Fictional Limbo

Sometimes I have a fully formed character popping into my head and staying there. But he doesn't come with a plot. Try as you might, you can't work him or her into a story. Maybe their story hasn't arrived yet, and I should just hang on until it does? Maybe they are ghosts, condemned to exist in fictional limbo for all of eternity? Maybe their sole purpose is as vehicles for bloggings like these (from eight years ago).

Keith (and Danny), I feel your time will come.

White Rabbits

Happy 2013 to all you lovely people. I know you are lovely because you are probably readers, which means you are at least halfway to loveliness. Or awareness of the human condition in all its fragility and futility, which is even better.

2013 is a year for Royston Blake. These come around when Pluto is in the fifth quadrant, Alpha Centauri lines up with the Death Star and the moon is waxing gibbous. What this means in publishing terms is that a new Mangel book is coming out in March: MADE OF STONE. This is the fifth in the series, and sees much change in the equilibrium of the town but very little change in Blakey, other than more scars. Check it out here (UK) and here (US). I hope loyal Blakey fans will want to find out what's been going on. As ever, newbies can go straight in with no prior Mangel knowledge required. Saying that, they might be interested in the other books in the series too. Plug over.

Resolution for writers
Write your own stuff. Don't piggy-back on the success of others. I'm seeing more and more copy-cat books on the shelves, Twilight this and Fifty Shades of that. Retailers love it, but I don't. Come up with something new, dear anonymous author. Just for me. (Then the rest of us can piggyback on your success.)

Resolution for Kindle owners
Maybe dip your toes into the crystal clear waters of serials this year. Amazon have a few on the go now, and what happens is that you buy the story, then new instalments are beamed down to your Kindle as they appear, via special space rays. Conceivably you could start reading something that hasn't even been finished yet. Ain't that exciting in a non-sexual way? Two to start you off: MATADOR by compadre Ray Banks and THE BETRAYER by Daniel Judson. All I can say is that these two are rocking so far, and I advise you to get on board. Serials were a popular format of fiction back in Victorian times, remember. But now you can put more swearing in.

Resolution for me
Blog more. Although I managed something on this blog for every month of last year, the total was 19 posts. That is NOT good enough. Remember the glory days of 2005, when the post count reached 166? OK, so most of them were crap... but hey, check out the quantity.

Resolution for Santa
Lay off the sauce. Really, is it any kind of example to young people, having a drink at every house you stop off at and then getting behind the reins again? We left you some Baileys this year. You were meant to have a small sip but you DRANK IT ALL. Next year you get orange juice.