I am blessed with the best of friends

Here's another image that fits my story, Tuesdays and Thursdays, which has gone down really well at Every Day Fiction. My thanks to everyone who read and commented on it. Special thanks to Kevin Shamel, just about one of the most upbeat and supportive guys I've ever met, who excelled himself this week as custodian of my self-confidence. You're da man, Kev.

A big shout out to Gay Degani who's been keeping me on track this week, writing-wise. Gay's a blazingly good crime writer and having her watch my back is a gift.

Thanks to Tania Hershman for suggesting the buddy business and for her all-round sweetness and enthusiasm, and to Vanessa Gebbie for not telling me to button it about the perils of writing porn when we met for supper earlier in the week.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

This flash of mine, Tuesdays & Thursdays, is Read of the Day over at Every Day Fiction. If you have time please do pop along and read and, if you're so inclined, star rate the story and leave a comment. Thank you!

How to write fiction

This is a series of booklets published with The Guardian newspaper every day this week. It's also available online. Tutorials, feature articles, exercises and advice from writers including Robert Harris, Kate Pullinger, Stephen King and George Saunders. Well worth a look.

Other booklets in the series include How to write Poetry (Wendy Cope) and How to write Scripts & Screenplays (Ronald Harwood). A complete menu can be found here.

"Plot is the good writer's last resort and the dullard's first choice." Stephen King

The Random Things Meme

I was tagged by Shameless. Let's do this. First, the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Six Random Things:

1. I never wear heels. I own no dresses and only one skirt. I had great legs, right up until I turned 35, and even now they're not so bad. But I live in jeans or moleskins these days.

2. In my late twenties I spent the best part of eighteen months working with the Royal Navy, as a researcher. I toured around, went on nuclear subs and slept in the room where Prince Andrew bunked as a Naval recruit. I learned to call Royal Marines "Bootnecks" and RAF pilots "CrabFats". I had a whale of a time.

3. I love horror movies. I used to sneak into X rated slash flicks with my brother when I was just 15. I'd memorise a false date of birth in case anyone quizzed me; they never did.

4. I used to write boy/boy porn. A lot of it.

5. I have a mild case of survivor guilt because I wouldn't have been born but for the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My mother was a child internee in a Japanese camp, sentenced to death by the Japanese just days before the Allies dropped the bombs. This bothers me in all sorts of ways I don't often voice.

6. I love being a mother. Deeply, madly. It changed me as a person, in ways I'm still finding out. My seven year old is an independent as they come but still it's like I'm missing a limb when she's not someplace I can reach out and hug her when I want to.


As for tagging others, I think everyone I know has already been tagged. If not, consider yourself tagged!

The Skywatchers

This flash of mine is published today over at Bewildering Stories. My first attempt at Magic Realism. Do please drop by and read.

Elvis in a trailer park

I got my copies of One Step Beyond, the Subatomic anthology which features my story, LoveFM. The books look fantastic, probably the best of any I've been in, funky covers, beautiful typesetting. They spelt my pen-name wrong, Hillary with two 'ells' but what the 'ell, I still love the books.

Watch the Hirst hit the fan

Whatever you think of Damien Hirst's art you have to admire the man's brass neck (and balls) for cutting out the dealers and taking his wares direct to the paying public. The middle-men must be cursing him all sorts of colours. Seeing them squirm is worth every penny of the publicity stunt. Apparently Hirst is now 'painting pictures', something he's never done before. I can hear the knives being sharpened already.