Missing an extra corner

16 February 2026

I’m delighted to announce that my short story Missing Meriel has been accepted for publication in the inaugural issue of The Fifth Corner, a new Canadian literary magazine of dark and unsettling fiction.

Give or take a hat

14 February 2026

I’m delighted to announce that my 50-word story Hat Trick has been published in 50 Give or Take (from Vine Leaves Press). Click here to read it.

How to grow the best wheat

11 February 2026

I’m delighted to announce that Wheat Futures has been selected to appear in the Best of British Science Fiction 2025, which is forthcoming from NewCon Press and available to pre-order in print and e-book editions. The line-up of authors assembled by editor Donna Scott is nothing short of stellar, so I particularly thrilled to see my story, which is one of my personal favourites, close out this anthology.

This will my second appearance in this series, as my story Those We Leave Behind was included in the 2022 edition. The thrill of seeing my fiction rub shoulders with the work of such illustrious authors will never grow old.

Wheat Futures originally appeared in The Growers anthology published by NewMyths.

How to read the future of wheat

10 February 2026

If you are a BSFA member and would like to consider my story Wheat Futures for nomination in the British Science Fiction Association Awards (2025) Short Fiction category, you can read a taster here. If you would like to receive a reading copy of the complete story, please follow the instructions at the bottom of that webpage, or use this website’s comment form, or reach out to me on my social media. (In all cases, state your BSFA membership number.) The deadline for nominations is 19 February and the longlist/voting link is here.

Growing wheat has a long future

23 January 2026

I’m delighted to announce that my story Wheat Futures has been long-listed in the British Science Fiction Association Awards (2025) Short Fiction category. My thanks go to everyone who nominated it. I encourage all BSFA members to vote for their favourites, to give them a chance to appear in the final shortlists. If anyone would like to receive a reading copy of Wheat Futures, so they can consider voting for it, please use this website’s contact form or reach out to me on my social media.

No gap in the market

22 January 2026

My drabble God of the Gaps has been included in Manawaker Studio’s annual collection titled 100×100 Volume 4, which is now available to purchase in e-book and print editions. (This story was previously available only to Manawaker Studio’s patreons.)

That was the year that was (2025 edition)

2025 was a fairly quiet year overall, but with a couple of definite highlights.

The first of those bright spots was finally seeing one of my favourite (of my own) short stories published. Wheat Futures (a distant sequel to Bee Futures) appeared in The Growers, a farming-themed anthology from NewMyths.com. It’s been a long haul for that story, but well worth the wait. The other highlight was having a French translation of my alternate history, Those We Leave Behind, reprinted in Galaxies Science-Fiction #89. There’s a wonderful story about why the editor loved this story so much. The upshot is that I’m two degrees of separation from a famous Soviet cosmonaut of the 1960s. Read more about this on the 3 February news item below.

I received five acceptances for micro-fiction and poems this year. God of the Gaps appeared in 100 Word Project, Safewords for Sexbots in the Shacklebound Books Newsletter, and my poem Gravity Game in Jupiter (a Sourav Sarkar anthology). One of my acceptances from last year, a reprint of Laying the Table, will appear on the Milford SF Writers Christmas blog on 23 December. I withdrew one of the other accepted drabbles for purely personal reasons, while Hat Trick should appear in 50 Give or Take early next year. I have also had two poems accepted for reprinting in the BSFA Focus magazine.

On the writing front, my new short fiction pieces have mostly been drabbles. I have also completed the first draft of a new novel, which my alpha reader liked, albeit it needs a lot of work (as my first drafts always do). I have continued to market my earlier novel and will do so again next year.

This year I self-published a new collection of my short stories, Those We Leave Behind and other Stories, in e-book and print-on-demand formats. Most of the stories have been previously published, although the book includes a couple of originals. It’s received some excellent reviews on Amazon, but it is also available from other online markets.

Please continue to support the efforts of genuine (i.e. no use of AI) writers and artists – and visit my website regularly for news.

Focus on returning to space

15 December 2025

I’m delighted to announce that my space-themed poems Venera 9 and Gravity Game will be reprinted in the British Science Fiction Association’s Focus magazine. I’ll post more information in due course.

Laying the table for Christmas

15 December 2025

I’m delighted to announce that my flash-length story Laying the Table will be reprinted in the Milford SF Writers’ blog on 23 December.

Safe to read for robots

15 November 2025

I’m delighted to announce that Shacklebound Books have published my flash fiction Safewords for Sexbots in their latest newsletter. The newsletter, which includes flash fiction and Shacklebound’s publication news, is free to subscribe to here.

This is my 60th original story to see publication.

A pair of quintuple stars

14 October 2025

My most recent collection, Those We Leave Behind and other stories, has received a couple of excellent (5*) reviews on Amazon:

“I am very impressed, not least because several of his stories really made me think … I recommend them to any thoughtful reader of science fiction.”

“An entertaining selection of short and accessible Sci-Fi stories with a good variety of themes, characters and settings”

The ebook costs just £0.99 at the UK Amazon site. It is also available to purchase from other online marketplaces.

It’s magic!

8 October 2025

I’m delighted to announce that my 50-word fantasy story “Hat Trick” has been accepted by 50 Give or Take (Vine Leaves Press). It will appear in #1926.