Some of my old posts get a fair number of hits. One of them is a meme that originated with British author Charles Stross - Reality check: So you want to be a writer , which I wrote in December 2008. I just reread it and realised that I've progressed very little since I wrote that post.

In fact, it's now five years later, and I still haven't sold a novel. A couple of short pieces, yes, and lots of reviews and feature articles. But although I've had a lot of praise from various quarters for my novels - still no sale.

I read a book a year or two back that listed all the things that might prevent one from being published. I was able to tick the right boxes for all except the last, which said (and I paraphrase) - One last thing: if you're doing everything else right, and you're over fifty, it may well be your age. Publishers want to get at least twenty years out of an author, and once you're over fifty that is less likely to happen.

Well, I'm certainly over fifty, and have been for quite a while. What's more, I've never made any secret of the fact.

It's starting to look more and more as if self-publishing is the way to go. I know I have written a perfectly good, if conventional, epic fantasy, and I know a lot of people would enjoy reading it. What's holding me back is the knowledge that most self-published books (and, incidentally, most books from small presses) sell less than a hundred copies, and that wouldn't cover the expenses of self-publishing, even just e-publishing. So I'm in a bit of a quandary.

The inner discusssion continues. Will I or won't I? I'll keep you posted.

Prickle Moon by Juliet Marillier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Juliet Marillier is that rara avis - a writer who can move from novels to short stories and back again with ease, producing reliable work on both fronts. Her work is never less than excellent, and Prickle Moon, a collection of short stories, is just another example of her thoroughgoing professionalism and craftmanship.

Some of the stories have been published before. One favourite in this category is 'Twixt Firelight and Water', which gives us an insight into the later years of a couple of characters in the early Sevenwaters books. In contrast, the title story. 'Prickle Moon', is a brand-new tale but an equally lovely one, about hedgehogs and passive resistance: you'll have to read it to find out how they fit together!

Another favourite, for me, was 'Angel of Death', also a newly-written tale, this one about a man and a dog. It would have been very easy for this story to be overly sentimental, but the character of Dan, the conflicted, war-torn protagonist, is so well-drawn that no hint of melodramatic mush could find its way into the story. It's one of those rare yarns I have added to my mental list of unforgettable short stories.

There are sixteen stories in the book, each one with something to offer. One of the beauties of the collection is that it gives the author a chance to show her versatility. Dare I say that there is more variety in this slim volume than in the rest of Marillier's oeuvre in its entirety? She is not constrained here by the almost obligatory trilogy format of the professional fantasy writer. She has let her imagination run free not only twixt firelight and water but through wind and rocks; through forest groves and city streets and suburban homes; through settings Celtic and modern and many times between. Some stories do not even contain a speculative element - but all are eminently readable.

I fully expect to see Prickle Moon shortlisted for awards, and to be a nice little earner for the clever folk at Ticonderoga Publications as well.

Disclosure: I had a small hand in editing some of the stories in this collection, pre-submission, and I am known to be a Marillier devotee. But if you are also a Marillier fan, or have been intending to check out her work, do take a look at Prickle Moon. I'll be very surprised if you don't agree with me that this is a top collection! If we were allowed to give half stars this one would have four and a half from me.


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Reunion by Joanna Fay

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is Fay's second book set in her richly imagined world peopled by three races, including winged beings with all the hopes, joys and failings of our own kind. We have travelled forward in time since Daughter of  Hope, but as some characters are immortal the territory seems familiar.

Joanna Fay is, in fact, an award-winning poet as well a novelist. Once again, we see this poetic bent and wonderful descriptive gift, as well as one of most fertile imaginatons in the business, put to good use.

Reunion leaves us on a cliff hanger: readers will be waiting impatiently for the other two!


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