Daynote - Thu 18 Dec
Back in the New Town.
The above photo was taken at ten to nine in the morning in the middle of Edinburgh. It's dark right now. I'm in the city for a day job day, a festive lunch and a tiny bit of present shopping. So, no walk this morning, but a not-too-busy commuter train, a coffee and a nice view.
ON DECK: A solid 1,105 words this morning, split 70/30 between my usual writing session and a tiny bit of writing on the train, since I had to cut my usual time short to get into town. But I got it done. I don't commute a lot (for which I am truly thankful), but it's nice to know when I do I can still get some words down.
LISTENING: Another excellent Coode Street episode this morning, this time with Ray Nayler, author of THE MOUNTAIN IN THE SEA.
WATCHING: Last night we watched MOONHAVEN, which I'd added to my Netflix watchlist a few days ago because, basically, I add any new SF as soon as I see it. But then I saw this article by Solarpunk Stories going around on Bluesky suggesting that this show might be something special, so we bumped it up the queue and watched the first episode last night.
It is excellent - truly different from most television SF in how it approaches worldbuilding, dialogue, character and more. At its core it's a murder mystery, but it is a fascinating setting full of the kind of SF storytelling you'd normally only find in the more literary end of science fiction novels and short fiction. It got a single season on AMC in 2022 and then was cancelled due to studio buyout shenanigans (despite great ratings and critical reception). And allegedly Netflix are considering making more of it. If you like thoughtful SF, solarpunk vibes or just something unusual and different, definitely give it a go.
READING: More of my friend's novel and I'm heading into the final third now. I've no idea what it's going and I'm intrigued to find out.
LINK: It's just about Christmas time, and if you've been eyeing up the paperback of A RELUCTANT SPY, it's currently heavily discounted at Amazon (£6.36 when I last looked). Grab a copy here (affiliate link) quick, since it looks like stock is currently low. And if they run out or you'd prefer to support a local independent bookshop, you can also get a copy from Bookshop.org (affiliate link).
UP NEXT: One more day of writing, then I'll be done for the year and I can start making graphs and writing blog posts and putting together my final newsletter. We're nearly there.
Onward!