I'm going to need a course in micro-expressions before I can decode this one...

Random things you hear yourself saying: "The novel will not be delayed by Wonder Woman, I assure you."

Dare I say that old Pertwee Sea Devils was ReMastered?

This World Cup draw programme is the most godawful thing I've seen in a long time. I have it muted while I wait for something less embarrassing to happen.

I dreamed I was back in my old job and Claudia Winkleman was my boss. Which improved it a lot.

Celebrity Traitors contestants. Doing very well.

Dear streaming services, I want to watch programmes from the beginning to the end. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

It's alive!

Remains 3 is at press and will mail out soon. Please order or subscribe now. :) James Sallis, Kailee Pedersen, Gary McMahon, Danny Rhodes, Tori Fredrick, Steve Rasnic Tem, Alison Littlewood, Stephen Hargadon, and pictured here 'Hiroshima Was Another Word For Love Then' by Andrew Hook. remains.uk

I've recently seen the new Fantastic Four and Superman films. The Fantastic Four is very nearly a triumph, but just falls short of that mark. Superman has a cool dog in it.

How nice it would be if all writers could wander on to the One Show whenever they feel like it to promote their work.

Germany and Spain have both made a tactical error by not conceding one or two goals early.

Always good to see a new Interzone in the inbox.

We've added an issue 3 pre-order and a four-issue subscription to the website. Issue 2 seems to be going down very well, but we appreciate all feedback. :) remains.uk

I don't think I can unsee the bouncy tomatoes

Dear everyone! Do please lend a hand and share our offer – times are extremely tough and we desperately need to raise some cash to keep things moving. Simply use TheBigSaltSale in our checkout or click on the link below— www.saltpublishing.com/discount/The... Happy reading!

Once again we have failed to even post an update. If you haven't received your copy of issue 2 yet it's on its way and will be with you shortly. We hope you enjoy it. Issue 3 is available for pre-order, and -- as requested -- we have added a subscription. remains.uk

Issue 2 coming soon... remains.uk

The Quantum Leap remake/continuation is now available to stream on the channel formerly known as Channel 5. I really enjoyed it, and while it is now cancelled it's still worth watching.

Issue 2 (April) can be pre-ordered now. 25000-word novella by Rhonda Pressley Veit, stories by Abi Hynes, Sarah Read, Alexander Glass, and more. Nina Allan interviewed by Matt Hill. Colour throughout with more glorious art by Richard Wagner. remains.uk

Shortly heading off for the monthly (ish) writing group meeting. I shall provide constructive criticism. Yes, I shall.

It appears Timeless is now available on Amazon Prime. It's a very entertaining and fun time travel show, highly recommended. So good I made a podcast about it.

I can't be doing with "Absolute" this and "Ultimate" that. It's everything that's wrong with the comics industry. Well, not everything.

Kate Bush and other artists protest AI copyright laws with silent album

Hello everybody. Remains is a magazine created by Andy Cox and Richard Wagner. The first issue has just been published and the second is out soon. We are rubbish at social media but look forward to making new friends and talking about stuff.

There's still time to make a change 🗣️ Add your name to this author-organised letter and encourage the government to change its course on copyright exemption for generative AI use of creatives works docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #CreativeRights #ArtificalIntelligence #PayTheCreator

It always amazes me how unconcerned robins are about being in close proximity to humans.

I have written a book. Sometimes felt like I wouldn't ever finish it. Doubtless it still needs work, but today I wrote the final chapter. Sometimes you just have to keep going.

Looks good to me.

After watching Series 2 of The Diplomat, I can only conclude it has secretly been a comedy all along, but told with such a straight face it wasn't immediately obvious. I imagine the writers were chortling their heads off throughout. I'm looking forward to Season 3.

Still makes me smile every single time. Well played, David Lynch.

Also watched a bit of Slow Horses, which is more obviously trying to be a fun watch. Albeit with random extreme violence.

Spent the weekend in the company of a bad cold, mostly watching For All Mankind, season 1, courtesy of Apple TV's free weekend. Brilliant but overly melodramatic at times. Reminded me of Battlestar Galactica in the way it manoeuvres the "heroes" to do terrible things. I see you, Ronald D. Moore.

An opt-out model of "AI" rights licensing is clearly not in the spirit of existing copyright laws where an owner's Intellectual Property is automatically protected. Having to constantly and relentlessly try to protect your rights in each case is an unfair burden and will not work.

UK WRITERS: You need to fill in this consulation. Govt is very clearly looking to an opt-out model of rights licensing that puts all the burden on creators instead of profiteers. It's long and boring but this is important. www.gov.uk/government/c...

I have nudged past 70,000 words on the current novel-in-progress, with a goal of about 80,000 ish. Hoping to have a complete draft before the end of January. Full throttle through to the end now. Although, pitstop for Christmas.

So, days before the release of Kraven the Hunter, Sony announce they're giving up on these Spider-Man spin-off movies. I wasn't interested before, but I'm doubly not interested now. I haven't seen film marketing this inept since DC's The Flash movie. Shambles.

I watched Season 2 of Star Wars: Visions over recent days. I hadn't approached it with much enthusiasm, but I enjoyed it a lot. The Aardman episode in particular was a delight.

This anthology is released today. It contains my "Heart of the City, Heart of the Sea", first printed in BFS Horizons

2,000 words written today on the work in progress. Now celebrating in the pub with friends and beer.

It is hard to have sympathy for a character in a film, supposedly a successful writer, who loses 2 years of work because they didn't have a backup.

The TTA Shop closes on October 26th. Former publisher of Black Static, Interzone and Crimewave, they still have some back issues available at discounted prices (including #245 and #259, which featured short stories by me). A real treasure trove of amazing short fiction.

I didn't know Eric personally, but I really enjoyed his writing. I especially loved his book "Kethani". I've bought this tribute anthology and look forward to reading it.

Over the end credits of The Amazing Spider-Man tonight the Sky announcer referred to "DC's Spider-Man Universe". Oh dear oh dear.

Lots of email scams at the moment, purporting to come from podcasters in the UK, offering an unrealistically large contributor’s fee. Most of them seem to want to talk you through a process that entails you signing up for a paid-for Facebook service. Er, nope. ThisWritingLife

Star Trek Prodigy is just magnificent, both as a story in its own right and as a lovely sequel to Voyager. I hope somehow we can have some more.

It occurred to me while I was making dinner tonight that Bluesky had not yet borne witness to my pasta bolognese. So, voila!

Wonderful to have The Mallorca Files back after such a long wait. I'm still a bit baffled by the jump to Amazon, but I'll take it gladly.

A few memories from my trip to Glasgow. Much fun was had at the Worldcon convention.

Heading up to Worldcon 2024 #Glasgow2024 tomorrow. Should be a fabulous weekend of science fiction and beer.