Literally Lyndsey

Happy New Year! Another slight deviation from the usual newsletter format, but wanted to take the chance at the start of the year to reflect on some 2024 highlights, and look at what’s coming up in 2025!

Writing Highlights of 2024!

• My debut collection and first full-length book Limelight and Other Stories was published by Shortwave Publishing! It received some cool reviews including in Book Riot, Lit Hub, FanFiAddict (which called it the “must read collection of the year”), and was one of The Skinny Mag’s Best Books of 2024. I can’t tell you how much I loved working with Shortwave again!

• I held my first sold-out book launch at Argonaut Books in Edinburgh for Limelight, chaired by author and friend Katalina Watt!

• Published The Girl With Barnacles for Eyes in Tenebrous Press' Split Scream Volume Five alongside Bitter Karella, edited by Alex Ebenstein. I love this series and the split novelette concept, so it was great to be a part of this.

• Quite unexpectedly signed with a film and TV agent, Sean Berard at Grandview/Untitled Entertainment.

• Although I parted ways with a previous literary agent in February which brought some slight writing life upheavals, I’m happy to share I signed with a new agent in December (more details soon!) Looking forward (ish) to going on submission again in January - I’m hoping it will be fourth time on sub the charm!

• Published a lucky thirteen new short stories/flash fiction and a few reprints, including in dream mags like Apex Magazine, Analog, Weird Tales, and PseudoPod.

• Drafted deep sea book, a near future eco-horror set in a deep sea station, with weird biology, conspiracy and a claustrophobic setting where everyone is hiding something. It was the hardest thing I've written so far, but I think also some of my best work - 2025 will be for finishing and polishing, and hopefully, submissions!

• Wrote a new dark sci fi novella and have some possible exciting things happening with a different horror novella…!

• Chaired a panel and hosted Shoreline of Infinity’s Event Horizon at Cymera Fest in June.

• Attended my first WorldCon, which was such a great and energising week! I got to meet many online writing friends which was a joy, was on my first con panel, did my first signing, saw my book in Waterstones for first time, and attended various events and other exciting things with so many brilliant and talented writer pals. I think I’m a Con-Convert and hope to attend a couple in 2025!

• Attended a number of book launches for friends and folks from my ESFF writing group which was such a highlight - it’s so lovely to have such a brilliant community in Edinburgh (and beyond!)

• Ran my first workshop at Cymera Fest’s writers conference in November, and then ran it again online for Elegant Lit. I really enjoyed it and hope to do more in future.

• Joined author Lorraine Wilson for an event at Waterstones on Digital Dystopias.

Reading Highlights of 2024

I read around 60 books this year, which I was pretty happy with! It’s really hard to choose favourites as I genuinely enjoyed the vast majority of them for different reasons, but here are some that stuck with me (in order of when I read them!)

• Skin Thief: Stories by Suzan Palumbo. I absolutely loved this collection. I'd read the author's short fiction before, and this collection included some familiar ones but also introduced me to more fantastic stories. Each tale was so well crafted and beautifully written, exploring complex themes, like bodily autonomy, power and who wields it, and identity, through the surreal, weird, and uncanny. My favourite was the novelette Kill Jar, but there were so many standout stories in different genres, like Tesselated and Her Voice, Unmasked, that made the whole book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. One of the best collections I've read!

• In Ascension by Martin MacInnes. If I had to pick one favourite book that stuck out to me this year, it would probably be this one. Following the life and career of a microbiologist, we’re thrown straight into a mystery, and led along various discoveries and dilemmas that throw the entire cosmos into question. Absolute mind-bending brilliance, and so well deserving of all the accolades it’s had! Still mulling on the theme months later.

• Frontier by Grace Curtis. Amazing worldbuilding, and characters full of charm, warmth, and humour. Loved this sci fi read - the comparison to Becky Chambers (one of my favourite authors) was definitely accurate. It also read at times like a video game, getting to see various side stories and character journeys, which I loved too.

• She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa. I read this just around the time I brought home my kitten Pippin, which made it even more of a lovely read. These are all interconnected short stories about women and their cats, and the ways they help shape their lives. Very wholesome and enjoyable read.

• Hel’s Eight by Stark Holborn. The second in The Factus Sequence and just as great as the first, Ten Low. This is exactly the kind of sci fi I love - amazing worldbuilding, political intrigue, high stakes and hijinks, and defiant and complex characters to really root for. Looking forward to reading book three soon!

• Different Kinds of Defiance by Renan Bernardo. This collection is a brilliant read full of heart - we see characters explore alternate futures, brimming with hope, rebellion, and defiance. I loved the excerpts between stories explaining the inspiration, and the way a number of the stories linked together, making it feel like a cohesive narrative throughout.

• The Day of the Door by Laurel Hightower. This brilliant horror book was pacy, chilling, and so absorbing. The whole concept around the paranormal investigation and the tense family dynamics were perfectly (and terrifyingly) executed - every horror fan needs to read it!

• Ghost Apparent by Jelena Dunato. I was lucky enough to get an advance read of this to blurb, and it was a pleasure to. Dunato's writing sings from the page in this darkly fantastical tale of political intrigue, vengeance, and trickster gods. It is a great read both as a prequel to the excellent novel Dark Woods, Deep Water, and as a standalone for those new to the world of Abia.

• Woodworm by Layla Martínez. I picked this up on a bit of a whim as I loved the cover, and then read it in a day. It follows a mother and daughter living together in a cursed house, with various things hidden from one another (and the reader). I really loved how this unravelled, and at times it reminded me of Shirley Jackson.

• Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead. This was such a cool concept, exploring a woman as she awakes from cryostasis and takes up a role on a Colony Ark, now facing a dilemma of who will be building the new world. Lyrical, beautiful, philosophical, moving, and inventive - I'll be thinking on this story for a while! (More novels in verse please!)

• Time’s Ellipse by Frasier Armitage. Pulled me immediately into its orbit and didn't let go. This book really felt like it achieved a one of a kind structure and world, spanning planets and generations, equal parts pacy and thoughtful. Every section was full of interesting characters, and emotional and philosophical questions explored masterfully. Bleak at times, hopeful in other parts, venturing into all elements of the human spirit.

• The Bone Diver by Angie Spoto. Beautiful and haunting, oozing with gothic atmosphere. Loved this, from the setting, to the characters, to the folkloric influences - a really unique take on the selkie myth. A must read for folklore and gothic horror fans.

• Gorse by Sam K. Horton. What a pleasure it was to venture into the undermoor in Gorse, a darkly and beautifully folkloric tale, full of magic-infused landscapes, superstitions that divide, and compelling characters.

• Dragonfall by L.R. Lam. This one had been on my tbr for too long, and my only regret is that I didn’t come to it sooner! This was an exceedingly fun fantasy with twists and turns, very cool worldbuilding and characters that I loved. I’m excited to read the follow up soon!

• A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman. This isn’t my usual genre, but it was such a thrilling read. I was promised tension and explosions by the author, and it certainly delivered - a masterclass in twists and thrills, with a killer concept.

• Extremophile by Ian Green. I was immediately hooked into this book from the first pages, and it was brilliant all the way through with the hooky (and worrying!) bio-tech concepts mixed with a pacy whirlwind of a plot. Timely maybe that I read it in October, and it got me thinking about radical politics and resistance, the power of community and found families, and finding hope amidst chaos. And ooft the last chapter really hit home. A must read for fans of biopunk or cyberpunk, or anyone looking for a wee bit of hope in ecological fiction!

• We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson - I had read this book as an early reader, but it was such a pleasure to dive back into it again as I was on a panel with the author to talk digital dystopias. The second read gave me an even deeper appreciation for the powerful concept, poignant and stunning prose, and the unique folkloric blended with sci-fi worldbuilding which makes this book such a special one. Plus, a digital ghost cat and beekeeping, with loads of nature and ecology themes, it really was a book so up my street. I also read Mother Sea and The Last To Drown by Lorraine Wilson in 2024, and would recommend those too.

• Cicada by Tanya Pell. I didn't know I needed a giant cicada horror in my life, but this book scratched a particular itch - familiar tropes I love with surprises thrown in, and a great cast of characters. An absolutely brilliant and wild ride! Fun, pacy, and cinematic - couldn't put it down.

• From These Dark Abodes by Lyndsie Manusos. This was a labyrinthian puzzle of a book that drew me in with its oozing-with-atmosphere setting, the beautifully written body horror, and the growing horrifying story as the character’s story unravels. A gothic delight!

• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. This was my last read of the year and one I picked up after some short reads recommendations from a friend, and I sped through it. A sci fi gem full of interesting concepts and a poignant exploration of power and conflict. I’ve already downloaded the next book in the series to explore this world more in 2025!

Other 2024 Highlights

Pippin! Undeniable highlight of 2024 has been bringing Pippin home in March. He’s 1 years old today (happy birthday Pip!) and although he has brought a lot of chaos to my wee flat, he has also been a total joy. He’s also grown ridiculously, including his tail which really deserves its own feature. The perfect not-so-wee kitten.

Crafting and collabs: I’ve been trying my hand at some other creative pursuits over the last year, and one highlight has been learning linocut printing from a friend. We then collabed to put together zines, them doing the art, and me providing the words. We had a wee stall, sold zines, books and art which was a lot of fun. I’ve also been enjoying improving the lino skills and even put my hand to some Christmas gifts for family in December (which seem to have gone down well!)

Work/Life Balance! 2024 started off with a fairly new full-time job which while it ended up being interesting, it was also quite intense and time and brain demanding. So for most of 2024, my writing slowed down quite significantly, and I mostly had to focus on editing existing projects and doing whatever admin I could around the job. I did get to go on two cool international trips, to Istanbul and Mexico, meeting climate scientists from around the world which was really a career highlight. But, when I was approached about a different (3 day a week) job, I made the choice in August to go for it, and try to dedicate more time to my writing and see how it goes. A few months in now, I’m still figuring out what this looks like, as I’ve picked up some freelance stuff alongside writing things to keep the bills paid, but my New Years Resolution is to structure my days a bit better. Overall, I’m pretty sure it’s been a good shift for me.

Music and Musicals! Went to some brilliant gigs and musicals in 2024. Musicals: I finally saw Hadestown and Hamilton, and then a childhood favourite Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Music: I nabbed a last minute ticket to The Eras Tour to see Taylor Swift which was amazing, and also went to a fantastic gig seeing Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane. My friends and I also went to see Twilight Live in Concert which was a lot of fun. I’m definitely keen to go to more live music in 2025 - I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it (despite my slight crowd claustrophobia which sometimes puts me off!)

Ghosts…! Did I mention two of my pals set up the International Ghost Society in Edinburgh? They put on loads of events, not always ghost related, but going along to those has definitely been a highlight in the last year. I’ve been to a coffee shop exorcism, a cemetery tour, a ghostly 1st birthday party (I made cakes), did spooky crafting, attended a robot vacuum fight club (exactly what it says on the tin), and took part in a ganzfeld effect experiment…a spooktacular way to spend some time this year!

Coming up in 2025!

• New book coming! Can’t quite believe it’s snuck up so fast, but I’m super excited that my second collection Dark Crescent of stories inspired by Scottish folklore will be published in June by Luna Press Publishing. I’ve recently seen the cover by an incredible artist and it’s beyond my wildest dreams! Can’t wait to share it!

• Short Stories: I have two new stories forthcoming in ParSec Magazine and Analog SF - will share links as and when!

• Writing plans: I’m currently working on edits on space hijinks glitz and guts book to go on sub (soon hopefully!), and then I’ll be back into deep sea book deep edits, as well as possibly editing a new dark SF novella (depending on how a thing I’m waiting on pans out…I say cryptically). I’m also going to plan to write a new short or flash fiction each month, and then I may dip into a new novel if I’m feeling brave (tbc!)

• Reading: I’m sticking to my reading goals from last year, and I’ve just spent time this week organising my TBR pile to tackle all the books staring at me from my bookshelves! I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and an advanced copy of Awakened by Laura Elliot. In January, I’m looking forward to a few new books from writer friends also, like The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell (28th Jan) (I read an early version and can’t wait to revisit the world), Lightfall by Ed Crocker (14th Jan), and Deathbound by Heather Palmer (7th Jan).