Back Fence Ramblings

• 19:44 Fun meet w/ @dodgyhoodoo & @nezumisama. Goodish agency interview. Fingers crossed. Now, travel. Woo. #
• 20:33 Snow! Too powdery to stick, but snow! Feels like home. Glad I brought my non-heels, though. Love my boots but heels + snow = problems. #
• 20:46 Riding north. Snow EVERYWHERE. Childlike glee ensues. Want to hug the whole chiaroscuro landscape and squee. #
• 21:53 In the relative warm after 20-minute walk of snowstorm-verging-on-blizzard. Yes, I was that stupid. But I love the snow... #
• 22:19 Alvin and the Chipmunks: THE SQUEAKQUEL? If I didn't know so many people in the area, I'd beg for someone to blow up Hollywood. #
• 22:20 Also? J.K Rowling & Stephenie Meyer named top authors of the decade by Amazon is.gd/5rJYW (via @jennybeanses & @Melzer) #
• 22:20 In the case of that latter, I WEEP FOR HUMANITY. #
• 22:24 @purpleperil For owning one, for not having it anymore or for spreading the TwiMeme? #
• 22:32 @celticlibrarian Apparently there's something like this every year. Comfort yourself that they're missing the point of Santa entirely. #
• 22:33 @celticlibrarian Santa Claus is portly because being so is an age-old symbol of prosperity. #
• 23:20 Need to make an announcement. Need to make it + link fit into 140 characters. I so suck at synopsis... #
• 23:23 And let it be known that @Mitchyuk is way, way smarter than I will ever be. *facepalm* #

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Chaos Magic: Now Available in Paperback

At the beginning of this year, I started podcasting Chaos Magic, the first City of Complications novel. The intention was always to publish one way or another - indiepub or via the traditional methods. I spent the last couple of months doing research on both methods, and ... well, indiepub it is.

Chaos Magic now available for purchase in paperback and download via Lulu.com.

"Meddle not in the affairs of wizards" only works if something else has not meddled first

When Rachel Hutton, frumpy-looking temporary secretary extraordinaire, takes a day off work, it's not for a doctor's appointment. A psychic and occasional oracle, Rachel spends her off-hours as head of the Headquarters for the Investigation of Paranormal Phenomena and Interdimensional Entities. She and her colleagues - no-nonsense doctor Emma, foul-mouthed Celtic demigod accountant Carl, perky spellcaster DJ Annette and Mike, a hapless photographer with an eidetic memory, enchanted camera lenses and no clue - locate threatening supernatural activity around London to negotiate with it if possible and eradicate it if not. When they're lucky, they even get paid for their efforts.

And yes, they call themselves HIPPIE.

After receiving a one-word precognitive warning of 'Watch', HIPPIE finds itself in the midst of magical mayhem as untrained spellcasters throughout the city set their sights on wreaking havoc. The group needs to find out what's tempting the new mages into throwing their magic around before other warding forces get angry, and time is running out. With toads raining down on Fleet Street and a war brewing between two powerful supernatural factions, will HIPPIE be able to solve the case before London falls into chaos?

That would be the back blurb. What follows is a sample chapter snippet, culled from an earlier entry and moved here to avoid having to click onto too many links.

( A scene from Chapter Six )

As ever, your support - even if it's just spreading the word via your own journals and so forth in case of Interested Parties - is appreciated. It's been a long hard slog, but I think the story's worth it in the end. Wish me luck, and if you do get into the story by whatever means (paperback, download, or just listening to the podcast again), I hope you enjoy it.