I always start to feel more alive once February gets into double figures. And the ice is starting to move at last on some long-frozen projects, including a summer book I shelved at the start of winter, but which is beginning to show signs of green shoots again. I’m also doing more in-person events for the SOA and the ALCS, including attending the SOA Translation Prizes at the British Library last year. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you for giving me the chance to discover so many amazing new authors. The #Storytime Band and I just did a gig in Ravenscourt, London, alongside the stellar John Hackett Band: we had a great time, it was a terrific audience, and it gave us the morale-boost we needed to start recording the new CD. Watch this space! BROKEN LIGHT now has a jacket design, and my publicity team at Orion is working on the book tour in May; I’ll be adding dates between now and then, so if you’d like to attend and event, check out if there’s one in your area. And I’m doing something else, too – something very much out of my comfort zone. I’m keeping quiet about it for the moment, but I’ll be free to talk about very soon.

And as Valentine’s Day approaches, and if, like me, you’d rather stay in and read a book, here are a couple of special offers:

FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE and HOLY FOOLS, both for just 99p on Amazon Kindle UK. Enjoy!

And for fans of short stories and fantasy, do watch out for this book, in which my little story is in most excellent company…