The back streets calling you off the main concourses filled with the glittery underdressed revellers, shouting and calling to one another, proclaiming their drunkenness. A parade. Later when intoxication sets in, melodrama.

He had his job, he had his pony tail. He walked with large big booted strides with his sandwich box under his arm. His ears stuck out, cold in the wind.

More birds and butterflies in 'Old'. More slippage and whirlage, more unfinding your steps, reversing, walking backwards into the kitchen like the lad in the Shining in the snow in the maze.

We're in The Guardian, baby! ❤️‍🔥

There's trouble ahead I sang to myself, some advert I’d watched several years back in my past when I was with her, my darling, no, not her, my wife, someone before, in a chipped everywhere, ruffled everywhere flat that stank of us, the darling days before full adulthood

Also proud and delighted to have a piece in this fabulous collection of West Midlands based writing. Buy here: floodgatepress.co.uk/books

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Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve.

How lovely it was to hear the terrific Irenosen Okojie talk about her latest novel Curandera tonight Voce Books! Great interviewing by Tom Conaghan and just look at this cover. What a peach!

Utterly delighted that our sophomore anthology Night Time Economy is one of the mighty Voce Books’ Books of the Year. We could not have done it without them. Thanks!

I’m joining Bluesky, but will remain on X for a bit. About time I left this horrific right wing propaganda platform, but will miss all my writer friends- perhaps I’ll catch up with them on Bluesky.

My copy has finally arrived! My 3rd appearance in this series, if you count the earlier iteration ‘Best Short Stories’ (ed Giles Gordon). (I was in the 1991 edition). If you’re looking for a Christmas present for a reader, this will do the trick! Full of great stuff.

Support from an unbiased daughter!

Christmas haul.

Check out #GoodreadsYearinBooks Goodreads to discover the 73 books I read in 2024! goodreads.com/user/year_in_b…

I am also reading!