elou carroll

Every so often I get a bit overwhelmed with life and completely forget my website exists, even though it has existed in some form or another for approximately forever (read: about 12–15 years). So this is the first in a few (hopefully) quick-fire catch-up posts. Hooray.

Hello.

How are you? I’ve been in a wordcave recently—which is a wonderful place to be—attempting to finish the absolutely-frickin’-final-and-I-mean-final draft of the novel (while also being a little bit terrified of the absolutely-frickin’-final-and-I-mean-final draft of the novel). Though not entirely chronological yet, I have over half of it in a serviceable condition thanks to NaNoWriMo (forum controversies aside, I don’t actually use the website anymore, so have only seen snippets of that whole mess), and hope to get the rest of it spruced up by the end of the year. Will I do it? Who knows! Let’s find out, shall we?

We are, of course, ignoring the fact that I wanted to do this last year, but—I mentioned the terror, right? Cross your extremities for me, my friends.

From non-writing-related update land (well, sort of): You might have noticed that the website has had a little bit of a spruce too. It wasn’t entirely intentional. The problem with using templates on WordPress is that, sometimes, you go to edit the site you’ve had for a good while now only to find that the template you used no longer exists. Lovely. As it happens, I quite like what I’ve ended up with—at least for now. I have, however, made a mental note not to go into the customise or what-have-you interface for Crow & Cross Keys, just in case. That site is immaculate—if I do say so myself—and I would like it to stay that way. I will stick to editing the pages and creating posts, thank you very much. Speaking of CCK, you should read it. There’s some really great stuff on the site and in the schedule, and you don’t want to miss it.

Now to the exciting portion of the post: the publication news.

Back in—checks notes—Oh, God. May. Has it really been that long? Clearly, it has and I am terrible.

Ahem.

Back in May, I posted about the pre-order for The First Five Minutes of the Apocalypse. That brilliant, devastating anthology is now out and available to buy (and has been out for quite some time, Elou). I adore this anthology, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it, though that is also a plus. I read this in two sittings. I don’t normally read anthologies in two sittings, even if I’m in them. If you want to be destroyed in many different ways, pick up a copy. (Also available on Amazon.)

As is customary, a snippet:

“Honey, wake up.” Giulia cannot hear herself speak. “Baby. Lenore. Come on, Lenny. It’s time. It’s time. Len. Lenore. Lenore.”

Giulia shakes her now. Her fingers, still red, sink into Lenore’s pyjamas and pull so hard the material rips. But Giulia doesn’t stop and before she knows it she’s screaming. She can hear that. It’s not her, though. It cannot be her. It is an animal and the animal is in pain. 

They put them down, animals that sound like that. 

— ELOU CARROLL, “DIRT AND BLOOD AND SILENCE”, THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF THE APOCALYPSE