It’s always exciting when you first see the cover of a new book, so here it is!
A Beginner’s Guide to Imam Al-Ghazali is due out in March. Preorder a copy here.
Writing
Rejection Notes – No.4 in a series
Dear Edoardo Albert,
Thank you for sending us “The Dream of the Night-Shift Power Worker”. Unfortunately we will not be able to use this work. We receive many well-written, compelling, stories, but can only take a very limited number due to constraints of space and style. We wish you the best of luck in placing your story elsewhere.
P.S. It was a pretty good story. Sorry to say no. This is not our customary rejection.
CS Lewis on Writing
Also from the excellent Inklings blog:
I am sure that some are born to write as trees are born to bear leaves: for these, writing is a necessary mode of their own development. If the impulse to write survives the hope of success, then one is among these. If not, then the impulse was at best only pardonable vanity, and it will certainly disappear when the hope is withdrawn.
C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves,
The Letters of C.S. Lewis, (28 August 1930)
I have, I think, gone past the hope of success.
A Happy New Year
A very happy new year to all. 2012 should see the publication of my books on Al-Ghazali and Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom, so it’s looking quite exciting.
Deep Time
Writing the chapter on the geology of Northumbria, it’s apparent that the reaction of 19th-century geologists against ideas of catastrophism went far too far. Yes, many processes occur constantly and gradually, but the history of the earth in general and Northumbria in particular is punctuated by catastrophic events: most recently the tsunami unleashed by the Storegga Slides, when huge sections of the continental shelf off Norway slid into the abyssal depths and set off giant waves down the east coast of Britain in 6100BC.
The Sentience Register
The Sentience Register was published in the December 2011 web edition of Title Goes Here: (the colon is intentional, not a missed key). I’m delighted that this story has been published – I wrote it quite a while ago, I think it’s a good story but it never seemed to get any attention from editors. Thankfully Inanna (what a great name!) has more taste than most.
Writer’s Resource
Following on from the recent rejections, it meant I had some stories to send out on the road again. Any writers out there, can I recommend Duotrope, the single most useful resource for working writers I’ve found. It features a fully searchable database of fiction and poetry markets, plus the ability to track and record all your submissions, and statistical feedback from other writers on the length of time each market takes to respond, and how picky it is. What’s more, it’s all free (although donations are welcome, and seeing how useful it is, we really should contribute towards the costs).
Rejection Notes – No.3 in a series
Unfortunately, while we liked your submission, so far we have not found a place for it … and it is against our policy to hold onto a story indefinitely. Much as we’d like to, we just don’t have the room to print all the stories we get — not even all the good ones. So sadly, I’m going to have to very reluctantly let this one go.
If it got this far, you can rest assured that your story is of high quality and you should be able to find a home for it. I look forward to hearing from you again.
Better luck next time!
Rejection Notes – No.2 in a series
Thank you for letting me see “At Work In The Fields Of The Lord.” The story is powerful and very well done, but I’m afraid it’s not quite right for me. As always, I look forward to your next one.
Out Today
Julie and Mr Henderson is out today. A new addition to an as yet largely uncharted genre: SF chick lit.