Writing Review of the Year

With 2013 drawing to a close, this seems a good time to jump on the bandwagon and summarise what’s happened to my writing during the year.

• ‘The Torridon Witches’ was published by Damnation Books in September.  ‘Witches’ is a novella about a group of backpackers who find themselves in the middle of witch trials in remote modern-day Scotland;
• ‘Dana’s Children’ was accepted by Wild Child Publishing back in January.  This is a novella about a group of archaeologists who discover something unpleasant when they venture underground.  I’ve had contact with my editor, so Dana’s Children is going through the process at the moment;
• ‘Stones’ was published by Burial Day Books (and is still there as a free read).  It’s a short about a honeymoon couple who come across a stone circle.  I don’t write many shorts, but I was pleased with this one and I’m delighted it made its way into print (or rather, onto screen).

So, what is there to look forward to in 2014?  Here’s what I’m working on at the moment:

• A couple of sequels to ‘Art Class’.  Well, not quite sequels, but stories with the same characters and similar erotic themes;
• ‘Footholder’ is a novel based on a Welsh medieval myth about a king who will die unless his foot is kept in a maiden’s lap.  It’s a wonderful story and no surprise it has stood the test of time.  It’s also set in northern Snowdonia, an area of stunning beauty I know and love.  I’m very fond of this piece, which is just about finished;
• ‘Trench’ (working title).  This is dark science fiction, which is a bit of a departure for me.  It features an archaeological dig of a World War One bunker, which reveals skeletons from much more recent times.  The first draft is nearly finished.  It still needs a lot of work to bring it up to standard, but I’m beginning to think the finished article will be worth the effort;
• ‘Tribute’.  This reverts to my Celtic-themed work and settings.  The inspiration is an almost throwaway episode in the life of the Irish hero Cuchulainn.  He comes across a coastal king whose current oldest child is sacrificed to Sea Demons every seven years.  It’s a theme with a lot of possibilities; I’ve taken just one of them.  The writing is a struggle though, and I’m not sure I’ll persevere with it.
• ‘The Clootie Tree’.  This is a novel I started a long time ago.  I can’t remember why I put it aside, but I want to resurrect it.  In a throwback to pre-Christian Celtic beliefs, a clootie is a length of cloth often tied to a tree near a sacred well.  They’re supposed to give out healing properties.

So, there we are.  That’s what I’ve been up to this year, and what is likely to take up my writing time in 2014.