My Draconian Holiday

I find myself in a good position today. I'm nearing the finishing line on a project that's been a long time in the making and I now have a bit of free time to really attack it.

So, I'll be lashing myself to a firm wooden chair for the better part of this week and diving headlong into my writing. To further my punishment, I've set up my laptop outside of my writing room, with only a few reference books on the table beside me. I shall also be unplugging my modem while I write. This way, if I do need to do a bit of online research, I'll be required to fiddle with plugs and wait for the connection to be made. A small inconvenience, true, but it's a nice little trick to help me resist simply clicking on my 'net icon and killing some time gorging on the myriad temptations that can oh-so-easily pull an author away from the task at hand.

It will be a few days before a new entry is posted here. I'm hoping that when I do return next week I'll have something to show for my efforts.

And with that, I'm off for several days of silence, unnerving isolation and complete mental anguish.

It's the kind of vacation Torquemada would approve of. See you all on the other side.

Supernatural Tales

I am happy to report that my story "The Language of the Nameless Region" has been accepted by "Supernatural Tales" magazine. As the story is distinctly wintery, ST's editor David Longhorn may hold on to it until the next winter issue. I will keep you posted.

What's most satisfying about this acceptance is that "The Language of the Nameless Region" was the half-forgotten treasure I'd described in my last posting. Sometimes a little distance is needed before the worth of a story can be appreciated.

Elsewhere: I was pleased to learn that Neil Gaiman was recently awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal for his tastily Gothic children's novel, The Graveyard Book. So, on the off-chance he should ever stumble upon this blog: Congratulations, Neil!