Polish Tentacles

The Polish transplation of Rose Coloured Tentacles is published today in the winter special edition of Szortal. This is my third story in Polish, following Inside Every Successful Man in Fahrenheit in May 2009 and Hiking in My Head in Szortal in September 2014.




Rose coloured Tentacles was originaly published in Perihelion in May 2015.

Book Review: Now We Are Ten edited by Ian Whates

In celebration of ten years of well-known UK small press, publisher NewCon Press, editor and owner Ian Whates presents us with Now We Are Ten, an anthology of stories that in some way each feature the number ten. Some of the stories are in ten sections, some feature the number ten in some significant or symbolic way and one is a story in literally ten words.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: The Corporation Wars: Insurgence by Ken McLeod

The second book in The Corporation Wars trilogy, Insurgence, carries on directly from Dissidence in this multi-faceted plot involving far-future AIs, virtual reality and planetary colonisation.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Writing Plans for 2017

As usual, I have a whole list of story ideas and titles lined up, waiting for their turn to reach fruition and make it on to the page. I have no idea which, if any of them, I'll be working on soon, but currently I'm working on two stories - one in the style of Jack Vance and one in the style of Shakespeare, complete with iambic pentameter.


I want to work on a novel this year, after a couple of years off. I have a whole list of novels to write too, but two of them in particular are well advanced in planning and current rates of enthusiasm. Hopefully, one of them will see completion this year.

Polish Story Sale

To round off the year, my short story Rose Coloured Tentacles, which was published last year in Perihelion, has been accepted by Polish magazine Szortal.


This will be my third story published in Polish and means I have 4 stories lined up for publication next year.

Spaceports and Spidersilk

My oldest son Alex has sold his second story, this time to YA magazine Spaceports and Spidersilk. It's due to be published in the spring.

Continuing to develop the Jones literary heritage...

Book Review: Crises and Conflicts edited by Ian Whates

Celebrating ten years of well-known UK small press publisher NewCon Press, editor and owner Ian Whates has launched a series of anthologies with various themes, including Crises And Conflicts, the third of such space opera and military SF anthologies from the imprint. This one includes sixteen stories by a fine array of well-known and up-and-coming authors.
 

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Reviewing in 2016

This year I wrote 23 book reviews for SF Crowsnest, as well as an article and 2 interviews. I've surprised myself with that total as I didn't think I'd been producing reviews that regularly. This probably also contributes to my post yeesterday, in that I've writen more word count on reviews than on fiction.


I think reading and reviewing will slow down next year as I delve into writing a new novel.

Writing in 2016

I've not managed to write a great deal this year, the lowest word count total since I started writing seriously in 2004, totaling only 4 short stories.




 By strange coincidence I also sold 4 stories, two of them to podcasts. I've also had 3 stories published, one of which was in German and one was a podcast.


I've been working on the plot for a new novel in the past couple of weeks, so prepare for more word count next year!

Reading in 2016

I've read a surprising 58 books this year, rather more than usual. Probably because I haven't done much writing I guess. As I've also been reviewing I've read quite a few new books along with books from previous years and decades.






These are my favourites of the year, in reverse chronological order of reading:






The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
Death's End by Liu Cixin
Daughter of Eden by Chris Beckett
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson
Made to Kill by Adam Christopher
Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen






I know a top 7 is a little odd, but it was either that or a top 28, which doesn't narrow things down much!