Well, this is just a minor bit of updatery. Things are busy at Merton Way, and only going to get busier in coming weeks. This week is all about prep for Miss Eight’s coming natal transition into her forthcoming persona as Miss Nine, which includes present gathering and the imminent arrival of the very first ever sleepover party this coming Saturday.

At the same time I am busy Really Trying Quite Hard to read a lot. I’ve been making my way through piles of anthologies, collections, and such, discovering some wonderful stories while still looking rather desperately for ‘Awesome Science Fiction’ which seems a little thin on the ground this year.

I am also developing a new Sekrit Projekt, which is actually proceeding quite well, while working on Eclipse Four, Under My Hat, Cyberpunk, two single author collections, and the best of the year. Busy times, and only likely going to  get busier given that I’m heading to the US in a touch over two weeks for World Fantasy.  

I fly out on Saturday 23 October and spend some time catching up with dear friends in Sydney, then a couple days in the Bay Area where I’ll stay with Ellen K and the Locus crew (a night at the house will be interesting) and grab dinner with Bob & Karen, then on to Columbus for the convention, before spending a night with Gary in Chicago. Should be quite the trip, delivering me home on November 4 with a month to finish the year’s best and other stuff  before Christmas!

And amongst all of that I’m reading Howl’s Moving Castle for the first time when I really should just be reading short stories…