We suffered through another record breaking heatwave this month, a heatwave that broke records that had stood for less than a month. It was consistently high 20s / low 30s (centigrade) for most of July, with the hottest time of the day (indoors) around the kids’ bedtimes, and no rain in weeks (just 5% of the average July rainfall). Sadly, it feels like this is just the start of how summers will be for the rest of our lives.
On a different note, the kids have broken up for the summer so we have six weeks to think of things to keep them occupied. Answers on a postcard, please.
Story update!
I’m delighted to finally announce that my story, “Who Are Ewe Calling A Cheat?”, will be featured in the ‘WERE-2’ anthology from Zombies Need Brains later this year.
I love this cover!
It’s the night of the full moon, but there are more than mere werewolves skulking the streets. In WERE-2, we return to the back alleys in the dead of night to discover what other were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea in that gust of wind from the window. Writers are asked to give us their most creative were-creature, with only one rule: No were-wolves allowed!
“Who Are Ewe Calling A Cheat?” is a humorous story* involving a former rugby star who is now the elderly mayor of a fictional Welsh town and he gets embroiled in allegations of cheating during the local best flower show. No prizes for guessing what kind of were-creature is involved!
Aside from yours truly, there are also stories from: Steven Harper, Joe Attard, Auston Habershaw, Elena Pavlova, Joshua Palmatier, Rebecca Snow, Gini Koch, Randee Dawn, Esther Friesner, Harry Turtledove, Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward, Blake Jessop, and Evan Simon-Leack. It’s a fabulous line up and I can’t wait to read their stories.
There isn’t a fixed publication date yet other than this year. However, if you are interested in picking up a copy, I’ve included a pre-order link below.
*well, it made ME laugh writing it, anyway!
TBR Con 2026
I appeared on my first SFF convention panel this month where I discussed the burning question on everyone’s lips: What’s the difference between magic & superpowers?”
I had a really fun time—nerves aside—and I was thrilled to have been invited. The other panellists have got some cool works out or in the pipeline and I always love getting the chance to chat with a group of writers and hear their thoughts. We’re usually such a solitary bunch.
Andrew D. Meredith was a brilliant moderator and asked some fun questions. If you’ve got an interest in superheroes or magic, whether books or comics, then you may want to check out the replay on YouTube if you missed it first time round.
Project progress
I’m going to get this off my chest right away: I’m not going to write a first draft of a novel this year. I know that seems a bit self-defeating to accept, perhaps even that I am just giving up, but it is true. I’d expressed to my wife how my brain is so scattered that I find it hard to focus on and develop a single idea for 90-100k words, especially as the nature of life at the moment means I am dipping in and out sporadically, and that short stories are about all I can concentrate on.
Long-story short, my wife basically asked why I am beating myself up over this goal when our life is so busy, and is it worth just being kind to myself and accepting that, right now, I should just focus on short stories? There’ll come a time when things are not so busy (when the kids just want to hang out with their friends and not me - sigh 😞 !) and I can write to my heart’s content. That time is not now. And I agree. Sometimes it takes someone else to point out the obvious.
So there it is. I’ve said it. I admit defeat. And I feel a weight off already. I’ll still keep you updated with how I am getting on with my short story projects. In fact, I have three new short stories I’m working on right now (two SF and one Fantasy), one of which I’m hoping to finish a first draft of imminently.
Why I love “The Lord of the Rings”
This is simply the most epic tale of good versus evil, the dangerous allure and corrupting influence of absolute power, and the triumph of the small and courageous over the big and cruel in times of great peril. It has everything that a lover of great storytelling wants and is probably my favourite book of all.
Read the full post to see some photos of me living out my Tolkienverse fantasies 😆.
What’s got me hooked this month?
What I’ve been reading: This month I read My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. It was a brilliant read and the opening chapter, which is all of two sentences, is a masterclass in how to hook the reader and show them the kind of story they are going to get. As the title makes plain, the story follows Koredé, who is a very competent and professional senior nurse at a hospital in Lagos (Nigeria), and the chaos her beautiful younger sister, Ayoola, brings to her life. At its core, it’s about how very attractive people have easier lives, and how they are treated differently, from people who are less attractive, and it’s also about sibling rivalry and loyalty. Who will /should Koredé protect, Tade, the person she loves (unrequited), or Ayoola, who begins a relationship with Tade knowing Koredé loves him? It’s so good. The chapters are super short and it is not a long book so I whizzed through it. I read the last 120 pages or so (over half) in one evening. It is perhaps my favourite book of the year so far and I highly recommend it.
I’ve added a “What I’m Reading” carousel to the newsletter page on my website, if anyone ever wished to scroll back at the titles.
What I’ve been watching: I’ve been watching the third season of Shrinking on Apple TV. In brief, it’s about a widower (Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) coming to terms with life after the sudden death of his wife, which involves raising (or not) a teenage daughter and maintaining his successful therapy practice. Despite that synopsis, it’s a comedy. It’s really funny, really heartfelt, and has a great cast that includes Harrison Ford and a bunch of people you’d recognise. This season is as good as the others (perhaps better) but it is a bit bittersweet as it does feel like it’s preparing for a send off for Harrison Ford’s character, who is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. There’s also a few cameo appearances from Michael J. Fox.
Memetime
I’m not going to use this as an opportunity to lecture about my thoughts on climate change but, given the back-to-back-to-back heatwaves we’ve been through this year, this meme seems about as appropriate as any right now.
Until next time, keep dreaming.
Joel
Disclosure: To cover some of my running costs, I have incorporated affiliate links from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. If you buy books linked to my site or newsletter, I may earn a commission.