2004 News

This is just a reminder to myself that the year has started and I haven't updated for six or seven weeks. Not much to report: the writing has gone slowly over the last few weeks due to work and Christmas commitments, but it's still happening. There's a few stories of mine out there in submission limbo, so I'm waiting with baited breath to find out what happens to them.

In other writerly-sort-of news, on Boxing Day, the family and I went to the cinema to catch The Return Of The King. Absolutely unmissable film. There's been a lot of debate around the place about how successful the trilogy has been at recapturing the feel of Tolkien's work, and I think that immense trouble has been gone to by the production team, so much that I find the ommissions and alterations (far less than you'd get in the normal adaptation of a novel (Bonfire Of The Vanities, anyone?)) very easy to forgive.

Can't wait for that extended version to come out, though.

And no talk of resolutions here, folks - why bother making promises that I'm not even going to bother to keep?

I sent out a story to a publisher this morning, but before I stuck it in the envelope, Morgan (our eldest child) picked it up and sat down for a few minutes to read it. She finished it and as she brought it back to me she gave me the broadest of grins and a thumbs-up. It's corny and cliched, but I don't really care how it does with the publisher now, because Morgan is a tough cookie: she gave up on A Stranger In The Realm after about 70 pages, claiming that it was "a bit dull." That, dear readers, is what we call a success story.

See, this is what Steve Irwin is on about: if you can't interest your kids in what you do when they're young, then you have no hope of them understanding you in later life.

Just sold another story: this one is my third effort for the continually excellent Flashshot. It's called "Memorial" and I'll give you more news about it as it happens.

Received the galley proof for my story, "Summons Of Doom", in Dave Bain's forthcoming anthology, Forbidden Texts. He's hopeful that it will be sent off to the publishers within a month. He also said that it's looking like a really cool anthology. I've seen the TOC and there are some pretty damned impressive names in there along with little old unknown me!

As usual, more details as they come to hand.

No, I haven't forgotten I have a website, there's just been very little to report. I've been working my butt off at relief teaching and at the old promo work which has meant very little time to spend at the word processor. Still, it's nice to report on the occasional success...

... like my third short-short for Flashshot appearing in my inbox this evening. Looks fabulous and I got a little frisson of excitement from reading it, and not just from seeing my name on it. Many thanks to G. W. Thomas and Esther Schrader for their kindness and general all-round wonderfulness at accepting and publishing it.

'til next time...

These things go in threes they say...

Received in the last couple of days the final galley of my story in the most excellent Dave Bain's forthcoming Forbidden Texts anthology; mailed off my contract accepting the terms as laid out by the equally fab Gary Thomas's Flashshot: Year One anthology; and discovered that a mosaic novel written by myself and a bunch of folks from the bodacious Fantasy Writers Wanted collective has been picked up for publication later on in the year. Entitled Judgement Day, it's the story of a boy, a demon, an archangel and the end of the world.

Thanks to all concerned with these projects.

I hope my next update is a lot sooner than this...

What? Did you think this was a blog or something? I'll update when there's something worth saying, dammit!

Anyway, the news is brief, but you might want to point your browser in the direction of Fictionwise and have a look at FlashShot: Year 1, which, as I've said before, features two of my short-shorts and 363 (or thereabouts) others, as gathered and edited by the wonderful G. W. Thomas.

My first reprints... Aaaah.

Contracts for the below-mentioned Judgement Day mosaic novel have been signed by nearly all the parties and that is on its way to publication as well.

More news when I feel like it.

Best.

E. N.

Only seven whole days since the last update, but the wonderful Esther Schrader, editor of Flashshot has agreed to put "The Triumph Of Logic" on the list of upcoming Flashshots!

That's my fourth sale to this amazing and fun market.

Oh, and congratulations, Esther, you now hold the record for the fastest acceptance of one of my stories: just a shade over three hours (admittedly, it took me a week to get the email, but that's a side-effect associated with upgrading to Broadband and not resolving some mailbox issues along the way. Totally mine own fault.)

Hoo-roo.

Not a publication, but a performance: my Grade 6 students today performed a script written by me from ideas created by them at our assembly. The story was called "A Likely Tale" and it was a murder mystery in which the Three Little Pigs were found dead and some other fairy tale characters tried to find out who did it and to also prove their innocence. We had a heap of fun doing it.

Yet another gratuitous plug...

My old friend Mr Brian Keleher is an adman from Aspen Colorado who, together with his partner, Don Chaney have produced an exciting new project. You might remember those books that promised to personalise an adventure for your child. Well, Brian and Don have gone one better and produced an actual CD that does the same thing, but instead of a printed book, you get stories and games that invite your child to participate. How cool is that?

(Um, really cool, that's how cool.)

Anyway, you can hear this for yourself at MyAdventureStory. You can also mention that E. N. Taylor sent you. You won't get a discount, but it will make me feel far more important than I really am.

Happy listening.

My God - two updates in a month! People will talk!

Just to let you know that my fourth Flashshot just appeared in my inbox. That's right, "The Triumph Of Logic" just rocked up and looks terrific.

Go me.

To bed: it's late

G'night.

Yet another public service announcement.

At this website you will find a collection of short stories written by my grade 6 students as part of their English work. If you want to stop by and see the products of my day job, feel free. There's a guest book as well, so if you have something nice to say about them, that would be cool as well.

Oh yeah: all the work was done by them ("Dammit Jim, I'm a teacher not a web designer!"). I showed them some formatting thingies, but they made the decisions themselves on layout and so forth. It was a real pleasure to see some of them take this stick and run with it.

Thanks for listening.

A big thank you to Barbara Custer of Night To Day for accepting my short story "Elegy For The Day" for publication in an upcoming issue.

For those who'd like a little teaser about it, it's a vampire yarn set on the frontiers of the kingdom of Peleon, which is the setting for A Stranger In The Realm. However, you do not have to have read the book to enjoy the story, or vice versa. It just seemed appropriate at the time.

More news as it happens.