This week at the loch - 18/07/2025
It’s good to be back! I missed the last two Fridays because I was on holiday at a caravan park in Northumberland for ten days with very limited internet access. I did very little work while I was away and had a lot of quality time with my family. We visited the Holy Island of Lindisfarne which is a really beautiful place with a small but welcoming community. We visited the castle there and had a picnic and bought some mead.
We also made the drive down to Beamish, a huge open air museum near Newcastle. We had a brilliant time exploring the various different historical landscapes and getting to really see and smell and experience what life was like in the area at various points in history. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend a visit. There’s so much to do, we didn’t get round it all in one day and the kids already want to go back.
We arrived home on Monday and I had this idea that I was going to take a day or two to recover from the physical exertions of the holiday (stupid defective meatsuit) but instead, I still had work to do on the Daughters of Nicnevin proofs, so I jumped back into that and got them finished and sent off on Wednesday. I found out while I was away that Daughters is now available on Netgalley so that’s it kind of in the wild, which is more than a little scary.
On Wednesday night I ran the BFS writing sprints, and while there I wrote the first 1131 words on the new book, Rise of a Witch Queen, which tells Nicnevin’s origin story. I’m so excited to finally get my teeth stuck into this one.
Thursday and Friday saw catching up on a bunch of BFS work and some more writing, as well as a workshop on marketing and branding and all that sort of professional author stuff. It’s been a busy week!
What I’m working on - Just started Rise of A Witch Queen. One new copyedit in, one developmental edit that I’m waiting to do the second pass on. All the BFS stuff. And I still have those two short stories to finish.
What I’m reading - While I was away, I read The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks and I’m now reading The Burning White. These are books 4 and 5 of the Lightbringer series which I have enjoyed a lot. I really like how well-rounded the characters are, and you could teach a class on how this series plays with expectations and unreliable narrators.
What I’m watching - I took the kids to see Elio this week and thought it was really charming. About a boy who is very lonely and desperate to find a place to belong. It’s all about friendship and connection and found family.
What I’m listening to - I came across this today and found it incredibly beautiful https://youtu.be/vLOe-myvFPM?si=I5N0lFUFYv89680W
Something Interesting - The BFS is teaming up with Aliette de Bodard and Anne Goulard to run a workshop on writing through difficult times. I think this is really relevant to a lot of people just now, and I can’t wait to take part. Writing Through Difficult Times: A Workshop with Aliette de Bodard and Anne Goulard – The British Fantasy Society
