I'm very pleased to announce that ...

 ... the next anthology of stories from the Seasonal Collective is about to hit the streets.  Read on for more info ...

I have always loved telling stories and letting my imagination run riot in the process.  Full-length novels are an awful lot of work.  But the enjoyment comes from the initial thinking that goes into creating the story.  Once the basic plan is there, the next phase - the writing - requires a lot of self-discipline over a significant period of time.  But crafting the sentences, putting the words on the page, is where the enjoyment is for me.  And once the novel is finished and away with the editor, there is a great sense of achievement as well as some regret, especially if I know there is a character that I won't meet again in another story.  Novel writing is, of course, the bulk of my job as a writer, and it is a serious business.

But short stories are a very different kettle of fish!  That's where the fun is!  In a short story you can write in any number of different genres.  At the moment I'm having great fun writing ghost stories.  Short stories give a writer the opportunity to try something new, for example, to test out a character or a situation.  See my short story in Spring Paths, Madame Beauvary's Curio Shop.  She was very much an experiment, and I've decided to keep her.

In a short story, you can try out a new or different way of telling a story, such as using monologue or the first-person point of view.  My story Eithne, in the Earth anthology, provided that chance.  Which brings me very neatly to the point of this post. Air, the next collection of tales in the Elements series of books, is about to be released.  The cover is all done - see above -, the editing is done, and the final proofread is complete.  This book may be a little shorter than the last, but the stories are still as varied, beguiling and compelling as in any of the other collections that we have released.  To give a little taste of what's to come, the blurb is below.

about the book ... Air, An Anthology - a collection of short stories that are fast, fresh and unpredictable. The second in a four-book series dedicated to the cornerstones of our existence, Air celebrates the element we cannot live without, the invisible connection to every living thing on this planet. So breathe in, breathe out and grab a front-row seat for this incredible ride.

From the pens of award-winning Canadian and British wordsmiths, this collection unleashes unbounded imaginings that feature winds of change most unexpected; a windstorm fallout in Treeless County; an Appalachian bird-watching excursion that reveals a unique creature; vital answers from the past when Tarlia’s sword falls silent, and unforeseen consequences inspired by a beautiful work of art, to the solemn truth that living in the past is no way to enjoy the future; a woman who falls unexpectedly from the sky; the compelling notion of words floating through the air; a coming of age while ice sailing, and a creation set loose into an unknown world … that used to be alive...

Discover for yourself why this multi-genre treasure trove is completely unforgettable.

You will be able to get the book at all usual retailers, and I will add the appropriate buy link as soon as it is available.  In the meantime, keep checking this space.