Belfast Approaching�
I’m like an emotional washing machine as Easter weekend approaches. This will be my first ever trip to Ireland. I had meant to go to Dublin in 2019, but instead I was in hospital, recovering from major surgery on the day that my book Best of British Science Fiction 2018 was launched without me.
Six years later, and having just forked out on flights and with the hotel bill yet to be finalised, I kind of feel like the major surgery has been done on my finances this time. Sheesh!
Nonetheless I’m looking forward to spending some time in the city. I have some time on Saturday morning to explore. Let me know what I can do!
I also have my of appearances for the weekend:
That’s a pretty busy Sunday! Plus I’m looking forward very much to sharing a book launch with the awesome Luna Press on Saturday.
Pre-orders for the paperback are now available on and , and will shortly be available on other sites too, including direct from The Slab Press. I hope to be able to let you know about the ebook shortly, which has been giving me some issues. I just need some calm time to sort the knots out, so hopefully that will be later today.
Could I contrast next week any more with what we did last weekend? We returned to the marvellous Glynhir for another lovely, peaceful writing retreat. This time, my shoes weren’t broken, so I got to explore the local woods, where the nuthatches were going crazy. Can you see the kettle by the waterfall? Is it for the fairies to make a cuppa, or did it get washed down from a campsite in the recent floods?
We also had access to the main mansion this time, with its cabinets of curios, including this one full of various skulls. Spot the badger!
This weekend was a bit chocolatey as we made our irregular pilgrimage to Leicester to Cocoa Amore’s chocolate workshop. This time Easter eggs. While the teenagers around us were skilfully designing beautiful, textured eggs with inclusions in swirling patterns, my design went a little wrong. Inspired by a C3PO-style example in the workshop, I wanted to make my egg for Neil into a face as well. I designed a “Magnum Pie�, not PI, but pie as there would be lots of sweets and snacky bits inside the egg. The egg was going to be half dark chocolate, half caramel. But as soon as I started applying the ‘hair� I realised the colour scheme was not appropiate. So I made him a Trump egg, complete with a popcorn ear.
I know, it’s pretty awful, isn’t it? But he will be absolutely delicious. On the back, I decided to add a few more inclusions and some texture to make Trump’s nemesis, a penguin.
It makes Pingu look like Joshua Reynolds. Honestly, the girls around me were making very professional-looking eggs. But I know how to do it now, at least! Thanks once again to the best chocolate shop ever for a wonderful, fun afternoon!
The day was topped off by bumping into an old friend from comedy who we met for a pint at The Castle, which is a brilliant, very tiny, real-ale pub near the picturesque remnants of Leicester’s castle. Can’t recommend enough!
