Varjojen lumo, coming soon!

Here's some info on the anthology of Gothic stories I've been talking about. We're in the last round of edits now, and the anthology will be coming out in September. My contribution is called "Kun nokkoset kukkivat" ("When Nettles Bloom" in English). As the anthology is in Finnish, so is the announcement, sorry. 

Here's a link to the publisher's website: http://www.vaskikirjat.fi/varjojenlumo.html if you want to check it out. 

Katri Alatalo (toim.): Varjojen lumo - suomalaisia goottinovelleja

ILMESTYY SYYSKUUSSA!
Mielen salaperäisimmät ja synkimmät piirteet ovat aina kiehtoneet ihmisiä. Goottilaisia tarinoita on julkaistu 1700-luvulta alkaen, ja niistä löytyvät myös kauhukirjallisuuden juuret. Nykyisin gotiikan kuvastolla on merkittävä osa kirjallisuudessa ja populaarikulttuurissa.
Varjojen lumo kokoaa ensimmäistä kertaa yhteen suomalaisten kirjoittajien goottinovelleja. Antologia sisältää 12 aiemmin julkaisematonta tarinaa, joissa suku on pahin ja vanhojen, hämyisten talojen kellareihin sekä ullakoille on kätketty synkkiä salaisuuksia. Novelleissa liikutaan eri maissa ja aikakausissa, ja ihmisten keskuudessa vaanii yliluonnollisia olentoja. Keskeisiksi hahmoiksi nousevat myös jylhät, rappeutuneet rakennukset, kuten linnat, kartanot, sairaalat ja maatilat.
Luvassa on tummia sävyjä ja jännittäviä mysteerejä - kauhulla ja romantiikalla maustettuna.
Jos jotain kirjoitatte, kirjoittakaa rakkaudesta.
- Milka Hakkarainen: Reaktorirakkautta

Antologian on toimittanut Katri Alatalo, ja se sisältää seuraavat novellit:
Marko Järvinen: Talo nummien keskellä
Henna Sinisalo: Salaisuus vahassa
Samu Kaarna: Luutnantti Mielfeldin viimeinen matka
Minerva Piha: Toiset kädet
Inkeri Kontro: Neiti Fridenstenin päiväkirja
M. G. Soikkeli: Verivelvolliset
Susanna Hynynen: Tulevan suven morsian
Artemis Kelosaari: Se mistä ei voi puhua
Marika Riikonen: Ei aina käy kuin elävissä kuvissa
Edith Arkko: Karannut sielu
Anna Salonen: Kun nokkoset kukkivat
Milka Hakkarainen: Reaktorirakkautta

Kirjassa on myös Markku Soikkelin kirjoittama esipuhe Gotiikka tyylinä ja perinteenä.

Easter Break

Easter was supposed to be a four-day mini-vacation for me, but I actually ended up working most of it. Due to the winter vomiting bug going around, I had to do an extra shift on Saturday, which of course I found out about fifteen minutes before leaving work on Thursday. Thanks a lot, norovirus. I also missed out on board game night on Friday because I was so tired that I needed to rest up to make it through Saturday's shift. Not exactly what I had in mind.

The rest of this weekend's work was a lot more fun: edits for Mrs Rochester's Attic and the Finnish Gothic anthology! You learn so much from working with an editor, and I enjoy the challenge of coming up with solutions to the issues that emerge. Sometimes it feels like a story is unfixable and editing is like wading through molasses, but then something clicks or you wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, and off you go again. When you finish and the next draft is miles better than what you started with, it's a great feeling.

 I also decided to finally finish reading The Scarlet Letter, which I've been reading for a ridiculously long time considering its length. The archaic language and the subject matter is just not doing it for me, but there's only about fifty pages left, so time to power through. I can't believe they make kids (teens?) read this for school in the US. Post coming up soon, though. This won't go on my list of favourites, I can tell you that right now.

Well, time to salvage what's left of the holiday. I'm thinking bubble bath, honeydew melon slices, and an Anne McCaffrey novel, possibly something in the Talent saga. (Not very Eastery, I know . . . Maybe if I add a few chocolate eggs?)

Oh, and did you see the first episode of Doctor Who's new season? I liked the new companion, Bill, but for me something's been missing since the Tennant days. It feels like the show is just steadily okay now instead of every episode being awesome. (Wham-episodes we used to call them back in the day.) I never really warmed up to Capaldi's Doctor. Apparently Kris Marshall is taking over. I was kind of hoping for a female Doctor this time around, but you can't have everything. Moffat is also leaving after season 10, so the show will be very different after that. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens?

Hope you had a nice holiday if you celebrate Easter where you live. There is something very satisfying about not having to go to work on Monday, anyway.  

Good News Comes in Threes?

More good news: my story "Kun nokkoset kukkivat" (When Nettles Bloom) was accepted to the Finnish anthology of Gothic stories! Yay!