And We're Off

Just a quick one to let you know that submissions for my week of reading for Smokelong Quarterly are open. So, send me something brilliant please. Before next Monday.

And whoever's story I choose gets a copy of Not So Perfect. What's not to like?

And as a brief aside - please could you not tell me when you've sent something in. I need to be totally impartial and have absolutely no clue who's written what.

Get to it!

Editing for Smokelong

Next week, for one week starting Monday, I'll be the guest editor over at the wonderful Smokelong Quarterly.

It is an honour. Smokelong has been about my favourite place for short fiction for a good few years. The stories they publish are consistently brilliant and interesting. It's a quality place. I can still remember how thrilled I was when they published one of my stories.

So, if you've got something (which is less than 1000 words) that you think is particularly brilliant, why not send it in? I'd love to read it.

You can read the guidelines here. And here's one of my favourite stories that have appeared there recently. It's called 'Pregnant With Peanut Butter' by the brilliant Michael Czyzniejewski.

Good luck!

Stories + Moving Pictures

I'm a pretty big fan of stories. This should not surprise you, I know. And I don't only mean written ones. Stories are everywhere: in life, on the streets of towns and cities and in people's houses and heads; they're in films and on radio and just about everywhere. And that's exciting. Mostly, because a lot of them are waiting and wanting to be found.

But today, I'd like to focus on films. I don't watch as many films as I should (not a conscious decision, it's just how things are) and I thought I'd mention a few I've watched recently that I've thought excellent and that you may just want to check, if you've not done already. (Actually, if you have, it's nice to know what you thought...)

So...









and an old favourite

Him And His Shorts

Rather thrilled to be mentioned here. And mentioned in the same sentence as Murakami no less. Cripes.

(I'm just looking forward to him reading Aimee Bender.)

(And, nope, no word from Jaymay. Yet...)

Romance Isn't Dead

Confession/Disclaimer: I am a little bit in love with Jaymay.*

I have been listening to, and loving, her music for a little while now and I think I know why (her album's here by the way - I would recommend it highly). Sometimes art simply works. But I think it rarely (if ever) works without reason. There has to be craft there and there has to be truth. There has to be that special, that magical, that certain something. And all that has to appear to be effortless. And it has to move me (a person) in some way. It has to feel right in what it is.

And Jaymay's music does that. It's brilliant and it's moving and there's a universal truthfulness to it.

Take this one, 'Rock, Scissors, Paper'. Listen to it. And I mean listen to the words. There's a story there. It's a story. A good story.

It simply works. Magic, see!





*And if Jaymay ever happens to be reading this and ever happens to be in the UK and at a loose end, then she is more than welcome to join me for coffee and conversation about art and stories and, well, whatever she likes.

Well, That Was a Pain

My laptop died the other day. To be honest, it'd been on its last legs for a while so it shouldn't have come as a surprise (must say that it lasted longer than most I've had - almost two years). But it broke. And that kinda messed up my week. Mostly, because I couldn't work.

So I bought another. And, for one reason and another (and another, and another) it took all of yesterday afternoon, and most of today, to get up and running. As a result, I'm a little behind with replying to things again. But I promise, I am on it. If you're waiting for something from me, you shouldn't be waiting all that much longer.*


* Yes, DO cross your fingers please.

Link: Bargain

So, last night I snuggled up with Magic For Beginners, by Kelly Link. From what I've read it's something rather special. For the first time in ages I was able to read a story for what it is (something marvellous), and not get side-tracked by bullshit (I seem to have been side-tracked by bullshit a lot recently).

Anyway, I thought it was ace. And, for the stingier among you, you can read it for free here. You can visit Kelly's website here - and that's free too.

More soon...

Looking For Mushy Peas

Not much to report here, really. So here's some more music. It's about take-away food. And music. You gotta love the words.

A Musical Interlude

I've been listening to The Wildhearts a lot recently. I used to listen to them an awful lot when I was younger. Their (brilliant) album PHUQ was rarely out of my cassette player (yes, that long ago).

And listening to them again (after far too long) I'm reminded just how good and underrated they are. They did proper songs. They didn't compromise. They (well, Ginger, I'm assuming) wrote proper, honest, words. And words are so, so, so important.

Words such as:

'Now that I've changed and the rest have all stayed
well, why do I feel so confused?
some of the best of me plans have been laid
and some of me best moments used

and

Some of the shit has sprouted in roses
and some of the roses have died
forced by meself to follow conviction
and ignore what I'm missing inside
I've been loved by the sweetest and hated by heroes
life's still (a) surprise and the friends come and go

Wonderful.

And they could/can play live too. I give you exhibit A:

And the magnificent (and magnificently titled) exhibit B (the lyrics of which are most definitely worth looking up. Wonderful stuff - also wonderful is what they do with Day Tripper but I shall leave you to discover that for yourselves.).




Album version here.

A Book of The Year/Being Got

I think the best bit about being a writer with a book out (especially one like me) is when people get your work. And I've been lucky in that sense, really lucky, because that's what people, in the main, have done. They've got my stories. And they've liked them too, mostly. Seriously, it's a wonderful feeling.

It was a wonderful feeling too, seeing that someone has said that Not So Perfect was their book of the year. Seriously, thank you, Catt. That means an awful lot. And I know I'm in particularly good company - as well as being a good friend of hers, I'm a pretty huge Caroline Smailes fan - and I love Anne Sexton's poetry.

So again, thank you, Catt. That means an awful lot. And thanks too to all who've got my stuff, whether they've told me or not.

The Music of Strange Old Me

Right, something a little different today. Today you get a glimpse into the nonsensical mind of yours truly. I apologise in advance.

So, last night I was lying in my bed, as I'm wont to do. And, as I wasn't asleep, I whacked the iPod on shuffle and just listened. And as the songs came on I started getting very specific memories of times when I'd listened to them. It was strange. Now, I am a bugger for (over) associating things with other things (you may remember me being particularly unfair to Terry Pratchett, for instance) and I know I associate certain songs or pieces of music with certain times in my life, or people or places (I'm sure most people do)- I just had no idea there would be that many. And it was fun. And interesting. And surprising. I wish I'd have written them down to be honest. 

I had no idea that Therapy?'s 'Die Laughing' was something I'd associate with me getting my hair cut, age 13, or so. Or that 'The Broad Majestic Shannon' reminded me of a specific stretch of road I'd driven along one winter evening about eleven years ago, while wearing a specific jumper (which,as a point of possible interest, I still have and wore only the other day). There's a Bee Gees song that will always remind me of being driven home from my Nan's house, holding a pack of Aeros to share with my brother and sister and I'll always associate Suede's 'So Young' with the school bus and an Aiwa personal cassette player. I think I was (and still am) a little surprised at how many memories there were and how strong and vivid they are - AND that most weren't associated with any dramatic event (I suppose I know about them already).

Anyone else like me? Or am I just weird?

Anyway, here are a few that stood out. Cos I'm nice/boring I thought I'd share them...

(And, right now, I'm listening to Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You' - I wonder if this will become a song associated memory. Who knows...)

.

This is a Good Idea

There was a period last year when, for various reasons, I kind of fell out of love with short stories. I think mostly, that I'd been thinking about them so much over the past few years that I needed to take a break from them.

Anyhoo - the love has returned. Which is lucky cos short stories is what I do, yannow?

And seeing good people like this doing things like this makes me happy. It's good to champion good things and, from what I can tell from the list, the books on there are very good indeed. So, go have a look at Him and His Short Stories. Please.

Hello!

So, it's 2011. Happy new year, folks. Here's hoping this is the start of something good.

I hope you all had a very splendid holiday period. I enjoyed mine. I did very little. I allowed myself to relax and to not work and it's helped. I'm feeling better, fresher, more me - and that's important and it's something that I've not done in too long.

It's good to relax. It's good to laugh. It's good to put christmas cracker remains on pepper mills in restaurants so they look like they're wearing party hats. It's good to snooze and doze. It's good to do snow angels, on the pavement, when no-one's looking.

It's good to eat good Bangladeshi food while watching an Elvis impersonator on Boxing Day. It's good to see your friends dancing.

It's good to listen to good music and be around good people (and not be around not so good people). And, of course, it's good to read.

I'll be back at work tomorrow. I have an awful lot to catch up on, and catch up on it I will. So, sorry to all those who are waiting for things from me - you will have them soon. Promise.


***

And a couple of nice little linkies...

There's an ace interview with the very lovely and super talented Caroline Smailes over at the equally lovely Catt's blog here (thank you to them both for saying such nice things about my work).

Dan Powell talks about stuff he's read in 2010 here, and Not So Perfect gets a rather nice little mention (it's between Raymond Carver and Checkhov - cripes!).

Absence is a key theme in many of the stories (Sobs, Say My Name, The Angel In The Car Park, Number 14 most notably) with characters yearning for some sort of connection (Watching/Listening, Bare and Naked in Siberia, My Heart’s in a Box, The Mechanical Woman) but these are not despairing tales of woe. Each story is garlanded with striking imagery and precise and often beautiful prose, creating something to be treasured in amongst the heartache, whether it’s the impermanent simplicity of a snow angel or the pure emotion that would drive someone to plaster a house in post-it notes.

And the top Decoding Static also mentions my little book here - all top stuff. Thank you. Big time.

Nik’s little square book is a lesson in simplicity and is an excellent book to dip in and out of'


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So, there we are. More from me soon. I hope your 2011 has been great so far, and that it gets better too.