Its been a crap January 2024 in our house then. We all had new covid which hit us way worse that old covid ever did, and Bri my 85 year-old dad-in-law who we co-care for is still in hospital with the after-effects of it. We hope he will be able to come home next week so fingers crossed. Spent my birthday in bed with a banging headache, high temperature and no sense of taste worrying about everyone else, which was not fun. As an asthmatic who was luckily not adversely effected by previous bouts, and who kept up-to-date with all the jabs, it seems weird that, this time, it triggered strange after effects like an awful, lingering cough and intermittent bouts of total exhaustion.Feel like I’m starting to emerge from it now though, so blogging in here with what’s been occurring writing wise by way of cheering myself up and jogging myself on. I didn’t sub much in 2023 as I’m (trying to) write a novel, but in November I had a short story published in the first Curae Anthology. Here’s me reading an extract from it https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0O3rwfIEOJ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

All proceeds from the book go to Carer’s charities in the UK, and copies can be bought here from the wonderful Renard Press https://renardpress.com/books/the-curae/

I also had a couple of flashes published in December over at Retreat West which you can read here https://westword.substack.com/p/the-moment-of-escape and here https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/writing-santa/ A bit out of season now but I feel glad I got them subbed!

I also agreed to be a judge at National Flash Fiction Day this year. You can read all the deets here about subbing to it. https://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/index.php/2024-microfiction-judges/

I’m really looking forward to reading all the entries. Reading is such a great way to learn and it’s always a privilege to have the chance to read brand new work from the wonderful flash community.

I also had a teeny story accepted for the last ever edition of Ellipsis Magazine which I’m so grateful for. Ellipsis has been a big positive influence in my writing life, placing my memoir-in-flash second in the first longer-work comp they hosted, which I’m sure helped it to get published. I was in the first in-print publication they did and will be in the last which feels a bit like coming full circle. So many thanks to Steve and everyone at Ellipses. You will be missed.

Also I did an interview with Bath Flash about writing my ‘found form’ novella in flash, A Learning Curve, which you can read here if you’re interested in the form https://www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2023/09/interview-with-jan-kaneen-about-her-1st-prize-winning-novella-in-flash-a-learning-curve/

I was offline feeling seriously poorly when the winners for this year were announced so would like to say here, flipping well done everyone and many congratulations. It’s not easy getting your work written, sequenced and subbed and I can’t wait to read the books when they’re published.

Right knackered now. Not much of a blog but at least I got summat writ. Happy February everyone – the nights are defo getting shorter!