Daynote - Wed 13 May 2026

Got up a bit late today after a slightly late night in town, but it was worth it for a brilliant event with Frances White for her new book THE BONE DOOR (Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon), in conversation with Hannah Kaner. It was a really great event, under the sunlit Edinburgh Castle, with a pizza with a writer pal beforehand and swift drinks with multiple writer pals afterwards.

I'll be back in the same location next Friday for a conversation with Callum McSorley about his new book, RAT RACE (Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon), which I'm really looking forward to. If you're a crime and thriller fan in Edinburgh, please do come along.

ON DECK: This morning was fairly productive given the late night, with -304 words cut over four chapters (though longer chapters than previous days). I'm making steady progress and it's so satisfying deleting and fixing and updating all the little continuity things that are hard to spot in the aggregate.

LISTENING: Loved this episode of SFFAddicts with Sunyi Dean, talking about 'writing for the reader experience' - it's a really interesting discussion about character, plot, stakes, tension and reader emotion.

READING: A bit more SLOW GODS by Claire North (Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon) on the train, which is still getting established. The prose, though, phew, it's fantastic.

LINK: Loved this piece by Caro Clarke at Portobello Literary about the nuts and bolts of working with a publisher PR team in 2026. A very, very good overview. Hat-tip to CL Hellisen for the link.

UP NEXT: A podcast recording today, another event tomorrow with Nick Binge and Gareth Brown, then another podcast on Friday and another podcast on Sunday. Phew! And hopefully, somewhere in there, I'll keep getting -300 to -500 words and a few chapters a day. Progress, adding up, one day after another.

Onward!