I will be at Bristolcon this coming weekend, where Cheryl and I will be celebrating the forthcoming publication of The Green Man’s War. For this convention, ebooks will be available for purchase direct from Wizard’s Tower Press. Click here for the Wizard’s Tower page of purchase links for pre-orders.

As ever, Ben Baldwin has given us an absolutely stunning cover.

What’s the story this time? Well, for a few years now, the Green Man has sent Daniel Mackmain to resolve clashes between ordinary people and the supernatural world. Dan has found allies among folk from myth and met other humans who can see the uncanny. He has also made dangerous enemies. Someone has decided to put a stop to this interference once and for all. Dan and his friends are about to find themselves in the firing line.

The actual publication date will be 15th November for hardback, paperback and ebook editions through the usual retailers. This year has been a challenging one for me personally, and unforeseeable events threw my writing schedule into chaos. This landed the rest of the team, publisher Cheryl, editor Toby and artist Dan, with the knock-on effects which had to be managed alongside their other commitments. Believe me, everyone has done their utmost to bring Dan’s latest adventure to eager readers as soon as humanly possible, and I am hugely grateful.

Bristolcon will also see us celebrating Fight Like a Girl Volume 2, and similarly ebooks will be available for direct purchase. This is a second anthology of excellent short stories looking at different interpretations of this phrase, and offering sound reasons why it’s a big mistake to think that particular comment is a remotely valid put-down. My story is titled Civil War.

Oisin McGann has done us proud with this gorgeous cover art, and the publication date is 21st November. My fellow authors are Danie Ware, Gaie Sebold, Dolly Garland, Cheryl Morgan, Anna Smith Spark, K R Green, Julia Hawkes-Reed, K T Davies, S. Naomi Scott and Lou Morgan.

In December, Newcon Press will publish Different Times and Other Places, the tenth collection in the Polestars series where editor Ian Whates has invited writers to offer a selection of their short fiction. Since the other authors are Jaine Fenn, Teika Marija Smits, Emma Coleman, Justina Robson, Cécile Cristofari, Aliya Whiteley, Liz Williams, Fiona Moore and Patrice Sarath, you will understand how honoured I am to be asked.

Reading through stories I’ve written over the past twenty-plus years was an illuminating experience, and choosing which ones to include was a fascinating challenge. The process showed me aspects of my own writing which I haven’t noticed before. That was as unexpected as it was intriguing. I also had the opportunity to write a brand new Green Man short story, prompted by a comment my husband made as we walked around an ornamental National Trust garden. Reading a book about tapestries had also given me an idea for a story some while ago, and now this collection will give you the chance to read that. Click here for pre-orders.

So while 2024 has included a lot that I’ll be happy to see the back of, October, November and December are putting plenty into the plus column!

This coming weekend, I’ll be at the Queen in Chester hotel for the British Fantasy Society’s Fantasycon. For full details, click here.

As well as enjoying seeing friends and colleagues, I will be discussing reinventing Arthurian myth, considering underused fantastical creatures, and deciding how muppets can make everything better. I will also be doing a reading, and there’s a good chance that will be readers’ first chance to learn a bit about the forthcoming new Green Man book…

Then I get a weekend off, before Bristolcon on 26-27th October. The Guests of Honour are Peter F Hamilton and Joanne Harris who are lovely people as well as terrific writers – and this is a wonderfully friendly convention, so that will be another great couple of days. More details TBA.

The weekend after that, I’ll be in Sweden, where I am one of the Guests of Honour at Fantastika, the 2024 Swecon. As well as reflecting on my own work in an interview and various conversations, I’ll be discussing the challenges of writing across different genres, and blending aspects of different genres in a piece of writing, with the other guests. I’ll also be considering the role of forests in fantasy fiction, and the challenges that old supernatural forces face in the modern world.

After that I’m having a week’s holiday in Stockholm with my husband, since for various reasons, we haven’t had any sort of break so far this year!

That’s a lot of conventions! Especially in a year that’s had the Worldcon in Glasgow as well – which was excellent, by the way. So what do I get out of these events that makes committing the time, effort and expense worthwhile? The BFS is currently asking various members to remember their first Fantasycon across social media, and that reminded me I’d written up my recollections back in 2006, for a BFS publication back then. I dug that out of the archive here, and yes, it still holds good.

My First FantasyCon in 2000 – looking back in 2006

I won’t say I was apprehensive travelling to my first FantasyCon in 2000 but I had come prepared with a good book, in case I found myself with time on my hands, or eating alone. After all, I didn’t know anyone else who was going to be there. As it turned out, the organisers had anticipated people like me. There was a designated table where ‘virgins’ could meet each other, and be warmly welcomed by David Howe. All relieved not to be the only newbie, we consulted our programmes and agreed to meet up at various panels.

The next thing to make me feel welcome was several people recognising my name on my badge as the author of The Thief’s Gamble. Even better, they said they’d enjoyed it! That was thrilling but there are more important things I remember from the weekend. I made good friends whom I look forward to meeting each year now. All the established authors extended a generous welcome to a rookie, together with helpful advice and useful, cautionary tales. Notably Stan Nicholls and Anne Gay made sure I certainly wasn’t left eating dinner alone with my book.

Doug Bradley’s illustrated talk on movie makeup and masks was utterly fascinating and as well as doing my bit on panels, I went to others and to the GoH interviews. I came away from every session with intriguing questions to ponder and inspiration for developing my own writing. I also went home with a list of books to find that I might never have considered reading. The book I’d brought with me went home unopened, by the way.

I mentioned my Ampyrium short story a while ago. I’m thrilled to say I’ll be returning to this fascinating shared world with one of this year’s ZNB anthology projects.

As regular readers will know, each year for over a decade now, this splendid US small press produces collections of original (no reprint) short stories (around 6,000 words), funded by Kickstarter. You’ll find great reading from a mix of established SF&F authors and new voices found through their open submissions call, announced once the Kickstarter is funded. Editorial standards are rigorous, and ZNB is a SFWA-qualifying market, paying professional rates.

This year’s projects are as follows:

WERE-2

It’s the night of the full moon, and in the back alleys in the dead of night, were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea. Editors S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier are looking for creative were-creature tales with only one rule: No werewolves allowed!

Anchor authors include: Randee Dawn, Auston Habershaw, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Harry Turtledove, Tim Waggoner, and Jean Marie Ward.

SKULL X BONES

Pirates have enchanted and haunted readers for generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to the ill-fated Firefly to Black Sails and Our Flag Means Death! From swashbucklers to scruffy-looking nerfherders, David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier want writers to come up with their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they’re plundering the golden age of sail on this or some other world, or leaving the blue behind on a spaceship heading into the black.

Anchor authors include: R.S. Belcher, Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, C.C. Finlay, Violette Malan, Misty Massey, and Alan Smale.

AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR

The city of Ampyrium is bustling with trade…in the midst of a Merchant War! It is the hub for eight portals to other worlds, where goods and more change hands both above and beneath the table. Does any business escape the Eyes of the enigmatic Magnum who first created this city of magic and mayhem, saintliness and sin? What nefarious plans are now afoot?

I’ll be writing alongside my fellow anchor authors Patricia Bray, S.C. Butler, David B. Coe, Esther M. Friesner, Juliet E. McKenna, Jason Palmatier, and Joshua Palmatier – who is also our highly esteemed editor.

The Kickstarter runs until 15^th September 2024 and offers bonus rewards and incentives at all levels.

Click here to take a look!

A quick note to say that I had an excellent time at Worldcon, and I plan to write more fully about that soon. Just at the moment, I am head down, working flat out, and resolutely maintaining my focus on the work in progress.

That focus was interrupted yesterday by an unexpected and rather startling ‘first’ in my 25+ years as an author. So unexpected that I’m pausing briefly to share it.

In the months between first drafting the outline of this book, and finalising the end of the draft [REDACTED] has become a tightly controlled substance in the UK. Previously widely available [REDACTED] is now so tightly controlled that online references I had bookmarked have disappeared without any explanation. I only found out what was going on when considerable lateral thinking on search terms brought me to a model railway club’s website. The model railway club secretary highlighted the relevant new law, along with the substantial penalties which now apply for possessing [REDACTED] without the relevant government licence which requires an application and payment, and expires after three years.

Yes, I know you are now eager to know what [REDACTED] is, and I will cover all this in the book, but having read the reasons for this new law, I’m not going to discuss it online on social media. Seriously.

This writing life offers endless surprises.

I am very much looking forward to travelling up to Glasgow next Wednesday, for the upcoming Worldcon August 8th-12th. I foresee some excellent discussions ahead with the panels I’ll be on, and the programme offers so much other stuff that I know I’ll enjoy.

My books will be on sale in the Dealers Room, and if you can’t make the autograph session on Saturday afternoon, I’ll be happy to sign books, new or old, whenever our paths cross – as long as I’m not actually on my way to one of these actual programme commitments.

Cut From Whole Cloth, Thursday 8 August 2024, 17:30 GMT+1 Alsh 2
Farah Mendlesohn, E. C. Ambrose, Heather Valentine, Juliet E McKenna, Mary Robinette Kowal

Who makes the royal robes, who weaves the flags of the republic, and what are those snazzy spacesuits made of? Fabric and clothing are an integral part of the world, and this is no less true in SFF: so who does it best? What worlds best use fabric and crafts in their creation, and which writers give us clothes we want to wear?

Don’t Go Into the Forest: Monsters and Feminism Saturday 10 August 2024, 11:30 GMT+1, Castle 1
Juliet E McKenna, Ellen Datlow, Genoveva Dimova, Rivers Solomon, V. Castro

Monsters have been used historically as metaphors to keep women in line. Don’t go into the forest; don’t stray from the path. They have often also been used to represent and demonise women. Are we seeing a change in monster narratives? Are books today starting to explore how the monstrous might be used to empower women instead?

Autographing: Saturday 10 August 2024, 16:00 GMT+1, Hall 4 (Autographs)
Incidentally, if you simply want to say hello, or to arrange something with me, this will be a good time to do that.

Strong Female Leads Who Don’t Kick Ass Monday 12 August 2024, 11:30 GMT+1, Hall 1
Taeyeon Song, A. Y. Chao, Juliet E McKenna, Lorraine Wilson, Nnedi Okorafor

“Strong female character” has too often been a euphemism for a sword-wielding amazon battling those who wronged her. Fun and glorious though those women are, this panel will talk about the women who lead through intelligence, charisma, patience, or other skills.

In further diary news, if you can’t get to Worldcon

I’ll be at the BFS Fantasycon in Chester, 11th-13th October, and at Bristolcon 26th-28th October.

Then I’ll be in Stockholm for Fantastika 2024 (also the 2024 Swecon) 1st-3rd November, where I have the tremendous pleasure of being a Guest of Honour alongside T. L. (Tendai) Hushu, Lena Karlin and Åsa Schwarz.

Excuse the brevity of this post. I have a lot to get done before Wednesday!

And yes, there will be news of the next Green Man book in due course.

*** Breaking news update! The release date for Ampyrium (and this year’s other ZNB anthologies) has been brought forward to July 15th – that’s right, Monday!***

With one of those quirks of timing the book trade comes up with, the second half of this year will see a whole lot of new short stories I’ve written coming out with different publishers.

First up, available from 15th July, and with huge thanks to the Kickstarter supporters, you can read my contribution to the Ampyrium anthology from US small press, ZNB. This new and original shared world project has thrilling potential, and it’s great to be part of it. (More thoughts on such projects here)

Ampyrium is a city of a thousand wonders! Powerful magicians created this massive city, contained within an eight-sided wall, each with its own portal to another world. Different magical lands collide as the races from those worlds come to trade, to politic, to carouse, and to murder. Merchants and royalty, thieves and assassins; caravans and envoys, armies and entourages are all here. Don’t stray though. IGet lost in the streets of Ampyrium and you’re on your own. The Magnum stay aloof … even if their Eyes are everywhere.

My story, Unseen Hands, introduces a family of exiles from Daruvia, a forested world whose healers and herbalists are second to none. Joshua Palmatier, David B. Coe, Esther Friesner, Patricia Bray, S.C. Butler, and Jason Palmatier offer you other stunning worlds.

Coming soon from Wizard’s Tower Press, I have a story in Fight like A Girl 2. Regular readers will recall the excellent first anthology from Grimbold books – if you haven’t already read that, I highly recommend it. All these stories feature women using their wits, skills and determination to prevail in a range of SF&F settings.

The other authors for this second anthology is KT Davies, Dolly Garland, KR Green, Julia Hawkes Reed, Cheryl Morgan, Lou Morgan, Naomi Scott, Anna Smith Spark, Gaie Sebold, and Danie Ware. You’ll recognise several names from the first book, and this new anthology will feature an introduction by Charlotte Bond. My story is Civil War.

The excellent Polestars series of single-author collections from NewCon Press has so far featured Fiona Moore, Liz Williams, Aliya Whiteley, Cécile Cristofari, Justina Robson, Emma Coleman, Teika Marija Smits and Jane Fenn. I will be honoured to be in their company when my own collection Different Times and Other Places appears later this year.

As well as shorter work selected from my writing over the past twenty-plus years, there are two entirely new stories. The Green Man’s Guest sees a wholly unexpected encounter for Dan Mackmain, while Tapestry gave me an opportunity to explore an idea I’ve been thinking about for a while. This is merely one of the things I enjoy doing with short stories.

Last, but by no means least, an intriguing opportunity came my way some months ago, when Dr Rory Waterman and Dr Anna Milon of the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University contacted me. They are leading a fascinating project ‘Lincolnshire Folk Tales: Origins, Legacies, Connections, Futures’, which sets out to explore the origins and influences of Lincolnshire legends, to promote interest and awareness of this storytelling heritage.

You will be unsurprised to learn that I was thrilled to be asked to write a story for the Lincolnshire Folk Tales Reimagined anthology, which will be published in partnership with the University of Lincoln. More details to come!

After writing my previous post, another recollection has been prodding me. I’d had a few things to say about escapism. A fair while ago. I must written that up for the blog, surely? It’s a challenge thrown down in front of fantasy writers often enough.

No… I couldn’t find that on the blog anywhere. So what was I thinking of? Checking the archive on my hard drive, I found my notes for the BFS Fantasycon in 2006. As a Guest of Honour, I was expected to say ‘a few words’ after the banquet, along with the other GoHs Neil Gaiman, Raymond Feist, Ramsey Campbell and Clive Barker. (Talk about ‘one of these things is not like the other things’…)

So here you go – bearing in mind what we actually say when speaking from notes is never precisely what we’ve got written down. Regardless, I stand by these thoughts here in 2024.

“I’ve been checking diaries with friends recently, trying to find weekends when we’re all free to meet up, and when this weekend’s come up, I’ve explained I’m going to be away, here at FantasyCon. And they’ve said, with varying degrees of bafflement or envy, ‘so you’ll be escaping for a few days.’

And I am. I’m escaping running the house and the shopping and the laundry situation and organising my sons so they have their sports kit and their swimming gear and ingredients for food tech on the right days so I’m not expected to produce pizza ingredients at 7.30 in the morning and they’re up to date with their homework and all that kind of thing.

But it’s not what I’m escaping from that’s important, it’s what I’m escaping to.

This weekend, on panels, in the bar, in the lifts, I’ve had conversations about about children’s fantasy literature and how books influence a child’s moral and mental development. We’ve been talking about crime fiction and its relationship to fantasy and that takes us into questions of motivation and morality. I’ve talked politics and current affairs and this is important stuff. So this weekend I’ve escaped to a space where I can look at wider horizons for a while and I’ll go home mentally refreshed and feeling the better for it.

I’ve escaped my own work. I’ve escaped the clutter in the study. I’ve escaped the shelf of science fiction and fantasy books that I feel I really must read. And the shelf under that of non-fiction waiting to be read.

I’ve escaped to a place where I’ve been meeting other writers and hearing about how they work and the ideas and impulses that drive them, that inform their fiction. This weekend, I’ve had a revelation. I don’t do horror. I just don’t get it. Yesterday Raymond Feist was talking about horror being a roller coaster ride. That explains it. I can’t stand roller coasters. So I’ll go home with a far clearer perspective and my writing will be the better for it.

I’ve escaped to a place where I’ll get support and new arguments and new reasons to convince people that heroic fantasy is no more about patriarchal, misogynistic heroes offering a consoling pat on the head, any more than horror is just some pervy hackfest with blood, slime and tentacles or hard SF is merely the technobabbling rapture of the nerds. So I’m certainly not escaping to anywhere where I just stick my brain in neutral.

I’ve escaped to somewhere where I’ll have my own prejudices challenged. Last year Simon Green was talking about The Haunting of Hill House as a classic in the horror genre. As I say, I don’t do horror. But Simon was talking about it and then I heard it mentioned in a talk about the development of psychological crime fiction, so I did go away and find a copy and I read it, sitting the garden at midday in bright sunshine and I got some interesting things out of it. Fortunately I only got the one night of waking up in the small hours, wondering what that noise in the hall was and being unable to get out of bed to find out, because if I did the thing under the bed would grab my ankle. So I’m thankful for that.

All of this is why when I tell people that I write fantasy fiction and they say oh, but that’s just escapism, I’m always going to ask why they say that like it’s a bad thing. Because fantasy fiction, across the whole gamut from vampires and werewolves, through swords and sorcery, all the way to ray guns and rocketships is all about just this sort of positive escapism.

Whenever we’re reading a book, we’re stepping away from our own world to a place where we can see what we’ve left behind from new angles; where we can better appreciate complexities that ordinarily we’re too close to, or alternatively, where we can see a crucial simplicity within the bigger picture that we haven’t noticed before. We’re in a place where the normal rules don’t necessarily apply and that means we can look at those rules and maybe even test their validity. And with fantasy fiction, probably more than any other, we’re in a place where we can have fun doing this.

I reckon this is what winds these people up most, the people who want to dismiss the whole spectrum of speculative fiction. We can explore the intricacies of the human condition with wizards and dragons and dirty work at the crossroads. We can apply ourselves to the eternal verities with zombies and entrails if we want to. If we so choose, we can discuss philosophical, political and psychological development with green-skinned women on planets with four moons. We’re doing everything that the snobbiest literary critic demands of books and we’re having fun and they’re not. So I hope you’ve had fun at this convention because I most certainly have. Thank you.”

The third book in Chaz Brenchley’s Crater School series is now available, and I highly recommend it.

For those so far unaware, Chaz has combined Old Mars of classic SF with the traditional British school story to create an entirely original and fascinating scenario. One where the underpinning assumptions of both those literary traditions are politely and ruthlessly questioned.

In this book we see both Old Mars and the Crater School itself through an intriguingly different lens, as Mary Ellen, scholarship girl, finds herself in this alien environment. Thus Brenchley deftly offers fans of the series a fresh perspective while new readers share her discoveries and will surely be drawn into this fascinating world.

Mary Ellen comes from a farming family in the remote and rural hinterlands. She doesn’t only have to find her way through the unfamiliar social hazards and arcane customs which her classmates from the colony planet’s privileged classes have grown up with. A chance discovery demands that she choose between keeping quiet and self-preservation on the one hand, and speaking up and facing the shocking consequences on the other. What’s a nervous girl far from home and feeling friendless to do?

Interested? Take a look at my thoughts on Three Twins at the Crater School and Dust-Up at the Crater School

Full purchase details at the Wizard’s Tower Press website

Living in Oxfordshire, I’m fortunately able to attend most of these lectures in person. Heading into Oxford yesterday afternoon, I already knew this would be as good as any previous year. In the twenty or so years since my path first crossed Neil’s at a convention, I’ve heard him talk many times, and he will always have something new, different and fascinating to say. This was no exception – but I’m not going to attempt to summarise, as the video will soon be available, and believe me, you really don’t want to miss that.

(While you’re waiting do check out the videos of previous years’ speakers available at the Tolkien Lecture website. Varied, fascinating and thought-provoking.)

One thing Neil said prompted me to make a note. He quoted CS Lewis quoting JRR Tolkien: ‘The only people who decry escapism are jailers ‘.

That reminded me of something which I couldn’t quite remember, if you know what I mean… I’ve found it now, and it is very well worth the read – Sherwood Smith and Rachel Manija Brown on Who Gets to Escape

That article was particularly interesting for me, given the responses I was seeing at the time to my trilogy The Hadrumal Crisis, where who can and cannot escape various situations underpins a lot of the story. I discuss that here.

One other note. As I reached the venue, Oxford Town Hall, I was struck by the tremendous variation in the ages and appearances of those waiting patiently for the doors to open. Proof, if any were needed, that there’s no readily identifiable demographic for fantasy fans. This is possibly one reason why passers-by catching buses home from work were so bemused by the queue – which was very soon reaching well down St Aldates and past Christ Church’s Tom Tower. The town hall is a big space and it was packed!

Yes, I had an excellent weekend. The highlight was (obviously) winning the 2023 Best Novel Award from the British Science Fiction Association, as voted on by members. The full list of winners is here and you can learn a bit about the BSFA while you’re there, if you wish.

I was pleased and honoured to be shortlisted. Yes, that’s what people always say. The thing is, it’s true. A nomination for a genre award means readers find your work worthy of recognition alongside books written by your professional peers and personal friends. That in itself is wonderful. When a friend’s novel which I have enjoyed turns out to win, I’m thrilled for them.

The Green Man’s Quarry actually winning this award was a wholly unexpected delight, and an honour not only for me. Writing may be a solitary occupation, but getting a book into print most assuredly is not. I am intensely grateful to Cheryl Morgan of Wizard’s Tower Press, who first set up her publishing enterprise to help writers like me make our backlists available in print and ebook formats on terms that brought us a worthwhile return. When The Green Man’s Heir was met with a discouraging lack of interest from the agents and publishers I approached, she was absolutely ready to see how the book fared as WTP’s first original publication. The rest, as they say, is history – and do check out the subsequent original titles from Wizard’s Tower Press.

My further thanks go to Toby Selwyn, whom I have known since he was a teenager reading my epic fantasy novels. We’ve met at conventions and stayed in touch through his university years and subsequent career as an editor. This combination of his rigorous professional skills and his finely-honed understanding of my writing makes a significant contribution to these books. I also thank Ben Baldwin for his outstanding artwork, for the whole series, and especially for The Green Man’s Quarry. This latest cover did everything the previous art did to catch the eye and stir the imagination, as well as hinting this time, readers should expect something a bit different… Each of these books brings new members to the team. Since The Green Man’s Quarry sees Dan venture north of the border, I enlisted Shona Kinsella, also a fine writer and meticulous editor, as Scots cultural consultant. She made an invaluable contribution, so thank you to her for that.

It’s thanks to SF conventions and the wider SF&Fantasy fan community that I know these people. Conventions are where I first met Cheryl and Shona. Ian Whates of Newcon Press, another friend made through conventions, recommended Ben when we were looking for an artist for The Aldabreshin Compass reissues. Our genre’s early and effective adoption of websites meant Toby and I could make contact all those years ago and stay in touch ever since. The online world has long enabled keen SF&F readers and reviewers to share their enthusiasms. This virtual word of mouth makes it possible for small press publications to find the people who will love their stories. So thank you, everyone in SF&F circles for that.

The rest of the convention? The panels I took part in were fascinating and informative conversations. I listened to various talks and discussions with keen interest and my notebook to hand, coming away with new information and perspectives that will improve and inform my own work. The convention’s guests were wonderful to meet, and to hear talking about their writing and their working lives. In between times, I caught up with long-standing friends whom I haven’t seen in person for far too long, given the weird dislocations of these past few years. I met online pals in person which is invariably a pleasure, and I made connections with people I wouldn’t have encountered elsewhere, who will assuredly become friends and colleagues. If anyone ever asks you if SF conventions are worth their time and money, feel free to cite all of the above.

There was one notable difference from many UK conventions this year. Rather than being based in a main hotel, this Eastercon used the Telford International Centre for its programme and events, and for central social space. This turned out to work extremely well. Accommodation was readily available within easy walking distance in a range of hotels to suit all budgets. There was similarly a good choice of restaurants and other refreshments options within easy reach, as well as food and drink on site. I recommend event organisers in search of a venue take a serious look at both this site and at this slightly different model for themselves.

As those of us who’ve been involved in event organisation will know, nothing as big and complicated as an Eastercon runs as apparently smoothly and successfully as this weekend did, without a tremendous amount of hard work by a great many people both beforehand and through the event itself. Last, but emphatically by no means least, my thanks and admiration go to the Convention Committee, everyone working in the various departments on site, and to the Levitation volunteers.

And thanks to my husband, for tackling the interesting photographic challenge of this shiny transparent glass award alongside shiny dark-hued book covers.