Some exciting news this week – The Silver Wind is going to be published in France! I’ve just received the contract from Editions Tristram – just take a look at their incredible back catalogue and you’ll begin to understand how delighted and honoured I feel to be on their books – and all being well the French edition will be out in August.
As well as Sylvie Martigny and Jean-Hubert Gailliot at Editions Tristram, the person I have to thank for this is the translator Bernard Sigaud. Absolutely no stranger to British SF, Bernard has translated works by J. G. Ballard, Iain Banks, Paul McAuley and M. John Harrison among others, and first came into contact with my work when he translated my story ‘Microcosmos’ for the French SF magazine Lunatique. He subsequently made an enquiry about translating The Silver Wind, approaching the publisher personally and finally bringing the project to fruition in the latter stages of last year. I cannot thank Bernard enough for his commitment and enthusiasm – this literally would not have happened without him.
In addition to the five stories that make up the English edition, the French edition of The Silver Wind will also feature the story ‘Darkroom’, first published in Elastic Press’s Subtle Edens anthology in 2009. ‘Darkroom’ saw the first ever appearance of Martin Newland, the central character in the Silver Wind stories, and once again it was Bernard Sigaud who spotted the connection, and asked that this additional ‘Martin’ story be included. I was only too happy to agree!
While I’m here, just a quick note to add that you can now read an online extract from my story ‘Seeing Nancy’, which features in the Guest Writer spot over at Paul Kane’s website Shadow Writer. If you like what you see, you can find the rest of it in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, edited by Marie O’Regan and featuring stories by Alison Littlewood, Sarah Pinborough. Kim Lakin Smith, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Lisa Tuttle among many others.
Working on: a third draft of something… (Going well, though, so it’s a happy third draft.)
Listening to: By the Blue, by Rosie Brown.
Just about to start reading: The Drowning Girl, by Caitlin R. Kiernan.
Walking in: West Norwood Cemetery – just two of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ left to go now, Nunhead and Tower Hamlets.
