Personal Update

Well, my back is a lot better now and I can walk normally again! I'm also re-starting my exercise regime, but taking it easy to begin with. Thanks for the well-wishes, my friends.

Two other pieces of personal news. Firstly, I am now a councillor on Loreburn Community Council. I represent my local neighbourhood, and am also focussing on environmental issues. The role is voluntary, so doesn't help to pay the bills. Speaking of which ...

I also got a job! As many of you know, I had a good career as a professional librarian but gradually left it behind to focus on writing. However, it's hard to make a living this way. Very hard. Unless you are a big name author then too few people know about your work in order to generate the sales and word of mouth buzz that are needed to earn even a minimum wage living. So I applied for a job and had my first interview in twenty years, and was offered the post. The role is just part time, but fits my interest and timetable: film projectionist at a local arts centre cinema and museum! I haven't started yet but am really looking forward to it. I'm a big fan of good storytelling regardless of medium, so it will be fun to be involved with the magic of cinema.

I'm also working hard on From Idea To Item. The concept has grown from a short booklet to a much more substantial tome as I think of more things I want to say! You can still back the project on Kickstarter - only four days to go if you'd like to do that. This is the current chapter listing:

Recommendations Corner!

I like to promote other people's work when I think it's worthy of wider appreciation. Pay it forward, kind of. So here are two mind-bending recommendations.

Firstly, if you're in the mood for a sci-fi novel with some concepts you've not encountered before, have a look at There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (also known as Sam Hughes). I originally read some of his excellent short stories, then saw this book and the blurb got me interested:

An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it.
Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you tried: complex equations, very boring passages of text, large blocks of random numbers, and dreams...
But anomalous antimemes are another matter entirely. How do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight a war against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war?
Welcome to the Antimemetics Division.
No, this is not your first day.

I don't like to ruin surprises so won't say more at this stage, but if you like the idea of secret government organisations dedicated to fighting utterly alien things they can't even remember or record details about, then give it a go. I also love qntm's approach of making every chapter a stand-alone story that is also part of a larger, time-spanning narrative. It's a book that deserves more than one reading, and recently one of my friends has read it and it's led to all sorts of excited discussions. :-)

You can buy a copy from Amazon or anywhere else, or buy the ebook direct from the author, or even just read it for free.

My second recommendation is a film that I knew nothing about when I started watching it (which can sometimes lead to the best surprises!). Enemy (2013), starring Jake Gyllenhaal. I now know it is based on José Saramago's 2002 novel, The Double.

It started off slow, and a bit strange, but I became invested in the many questions that kept forming in my head as I wondered about the significance of tiny details. There's a slight surrealism to it, so that sometimes it isn't clear exactly what's real. And then there's a particular scene that just made me ask, "What the fuck?" I then thought about the film for the rest of the evening and all the next day, wanting to talk to someone about it and how they interpreted certain parts. Again, I won't say any more, but highly recommend it if you like to talk about what you've seen with other people. The film should be on major streaming services, though is also apparently on this website.

Lastly, for anyone who has seen Enemy, I enjoyed reading these articles afterwards, as they all picked up on different elements of the film. Do not read these if you intend to watch the film, they are MAJOR spoilers! One, Two, Three, Four.

Reply to this if you have any recommendations of books or films. Maybe I'll include them in a future newsletter!

Thanks for reading, I hope you are having a lovely summer!

Karl

If you're so inclined, have a look at my books, or join me on Discord for a chat. You can also reply to this email if you want to contact me.

Something is changing ...

July: Bad Backs And New Books

June: Green Potentials And Blue Meanies

Onwards And Upwards

Paperbacks: Finding Solace