Happy New Year, mes amis. I decided to go in to the office today for the precedent of it, although I have no particular expectation of getting anything done besides a blog post or two, which I could have done from home. :) Last year was not awesome for me/us, and I’m not going to dwell on it much, although I was surprised a couple of days ago to realize I’d published three books and two novellas in 2023. Four books if you count URBAN SHAMAN’s re-release: DEATH IN IRISH…
The scene: I am arriving back in Sligo after a couple of days in Dublin. The setting: Sligo Train Station The performers: Myself; my father; a random older woman sitting next to Dad in the train station as he awaits me Dad, rising from his seat, hands extended to capture mine: Catie, Catie, *Catie*! Oh, my darling! Let me *look* at you! Oh, *honey*! Let me look at you, let me look at you! Me, embracing him: Oh, *Daddy*! Dad: It’s been so long! My darling girl! Older woman: -happy…
Do you know what today is? Today is the TWENTIETH (20th) ANNIVERSARY* of me becoming a full-time writer! I did not, in fact, quit my day job; it quit me, and I never got another one. I have written…well, I’ve written 53 full length novels and collections now, something like 48 of which have been written since The Day Job Went Away. I’ve written a dozen novellas, and a ton of short stories, and…I literally couldn’t have done it without all of you. I also literally couldn’t have done it…
This weekend I went to the National Irish SF Convention, Octocon, for the first time in *years*. Since 2017, I’m pretty sure. It was lovely to see everyone. I wasn’t sure until Friday that I was going at all, so I didn’t mention it to anybody except one friend, so people were Very Surprised Indeed to see me, and almost immediately upon arrival I was invited to do a panel, which was both flattering and funny. Furthermore, to my delight, the panel was with my friend, the magnificently talented Sarah…
Recent Reads: Starbridge, AC Crispin (amazon affiliate) This is one of my favorite books. It’s a first contact story, led by a teenage girl, and I was the same age as the protagonist when I first read it, which probably helped cement its place near and dear to my heart. :) Mahree Burroughs (I only noticed the nod to Edgar Rice there in this reading!) is a human from an Earth colony, on her way to Earth for the first time to go to college. Their ship, captained by her…