Fire

I’m afraid this will be a rather short and sweet edition (or maybe that’s a good thing). July has been busy with work and extracurricular things, so writing has not been the main focus. Still, stuff is happening!

What we’ve been writing:

We’re still trying to find our feet on Juteopolis. M had a very fun idea for a change in some of the set-up that we’re excited about, but means some reworking of the draft we have already. Because we’re still in the opening chapters we’re going to fix it before continuing, meaning that hopefully it’ll be smoother sailing as we go forward.

Not quite writing related but M has been ‘experimenting’ with linocutting and is already producing gorgeous gorgeous prints. This one is Needfire-inspired - limited edition swag, anyone?

We’re also anxiously awaiting an edit letter from our agent for The Needfire, which may be why it’s been so hard to get our heads into a new project. Fingers crossed it’s not too lengthy and we can dive in soon!

What we’ve been reading:

I finally remembered to keep a list!

• Finished Jade War - which is a stellar example of epic fantasy that is completely different than anything I’ve read before.

• Water Shall Refuse Them - this came up in the Darkness in the Fields horror writing workshops we participated in, and as promised it was a super atmospheric example of stifling folk horror.

• The Only Child - a fun if not entirely successful re-imagining of several classic pieces of gothic literature with a fast thriller pace.

• The Silent Companions - another gothic novel that hits a lot of the expected tropes but is elevated by a secondary timeline with some lovely period detail.

• The Witches of Vardo - I only realised belatedly that this visits the same historical witch trials that The Mercies did; just about any book is going to struggle to measure up to that one, favourite that it is. I did enjoy the folk stories interspersed, there were some new ones that added some nice flavour.

• For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain - for someone so non-religious I LOVE reading books about religion and this was a small but perfectly formed elegy on grief and faith and womanhood in the medieval period. And I adored the cover!

I also have a couple of beta reading projects to enjoy - a sapphic romcom (eeee) and PROJECT ALTHROP continues… gosh I’m lucky to know so many talented authors!!

Links:

• This is a super helpful blog about the ins and outs of publishing contracts from author KJ Charles.

• Loved loved loved this statistically geeky post from Raine Wilson about the influence marketing has on book sales - and how authors shouldn’t feel responsible for their book’s success (beyond putting out the best novel they can).

• How many books does a book tour sell? by Kate McKean (hint: not a lot!).

• Can a writer survive without being a star? by Jess Row had a lot of fascinating insights about consensus fame and social media; a sobering but ultimately helpful read .

• A fascinating look at A Queer Reading of the Spiritualist Theory of Gender by Avery Curran - queer historical writers take note!

• Cymera Festival - my favourite Scottish SFFH book festival - is having a Writer’s Conference spin-off! Register interest here!

Mushroom of the month

We’re on the cusp of all the tastiest mushrooms coming out to play, but over here on the East Coast of Scotland it’s still not quuuuiiiiite time. Luckily, in the meantime we have this lovely specimen: Coprinus comatus, or the Shaggy Inkcap!

Also known as the lawyer’s or judge’s wig, this is a common and edible mushroom that grows most of the year round in large numbers! You have to be quick to pick and cook it, though, or you’ll find out where it gets its name.

After a few days, inkcaps start to deliquesce (one of my favourite words) and dissolve into, well, ink! Properly prepared it can be used to write and draw, making this lovely fungi a multipurpose foraged find.

That’s all for now - have a great August, folks!