2018 In Review #2: Awards Eligibilty And All That

So now we come to the 'obligatory blowing of my own horn' bit, which doesn't come easily to a lot of Brits...

Anyway, here are the works that saw publication for the first time in 2018 and are eligible for nomination for any relevant awards...

Novel

Wolf's Hill, published by Snowbooks.

Story collection

Singing Back The Dark (mini-collection), published by Black Shuck Books.


Novelette

Breakwater, published by Tor.com. (16,000 words long, so some would consider it a novella and some a short story.)


Short fiction

'If I Should Fall From Grace With God' (Crimewave #13: Bad Light, TTA Press)

'Deadwater' (The Devil and the Deep, Night Shade Books)

'The Bells Of Rainey' (Great British Horror #3: For Those In Peril, Black Shuck Books)

'The Judgement Call' (Two Chilling Tales, Fox Spirit Books, Black Shuck Books)

'Hard Time Killing Floor Blues' (in Singing Back The Dark, Black Shuck Books)

'And All The Souls In Hell Shall Sing' (in Singing Back The Dark, Black Shuck Books)

'Moon Going Down' (in Singing Back The Dark, Black Shuck Books)

'Effigies Of Glass' (in Singing Back The Dark, Black Shuck Books)

'Dab and Sole' (Ko-fi)

'A Constant Sound Of Thunder' (Ko-fi)

2018 In Review #1: Written This Year

Also from this year in writing.

So with a week left to Christmas....

As the year draws to its close, it's a time to look back over the past twelve months and take stock of what's been achieved.

Not too bad, all told. The complete (albeit very rough) first draft of one novel, about half of another (on hold while I rewrite another MS), one short play and five new short stories. In addition, I redrafted two novelette-length stories roughed out last year and found homes for them too.

There were also three other attempted novels that ground to a halt for one reason and another - so in terms of word count, that's probably another whole novel's worth there. Plus two other abandoned attempts to write a stage play. So, despite a fitful start, there's a reasonable amount to show for 2018 writing-wise. (And even the abandoned stuff isn't wasted - it'll go back into the pot to bubble away, and sooner or later it'll come up in another form.)

At the moment, as stated, I'm doing rewrites on an older MS of mine - a 250,000 word monster of a book I first started work on nearly a decade ago. I thought it was destined for my bottom drawer... but my agent disagrees. I'm very glad I sent it to him and asked his opinion; it gave me a much-needed shot in the arm in terms of reminding me why I do this.

I'm also halfway through the first draft of what's shaping up to be a chunky novella. Hopefully I'll have more to say about that at some point.

Anyway, onwards and upwards! Enjoy the last days of 2018.