Editorial Team At On Spec

I am thrilled to announce I’ve accepted an invitation from Diane Walton, Publisher at On Spec Magazine, to join their editorial staff.

There is a large roster of editors at On Spec. But, then, they receive a large number of submissions and require a large number of people to read and adjudicate every story. Very much look forward to working with Diane and all the team.

If you’ve never read an issue, you should check out the publication. It’s a showcase for established and emerging Canadian speculative fiction writers. Perhaps I am a bit biased, given I’ve had a few short stories appear in the magazine over the past 30 years. Still, worth your time.

I was also pleased to be asked to be a reviewer for On Spec earlier in the year.

Untold Stories Reviewed at Amazing Stories

The new anthology, Untold Stories, from the Dublin Creative Writers is now available for purchase. There are two Canadian writers who appear in the publication: Jean-Louis Trudel, and myself.

R. Graeme Cameron was kind enough to review the two Canadian stories in his column for Amazing Stories. You can read what he had to say here. The review is at the end of his review of Scott Overton’s recent novel.

To my delight, Graeme compared my story, “For A Cup of Tea” to Edgar Allan Poe and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Good heavens!

General Writing News

This year I’ve concentrated primarily on writing short stories, and have had some success in selling those to various markets:

• “A Case of Time” to Murder on Her Mind
• “A Fine May Evening” to Polar Borealis
• “The Blessing of Survivalist Skills” to The Bad Day Book
• “For a Cup of Tea” to Untold Stories
• “The Keening of the Sparrow” to On Spec
• “Occupational Hazards” to Metastellar
• “Remember” to Polar Borealis

And I have a couple of stories under final consideration at two different publications, one of which would be a life-long dream. We’ll see. It would be a nice Christmas present.

Painting

From January to March of 2023 it would seem I produced quite a number of small watercolour paintings, mostly studies in a series which concentrated on the themes and environment of November and March, those times of year of transition. They are a very moody time of year for me, a time when I greatly feel the earth winding down and then waking up. It’s all about cycles, recharging, renewal. These etudes, if you will, can be seen here on the website under the paintings section.

Going Forward

I’d had some high ambitions at the end of last year, hopes to have a sequel to From Mountains of Ice written and published, and to have completed an historical novel, Hekja’s Lament. Neither of those ambitions saw fruition, in fact didn’t get much beyond outlines and a few first chapters. Life, it would seem, saw otherwise, part of which was dealing with my mum-in-law who is widowed, 93, a frail bird and suffering with dementia.

We now have her safely and happily ensconced in a very good retirement home 15 minutes from us. Her condition and needs also meant my dear husband and lifelong buddy retired. And so we all have entered a new phase of life, one which brings much contemplation and a somewhat pragmatic and fatalistic sensibility for my husband and me.

In 2024 I very much look forward to playing a positive role at On Spec, to writing and having published more short stories. I am very determined to get at least a first draft of Hekja’s Lament finished. I’m, after all, not getting any younger.

And there will be the inevitable joy of the garden, part of which has already started in the shape of rooting ivy cuttings for the 16 hanging baskets and 16 planters. Very soon seeds will be started , and my office space, which is also the indoor greenhouse, will burgeon with flora. There are times it’s like writing in a garden. And I count myself very, very fortunate to have carved out this life for myself and my dear partner.

Wishing my small but faithful readers and followers much contentment, prosperity, and good health now and into 2024.