How Was 2010 For Me?

Not bad, but not great. I guess I'd rate the last 365 days as good.

I didn't write nearly as much this year (or last year, for that matter) than I did before. Nevertheless, I finished the first draft of A Walk-In To Remember, got to Chapter 19 of my new middle-grade novel, Rytis Maxwell and the Wer-Pigeons of Ottawa, and wrote a number of short stories. One of those stories my Doctor Who fanfic, which should see online publication soon. Another story was my contribution to the anti-homophobia collection Speaking Out. I finished and submitted that story yesterday, and I hope to hear yay or nay on it soon.

In other good news, the French and German rights for Evil? sold. Plus, I got a contract for my next novel, The Cupid War. Unfortunately, Evil? hasn't been selling well in the United States. Less than five hundred copies sold in the first half of 2010, and more than twice that many copies were returned to the publisher for a refund. Career-wise, that is very bad news for me. Given the enormous amount of attention Evil? has received from so many blog reviewers and other sources, I honestly don't know what I could have done better. I can only hope that The Cupid War somehow finds a larger audience.

Sorry to end the year on a sour note, but the poor numbers for Evil? really threw me. Most of the reviews were positive, after all. Here's hoping 2011 brings more success.

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to all the people who reviewed Evil? and/or interviewed me over the last year. I am truly grateful, and wouldn't have sold half as many copies if all of you hadn't given me your help. I wish you all the best for the coming year.

Today Is My Birthday!

Today I turned 38, so three cheers for me!

I love birthdays. They're like Christmas, except they're all just for you.

Short Stories Coming!

My writing has really picked up in the last few weeks. I'm back on track with my Rytis Maxwell novel, and I've even managed to write a couple of short stories.

The first story is my attempt to enter the world of fanfiction. It's a Doctor Who story, set between two recent episodes of the show. Lots of fan fiction focuses on the things you don't see in the episodes (or movies, or books, comics, etc...). Sometimes these stories are written by fans to fix continuity problems, but mostly they are written for the sheer fun of it.

Of course, stories like these can't be published anywhere except on fanfiction sites, because of ownership and copyright issues. Fanfic gives writers and fans like myself the chance to use characters we would otherwise not have access to, and tell our own stories with them. As soon as I post my story, I'll put up a link.

The other short story I've written recently is one I've been asked to write for an "inspirational fiction anthology" called Speaking Out. The anthology will "feature stories involving a queer teens and their heterosexual allies confronting and overcoming homo/bi/transphobia." Personally, I was extremely honoured to be asked to contribute a story to this anthology, and I hope they like what I came up with.

My story is a sequel to Evil?, with reappearances made by Stuart Bradley and Fon Pyre. It was a lot of fun revisiting those characters, and it opened my mind up to all kinds of possibilities. I may have to use them again...

Speaking of Evil?, I've found yet another positive review! This one was written by Lisa Gibson, the winner of one of the contests I've provided signed copies for. Her blog is called YA Literature Lover, and the review can be found here.