Bones under our Feet

 I write about other worlds, and other species. In reality, though, are such things likely?

 Physics says yes. If life can begin it will begin. NASA says there are over a million hi-tech civilisations in our galaxy alone. Biology says no. Life on Earth had to survive so many setbacks, jump through so many hoops, that the chance of another spacefaring species emerging is almost nil.

And out there we see nothing, hear nothing. No signals, no relics, no ruins, no energy leaks. Zilch.

 There are lots of theories as to why. One says that we're alone after all, the single spark of intelligence in the universe. Another says these cultures do arise... but then they fall. All of them. So then we ask why, because we can imagine things that might end a species like that - a nearby supernova, a supervolcano on the home world, a meteor strike, and so on. But none of those would finish EVERY civilisation. That totality points to something deliberate. Something that hunts and destroys.

 It doesn't really matter. Whatever it is, it must happen to species just as they emerge into space,because otherwise we'd see some evidence of them. Huge solar sails that change the light signatures of a star, for example. We don't, so disaster must occur before they're built - and that means we humans are barrelling straight at it.

 It's not a nice image, is it? A galaxy full of ghosts. Ruins on world after world, haunted by the people who built them and then died out. If humans ever did get out there we'd be crunching bones under our feet with every step. It's very dark, very despairing... but it draws me. Non-human species crying out from the past, speaking through fragmentary inscriptions and the buildings they left, while others try to piece together who they were.

 Quite an image, and it works as well in Fantasy as in SF. And in both genres, a bit of creativity in the plot might mean the dead aren't quite that dead after all.

A Chapter of Authors

 Well, you win some, you lose some.

 The book launch in Tiverton was a bit of a disaster. Snow started falling in the morning and nobody left home, the whole town centre was empty. I turned up anyway - I'd hate to default and then have people come to the event - but nobody showed. Given the snow I'd expected it. God was not playing ball.

 Still, it was great to meet Kayleigh, who runs liznojan bookstore. I'll be going there again on May 4th for a sort of mini-Comicon of Fantasy and SF authors, several local indies all in one place.Either heaven or a nightmare, right? I don't even know the collective noun for a group of authors. A bicker, maybe. Or a chapter of authors. That sounds pretty good, actually. But I digress (again). In June we hope to have an event at liznojan, and perhaps elsewhere, as part of Tiverton Literary Festival. So the launch itself was a bust, but some good things have come of it.

 Meanwhile, I've had two weeks off work and decided to focus on writing How The Stars Shine. I wanted to get through 15,000 words in that fortnight and actually managed 21,000. When the work flows like that it's as though words are drifting down from the skies, falling out of the ether onto the page. It's why I write, for that buzz. It even makes editing and redrafting worth the effort.

 Well, sort of. I've really had to fight Stars for much of the draft. It's wanted to screw off in directions I hadn't planned but it's good, it works, even though it's been like trying to wrestle a bear. I'm coming towards the end now. It's a first draft and obviously rough at the edges, but it's the best thing I've ever done, by far.

 So it should be, eh? If I don't sometimes make a PB I might start to think my best is behind me, hehe.

 When this is done, I'm going to spend some time working on the publicity side. The books aren't selling especially well, so I need to advertise better than I have done. Not what I want to be doing, but it is what it is. As an indie you have to take control of every side of publishing (that's a hint, traditional publishers, help me out here). Ho hum. I just hope that I can be back on a draft again soon, wrestling that bear.

 Have a good spring holiday, everyone, and take care.