Not hanging, but passing through: Traitor and the Literary Project

I've been on holiday from blog-land recently, managing only a few random Tweets from the iPhone, so just a couple of things until I jet off again to concentrate on writing the new book, agenty-things and family commitments.

The first bit is that the Traitor of Light continues to delight as I write it. This book has been such a joy so far that the pessimist in me has been looking for problems to occur. So far - and that's 39,000 words so far - there hasn't been any. I'm actually looking forward to the 2nd draft this time; usually the 2nd draft is the one were I dump 70% of the first draft in a fit of despair, yet I think more than half of what has gone down on the screen will be saved and the rest will be research heaven as I flesh out the Aztec setting. It's all good, as they say…


Second bit of news is the seven interviews with the various Macmillan New Writers are up on the Literary Project blog, which does exactly what it says. Created and maintained by Gemma Noon, the Literary Project is a collection of interviews with publishers, agents and authors - a reference work - for writers and readers alike. As a project on the whole, it is ambitious and it's a useful tool for new writers and even older ones, to dip into. On an individual basis it's damned interesting looking at some of the answers by well-known authors and lesser ones. (In some cases the more enlightened responses herald from those with the least experience, so go figure.)

On a mercenary level, I'm happy to be included here amongst the pantheon of well respected authors and their editors, and a big thanks to Gemma for running the week-long Macmillan New Writers interviews which will culminate with mine on Saturday and Eliza Graham on Sunday.
Already we've had Ciara Hegarty, Alis Hawkins, Aliya Whiteley, Tim Stretton and today, Dee Swift - which is just a selection of the crop of talent at Mac New Writing. A month doesn't go by without yet another of these authors being nominated for one award or another (recently we've had Len Tyler jetting off to the US for the Edgars) and when this happens I'm happily reminded of the naysayers of the literati who said this imprint couldn't work.
My arse, it couldn't.