Out of the Debauched Sloth
Chaz Brenchley's Fortnightly Newsletter
“News is what someone somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.” - Lord Northcliffe
...I guess this must be advertising, then, by and large. Nothing here that I want to suppress, and I’m tolerably sure that no one is actively out to suppress me, unless by indifference. Which is not a particularly active process anyway. There’s not a great deal here at all, to be honest, this fortnight. I do have an announcement of fiction forthcoming, but that aside, I have been toiling mainly in the proofing mines, and dealing with issues both foreign and domestic.
To the announcement then, hurrah!
For the last several years, I’ve been contributing a story to one or another of the annual themed anthologies from Zombies Need Brains (who also have a new magazine launch pending: that really is news!). These days they even invite me first, which is lovely. I actively look forward to December now, because I know I’ll have something to exercise my brain, that may very well run me out of my comfort zone.
This year, I was offered a spot in BRAVE NEW WORLDS, a collection of stories about interplanetary pioneers, covering anything from their departure from Earth to the journey itself to their landing on a new world to how they settled the land. Me, I chose to go for that end-point, an established colony beginning to think long-term, into their third or fourth generation now, working to alter the planet’s atmosphere to make life easier and more productive for their successors.
Yes, indeed: I wrote a science fiction story that at least brushes up uncomfortably against some actual science, and climate science at that. Colour me green. In the end, though, and to nobody’s surprise, it comes down to a tale about people within that framework, because that is what I do; and what’s more, it comes down largely to teenagers in trouble. Which, y’know. Is also what I do.
Anyway: you will find BRAVE NEW WORLDS listed in all your favourite pre-order places, including ZNB’s own online bookstore; or of course you can order it through your local indie bookstore. There are too many options for me to be listing them all here, and if someone’s pulled them all together on a single page somewhere, I can’t find it. Sally forth independently, my people, and seek it out yourselves. It’ll be fun.
In other news, I think I have clean forgot to tell you that I am a regular on our very own podcast, Writers Drinking Coffee! (Note: I am in fact often drinking wine myself, if it’s an evening recording. The notion was hatched in our favourite coffeeshop, which is hence the name.) M’self, m’wife, a few of our bestest friends are all in on this conspiracy, which goes out every Tuesday. Originally we mostly sat around and talked about various writing- or publishing-related issues that fell more or less within our competencies, but it didn’t take long before we had our first guests in front of the microphone, facing our blistering interrogations*. These days, most episodes take the form of an interview; we’ve had a lot of writers, obvs, but also editors, agents, a production manager, all sorts. I believe we’re about to drop #150, if you felt like catching up. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
I believe that’s all I have for you this time, unless something new crops up between this time of writing and the eventual time of actually publishing. Meanwhile, I’m off to Jeannie’s house, to record another episode of Writers Drinking Coffee, where we’ll be interviewing Stina Leicht…
See you in a fortnight,
- Chaz
*Actually you will be tolerably unsurprised to learn that we are total pussycats, and it tends to be a relaxed and often somewhat giggly chat with interesting people saying interesting things.