Another year nearly over…

Phew! I’ve only been back at work for 4 days (after a holiday) and it’s been a complete mad rush. This is because we’re based in a university building and not a hospital. Being university, Christmas closure started at 5pm yesterday, and the building officially reopens in January. But since we provide a clinical service, we still have to keep that going. So I’ve been having fun providing a lab service from my home study 😛

Writing-wise, I’m still plugging away at a sequel to The Diamond Device, and the plot’s slowly coming together. I’m also doing a light edit of the 2nd and 3rd books in my A Quiet Rebellion trilogy, and will also update the covers soon. Plenty of things to keep me occupied in 2022, and let’s hope that’s a better year for all of us.

Book reviews

Increased commuting frequency means a fair amount of reading, yay! (Well, ok, I don’t exactly enjoy spending 2 hours a day travelling). Here are half a dozen reviews since my last post.

Galaxy Run: A Sci-Fi Thriller by Joshua James
The Tyranny of Sand and Other Tiny Stories by Jesse Stanchak
The Muse of Kill Devil Hills: A Historical Fantasy by Mary K. Kaiser
My review of On Moths: A Weird Western Novella by Brock Poulsen
Muder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles by Martin Edwards.
My review of Spaceworlds: Stories of Life in the Void by Mike Ashley

Season’s Greetings

Since it’s only a couple of days until Christmas, I wondered what my characters were getting up to in the way of celebrations.

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The world of The Diamond Device doesn’t have Christmas, but I’m sure there are plenty of winter festivities which involve eating and drinking. Here are Alf and Rich catching up with news over their favourite tipples.

“Hey, don’t involve me,” Alf muttered, selecting a fork that didn’t look too fancy.
His tablemate’s glower changed to a wince as his prawn shell pinged on to the embroidered rug.
Cripes, if even toffs couldn’t manage the cutlery, what chance did Alf have?
…
After a few minutes of eating, he licked his fingers.

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In the world of A Quiet Rebellion, people are more likely to celebrate summer and harvest than cold grey winter. I’m realising it’s been four years since we looked at their rural customs (you can see here for details). It may be time to send the Intrepid Explorers™ out on missions again.

Susanna and Jonathan are enjoying a quiet afternoon, although Jonathan probably doesn’t welcome the camera!

Jonathan scowled in the mirror while Susanna helped him into an indigo velvet robe. He looked a right fop!
Eyes crinkling, she patted his chest. “You cut a fine figure.”
“I do?” He couldn’t see it himself, but if she liked it, he’d put up with a lot worse.

Here’s a list of my books, if you want to explore these worlds further.

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And finally, the detective and rookie do enjoy Christmas. Though this year, it might not go quite as planned…

“Sir?” The rookie paused to catch his breath. “I think you said you’d buy me a drink.”
“That’s right, lad.” The detective kept climbing.
“Um, but when?”
“Once we reach the top of these stairs, of course!”

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a great festive season, and see you soon 🙂