I will be at Bristolcon this coming weekend, where Cheryl and I will be celebrating the forthcoming publication of The Green Man’s War. For this convention, ebooks will be available for purchase direct from Wizard’s Tower Press. Click here for the Wizard’s Tower page of purchase links for pre-orders.

As ever, Ben Baldwin has given us an absolutely stunning cover.

What’s the story this time? Well, for a few years now, the Green Man has sent Daniel Mackmain to resolve clashes between ordinary people and the supernatural world. Dan has found allies among folk from myth and met other humans who can see the uncanny. He has also made dangerous enemies. Someone has decided to put a stop to this interference once and for all. Dan and his friends are about to find themselves in the firing line.

The actual publication date will be 15th November for hardback, paperback and ebook editions through the usual retailers. This year has been a challenging one for me personally, and unforeseeable events threw my writing schedule into chaos. This landed the rest of the team, publisher Cheryl, editor Toby and artist Dan, with the knock-on effects which had to be managed alongside their other commitments. Believe me, everyone has done their utmost to bring Dan’s latest adventure to eager readers as soon as humanly possible, and I am hugely grateful.

Bristolcon will also see us celebrating Fight Like a Girl Volume 2, and similarly ebooks will be available for direct purchase. This is a second anthology of excellent short stories looking at different interpretations of this phrase, and offering sound reasons why it’s a big mistake to think that particular comment is a remotely valid put-down. My story is titled Civil War.

Oisin McGann has done us proud with this gorgeous cover art, and the publication date is 21st November. My fellow authors are Danie Ware, Gaie Sebold, Dolly Garland, Cheryl Morgan, Anna Smith Spark, K R Green, Julia Hawkes-Reed, K T Davies, S. Naomi Scott and Lou Morgan.

In December, Newcon Press will publish Different Times and Other Places, the tenth collection in the Polestars series where editor Ian Whates has invited writers to offer a selection of their short fiction. Since the other authors are Jaine Fenn, Teika Marija Smits, Emma Coleman, Justina Robson, Cécile Cristofari, Aliya Whiteley, Liz Williams, Fiona Moore and Patrice Sarath, you will understand how honoured I am to be asked.

Reading through stories I’ve written over the past twenty-plus years was an illuminating experience, and choosing which ones to include was a fascinating challenge. The process showed me aspects of my own writing which I haven’t noticed before. That was as unexpected as it was intriguing. I also had the opportunity to write a brand new Green Man short story, prompted by a comment my husband made as we walked around an ornamental National Trust garden. Reading a book about tapestries had also given me an idea for a story some while ago, and now this collection will give you the chance to read that. Click here for pre-orders.

So while 2024 has included a lot that I’ll be happy to see the back of, October, November and December are putting plenty into the plus column!

This coming weekend, I’ll be at the Queen in Chester hotel for the British Fantasy Society’s Fantasycon. For full details, click here.

As well as enjoying seeing friends and colleagues, I will be discussing reinventing Arthurian myth, considering underused fantastical creatures, and deciding how muppets can make everything better. I will also be doing a reading, and there’s a good chance that will be readers’ first chance to learn a bit about the forthcoming new Green Man book…

Then I get a weekend off, before Bristolcon on 26-27th October. The Guests of Honour are Peter F Hamilton and Joanne Harris who are lovely people as well as terrific writers – and this is a wonderfully friendly convention, so that will be another great couple of days. More details TBA.

The weekend after that, I’ll be in Sweden, where I am one of the Guests of Honour at Fantastika, the 2024 Swecon. As well as reflecting on my own work in an interview and various conversations, I’ll be discussing the challenges of writing across different genres, and blending aspects of different genres in a piece of writing, with the other guests. I’ll also be considering the role of forests in fantasy fiction, and the challenges that old supernatural forces face in the modern world.

After that I’m having a week’s holiday in Stockholm with my husband, since for various reasons, we haven’t had any sort of break so far this year!

That’s a lot of conventions! Especially in a year that’s had the Worldcon in Glasgow as well – which was excellent, by the way. So what do I get out of these events that makes committing the time, effort and expense worthwhile? The BFS is currently asking various members to remember their first Fantasycon across social media, and that reminded me I’d written up my recollections back in 2006, for a BFS publication back then. I dug that out of the archive here, and yes, it still holds good.

My First FantasyCon in 2000 – looking back in 2006

I won’t say I was apprehensive travelling to my first FantasyCon in 2000 but I had come prepared with a good book, in case I found myself with time on my hands, or eating alone. After all, I didn’t know anyone else who was going to be there. As it turned out, the organisers had anticipated people like me. There was a designated table where ‘virgins’ could meet each other, and be warmly welcomed by David Howe. All relieved not to be the only newbie, we consulted our programmes and agreed to meet up at various panels.

The next thing to make me feel welcome was several people recognising my name on my badge as the author of The Thief’s Gamble. Even better, they said they’d enjoyed it! That was thrilling but there are more important things I remember from the weekend. I made good friends whom I look forward to meeting each year now. All the established authors extended a generous welcome to a rookie, together with helpful advice and useful, cautionary tales. Notably Stan Nicholls and Anne Gay made sure I certainly wasn’t left eating dinner alone with my book.

Doug Bradley’s illustrated talk on movie makeup and masks was utterly fascinating and as well as doing my bit on panels, I went to others and to the GoH interviews. I came away from every session with intriguing questions to ponder and inspiration for developing my own writing. I also went home with a list of books to find that I might never have considered reading. The book I’d brought with me went home unopened, by the way.

I am very much looking forward to travelling up to Glasgow next Wednesday, for the upcoming Worldcon August 8th-12th. I foresee some excellent discussions ahead with the panels I’ll be on, and the programme offers so much other stuff that I know I’ll enjoy.

My books will be on sale in the Dealers Room, and if you can’t make the autograph session on Saturday afternoon, I’ll be happy to sign books, new or old, whenever our paths cross – as long as I’m not actually on my way to one of these actual programme commitments.

Cut From Whole Cloth, Thursday 8 August 2024, 17:30 GMT+1 Alsh 2
Farah Mendlesohn, E. C. Ambrose, Heather Valentine, Juliet E McKenna, Mary Robinette Kowal

Who makes the royal robes, who weaves the flags of the republic, and what are those snazzy spacesuits made of? Fabric and clothing are an integral part of the world, and this is no less true in SFF: so who does it best? What worlds best use fabric and crafts in their creation, and which writers give us clothes we want to wear?

Don’t Go Into the Forest: Monsters and Feminism Saturday 10 August 2024, 11:30 GMT+1, Castle 1
Juliet E McKenna, Ellen Datlow, Genoveva Dimova, Rivers Solomon, V. Castro

Monsters have been used historically as metaphors to keep women in line. Don’t go into the forest; don’t stray from the path. They have often also been used to represent and demonise women. Are we seeing a change in monster narratives? Are books today starting to explore how the monstrous might be used to empower women instead?

Autographing: Saturday 10 August 2024, 16:00 GMT+1, Hall 4 (Autographs)
Incidentally, if you simply want to say hello, or to arrange something with me, this will be a good time to do that.

Strong Female Leads Who Don’t Kick Ass Monday 12 August 2024, 11:30 GMT+1, Hall 1
Taeyeon Song, A. Y. Chao, Juliet E McKenna, Lorraine Wilson, Nnedi Okorafor

“Strong female character” has too often been a euphemism for a sword-wielding amazon battling those who wronged her. Fun and glorious though those women are, this panel will talk about the women who lead through intelligence, charisma, patience, or other skills.

In further diary news, if you can’t get to Worldcon

I’ll be at the BFS Fantasycon in Chester, 11th-13th October, and at Bristolcon 26th-28th October.

Then I’ll be in Stockholm for Fantastika 2024 (also the 2024 Swecon) 1st-3rd November, where I have the tremendous pleasure of being a Guest of Honour alongside T. L. (Tendai) Hushu, Lena Karlin and Åsa Schwarz.

Excuse the brevity of this post. I have a lot to get done before Wednesday!

And yes, there will be news of the next Green Man book in due course.

Yes, I had an excellent weekend. The highlight was (obviously) winning the 2023 Best Novel Award from the British Science Fiction Association, as voted on by members. The full list of winners is here and you can learn a bit about the BSFA while you’re there, if you wish.

I was pleased and honoured to be shortlisted. Yes, that’s what people always say. The thing is, it’s true. A nomination for a genre award means readers find your work worthy of recognition alongside books written by your professional peers and personal friends. That in itself is wonderful. When a friend’s novel which I have enjoyed turns out to win, I’m thrilled for them.

The Green Man’s Quarry actually winning this award was a wholly unexpected delight, and an honour not only for me. Writing may be a solitary occupation, but getting a book into print most assuredly is not. I am intensely grateful to Cheryl Morgan of Wizard’s Tower Press, who first set up her publishing enterprise to help writers like me make our backlists available in print and ebook formats on terms that brought us a worthwhile return. When The Green Man’s Heir was met with a discouraging lack of interest from the agents and publishers I approached, she was absolutely ready to see how the book fared as WTP’s first original publication. The rest, as they say, is history – and do check out the subsequent original titles from Wizard’s Tower Press.

My further thanks go to Toby Selwyn, whom I have known since he was a teenager reading my epic fantasy novels. We’ve met at conventions and stayed in touch through his university years and subsequent career as an editor. This combination of his rigorous professional skills and his finely-honed understanding of my writing makes a significant contribution to these books. I also thank Ben Baldwin for his outstanding artwork, for the whole series, and especially for The Green Man’s Quarry. This latest cover did everything the previous art did to catch the eye and stir the imagination, as well as hinting this time, readers should expect something a bit different… Each of these books brings new members to the team. Since The Green Man’s Quarry sees Dan venture north of the border, I enlisted Shona Kinsella, also a fine writer and meticulous editor, as Scots cultural consultant. She made an invaluable contribution, so thank you to her for that.

It’s thanks to SF conventions and the wider SF&Fantasy fan community that I know these people. Conventions are where I first met Cheryl and Shona. Ian Whates of Newcon Press, another friend made through conventions, recommended Ben when we were looking for an artist for The Aldabreshin Compass reissues. Our genre’s early and effective adoption of websites meant Toby and I could make contact all those years ago and stay in touch ever since. The online world has long enabled keen SF&F readers and reviewers to share their enthusiasms. This virtual word of mouth makes it possible for small press publications to find the people who will love their stories. So thank you, everyone in SF&F circles for that.

The rest of the convention? The panels I took part in were fascinating and informative conversations. I listened to various talks and discussions with keen interest and my notebook to hand, coming away with new information and perspectives that will improve and inform my own work. The convention’s guests were wonderful to meet, and to hear talking about their writing and their working lives. In between times, I caught up with long-standing friends whom I haven’t seen in person for far too long, given the weird dislocations of these past few years. I met online pals in person which is invariably a pleasure, and I made connections with people I wouldn’t have encountered elsewhere, who will assuredly become friends and colleagues. If anyone ever asks you if SF conventions are worth their time and money, feel free to cite all of the above.

There was one notable difference from many UK conventions this year. Rather than being based in a main hotel, this Eastercon used the Telford International Centre for its programme and events, and for central social space. This turned out to work extremely well. Accommodation was readily available within easy walking distance in a range of hotels to suit all budgets. There was similarly a good choice of restaurants and other refreshments options within easy reach, as well as food and drink on site. I recommend event organisers in search of a venue take a serious look at both this site and at this slightly different model for themselves.

As those of us who’ve been involved in event organisation will know, nothing as big and complicated as an Eastercon runs as apparently smoothly and successfully as this weekend did, without a tremendous amount of hard work by a great many people both beforehand and through the event itself. Last, but emphatically by no means least, my thanks and admiration go to the Convention Committee, everyone working in the various departments on site, and to the Levitation volunteers.

And thanks to my husband, for tackling the interesting photographic challenge of this shiny transparent glass award alongside shiny dark-hued book covers.

I’m extremely pleased to share the news that my story Unseen Hands will appear in the shared world anthology, Ampyrium, to be published later this year by ZNB. As I’ve said previously, shared world writing has some particularly interesting angles for authors. Seeing the ways in which this particular setting has grown in the telling of our various stories, I can see it’s going to offer tremendous potential for all sorts of tales. Do check out ZNB’s anthologies. They always offer great reading, as well as opportunities for debut authors through their open calls.

In other writing news hereabouts, the next Green Man novel is coming together nicely, with Dan Mackmain using what he’s learned in recent years to counter new challenges. There are a couple of other short stories in the works, of which more, later.

In upcoming events, I’ll be at Eastercon over the bank holiday weekend. I’ll bring some print copies of the Lescari and Hadrumal trilogies with me, which I’m happy to offer for free to keen readers. If you’re interested in these books, let me know – or find me at the convention. If you have anything you’d like me to sign, feel free to say hello and ask.

As well as seeing friends and colleagues, and enjoying the programme myself, I’m participating on a varied selection of panels, alongside writers whose thoughts I’ll be very interested to hear.

Choosing Character Voice – Sat 11:00–11:45
What are the relative benefits to the storyteller of adopting 1st, 2nd and 3rd person point-of-view? What can the author achieve with each and what are the challenges? What opportunities does the choice of past, present or future tense present? What other stylistic elements contribute to character voice?

Making Systemic Change – Sat 16:00–17:00
The British SF and Fantasy field is still very monocultural in terms of both authors and readership. How do we define and support the kind of systemic change we would like to see to make British SF&F more diverse?

Motherland Fort Salem: a complex allegory… – Sun 13:00–14:00
…about contemporary US politics. Motherland Fort Salem is queer, women-focussed, gloriously intersectional, and complex.

This Green and Pleasant Land – Sun 16:00–17:00
Not everybody was terribly enthused by the industrial revolution. British SF & fantasy is full of alternatives to the industrial future, pastoral, communitarian, and a Britain made over for tourism.

Faery, folklore and fairy tale in fantasy – Mon 12:00–12:45
The exhibition at the British Library this year has placed folk and fairy tale at the heart of fantasy. The panellists will discuss the role fairy tale has played in modern and contemporary fantasy, the sources people have drawn on, and the ways in which authors, artists, film makers and others have weirded and subverted the folk and fairy tale.

(edited to add)
Consider the Loom – Mon 13:00–14:00
How do fashion and technology interact in sf and fantasy. Do you ever find yourself wondering how on earth a character can wear a thing that their culture clearly could not produce? The panellists will talk about clothing and fashion design and trends from different sci-fi universes and fantasy ones, how people describe cloth and fabric and construction, how they use it as part of their worldbuilding and their character design, what people’s fave outfits were and which they’d like to lift wholesale to add to their own wardrobes.

The first exciting news of 2024 is Amazon Kindle have The Cleaving ebook on offer from 15th – 21st January. Check your local price.

This Arthurian retelling follows the tangled stories of four women: Nimue, Ygraine, Morgana, and Guinevere. These women fight to control their own destinies amid the wars and rivalries that will determine the destiny of Britain. The legendary epics of King Arthur and Camelot don’t tell the whole story. The chroniclers say Arthur’s mother Ygraine married the man that killed her husband. They say that Arthur’s half-sister Morgana turned to dark magic to defy him and Merlin. They say that the enchantress Nimue challenged Merlin and used her magic to outwit him. And that Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere ended in adultery, rebellion and bloodshed. Why did these women chose such dangerous paths?

As warfare and rivalries constantly challenge the king, Arthur and Merlin believe these women are destined to serve Camelot by doing as they are told. But men forget that women talk. Ygraine, Nimue, Morgana and Guinevere become friends and allies as decisions that shape their lives are taken out of their hands. This is their untold story. Now these women have a voice.

In local news, this household and assorted guests had a very enjoyable festive break. Now we’re adjusting to life since my husband retired on 31st December. So far, this January has seen a major and long-overdue sorting out of cupboards, drawers and wardrobes which has proved remarkably stress-free and very constructive, so that’s a big tick in the plus column, and a good few other things have been ticked off the Domestic To Do List as well. When the weather improves, we intend to make good use of his free time to travel around the country and to catch up with visiting friends we haven’t seen nearly enough of over this past couple of years.

In between sessions of shared household chores, I’ve been reading random books on folklore and a few other things. That’s prompted mulling over ideas for the next Green Man book in a relaxed, unfocused fashion as I sort and tidy. I now have several pages of notes outlining what promises to be an exciting story to write and to read later in the year.

Other projects on the Work To Do List include the Ampyrium shared-world project I’m part of alongside other ZNB authors, and the collection of my short stories to be published by NewCon Press in their Polestars series. There’s another potentially very interesting possibility under discussion – more to come on that in due course, hopefully. Then there’s Eastercon, WorldCon in Glasgow, and Fantasycon to come. I will also be continuing my work on the Society of Authors’ Management Committee, in the interests of all writers.

So we’re set fair for 2024. We are also keeping a weather eye on those folk beset by the many storms, real and metaphorical, that are swirling around so many people these days, and helping out where we can.

This month’s a busy one. On 15th October, I’ll be running an online writers’ workshop for the British Fantasy Society, looking at revising your own work. I’ll share examples of ‘before’ and ‘after’ drafts of a piece I wrote some years ago, and discuss the changes I made and why, to highlight the underlying principles of being your own editor. Full details here on the BFS website.

As I imagine you already know, The Green Man’s Quarry will be published on 21st October. You can pre-order paper editions from the Wizard’s Tower Press bookstore (UK only) which includes the ebook free.

You can pre-order ebook editions from your local Amazon, Barnes & Noble Nook in the US and Kobo. Paperback and hardback editions can also now be pre-ordered through Amazon and in the US from Barnes & Noble. Bookshops, chain and independent, should be able to order through their usual wholesalers.

We will be launching the book on the Friday evening before Bristolcon, 20th October, at the Hilton Doubletree hotel, Bristol. By the way, Wizard’s Tower Press are starting their own newsletter as social media fractures. You can sign up here for all their updates.

The first enthusiastic reviews are appearing on Goodreads – spoiler-free, which I very much appreciate.

Alas, I cannot stay to take part in Bristolcon on the Saturday. The diary gremlins have got me good and proper this year. I’ll be travelling to Sheffield to join dear friends as they celebrate a notable anniversary with family and friends, theirs and mine.

Looking further forward, I’ve selected the short stories for my Polestars collection, coming from NewCon Press. Choosing those and writing a short note for each one has been fascinating. More news on that in due course on the NewCon Press website.

Readers may recall the anthology Fight Like a Girl, from Kristell Ink. I’m delighted to say a second volume is on its way. Following extremely helpful feedback from the editors, I’ve revised my story and I am very pleased with it.

I’m currently working on my story for Ampyrium, the shared world project for the American small press ZNB, now that this year’s Kickstarter has funded. The open call for submissions for their other two 2024 anthologies, ‘Familiars’ and ‘Last-ditch’ has started and will run until December 31st. Remember, ZNB are committed to giving debut writers opportunities.

Looking back, long-standing pals may recall the days when I wrote a review column for Albedo One, Ireland’s foremost SFFH magazine, founded in 1993. As with so many genre publications, this has been a labour of love, and as happens for many reasons, the project has reached the end of this particular journey. Issue 50 is the final, valedictory, fiction edition, and that’s an honourable number for such a conclusion. My story is called ‘The End of the Road’, and you can buy the magazine through Amazon here.

Social media update: I’m using Twitter-as-was less and less as it becomes more and more pointless, and I look forward to the day when I can bin it, frankly. You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/jemck, on Bluesky @julietemckenna.bsky.social, and on Mastodon @JulietEMcKenna@wandering.shop.

And don’t forget, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

The Green Man’s Quarry will be published by Wizard’s Tower Press on 21st October 2023, following our launch on Friday evening 20th October at Bristolcon. Artwork once more by the supremely talented Ben Baldwin.

So what’s this story about? Here’s the cover copy…

“The Green Man sends Daniel Mackmain to stop threats from folklore making trouble in the everyday world. Now a naiad and dryad want him to deal with the big cat they’ve seen prowling in their woods. Reports like this turn up in the tabloid press from time to time, though no one has ever caught such a cat, or even found evidence of a large carnivore’s kills.

Can Dan discover the truth behind this modern myth before social media turns his hunt into an internet sensation? He knows that not all animals are what they seem. A huge cat which can appear and disappear without a trace must be more than meets the eye. Dan knows one thing for certain. He’s on the trail of a killer.’

Pre-orders are open. Here are the links so for. For more buy links as soon as they become available, check the Wizard’s Tower Press website.

You can pre-order ebook editions from:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
Amazon DE
Barnes & Noble (Nook) – USA only
Kobo

ISBNs
Paperback: 978-1-913892-64-7
Hardcover: 978-1-913892-65-4
EPUB: 978-1-913892-62-3
MOBI: 978-1-913892-63-0

Feel free to spread the word!

Cover art – Ben Baldwin

I’ll be heading off to Fantasycon in Birmingham (UK) shortly. If you’re there, feel free to say hello, even if we haven’t met before. I’ll have some copies of of the Green Man books so far with me. If you want to buy one or more of those, ping me on social media or catch me after a panel. I also have some sets of the Lescari and Hadrumal trilogies to give away to interested readers.

My programme is as follows:

Saturday 9.30 am – readings. I’ll have the title and draft cover for the next Green Man book to share, along with a short reading just to give those who can make it a taste… Plus a short reading from The Cleaving to give a flavour of the different approach I’m taking with this Arthurian retelling.

Saturday 11.30 am – Fantasy in Contemporary Times. This promises to be an excellent discussion.

Signing – straight after this panel, I’ll be heading for the Angry Robot table in the Dealers Room. They’ll have copies of The Cleaving for sale, and I’m happy to sign other books as well.

Saturday 2pm – The Muse. We’ll be exploring ways to sustain your creativity as a writer through a writing career.

It’s pretty much my ideal convention schedule. A chance to share new work, a couple of really interesting panels, and a good few programme items where I’ll be in the audience. Plus plenty of time for chatting about all and sundry to established pals and newly made friends.

For those who might be curious, this is what I’ll be doing over the Easter weekend, as well as seeing established pals, making new friends and a whole lot more interesting things besides.

If you’re at the convention, feel free to say hello, and I’m always happy to sign books and chat – as long as I’m not actually on my way to a panel.

Hey, you! Pay me!
Balmoral – Fri 12:00–13:00
Even the most experienced authors sometimes find invoices unpaid. Our panel talks about the art of valuing your work, and getting what you deserve – and some of the barriers to that.
With Wendy Bradley, Mike Brooks, John Jarrold

Readings: Adult Orientated and the Fantastical
Balmoral – Fri 19:30–20:30
With F. D. Lee, Sandra Bond and Wole Talabi
I’ll be reading from The Cleaving, and remember, Books on the Hill in the Dealers’ Room will have advance copies.

GoH Interview: I have the pleasure and privilege of talking to Kari Sperring about her work and her involvement with fandom, and doubtless other things as well.
Queens – Sat 12:00–13:00

Thirty-four years, and an interim survey
Sandringham – Sun 13:30–14:30
In 1989, Paul Kincaid surveyed working UK-based science fiction and fantasy writers, and wrote up the results for Mexicon. In 2009, Niall Harrison repeated the questionnaire, and wrote up the results for the BSFA, considering the changes in the SF field during those twenty years. We’re not quite due another iteration, but this panel will ask some current writers to answer some of the questions.
With Niall Harrison, Stew Hotston, Anne Charnock, Neil Williamson, Nina Allan

Adaptable Arthur
Queens – Sun 15:00–16:00
As a canon written by many authors down the ages, Arthuriana is uniquely flexible in letting you choose which version canon you want, and how you want to adapt it.
With Russell A Smith, Gillian Polack, Kari Sperring, James Bennett