Wow.

Every now and again (NOT very often) I find something, read something, hear something that just blows my mind. Something that feels right, like it could have been created just for me. Something that’s so good it’s like there’s nothing to compare it to.

And I’m feeling like that at the moment about Willful Creatures, by Aimee Bender. It’s just brilliant. I’ve not finished it – I don’t want to, because once I’ve finished it, that’ll be it, I’ll have read it and it will be over.

You can hear one of the stories being read here.

And click here to see Aimee at Google Authors.

***

And how’s this for a top photy! Go Tania!

***

ADDED (A little later)…

What on earth is this all about? People calling for a poetry anthology, used in GCSE papers, to be destroyed because a poem in it mentions knife crime????? Methinks someone’s missed the point. Bloody ridiculous. Me also thinks that certain people should give teenagers a little bit more credit. Honestly.

AND. .. Wouldn’t you hope that the people marking these papers (or invigilating) understood the poems themselves?

Funky Love and Little Green Men

Well it’s almost 4 o’clock and I’ve only just sat down at my desk. And I’ve got to leave to take my writing group at 5, so I don’t think there’s much chance I’ll get much writing done today. Which is a pain. I have, very recently, discovered the magical and wondrous world of I-tunes. I downloaded some Transvision Vamp and so had that to keep my spirits up while I was in the car.

I spent half an hour at Mossley School this morning, signing books. I like Mossley school. They’re friendly and professional and have, so a little bird told me, just done very well in their OFSTED inspection. Well done! I didn’t get the chance to see any of the children, sadly, but still, it was still nice.

***

Thanks to those who emailed me their congrats on the recent story acceptance. For those who are interested, my story is called, ‘A GIFT FROM THE LITTLE GREEN MAN’ and will be appearing in BEWILDERING STORIES at some point in the new year. I’ll keep everyone posted when I know better when it’ll be out.

The thing I’m most chuffed about is the fact that, due to , promo, tours, signings, novel writing and rewriting, I’ve written precious little in the way of short stories. I wrote one back in January and then nothing until the other week. Logic states that if you’re not writing then you’ve little to submit. And that, of course, leads to very little in the way of publication – anywhere. So it was nice to be able to write a short, and have something to submit. It was even nicer to have an editor saying they want it – especially when they came back to me with a decision so quickly, and with such nice words. It reminded the Ed of ‘The Night Before Christmas,’ which, as I’m sure you can imagine, was really lovely to hear, although, I feel, quite unjustified.

That reminds me, actually. Carol Ann Duffy did a fab version of it. You can buy it here. And if you’re heading over to amazon, you should really have a look at this while you’re there!

***

This is a blog I’ve been following for a while now. It belongs to Kay Sexton and is really very good.

***

Just a final thought. Did anyone catch that thing on telly last night where a chap from some rather special choir/orchestra thingumy was teaching High School children how to sing in a choir, with a view to competing in the world choir olympics in China? I enjoyed the programme, but the teacher chap who was running the choir reminded me A LOT of the very wonderful Alan Partridge. Was it just me?