My week of bugs and bullies

This week I completed my book on bullying, which was a relief. It was hard to write. Having been bullied at school myself, it brought back a few unwanted memories. Nowadays I get bullied by my kids. Time to stand up for myself, methinks!

It was hard to write for another reason, too. When it comes to non-fiction, I’m much happier writing straightforward factual books on sharks or murderers than I am tackling touchy-feely emotional subjects. I leave the emotional stuff to my fiction. Having said that, I was quite pleased with my bullying book on the read-through. It was concise (I was allowed just 360 words per spread) but it contained some sound, practical advice, a few heartstring-tugging case studies, and even a dash of humour (or humor – it was written for an American publisher).

Today, I should be getting on with my next project, creating some downloadable classroom material for a history series I wrote. But after the trials and tribulations of the bullying book, I feel the need to indulge myself with a bit of fiction. Sirens Call, a horror magazine I’ve written stories for, have put out a request for ‘bug stories’. It’s too delicious a concept to resist. I’m too young to remember the 1950s trashy horror films about giant killer bugs, but that sort of stuff appeals to the kid in me.

I’ve always had a deep fear of insects. Their long thin legs, their shiny segmented bodies and mandibles are just so scary and repulsive, and that fear has grown more profound the more I’ve discovered about the horrible ways they prey on each other and other animals. The spider wasp, for example, preys on the trapdoor spider in a uniquely cruel and gross way. First it paralyses the spider, then it lays its eggs inside the spider’s body. Can you imagine the agony of the still-living spider, as the eggs hatch and the wasp larvae start eating it alive from the inside.

I’m looking forward to writing my story. I already have the outline of a plot. Of course it will feature a giant killer bug and some very scared humans. Can’t wait…