Black Hours diary er… no… 15?

It’s been a wee while since I last posted one of these – since November I think. On Monday I’ll be returning to 1892’s London, replete with peasoupers, dodgy geezers and the plague. And I can’t wait.
In the latest issue of Sci-Fi Now, the new book - The Black Hours - is mentioned by name in an interview with me, and there's nothing like seeing a future or current project in print to galvanise one's direction. It's almost as though by seeing it printed there, it must be true. I'm completely committed.

The timing is good. The short stories I've written are - barring a few tweaks - completed and it feels natural to return to a project that has felt more natural than perhaps anything I've written. (Hopefully that's a good sign!) Currently I have one reader going through the 2nd draft of the book as I type this, and so far so good - they’re enjoying it immensely. I've had a couple of reports back and they're very positive. The book is achieving everything I wanted it to achieve, and that confidence should keep the momentum going for some time come.

So what happens next? Well, I won’t be making any major changes during this draft, and all things being equal it’ll be completed come April and ready to go off to Macmillan (another first for me: sending a completed 3rd draft to my publisher; it usually takes four or five drafts before I’m confident enough to do that). I'll be understandibly nervous about it, but unlike the last time I won't allowed to brood during their decision making - I just won't have the time. While Macmillan look over the manuscript, I'll be looking over soiled nappies. So in all fairness, I probably won't be thinking about The Black Hours for the first few months.
Much.

One thing it does mean, however, is that this blog will be taking more of a back-seat again (I know, I know – I’ve only recently got started with regular blog entries…) and it also means that one date aside, I’ll probably be doing very little publicity for The Hoard of Mhorrer from this point forth (unless The Secret War and/or Hoard of Mhorrer suddenly explode onto the bestsellers lists, that is…).
But needs must…

…Needs must tells me I have to get this book written before April…

…Before another adventure begins: fatherhood.