First, bear with me for a moment as I'd like to thank all those who wrote to me concerning the Sandie Williams thing. I think Sandie has the right to express her opinion and if she wants to write to me again, I would welcome the mail. If she doesn't like my work or thinks it's not up to speed then that's her privilege - she has access to more of her family records than I have but that's fine. I hope she finds some of my work acceptable and my thanks to those of you who clearly do. It gives me great heart.
Right. Now out of hospital which wasn't all that pleasant an experience and held up a lot of my writing. But I think that it was worth all the hassle and am feeling a great deal better. However, they need to keep taking blood samples to check my status and I suspect that our National Health service now owns more of my blood than I do. I had to take a couple of days more or less off - my wife insisted that I take a rest after what I'd been through - and I've been running like a mad thing ever since trying to catch up.
I'm still working on A Haunted Mind and we're almost there. This is going to be a massive book - quite possibly one of the longest and most complex that I've ever written - but it's been really revealing. I've learned a lot about Lovecraft and his inspiration since I've been doing it and it has taken me into byways which I've found amazing. I've also found it one of the most difficult to write as I want to get a lot of things right and it meant really going ino the Mythos and making connections. I've had to look at not only the books but at role playing games and comics - which was really no real hardship for me as I'm a big comics fan - in order to get some sense of continuity from the Mythos.
I've been talking some of the aspects of the book over with Gina , my editor - since I wasn't sure about the length of time I'd be in hospital I've been sending her up sections of the book as I finish them so that we have something to work on - and we think that this is going to be a fairly detailed book and one wich I truly hope will be a good contribution to the Mythos. But you will determine that.
Now a quick query. Some of you know that I've a page on Amazon as well and I was thinking of using that to test out some chapters of a new SF novel. Don't tell New Page but I've been working on a couple of space novels in secret! If you'd be interested in seeing the fruits of my work, I may put them up on Amazon in the next few months or so. I've been talking to Adrian who does some of the comics with me - I had a meeting with him on Tuesday - and he may even do a cover for it. Then we might do an e-book or something - we'll see what the response is like. But would you be interested?
It's very different to the stuff that I do for New Page but those that have read it like it so I'm thinking of going with it. Let me know what any of you think anyway. Must go as there's something to eat ready but will be back again . See, I'm writing more of these. Will let you know as soon as A Haunted Mind is finished and then it's on to American Vampires for which I've just done the Catlaogue Copy! The work of a writer is never done!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy New Year
I've been meaning to get onto this blog for a couple of days but haven't quite managed it. I've been up to my eyes with the two new books.
However I did want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope that for you all 2012 will be a good one.
What prompted me to write this is an e-mail I received through Career Publicity from a Sandie Williams taking me to task about part of what I had written about the Cornish pellar Tamsin Blight. She claims that the Blights arte ancestors of hers, and I have no reason to doubt her, and that she had obviously done a fair amount of geneogical research into her ancestry and I had "got it wrong". I have tried to get in contact with her to explain a few things but curiously I am told that the e-mail address she has quoted does not exist so I thought I'd use this function to reply. Please bear with me for a moment whilst I answer her.
Firstly Sandie you send the communication to Career Press which was the wrong publisher. They are not the publishers of Mysterious Celtic Mythology and indeed have nothing to do with it. Had you checked the publisher you would have found it was Pelican Press in Louisiana.
That aside, I did not have the ancestral archives that you - having taken a person al interest in the family - would have at your disposal so I am therefore grateful for any information which you might be able to furnish, although I feel you did not have to be so abusive.
My source on Tamsin Blight was William Bottrell who as you may know is regarded as one of the foremost Cornish folklorists and whose work is widely quoted in many Universities and colleges. He wrote several pamphlets on her. However, as you point out that his work is supect, I will only use it again with qualifications. Thank you for this information.
Also puzzling is the reference which you say I make to Aleister Crowley as a woman - I have looked through the relevant section mentioned quote and can find no reference to that. Perhaps you have a different edition of the book and if so perhaps you could furnish me with the details so that I can get in contact with the publisher regarding it.
I don't know whether Sandie reads my blog - she would have found it much easier to contact me through this than by bothering publishers who have nothing to do with the book in question but I will be pleased to answer any questions that she has.
Right, apologies for all that but as I said, I could find no other way of contacting her.
In the meantime A Haunted Mind - which is published by Career/New Page - goes apace. Both Christmas and New Year were quiet. I only went and saw Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows which was something of an effort for me. As you all may know I'm a great Sherlock Holmes fan and struggle with anything that's outside the framework of the original books. But it wasn't bad. And I went and saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was the latest Tom Cruise vehicle - all absolute nonsense but good fun. Too much Cruise though - it's over 20 minutes too long and I gather he wanted that to keep in onscreen. But go and see them both. And peace and prosperity in 2012 to you all - Sandie Williams included!
However I did want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope that for you all 2012 will be a good one.
What prompted me to write this is an e-mail I received through Career Publicity from a Sandie Williams taking me to task about part of what I had written about the Cornish pellar Tamsin Blight. She claims that the Blights arte ancestors of hers, and I have no reason to doubt her, and that she had obviously done a fair amount of geneogical research into her ancestry and I had "got it wrong". I have tried to get in contact with her to explain a few things but curiously I am told that the e-mail address she has quoted does not exist so I thought I'd use this function to reply. Please bear with me for a moment whilst I answer her.
Firstly Sandie you send the communication to Career Press which was the wrong publisher. They are not the publishers of Mysterious Celtic Mythology and indeed have nothing to do with it. Had you checked the publisher you would have found it was Pelican Press in Louisiana.
That aside, I did not have the ancestral archives that you - having taken a person al interest in the family - would have at your disposal so I am therefore grateful for any information which you might be able to furnish, although I feel you did not have to be so abusive.
My source on Tamsin Blight was William Bottrell who as you may know is regarded as one of the foremost Cornish folklorists and whose work is widely quoted in many Universities and colleges. He wrote several pamphlets on her. However, as you point out that his work is supect, I will only use it again with qualifications. Thank you for this information.
Also puzzling is the reference which you say I make to Aleister Crowley as a woman - I have looked through the relevant section mentioned quote and can find no reference to that. Perhaps you have a different edition of the book and if so perhaps you could furnish me with the details so that I can get in contact with the publisher regarding it.
I don't know whether Sandie reads my blog - she would have found it much easier to contact me through this than by bothering publishers who have nothing to do with the book in question but I will be pleased to answer any questions that she has.
Right, apologies for all that but as I said, I could find no other way of contacting her.
In the meantime A Haunted Mind - which is published by Career/New Page - goes apace. Both Christmas and New Year were quiet. I only went and saw Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows which was something of an effort for me. As you all may know I'm a great Sherlock Holmes fan and struggle with anything that's outside the framework of the original books. But it wasn't bad. And I went and saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was the latest Tom Cruise vehicle - all absolute nonsense but good fun. Too much Cruise though - it's over 20 minutes too long and I gather he wanted that to keep in onscreen. But go and see them both. And peace and prosperity in 2012 to you all - Sandie Williams included!
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