I doubled up on my reading goals this month, meaning I read four books of excellent wordsmithery.
In the traditionally-published corner:
In the self-published corner:
- I read the sixth instalment in the comical Clovenhoof series titled The Trump of Doom. It is about Trump and Brexit. A well-observed political satire. Highly recommended.
- I also read Double Vision, the debut short story collection by Tamara Rogers, who wrote the fantastic Grind Spark. Each tale was incredibly-economic flash fiction. Not a single word was wasted. There is a Black Mirror vibe running through the collection with hints of Ready Player One. Dark, dystopian and dynamite.
So why did I read twice as much in May?
Because I want to leave June wide open for JuNoWriMo (June Novel Writing Month). My optimistic plan is to write 50,000 words in the month of June and hopefully shove Nephos 3 that little bit closer to the finishing line.
I did undertake some writing in May to warm myself up. I laboured and fiddled with every word of my short story for the BWG Summer Competition. I love the finished piece. Cannot wait to add it to Breadcrumbs 2.
I also started writing a second entry, which massively missed the deadline. It is a Nephos short story, currently looking set to wrap at 10,000 words. More fodder for the next collection.
Anyway, a few hours until JuNoWriMo. Deep breaths.
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In the traditionally-published corner:
- - I read Neil Gaiman's urban fantasy Neverwhere, which was packed with great ideas but ended quite abruptly. There was a clear teaser for a sequel which has oddly never surfaced.
In the self-published corner:
- I read the sixth instalment in the comical Clovenhoof series titled The Trump of Doom. It is about Trump and Brexit. A well-observed political satire. Highly recommended.
- I also read Double Vision, the debut short story collection by Tamara Rogers, who wrote the fantastic Grind Spark. Each tale was incredibly-economic flash fiction. Not a single word was wasted. There is a Black Mirror vibe running through the collection with hints of Ready Player One. Dark, dystopian and dynamite.
So why did I read twice as much in May?
Because I want to leave June wide open for JuNoWriMo (June Novel Writing Month). My optimistic plan is to write 50,000 words in the month of June and hopefully shove Nephos 3 that little bit closer to the finishing line.
I did undertake some writing in May to warm myself up. I laboured and fiddled with every word of my short story for the BWG Summer Competition. I love the finished piece. Cannot wait to add it to Breadcrumbs 2.
I also started writing a second entry, which massively missed the deadline. It is a Nephos short story, currently looking set to wrap at 10,000 words. More fodder for the next collection.
Anyway, a few hours until JuNoWriMo. Deep breaths.
If you would like Simon to review your book then check out his Review Policy for more information. Sign up to Simon's newsletter to hear more about his reading and writing projects.