Greetings, children of the dark. I didn’t like writing ‘25’ at the top of this week’s edition. It feels like 2025 is the far-future, the sort of year that dystopian films are set in, all grimy and neon and rainy and dark. And, I guess, that’s kinda the world we’re living in (just less replicants). 

But I’ll admit it, dear reader: I’m feeling old. Like, really old. It didn’t help that the last half of 2024 just blazed past me and I never really noticed. It feels like I’ve spent much of recent history chasing my tail, trying to catch up, never quite getting done what I want to get done because there’s always something I’m running behind on. Heck – if you’ve submitted a short story in one of our recent open windows, you’ll know how far behind I am! (I’m sorry, I promise to do better this year.)

So what can I do about it? Change my mindset, sure. Make plans. Set goals. But my neurodivergent brain just won’t work that way. Any goals I set become things to avoid. Plans are changeable; mindset feels like it never will change. So my not-goal – my vague wave at a new way of living – for 2025 is to do better. No SMART goal here; no hard metrics I can rail against. I just want to do a bit better than I have been lately. I’m hoping my freelance work situation will settle a bit this month and I’ll be able to have some dedicated time to do all of my volunteering AND actually do my own writing. I said this time last year that I wanted to submit short stories and never did. This year, I’m just going to try to make time to write and see what happens. I need to be mindful that I’m still in burnout/breakdown recovery – yes, three years later; these things take way longer than I thought they would! – and not push myself. I need to be conservative with my energy. But I also need to not go into trances and doomscroll and spend time staring at walls and ceilings anymore. 

I have a funny feeling my lack of action is contributing to those feelings of ancient-ness – and I’m not a centuries-old vampire ffs! I’m just a middle-aged Australian who’s facing a new phase in life and kinda not handling it well, but I’m trying to retain and regain some hope. To help with that, I asked TWF Towers’ own Vicky Brewster to take a look at an old manuscript I wrote for the 3 Day Novel competition a few years ago; they’ve given me feedback and didn’t tell me to chuck it in the trash because it’s useless, so now it’s up to me to decide what to do with it. The story feels a bit zeitgeist-y for now, but it’s also not my usual style or genre so will see what happens with it. I also still have my Victorian occult thing kicking around, and an even older folk horror set in the Aussie outback. These all have legs; I just need to get my fingers tapping on them. Or maybe I need something shiny and new to get me out of the creative rut. I did have a brainwave at Fantasycon last year and decided I needed to write some vampire smut, so maybe that’s my way back? Heaven help us all if that’s the case!

Anyways, enough of my New Years ranting; let’s get to why you’re making this visit to TWF Towers: our first edition of 2025. This week’s main course takes us into the world of R.H. Stevens, where we find a lonely operator on their last job of a rainy evening. That’s followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

• Penny Brazier’s twisted warning to local children,
• Corinne Pollard’s magical mayhem, and
• Robert Allen Lupton’s deep-space exploration.

Before we leave you to it, though, permit me a plug or two? My next Writing the Occult event happens on Saturday 18 January, and this time we’re tackling the uncanny with a rainbow hammer. Want to learn more about the uncanny valley, doppelgangers, creepy dolls, and how the uncanny goes beyond horror and into all of speculative fiction? Details are at writingtheoccult.carrd.co. 

Also, my work with the British Fantasy Society continues. (Have you joined yet? You really should – you don’t have to be British, and you don’t even have to be a writer! All fans of the speculative world are welcome.) Next Saturday I’m hosting a panel discussion about heroes and villains as part of the first virtual event of the year, all about crafting complex, believable and relatable characters. It’s free to BFS members and just £5 (about US$6.20) for everyone else. Get full details of who’s speaking, as well as your tickets, over here.

Oh, and finally, in case you missed it over the holidays, we’re looking for two new volunteers to move into TWF Towers! Could it be you? In short, we seek a replacement as well as someone to step into a new role. 

Assistant Editor – Special Editions

Responsible for our (currently) 4 special editions every year: Valentine’s, Summer, Halloween, Christmas.

Read submissions + deal with slush pile + contract successful writers.

Drum up interest in subs to your section.

Work with the editor-in-chief (aka ME) and other assistant editors (aka Sarah Elliott and Vicky Brewster) to keep the site and its free fiction offering running.

 

Publications Editor

A new (much-needed!) role for HorrorTree.com & Trembling With Fear.

Take control of getting the annual anthologies ready for publication: typesetting & formatting, dealing with Amazon, etc.

Experience with self-publishing will be a very big gold star in your favour.

Over to you, Stuart.

PS Happy new year, or just happy Sunday, depending on how you feel about these things!