A New World!
My first Substack, and an intro
Social Media is changing. Twitter has crossed itself out, leaving many – myself included – with a Fail Whale shaped hole in their lives. There’s Mastodon, BlueSky, Insta and Threads, but I’ve spent the last 16 years of my life saying good morning to that little blue birdie, and all those amazing worldwide friends, and the loss is a sorrowful thing.
So, instead, here I am joining the back-of-the-bus cool kids, and starting a Substack. I’ll talk about my writing process and how it’s changed over different years and circumstances - from being a working single parent, to lockdown, to dealing with anxiety, to the quest I’ve undertaken to get of the sodding brain-fog.
Spoiler: being without it is fucking FANTASTIC.
I’ll chat a bit about the basics, things I’ve learned from 15 years of writing professionally - for big publishers, small presses, and licenses. From seeing these writings from the other side, as PR and marketing professional (all those events!) and now bookseller. A bit about my current project, and what’s coming up. I might even post things from my cutting room floor, as some of them are great, and it’s kind of a shame to leave them there.
Not today, though. Today I only say: welcome to my little corner of this infinite (post?)-geek reality. In a darkening world, our creativity is what keeps out noses out of the water. And it’s really important to remember that, and to share it.
So, please do join me!
Danie
And PS, please also give my son a follow on YouTube. He makes mash-up, fan-trailer edits and they’re really, REALLY clever. My personal fave is his Buffy/Angel project, but the others are squally amazing.
Reading: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (sadly not doing it for me, despite its rave reviews. Will soldier on, hoping that the magic that everyone else has seen will still somehow pour forth).
Comfort reading: The second Rose of the Prophet book, by Weis and Hickman.
Watching: Good Omens 2 (bit self-referential fanfic, but lovely and with a wonderful ending), Invincible (absolutely bloody stonking), Across the Spider-Verse (arguably the best superhero movie I’ve seen), and just starting the second season of Heartstopper (which is every bit as cute as you think it is).
Playing: Diablo IV and eagerly awaiting the release of Baldur’s Gate 3 for the PS5!
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