Silva Rerum

My blog has been linked to a blog written by Iain Rowan, an author who lives in the north-east of England, near the sea... but what perplexed me is 'it is not near enough' according to him ;p.

Thank you Iain.

Like the great Polish journalist and author; Ryszard Kapuscinski who passed away last few weeks, I agree with him that the world is silva rerum: 'the forest of things' - and he believed that "to capture it you have to penetrate it as completely as possible".

The forest of things.

To capture and penetrate it as completely as possible.

Below are the info about Iain Rowan's website (www.iainrowan.com)

Not forgetting, the TWO MUST-SEE VIDEOS posted on his website; THINGS I LIKE TODAY and DRUMTASTIC.

I write novels and short stories. My short stories have been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. My novel ‘One of Us’ was shortlisted for the 2006 Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger. You can read the first chapter here. I’m represented by the literary agents Gregory and Company, and am working on revisions to ‘One of Us’ with them.

The novel is based on a short story of the same name, which was first published in Alfred Hitchcock’s, and will be reprinted in the anthology Best New Noir. I’ve also written a young adult novel, ‘Sea Change’, but have put that on hold for the time being while I concentrate on crime fiction.

Since the end of 2001 I’ve had over thirty short stories published in various anthologies and magazines, including Alfred Hitchcock’s, Ellery Queen’s, Postscripts, Polyphony, Black Gate, and the Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases. Full details are in the bibliography to the right.

I’ve not written much short fiction in 2006, but ‘Here Comes The New Way’ has been taken by Postscripts, and ‘Welcome to the Underworld’ and ‘From the Heart of the Earth to the Peaks of the Sky’ have been taken by Black Gate.

If you want to read any of my short fiction, some of it is available online, and can be found via the bibliography. One of my stories, “The Remains Of My Estate” was originally published in Handheld Crime, which is no longer a going concern, so I have republished it here. Here are quick links to some other stories: Chairman of the Bored, One Step Closer, The Moth, and Game On

I’ve also put some of the flash fiction that I’ve written online here.

‘One of Us’ will be reprinted in Best New Noir, and ‘Lilies’ was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society’s Best Short Story of 2004, and was chosen for reprinting in the ‘Best New Horror 16’ anthology. ‘Driving In Circles’ was shortlisted for the BFS 2006 awards, and ‘One Step Closer’ won the 2005 Derringer Award (Best short story, mid-length).

Non-fiction: I’ve written book reviews for Infinity Plus and Project Pulp. I interviewed Mike Ashley, researcher, anthologist and Algernon Blackwood’s biographer for Infinity Plus. I’ve edited the Fall 2005 issue of the noir/hardboiled crime zine Hardluck Stories. I’m also currently contributing fiction and non-fiction articles to a literacy project for grade 3-9 children in the US.