Cate Gardner's Blog, page 43

A girl, a boy, a monster and me

I'm looking at a picture. It's torn out of a magazine. It's of a girl and a boy and they're running. As soon as I saw the picture, I knew this girl and this boy were from the story that's been swirling about my head since late last year. I was supposed to start writing it in January, but Ghosts lured me back.

Ghosts and I are struggling.

I suspect Ghosts is a book that will make me work on it all year long and possibly all next year too. I've said before, I very much doubt I'll be querying agents this year. Ghosts isn't a book I can rush. Not that you should rush any book, but sometimes... Sometimes, you think you're ready before you are. I had a moment of madness in early January when I thought I might have the book ready for Angry Robot Books open month. January is one optimistic beast. We will not be ready. We won't even be a quarter ready.

So now I'm drifting towards the people in this picture. Running alongside them. I've laid out all my scribblings (actually neatly typed notes, but that's not as romantic) but there's no sense of order to them. Ghosts has order. It starts (I hope) in the right place and each of the scenes (I pray) has a purpose. I get to the point of the book early on, you know what she's about. We won't mention the characters--they're one of the reasons this book could take some time. With this new story, I know the people, they break my heart and yet...

...I'm loathe to set a proper schedule for them, to make everything they do matter. I want us to have a melodramatic time of it. I'll tear their hearts out while they (quite literally) are party to others having their hearts removed. I refuse to define them. Are they a short? A novella? A novel? I'm tired of defining what a story will be. I just want to enjoy the ride for a bit with no care if it's sellable or makes sense to anyone but me.

This really is the sort of day were you should remember your passion and forget the rest of the world exists. This story's for me.

Fantastic Folk Friday - The Swap (Plus a Giveaway)

I shall try not to squee too much, but I received two fabulous books in the mail this week. The Ultimate perVERSEities by Kurt Newton and Cthulhurotica edited by Carrie Cunn.

And both were born of swaps... I sent Kurt and Carrie 'Strange Men' and they sent me their books. Swaps rock. This is my second swap with Kurt. I traded my novelette Olive Lemon for his Black Butterflies last year. This could become a habit. (And he wrote the nicest, quirkiest inscription inside).

And Cthulhurotica is double the goodness, not only is it edited by Carrie, but it also includes a KV Taylor story, Transfigured Night. Katey gets into all the best books. The anthology also includes stories and essays by Jennifer Brozek, Cody Goodfellow, Mae Empson, Nathan Crowder, Don Pizarro, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and many others.

Now onto the giveaway. Carrie sent me two copies of Cthulhurotica and I want to give one away to you. So what do you have to do to enter... Leave a comment saying you'd like to be entered in the draw.

And if you don't win you can find more information about Cthulhurotica and Dagan Books next anthology In Situ at their website. Actually, you can find out more info even if you do win. I'm generous like that. Closing date is Friday 18th February 2011, midnight (your time). And if you haven't yet picked up a copy of Strange Men let me know and I'll throw in a copy of that book too.

WIP Wednesday - Cream Tea, Ashes and Shipwrecks

I'm certain today is Tuesday. I think I have sugar brain due to cake consumption--my friend's birthday; she is now very old as I told her many times during the day. I think she hates me a little now but then she did feed me cake and we all know that is a bad thing to do. I think I have whipped cream oozing from my ears.

So if it is Wednesday, then I should tell you all the wonderful things about my WIP - Of Wrecks, White Noise and Abandoned Beaches. It's a short story. It has a complete first draft that needs an injection of subplot. There are lots of seashells. There are not so many people. It is not as cool as the picture to the right. I must work to make it cooler. Is that even possible?

In other news, my short story 'And, the Bride Wore Ashes' has sold to Phantasmacore. Bride takes place inside a snowglobe (as all good stories must) and is populated by a girl, a jilted Buster Keatonesque groom and a wedding dress made of moths. It should be online in March.

Fantastic Folk Friday

Aaron Polson's YA 'The House Eaters' is now available as an ebook or (major squee) paperback. Check out the fantastic cover to the left (or should that be ' to the right' - I get confused when looking at a screen. Who am I kidding, I get confused when giving taxi drivers directions).

I had the pleasure of beta reading this book and have recently re-experienced it. A definite must read. It's available from Virtual Tales and Amazon. I've grabbed a signed copy from the man himself.

Now, head over to Simon Bestwick's blog and offer him a hearty congratulations. He's got himself a pretty awesome book deal.

*The above confirms I know the best people.
**As you're one of the people I know, you already know this.
***If you're not one of the people I know, I bet you're still pretty awesome (unless you're a spammer and then you suck or a spanner and then you're a tool).

gōng xǐ fā cái

gōng xǐ fā cái
2011 is the year of Xin Mao
A video to celebrate...

WIP Wednesday - There's an Ego-Sized Hole in my Ceiling

A couple of lines from my current WIP - With Ghost Butterflies in her Hair.

"Since the accident, the world as seen through her glasses appeared cockeyed. Aunt Jane said the world always looked that way to her and not to fuss..."

Which leads me into news of a delightful review of 'Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits' by Sheila M. Merritt over at Hellnotes.

Reading Cate Gardner's short stories is like watching The Twilight Zone hosted by Franz Kafka, with adaptations by Lewis Carroll. This isn't run of the mill writing. In the collection Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits and Other Curious Things, Gardner's highly unusual fiction is displayed in all its bizarre glory. Calling her work odd is an understatement; it doesn't do justice to her great imagination.  Read the rest of the review here.

Kate Shaw also reviewed Strange Men over at Skunk Cat Book Reviews.

Once I did pick it up, though, I devoured it utterly. The stories are quick-paced, varied, and full of the mischievous and odd characters that people Gardner's writing and make it so unique.

Thanks so much Kate (and Sheila).

Okay back to the sarcophagus and its concealed secrets.

If Trains Puffed Green Smoke

I try not to edit while drafting a story--and usually fail in the case of short stories and first chapters--but I'm considering following my five-year-old niece's method.

How to write according to Amy...

Write two sentences.
Cross out any misspellings or loose words.
Spend next half-hour drawing pretty and gruesome illustrations.
If you can't find a green crayon, add snot. ("Everyone has green up their noses," she said at my yuck!)
If you can't find a red crayon....use a pink one instead. Phew!

You may want to attempt the above method while writing a steampunk story for the below--though I recommend you don't.

Sean Wallace is looking for stories for The Mammoth Book of Steampunk to be published by Robinson in the UK and Running Press in the US in 2012. Deadline is April 1st, 2011 and the pay rate is five cents a word.

Get to.

This was the month that...

...I didn't conquer the world (but the world also didn't conquer me).



Monthly Word Count: 25,052 words
Best Day: 3729 words
Worst Day: 70 words
Days Off: One

Acceptances: 0
Rejections: Oh boy!
Determination to Succeed: up 35%





New Short Stories:-
If Monsters Lurk; If (1600)
EverTime, Just Left of 1974 (1400)
The Persistence of Ugly (200)
Sky Painted Metal Grey (The Thunderous Descent of Michael Skyworth) (2200)
Lost Shoes (900)

Plus 16,400 words of The Ghosts of Folding Time.

Things found lurking in the pages of the above: Houdini, Sand Monsters, Other Worlds, Crappy Motels, Towers, Tricksters, Messerschmitt Bombers, 1970s lampshade, zeppelins, a butt waggling peasant, diagrams drawn in pencil and chalk.

Current WIPs: The Ghosts of Folding Time (my YA) and an untitled short story about grandfather clocks, butterflies and lonely children.

Last line of January 2011: "By death," Robbie said.*


*Note to self: make sure the last line of February is far more interesting 

Space, Time and Open Mouthed

The planned writing break ended before it began. I have no problem with that. In fact, I think I'll threaten the muse every week and get it to kick its ass in gear. Worked on a short story this morning that has so much running under the surface, I think I may have to dredge a canal.

Spent this afternoon in the company of esteemed writers (Simon Beswick, Ally Bird and Joel Lane). I think I looked like a mannequin set to 'awe' and maybe a nodding dog. I felt like a pretend writer. Heck, with the time I spend on twitter even my laptop thinks I'm a pretend writer. Oops! I have to say Allyson Bird is one of the loveliest people ever. Not that Simon and Joel aren't of course.

Then, I arrive home and yay, the new issue of Space and Time is out in the world (and should be in bookstores in Canada) and my name is on the cover. Or rather my old name. I think this is the last story out in the wild that will appear under the name Catherine J Gardner. I should mark the name's passing with a moments silence or a biscuit.

Time Out

I don't intend to write today.

I don't intend to write tomorrow.

I definitely won't write Saturday.

By Sunday, I hope to be scratching words into the walls.




Taking a wee break to recharge the batteries (and because I feel I'm not doing enough life things and I never take a break). My nineteen-year-old nephew is staying with us this week and I'm determined today is let's play games...well he thrashed me at Scrabble a few weeks back and I have to exact my revenge.  Then tomorrow, I'm meeting Simon Bestwick after work. And Saturday, my wee niece and nephew are here. I haven't seen them in weeks. Definitely feeling cute deprived.