Cate Gardner's Blog, page 38

The Grandfather Problem

My collection of grandfathers are still in the waiting area, just behind the active part of my brain. For those not in my head, I'm referring to my plan to write another MG book. Eventually. I haven't written a middle grade book since I finished tinkering with The Poisoned Apple (may it rest in pieces) and when I'm writing MG I need to concentrate on it fully or my MG voice bleeds into my short stories. Which isn't always bad, but can be a tad annoying (for me). To get me in the mood for writing a childrens' story, I've ordered Kate Milford's The Boneshaker which is almost a cheat buy as I've wanted to read it for ages.

In the meantime, I'm working on building the plan and mythology of the story that I mentioned on Wednesday - the one with perfume, balloons and the devil. I'm hoping I can expand the idea into a novella length story because there's this place I'm desperate to get into. Some of you know what that place is, but most of you don't. Ooh, I have my evil head on which must mean I'm almost ready to work on my kid's book. I'm always extra evil when I write for children.

Other books bought this week (because I've been extra naughty):
Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism by David Nickle
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Warm Bodies by Issac Marion
The Deathday Letter by Shaun Hutchinson
The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere
The Faceless by Simon Bestwick (Preorder)

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010 - Paula Guran (Kindle)

Ooh, and I added to my to read pile, The Drowning Girl by Margaret Leroy, but I didn't buy that book, it was given to me and highly recommended.

I suspect I shouldn't buy any books for a while. My towering to read pile and my creaking bookcase agree with me. Plus my purse is chattering, 'Have you forgotten you need to redecorate your study and the bathroom and the kitchen isn't quite finished?' Next time, I'm buying a silent purse.

The Spectral Competition

First off, look at my slightly updated cover and its blurb by Simon Bestwick. Not that I'm showing off or anything. You can read an interview with Simon at the Ginger Nuts website.

Now onto the almost as important bit... The competition. Or rather two competitions. One for those who bought Nowhere Hall and one for those who didn't (because I don't like to leave anyone out).

Competition One

As a thank you to everyone who bought a copy of Nowhere Hall, I'm offering the following prize:

A Spectral Press chapbook subscription, which will include the following books:

King Death by Paul Finch (released Dec 2011)
Rough Music by Simon Kurt Unsworth (released March 2012)
The Eyes of Water by Alison J Littlewood (released June 2012)
What Gets Left Behind by Mark West (released September 2012)

...all will be signed by the respective authors.

Competition Two:

And for those who missed out on a copy of Nowhere Hall because they sold so darn fast (what happened?), I am running a competition that is open to all.

As you may or may not know, Nowhere Hall is a limited edition of 100 and each copy will be signed and numbered. I'll be giving away number one with a special inscription by me but no doodles. I can't doodle.

So how do you enter? Send an email to catephoenix(at)gmail(dot)com saying if you are entering Competion One, Competition Two, or both and you're entered.

Closing date is midnight July 17th and prizes will be despatched at time of publication.

WIP - Building Bricks

I'm trying a new approach, we'll label it How I Write Method 230. As most of you know, I had a wander along the corridors of Writers Block a couple of weeks ago and to help combat it (and to ensure I don't sit down to a blank screen), I'm building my ideas before I start to write them. And then, in the case of my just completed short story (Glimpses of Beauty through Bleached Bone - 3700 words), I may write some stories out of order. That is, when I'm stuck, I'm jumping to another scene where I know what happens. It worked for Beauty. So today, I am working on building a new short story something to do with perfume and balloons and the Devil.

In other news, there are just 3 copies of Nowhere Hall left. Thank you so much to everyone who has pre-ordered the chapbook. Three copies!!! Scratch that, Nowhere Hall has SOLD OUT! I think I owe quite a few people a drink should I ever meet them.

Nowhere Hall

You may remember that last October I announced Spectral Press would be releasing my story Nowhere Hall as a chapbook, well that time is almost upon us. The chapbook will be published on September 5th and is now available to preorder. Here are the details:

The chapbook costs £3.50 UK / £4.50 EU / $8.00 US / $12 RoW (all prices included p&p). You can pay via paypal and the payment address is spectralpress(at)gmail(dot)com - please state that you are preordering Nowhere Hall.

If you don't have a paypal address or if you'd rather not pay the overseas postage cost (these things can get expensive) then email me at catephoenix(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll pre-order the book for you at the UK price and mail it to you in September.

Oh and the book is a signed limited edition of 100, but there are only 23* copies left thanks to a subscription deal Spectral Press are offering. More details about the subscription option are available at the Spectral Press website and include chapbooks by Paul Finch, Simon Kurt Unsworth, and Alison J Littlewood.

I've said it before but, gosh I do love Daniele Serra's cover.

*Mr. Marshall Jones (Spectral Press head honcho) has informed me that only 17 are left now. Thank you.

The Universe Adores ME (today)

I am pleased to announce that Jodi Lee has accepted my short story Weird Beautiful Muse for the first print issue of New Bedlam. Jodi invited me to write for the magazine a few months ago and I'm delighted that the story was accepted.

Not only did I find an acceptance in my email this morning, but also two letters from folk who'd read two of my short stories. One for The Forest of Discarded Hearts which was reprinted yesterday, and the other for my story Flying Dutchman which appeared in 'Space & Time.' I was almost speechless. I say almost because I did manage to twitter the fact, but seriously, the mouth flapped open. Totally overawed. A major thank you to them, and also a thank you to everyone who read or mentioned Forest yesterday. Much appreciated.I pretty much ♥ everyone in the world today. Well, almost everyone.

I was so giddy that I almost left the house wearing my slippers.

A Heartless Fairy Tale

My fairy tale  The Forest of Discarded Hearts is available to read over at the Fae Awareness site. The story was originally published in Three Crow Press and reprinted in my short story collection, Strange Men.

And if you've already read the story there's plenty of other Fae and Fairy Tale stuff for you to browse.

Blank Screen Syndrome

You may have noticed that I've been quieter here and elsewhere, but then again, maybe you haven't. Reason: A demon stole my words.

I don't know what he/she looked like. There was no particular smell attached to them. They stole in while I was trying to compete in Short Story Month, gave me a nasty case of the Blahs and left me with Blank Screen Syndrome. Every day, I'd open my idea file and couldn't figure what the hell I was supposed to do with it. I mean... How do you start writing? It was like a totally alien concept. Even twittering inane things seemed like hard work and yet inane is supposed to be part of my make-up. And I've lost count of the amount of blog posts I read but didn't comment on.

I have never had writer's block like it. I'm not even certain I've had writer's block before. Freaky.

Anyhow, I've managed to steal a few words back. I started a new short story yesterday (Glimpses of Beauty through Bleached Bone) and I'm writing it in disjointed scenes rather than stressing about joining A to B to C and I'll patch it all together when it's done. And hopefully the other is done too.

If you're suffering Blank Screen Syndrome too, trust me, you'll find your way back to completing sentences and paragraphs, it's just a case of riding the wave. At the moment, I'm at dipping my toe in the sea stage and trying to remember how to float (I never could swim).

An Electronic Goodnight

I've fallen out of love with my kindle.

I still appreciate it's good points, such as...

Reading it in bed. The kindle light (attached to it's fancy cover) means I can switch off the overhead light, so that when I'm feeling sleepy, I can put the kindle down and go to sleep, whereas before I had to get up and switch the bedroom light off and then I'd be awake again. I find it difficult to get to sleep.

It weighs the same no matter the size of the book making it ideal for my handbag. Although (because of the cover) a paperback is generally less trouble to carry.

And that is all. Maybe, I'm a bit thick (you don't say), but when I'm first reading a book I find myself turning to re-read the blurb about a dozen times. I swear no information stays in my brain for long, or I stop and stare at the cover, and I can't do that with the kindle. The book I'm currently reading on my kindle is.... Well, I can't say, because I've forgotten the title. It's one I downloaded on a whim and I can't remember what it's about and quite frankly, the text isn't helping the cause. I can't even figure out who the MC is with all the headhopping. No, that's not going to happen with every book, but still...

I much prefer paperbacks and hardbacks. When my kindle dies I may not replace it.

In other news, the fabulous Richard Baron left an awesome review of Strange Men on the Amazon UK site, and Gef Fox left one on the Amazon US site. Both on the paperback version. Because paperbacks rule.

A Seventies Disaster

Gef Fox is running a competition over at his blog and one of the prizes is my book Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits, which you can win along with Camille Alexa's Push of the Sky. And if you already have one or both of those books, he's also running another competition where you can win the anthologies 52 Stitches and Courting Morpheus. And if you have all those books on your shelf (I do), then erm... You are extra awesome (except in the case of me, because I'm in two of them).

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. I'm vegging out and watching old movies. Just watched Bell, Book and Candle with Jimmy Stewart and next up is Airport--I love disaster movies. I love old seventies disaster movies.

Villainous Exploits Ahoy!

A cast of characters are assembling in my room...

Clara Woods - a heroine
Billy Schaffer - best pal
Melville Blue - a villain

and a collection of grandfathers.

I'm in the mood for some silliness. This project is inspired by this post, features a reimagining of the short story from this post, and is taking me back to my poisoned roots.

In other news, I've edited one of my Short Story Month stories (Dreams of a Ragged Doll) and sent her on her merry way...