Welcome, friends old and new, to my brand new newsletter! I hope you like it here.
What I’m writing
After a break from writing due to an intense year of new day job, pregnancy, and a global pandemic, I found my inspiration in a surprising place: a sci-fi short story.
I’ve long been a fan of science fiction, with a youth spent watching the likes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Stargate SG-1. More recently, I’ve been dazzled by the works of Ann Leckie and John Scalzi.
My current WIP of three years and counting is Outpost Asia, a novel about a British Asian space station at the edge of the solar system (think: Southall in Space). But it’s been hard to find the time for it, between all the other bits of life that get in the way, and I had been stalled on it for a while. Sci-fi crime is a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of hard work - planting the seeds of mystery in a field of new technology and an additonal 100 years of history is a challenge.
So when I saw a call for queer stories in space, just six weeks after the birth of my second daughter, I leapt at it. And Wire Monkey was born.
Calla headed down the short corridor to the living space, shaking out her legs as she went. The Stallion had been designed for maintenance by fully-grown people, not recently de-podded teens, and everything from the tools to the safety equipment fitted wrong. That said, she had no idea how a broad, older engineer could worm their way in and out of the shafts without even more ache. Maybe this ship was just a pain in the arse for everyone.
Currently, I am:
Writing the first draft of Outpost Asia - 77,000 words and counting!
Submitting Wire Monkey to SFF short story publications
What I’m reading
I’ve had more time for reading recently, as feeding a hungry baby all hours of the day and night means more time awake - yaaaay.
The Marlow Murder Club by Rob Thorogood - Exactly the right combination of light-hearted "village" mystery solving and feisty women that Rob writes so well.
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard - A beautiful and dangerous fantasy romance about the nature of love, duty, obligation, and finding yourself.
Dead Famous by Greg Jenner - Just started this treatise on the history of celebrity and it is every bit as funny and insightful as you might expect.
What I’m eating
I love cake, but I currently have a few dietary restrictions due to my little one’s allergies. Therefore I had to make and eat my own cake! Such woe!
I made the good decision to order a bunch of Sri Lankan specialty food online, including big tins of mango pulp. From one tin, I made mango cake, mango curd, and mango lassi (just combine equal parts mango pulp and yoghurt).
Hungry for more?