Hello, everyone!

Apologies – I missed a update on Monday. I was in Brighton attending the British Fantasy Convention, and the hotel came with a wifi service that worked beautifully in all respects save actually allowing one to get internet access. And moreover, there were distractions in the form of book launches and alcohol. And disco dancing. Oh yes.

A new story will be posted for this Monday. I’ll try to make it a good ‘un, to make up for it.

Besides seeing old friends, making new ones, and strutting my middle-aged stuff on a dance floor, there were two reasons I was at the convention. The first was the release of my new book of short stories, from the wonderful Canadian press ChiZine. Called Remember Why You Fear Me, it’s a collection of twenty-one of my darker tales, the ones usually written later at night or when the weather outside looked especially threatening. Ten of the stories are from my first three books, the remaining eleven have never been collected before – some of them revisions of tales from this very 100 stories blog! And one of the stories is ‘Alice Beneath the Plastic Sheet’, currently shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award. Here’s what it looks like. I think it’s rather pretty: http://chizinepub.com/books/remember-why-you-fear-me.php

And talking of awards…! The second reason I was there was to attend the British Fantasy Awards. I am proud as punch to tell you that my *last* book, Everyone’s Just So So Special, won the gong for this year’s Best Collection. I’m not only proud, I’m also flabbergasted, delighted and peckish – though I’m pretty much always peckish. I was genuinely convinced there was no way I could win this, because every single one of the other nominees are terrific writers who had turned out collections at the very top of their game – I know this is the sort of thing everyone always says, but it also happens to be true. Three days after the announcement and I’m still grinning from ear to ear. (I’m still peckish too – I may have to go and deal with that in a moment.)

I think it’s a wonderful thing when you can launch your fourth collection of short stories one evening, and then get such acknowledgement for your third a few hours later. It’ll spoil me. I know it will.

But I’ll try not to let it spoil me before the forthcoming story on Monday.

Thanks for letting me share – and thanks, as ever, for your support in reading my tales in the first place! I’m very grateful.

Rob xx