Pete Crowther is one of the genre’s good people. He’s a fine editor, a terrific writer and, if all reports are true, a great guy I (we’ve not actually met). Yesterday I received a copy of his latest, Postscripts 3, which he edits along with Nick Gevers and assorted other talented folk.

Normally I would have set such things aside, because I really should be doing an enormous amount of other things instead, but … I wanted something to read. I flicked to the last story in the issue – I know you slave on getting running order right, but does anyone actually read that way – which is a Joe Hill story, “Best New Horror”. I’ve not read much of Hill’s work before, but I really liked this dark piece of fiction about a year’s best horror editor confronting true horror in the world. Made me wonder if Hill knows Steve Jones . Apart from recommending the story to some pals, it’s really made me look forward to Hill’s upcoming collection.

I should probably say here that I’ve read all three issues of Postscripts, and it’s evolving into a really interesting magazine that’s well worth your support. I think you can subscribe here, and you probably should. Pete’s stuff is good, and worth getting.

well, i did it. the tickets are bought and paid for. on thursday 14 july i fly out of perth for melbourne, arriving at around 8.30pm. robin’s on the same flight, which should be cool. i’m in town attending continuum across the weekend, and fly out at 6.10am on the morning of monday 18 july. short and sweet. i think i’m doing one panel item, and attending the voyager 10 celebrations, which should be very cool. i’ve got no other plans at the moment, except i’m hoping to have dinner with jack and janeen, and see richard and anne. i don’t know who else, at the moment, but i want to see everyone i can. should be lots of fun.

now, this is what i call a christmas present. sweeeeet.

before you ever sell a book, before you ever really get involved in that side of things, you don’t realise how connected everything is, how well everyone knows one another, and how much it can affect things. now that i’ve been editing and publishing for a little while i’ve come to appreciate how a conversation here leads to a connection there, and before you know it you’re doing a book. it’s not some kind of club, it’s just a bush telegraph kind of thing.

with that in mind, those of us here at coode street would like to offically thank tobias s. buckell, writer extraordinaire and all-round good guy, without whom i’d probably not be doing the year’s best non-fiction book. he was the connection, he suggested talking to chris at monkeybrain, so a drink is definitely owed to him next time we’re in the same place. madison, maybe.

i think this past twelve months or so have been, on a personal level, about as difficult as any i can remember. hmmm. this weekend i have to get my 2003/2004 taxes in shape. i’m way behind, and i always get in a state about doing them, though they usually work out fine. i’ll owe money, but i should have it. i looked at the tax account yesterday and was going ‘oh f***k’, when i remembered i’d been making quarterly payments for the pay five quarters, so things are actually not too bad.

other than that, i have to finish work on the introduction to terry dowling’s new collection, basic black. it’s due out this year from the good folk over at cemetery dance, and should be very cool. i was writing the intro last night and realised that i’ve been reading his stuff for fifteen years, have been first reader on a handful of it, and a commissioning editor for some great work from him. nice. i think it’s time for him to write a new story suite, though: a science fiction one, based around his passion for mars. he should do it.

i’m also going to get my office in shape, if i can. i need to assemble one of those ikea bookcases (i was given one back in january that’s still in the box), and do some shuffling and changing. i also need to get the new computers bought and in the house. i’m determined to get it all finalised this financial year, and jeremy’s said he’ll help, which is good.

today i buy my ticket to melbourne for continuum. it’s in july, and should be good fun. it looks like i’ll be flying over with robin, which is neat.

what else? i’m enjoying jay lake’s rocket science very much, but struggling to find time to read it, like the new teenage fanclub cd a lot, and want an ipod. bumped into a guy in the lift coming up to the office who had a 60gb ipod photo. mmm. nice. maybe this year.