It's been a busy few weeks between starting a new job, ending up back in the query trenches (boring, amicable story, I'm afraid!), fitting in a day at Bristolcon and attempting to put the occasional word on a page. Which means I haven't managed to pull together my usual spooky season recommendations list.

But if you're in the supernatural mood, I do want to encourage you to check out the Kickstarter for 

Maen Nhw Yma o Hyd (They Are Still Here)

from Wizard's Tower press -- an anthology of speculative stories inspired by Welsh myth and folklore. As I

wrote a few months ago

, supporting Welsh SFF is important to me, especially when much of the fantasy making use of Welsh myth comes from elsewhere.

The anthology is funded, but there are still five days to get your pre-order in and help them reach some stretch goals. And, if you're still not convinced, the Kickstarter page is full of fascinating folkloric snippets to fire up your imagination!

Writing News

A couple of things out this month! First off, I

reviewed Hailey Piper's A Game in Yellow

 for ARB. This book leaned right into some of my weird fiction-related research interests, so I ate it up.

Second, the new issue of 

Saros SF

came out on Monday. It's a collection of quiet dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories edited by Hannah Greer, and features my short "Little Shade" -- a story about grief, sisterhood, cats and bad book opinions in a world devastated by a mysterious infection. You can

download the issue here

, and print copies will be out sometime in the near future. 

What I've been reading

Most of the books I've picked up lately haven't really grabbed me. Currently I'm making my way through R. F. Kuang's new novel, 

Katabasis

, about a pair of PhD students who head to the underworld after their supervisor dies in a lab accident they might have caused. It certainly has its moments, but isn't quite hitting like it might've done if I'd read it when I was deep in the academic trenches.

What I've been watching

My local cinema put on a few showings of 

Perfect Blue

 recently. I was aware it was a classic, but it was my first time watching it, and I found it mesmerising -- an eerie psychological thriller that's more unsettling than a lot of straight-up horror. (Also, you'll never watch 

Black Swan

 the same way.)

What I've been listening to

David Ryder-Prangley has a new album out today, so I've been getting in the mood by revisiting 

Black Magic and True Love

, his first solo album. It's a bit softer and dreamier than classic Rachel Stamp, but still plenty of sci-fi glam theatrics.

That's all from me for this month. 'Til next time, stay spooky.

JL