Yummy readables

Oh, man.  4:30 am and I'm up, red-eyed, damnit!  At least it's quiet enough to contemplate writing a quick post.

I was in the States for just over a week and once or twice when I checked LJ during that time it was down.  I've been trying to catch up on my friends list bit by bit, but lately I tend to dive into the computer for a few minutes and then slip out again.  Been too hectic for real reading online.

I just wanted to mention a few things, because they are important and I don't want them to vanish into Twitter.

1) First, I wanted to draw your attention to this fascinating post by Nina Allan discussing clocks, physics and her forthcoming book, The Silver Wind .  I bumped into Nina at Eastercon, whereupon I gushed all over her about her excellent story Flying In The Face of God, which I'd been lucky enough to read because this year the BSFA sent round a booklet with all the nominated stories in it.  (I'm so grateful that this was done, because before that I'd heard of Nina only through coalescent  's discussion of her work on Torque Control, but I'm terrible when it comes to reading short fiction unless it's right in my face.  Which it seldom is.) My enthusiasm must have made an impression, because Nina eventually thought of me when it came time to release The Silver Wind.

She sent me the text and I fell in love.  I've written the introduction to the volume in which I relate a little of what I think is wonderful about this piece of work, but for now I'll just say that Nina's writing blows me away with its sophistication and thought.  There is a philosophical edge to her stuff; it's very involving.  And what I groove on most about The Silver Wind is the way it is structured.  It's not a collection, it's not a novel.  It's a form of writing that embodies the ideas about time slippage that Nina engages.  Very, very cool -- and I'm so glad she didn't try to shoehorn this piece into a novel.  It works beautifully just as it is.  Little spiders run up my back when I think about it!

2) I've got a short piece in SFX issue 212.  It's a Book Club discussion of Octavia Butler's Wild Seed and you can read it online here.

3) This is overdue, but I've been underwater.  My dear friend stephanieburgis   has released her second novel in the UK, A Tangle of Magicks .  The first book won the Waverton Good Reads Children Award and the action ramps up a level in the second book, making use of a Bath setting for all sorts of dark deeds and magical danger.  The books are for ages 10-14 and although I am 43 I love them!

This picture, of the author enjoying a fancy cup of tea at the pump house in Bath, is one of my favourites of Stephanie.  Guys, let me tell you: I know Steph and that is one friggin' well-deserved cuppa right there. Please join me in congratulating her and wishing the new book success.

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That's all for now.  Kids are off school, I'm up against loads of OU deadlines as the end of term approaches in September, and I haven't written fiction for weeks.  I have a couple more nonfiction bits up my sleeve, and I'm chafing to get at the fiction but realistically this is going to have to wait.  Every time I go to the laptop to burn DVDs for stevemorris  , I glance longingly at the Scrivener icon and then--ouch--click on Nero instead.

I'll get there.  Just not yet!