By Slanted Light

I seem to remember that it's traditional to do a Yuletide reveal post - or at least I remember lots of people doing that in previous years *g* - and a couple of people have asked about my story, so, it's this one:

One Not Far Distant Day
by Slantedlight

It's from the Charm of Magpies series of books, which I've written about before because I love them. They're Victorian paranormal m/m books, and I very much recommend them if you've not read them yet! The books actually have new covers now, because KJ Charles has self-published after the whole Samhain Publishing faff, and I think they also include the short stories/snippets that she's posted online/to Fb too, or at least some of them.

Anyway - it was my first time writing for Yuletide, and my first time writing for another fandom without even a hint of Pros in it, and my hope in doing so was that it would kick-start me into writing more, because it was just barely happening last year, and I hated that. I was quite worried about the story, mind, because it sounded right in my head, but that doesn't always translate to other people's heads, so I kept an eye on it... but it seems to have been okay! In fact, I've actually had such nice feedback about it (and even a rec on the Yuletide rec site, from someone whose fics I really enjoyed in Torchwood fandom, which was just wow *g*), given when I was still anonymous, that it's encouraging me to make just one New Year's resolution for 2020. Usually I say I'm going to be better at posting and replying and so on, and will be healthier and exercise more and all the usual stuff (and I still am), but this year I'm going to make one: I am going to write. Write anything. I'll get on with my own stories, especially the one that's over 50,000 words long, and with Pros, and maybe some more Charm of Magpies if I get the urge, or perhaps Astreiant or Mathey and Lynes, which I also love, but just... write again.

So - we'll see how that works out... *g*

And now I'm off to go and see somewhere different for my last day before work starts again. Not sure where yet - maybe I'll head off Stonehenge direction. Mind you, I'd better get a move on - it's not the lightest of days out here...

There needs to be much more of this sort of thing around - so very beautifully shot, such a very beautiful boy, and you've gotta love someone so competent and in control of his body...

...plus as someone elsewhere suggested, there's a vague flavour of Jackdaw about him... *g*

I might have mentioned liking this once or twice - if anyone's interested, the eBook version is currently 54p (at Amazon)! Or 99c, apparently, if you're in the US... Oh - or $1.27 if you're in Aus!.

Did I mention I adore this book? *g*

...and not as warm as it has been, though not cold either (unless you're sitting at a desk all day desperately trying to meet your deadline cos you were skiving in the sunshine the day before... *headdesk*)

Anyway, it looked rather like this... That's yesterday's laundry still not quite dry because the air got so damp and stayed that way! Ack! I keep wondering if it's just cold, but I think there's a touch of damp in there still... and it was warm enough yesterday that there's been no evening heating again - rats!

Oh, but a happy thing - - A Flight of Magpies is finally out (though only in e-reader - it's one of the few that I'll buy to read now and buy the paperback when it eventually comes out... And since I'm reading The Haunting of Hill House right now, and I am not going to read that in bed at night, I reckon I might just start my Vaundrey/Day book... *g* Although the sad thing is that I've seen it described as a trilogy, and the last book in the trilogy, as in there aren't going to be any more - waaah! (I know, there are four covers there, the third one was for a mini-novelette bonus free extra that the author very kindly wrote... *g*)

And A Death in the Dionysus Club is hopefully winging it's way this way as I type, too - but a real proper paper book... Yeay!

Now, if I'd just gotten on with planning for NaNoWriMo, cos it's the one thing I haven't done after buying those books yesterday, and... and... I think I need a plan or it might all fall apart after all! Eeep! Last writing group in Bath tomorrow morning too (and then home for the day's work) - but more about that then, of course... And I have lj comments to catch up with too - I will, I will get there...

Soooo sleepy now - bed beckons. Can I be bothered going down to fill my hot water bottle, even? I'm not sure I can, you know... zzzzzz

Oh, what to say about books that you fall in love with, just after you've read them... everything and yet nothing, because you're still in that half-stunned world that is somewhere else, half-stepped between there and here...

First of all, thanks to moth2fic for reccing these stories. You caught me just at the right time - when I wanted more Astreiant, more Matthey and Lynes, more stories that are about the characters in the stories than about how clever an author is, and that's just what K.J. Charles gives us. Eminently readable, I love the world she's building, and it all comes together with Lucien Vaundry (Lord Crane) and Stephen Day perfectly. Bonus that the author comes across as smart and decent in her blog, and my only (though rather serious) complaint is that the books aren't available in print. This means that I can't pick them up and flick through them, and re-read my favourite bits at will, and gaze adoringly at the covers, and hug them to myself in joy and glee, because you can't do any of those things with an e-reader!

( There are two books so far in the series... )