Man, it’s been a while since I’ve done this thing, huh? Well, here’s an update of what I’ve been up to lately.
Reading
Alright, I’ve read a few books since last update (I’m a slow reader; wish the total book count was higher but gotta work with what I’ve got). Not exactly going in depth with any of these reviews, as you’ll see.
First I read The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch, the third in his Gentleman Bastards series. Overall enjoyable and good bridge to the forthcoming books in the series.
Next came In The Woods by Tana French, which I read for my workplace book club. French is a good writer, but the story had too many holes and left too many loose ends for me to recommend it to anyone.
Next came Blue Remembered Earth, followed immediately thereafter by On The Steel Breeze, books 1 and 2 in Alastair Reynolds’ Poseidon’s Children series. I enjoyed both immensely, and I just got the third in the mail this week, so I look forward to starting that soon.
Finally, I’m nearing the end of the short-story collection Edge Of Infinity, edited by Jonathan Strahan and featuring stories by Alastair Reynolds, James S.A. Corey, and many others. I still have two stories left, and half-way through Water Rights by An Owomoyela, it’s looking like it could be a candidate for my fav in the book. Currently I think that distinction goes to Safety Tests by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which featured a wonderfully sarcastic main character and some seat-of-your-pants tension. Also, her writing is fantastic, but those who are already familiar with her don’t need me telling them.
Writing
I finished the first draft of Phlox Fall early July! It took far longer than I wanted it to, but also came in under the word count limit I had placed upon myself (limit was 150k, finished around 143k), so overall happy with the rough-but-finished product. Currently it’s with my wife, who is ripping it to shreds as is her right and privilege.
I’m currently editing and rewriting a couple short stories to enter into TheFirstRow.com’s Fall issue. Deadline for those is August 1st, so the time crunch is on, but I’ll definitely be able to get at least one of the stories submitted and most likely both, so long as I keep my nose to the grindstone.
I’ve also started soliciting agents for Sunshine Inc., deciding at last that I was done editing it. So far no one’s bit, but it’s early and I haven’t sent it to very many agents for consideration, so I’m not discouraged. If need be, I’ll rewrite the query and/or synopsis and see if that helps better my odds.
Life
Life continues on as it always has. I had a brutal encounter with a virus last weekend that saw me incapacitated with a fever between 101 and 104 from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon, derailing a lot of weekend writing and relaxing plans. I’ve also got six different trips to Minnesota coming up between the beginning of August and mid-October, so that’s a hell of a thing. Hopefully the horrible jet-lag of those excruciating 45 minute flights doesn’t kill me (I kid, I kid).
Anyway, that’s it for now. Hope you’re well–whoever you are–and I’ll keep this page updated if anything I write gets published somewhere.
Bradley C. Graham 