say (even in autumn - ever the optimist), summer is just around the corner, and the barbecues are just itching to be uncovered and fired up.
Anyway, I'll start off with my exciting news. Last week I signed a contract with Cranthorpe Millner for the release of my horror-fantasy novel, 'The Faraway People'. I'm so pleased to be working with Kirsty and the team once more, and I cannot wait for you guys to read it. I submitted my final draft just yesterday to the editing team. We'll then go through the detailed process of receiving, reviewing, amending, and then accepting the edits, after which we'll enter the next phase which will involve planning the release date, agreeing the marketing plan, and maybe even arranging another book launch. I've already got some ideas for the cover and have been in touch with a really talented artist who I think will be perfect, so that's definitely something I'll be focussing on over the coming weeks. More to come on that.
Secondly, as you can see from the picture, I took receipt of a pretty large batch of books in preparation for HorrorCon UK, which is happening in Sheffield in May. I'll be manning the stand with another Cranthorpe author, Chris Coppel, a very talented writer who already has several great releases under his belt. If you haven't checked him out, I really recommend that you do. We'll be there for two days, so if you happen to be at the convention, please come over and say hi.
I've read a couple of really good books in the last month. As you probably know, I'm a huge Stephen King fan, so I ploughed through 'Fairy Tale', his latest hardback, in a little under a week. I loved it. Whilst it's not my favourite (there's so many other great King books), it's worth checking out, if only for the whole tonal shift that happens approximately a third of the way through. I also read Gwendolyn Kriste's latest book, 'Reluctant Immortals', which I really, really loved. If you like gothic horror, vampire stories, or just classic heroine fiction, then I couldn't recommend this highly enough. It was really well written and evoked some fantastic imagery of LA and San Francisco in the sixties. I plan to read Catriona Ward's 'Looking Glass Sound' next. I absolutely love Catriona's work, and I'm sure her latest release will be no exception. Again, if you haven't read anything of hers, I recommend you check her out.
I've been writing copious amounts of short stories in the past few weeks, most of which are out with publishers for consideration, and as of today (yes today!) I started my next novel. I sincerely hope this one will be completed much quicker than my last. Here's hoping! It's early days so I won't give too much away, but it's likely to be very different from the books I've released so far, while maintaining the speculative elements that I love.
That's probably enough of a data dump for this month. I'll post a 'free read' in the next couple of weeks, and I'll also put another blog up in April. In the meantime, enjoy your Easter, take care of each other, and 'happy reading'!
SD
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