The Weather With You.

The past week has been cool, although milder than it has been. Temperatures have ranged from 6 to 10c and mostly dry. Yes, there have been a few showers, but nothing terrible.

In a couple of days it will be high 20s into the 30s. Not in Lincoln, of course, but in Melbourne, Australia.

Apart from articles about my Australian Football team, and the odd bits of news I pick up through Facebook, I have no idea of what's happening back home. Entertainment, politics, news or sport - none of it. I stopped reading the Australian news and weather a few months after arriving over here. There just didn't seem much point, and I felt it was more important to be aware of what was happening here in the UK.

But I've been tracking the Melbourne weather for the past few weeks as I'm heading home in a few days, time to visit family and friends. It appears I'll be arriving into a 33c day. Guess I won't be needing my winter jacket and scarf.

I was planning to get up to a football match, although I think that's now fallen through. I have made some plans to hang out with my best friend, to have dinner with others, to visit my school, and to catch up with family.

I've also made arrangements to visit Deakin University, where I studied all those years, and to chat with some staff there regarding the differences between the Australian and UK tertiary systems. Aaah, Professional Development - grab it where you can.

When I booked my ticket I wasn't too fussed. Yes, I was looking forward to going, but as the departure date approaches my excitement continue to grows. I really can't wait to see my family and friends.

And Tim Tams. There will be Tim Tams.

With Infinite Complacency: Some Reviews.

Goodreads and Amazon have received excellent reviews for the Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths anthology of which I am a part. And I'm excited by the number of these that mention my name and story in particular.

Unlike the review of Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook in The Australian, Steve Connor doesn't make an appearance. These all get my name correct.

For those who missed the earlier announcement,  Left Hand Publishers describe this release as a collection of short stories from writers around the world, spanning different genres, to bring you a compendium of tales to provoke thought, entertain you, and even mystify your imagination.

My story, With Infinite Complacency,  is about Australian astronaut Amanda Jefferies, who finally makes it onto the International Space Station only to watch in horror as the apocalypse unfolds on the Earth below.

The publisher describes my story as a "sci-fi saga about the end of the world, cosmic lies, and bananas."

Some Goodreads and Amazon review quotes:

"Steve writes with authenticity about his characters and their true-to-life scientific environment."

"...there are some incredible pieces of short fiction in this anthology. Among my favorites 
     With Infinite Complacency by Steve Cameron ..."

"... With Infinite Complacency by Steve Cameron is a science fiction tale. ... I love the concept in this story and the twist at the end. I also loved the idea how would you feel if you were  alone in the universe?" 

"I enjoyed them all, but those that stick with me are Red Carnation, With Infinite Complacency, Death and the Horse, The Fall, and The Half-Dead Man." 

Thank you for the reviews, and thank you for reading our stories. 

James Worrad is a Very Naughty Writer.

I first met James Worrad at Loncon in 2014. I knew someone, who introduced me to two other people, who then introduced me to three other people, of which James was one. Really, this was exactly how it happened.

We stayed in touch online, and then when I moved to the UK, we continued to stay in touch online. Although James lives about an hour from me, we rarely manage to be in the same room together. From time to time we catch up, and can I just point out that he continues to be as bad an influence as he ever was.

He is corrupting, naughty, and sometimes very funny. Oh, and he is a writer.

His first novel is out. Or about to be out. Or something like that. The Scalpel is the first in him Feral Space series, and draws on the weird story of the Gibbon Sisters. Now this is a case I am actually familiar with, and I love the idea James has put it to good use.

"Eerie as heck but oddly moving. The two girls couldn’t function apart but knew they were consuming each other’s identities as time progressed. They announced one of them would die and, hey presto, one of them did that very day, just collapsed in her sister’s arms. Feral Space doesn’t go that way, but I wanted to take the twins’ predicament to an extreme: two sisters sharing a single body and presenting themselves as one to the rest of the world. The idea of showing that in a novel set my keyboard alight."

Keep an eye out for James, and if you see him around take pity on him and throw a few pounds in his direction.  Seriously, buy this book.

New Years And New Plans.

At the beginning of every year people make plans and resolutions.

Not me.

If I want to make a change, then I try to do it. No need to align with a date of imaginary importance. I think the last resolution I made (and didn't keep) was back in the 20th Century. I just don't really see the point. I suppose a large part of that is my failure to keep my resolutions.

I do, however, use New Year as a time of reflection and planning for the future. Nothing formal, simply a few thoughts about what I have done and what I hope to achieve. Writing usually pops into my brain, as does playing my guitar more often with the intent to improve. And there's sometimes something about exercise and planning earlier for work.

You might be asking right now what the difference is between these and resolutions. Simple. This is merely planning, and I don't make it a promise.

As the Australian academic year rolls around, this was the time when we had our summer break. This was when I had some free time to get on with things and I needed to start preparing for the commencement of the school year.

Of course that doesn't apply here in the UK. The extended break is in July and August. So this year I took the opportunity to eat well and go for long walks with Lindsey and the dogs.

Hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year.

Another Christmas in the UK.

I've finished work for the break.

Most of the office went out for a Christmas lunch, which then extended into the evening until I left around 9pm to head home. I must say we had a fantastic time.

I really enjoyed the company of my colleagues. The whole atmosphere was very jovial and we had a lot of laughs. Somewhere in the evening I lost my car keys. It was crowded and someone knocked my work bag off a chair. I didn't realise the keys were gone until I was about to head home. I checked but couldn't find them. Apparently they were handed in five minutes after I left and I managed to retrieve them the next morning.

Hardly the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

Christmas in the UK is still one of my favourite things. People wear Christmas Jumpers - which isn't a thing in Australia. Most of us wear t-shirts at that time of year. But here it gets dark early, the lights are on, and it feels like Christmas is supposed to feel.

It's all very cosy and festive and seems right.

We have family visiting Lincoln for Christmas and Boxing Days, and I can't wait.  Yes, for the family, but mostly because I really enjoy Christmas lunches.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you're not hearing Wham's Last Christmas in the shops too often.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mysterious Authorship of Steve Connor.

I'm thrilled to have been included in this fantastic publication, and completely delighted by the great reviews that have been popping up.

Peter Craven gave us an excellent review in The Australian. And although I was pleased to have had my story mentioned, I am disappointed they got my name wrong. Peter, if you're reading this I'm sure it was an error of dictation rather than your writing.

Yep, I was referred to as Steve Connor. Despite a couple of emails to The Australian, simply asking if they can amend the online version, I have not received a reply and it is still attributed to the elusive Steve Connor.

"The style of the anthology is weirdly geographical and continent encompassing with all sorts of outback stories and stories set under, say, the unaccustomed blue Adelaide sky to balance the ones set in the vicinity of Mrs Macquarie’s Chair or about drowning in 19th-century St Kilda (this last is by Steve Connor and apparently is based on a true case and has Holmes and Watson set out to investigate from their rooms in Fitzroy)."

And it is indeed strongly based on a true story. Try googling The Mysterious Drowning Case at St Kilda, or The Melbourne Morgue Mystery. This was the case which resulted in the police at the time purchasing their first camera.

Craven's summary.

"Sherlock Holmes: the Australian Casebook is born of the lust for idle pleasure and the desire to perpetuate and cash in on a myth that keeps on giving. There are a lot of Christmas stockings that will be happier for this book."

Fantastic to be mentioned, I just wish it wasn't Connor. I've heard he's a hack!

With Infinite Complacency.

I'm proud to announce the publication of my story, With Infinite Complacency, in the anthology Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths. Published by Left Hand Publishers, this release is described in their own words as a collection of short stories from writers around the world, spanning different genres, to bring you a compendium of tales to provoke thought, entertain you, and even mystify your imagination.

My story has its origin in a throw-away comment made by one of my students one summer afternoon many years ago. But it stuck in my mind, ended up in my writer notebook, blossomed into a story and ended up in this marvelous publication.

Australian astronaut Amanda Jefferies finally makes it onto the International Space Station only to watch in horror as the apocalypse unfolds on the Earth below.

Interested?  You should be. This story has everything. Space, the Rolling Stones and Vodka. And I even throw in some bananas. There is, of course, a lot more - but to find out you'll have to read it.

I know I can't wait to receive my copy, but you can order yours now.  In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the book trailer.