Today is a very special day.
I've been writing for years. Hell, decades. Ever since I could hold a pen and string sentences together I was doing just that, making up stories, bringing dreams to life. Since the age of 20 - 14 years - I've been writing with a view to getting published. Since 1997, I've written and published 12 books, with more to follow. And over the last couple of years, film people have started showing a very welcome interest.
For about 5 years I've wanted to go part-time in my day job to spend more time writing. And for the last 8 months, since our son was born, that has becomes a necessity. Time, it seems, becomes more precious the older you get.
Today was my last full-time day in work. Tomorrow, I'm part time.
It's a dream come true. Well, half a dream, but who knows what may happen in a couple of years? What I am today is ... grateful. Grateful to my employers, who were kind enough to let me take this step. Grateful to my family and friends - especially my long-suffering wife - for their constant support. And especially grateful to the people who read and enjoy my writing.
And that, I guess, means you.
I'm going now before this gets embarrassing ... but today, a little dream of mine came true.
Now then, there's a bottle of wine with my name on it.
Today was one of those days. Long day in work, after a night of not much sleep (courtesy of my 7 month old son and 5 year old daughter deciding that 5:30 is a good time to rise). Raining. Miserable. Monday-fucking-blues.
But then I got home and it all changed. CHANGING OF FACES, my new novellas from PS, was waiting for me, and what a stonking looking book! This is book #13 for me, but the thrill is just the same when I'm opening that box, catch sight of the spine, realise what it is as I pull it out of the bubble-wrap.
If you're interested, you can get this book from the dealers listed in the LINKS section of the site. For now, I'm just happy staring at it ...
I didn't realise there was so many of you here! I've just had a web stats report for the site from July '02 to Feb '04, and I was very surprised by some of the results. It's nice to see so many people coming through here ... although I wish more people would stop by and say 'Hi' on the message board!
Most interesting were the search query reports. Now, I can understand people searching for 'naming of parts' and coming to the site. Similarly 'exorcising angels'. But there were a couple there that worried me ....
Hands up at the back who searched for 'swollen bladder loo'? Or 'gutting himself blood'?
There were a couple of amusing ones too, like 'naming car parts' and 'naming the bones in the right hand'. A mechanic and a medical student probably had a surprise here ... I only hop they bought a book!
So please do keep dropping by. The bibliography page has been updated with my new book FEARS UNNAMED (both mass market and limited hardback versions), and I'm hoping there'll be some big news to announce very soon. As ever, watch this space!
I've got a bit of news. It's sad, I guess. Tragic, some would say. Here it is: Princess Diana is dead.
I just wish the world would leave her that way. I know it's in our nature to pursue the lives of personalities even beyond the grave, but I'm getting sick of the amount of attention she's still getting after years in her grave. And it's media-driven, as is much in our lives at present. The tabloids continue to pursue outrageous conspiracy theories regarding her death (I suspect it was Prince Charles, Under the Mercedes, With a HackSaw), and the public lap it up.
I've got a good friend in the TV business, and he reckons that the quality of TV is plumetting because the same budgets are being spread across many, many more channels. Hence the slew of 'reality' TV shows and the perpetuation of the Cult of Celebrity (I remember a time when celebrities had an ounce of talent). We're being manipulated, folks. I hate to sound paranoid, and I used to laugh at people with such extreme views ... but it really is starting to feel that way. 10 million of us are glued to the glass teat (Stephen King's phrase, and so accurate) each night watching some washed up celebrities eating spiders, or celebrating the creation of new celebrities, and thinking, 'Hell, I wish I could be like them'. And then, of course, watching the adverts.
As I type this my daughter is watching ANTZ on dvd. I hope she takes a message from that film. 'Think for yourself'.
Princess Diana is dead. She died in a car crash.
Of course, I love it really.
I'm in the midst of a signature sheet frenzy! The sig sheets have just arrived for Night Visions 11, and soon there'll be a big fat box full of sheets for my upcoming horror western Dead Man's Hand. Also just finished the sheets for the Borderlands Press edition of Fears unnamed! But I love it ....... I always tend to sign sheets with a bottle of wine open and some decent hard rock on the stereo (at this exact moment, I'm listening to Lemmy's dulcet tones). Always afraid that the bottle will tip one day .... but then I guess each sheet would be especially personalised!
Went to some great pubs in London at the weekend, one of the most interesting of which was The Intrepid Fox, a place filled with like-minded rock fans. It was most amusing to see a group of lads stumble in and get turned away. For looking too normal? For being pissed? I don't know, and don't care. It made me smile.
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