'The Outsider' on Cargo Publishing, and other writing in general

So, Mark Buckland, my boss at Cargo Publishing, fresh from raising a nice wee sum of money for Movember, is launching a collection of short stories on December 15th. The collection, titled 'The Outsider', contains stories he wrote between 2005 and 2010.

I don't want to sound completely biased saying this, but Mark is a talented writer. I can legitimately make such a statement because I read one of his stories before I even knew who he was, never mind met him. 'The Sloop' (I can't say for sure if it's in this collection or not) was the overall winner of Strathclyde University's Keith Wright Memorial Prize in 2009. The aforementioned competition is held every year and is open to all faculties (although it's rarely advertised outside of the English department, unfortunately). My entry was commended in the same year, meaning that although I didn't win any cash (the runners-up don't; only first, second and third) my entry, a play in Shetland dialect about a fishing disaster that happened more than 100 years ago in my local area, still got in the booklet. Which suits me, I'm more about the exposure.

Anyway - that was how I first came across Mark Buckland. I would later discover from Rodge Glass, who was at that point the Keith Wright Literary Fellow (the writer-in-residence post at Strath) and also a recently-appointed lecturer in Creative Writing, that Mark ran Cargo. After this, I checked out their website and found them on Twitter, and, of course, some months later I got a job with them. But you know that bit.

So yes, please do come to Mark's book launch. The event will be on December 15th at MacSorley's Bar on Jamaica St, starting at 7:00pm. Entry is free, and only 150 copies of the book will be printed. All will be numbered and are available at the launch, signed, for £9.99. Mark will also be supported at the launch by Anneliese Mackintosh, editor-in-chief of Cargo Crate and also an established writer in her own right, Allan Wilson, who made his debut in 'The Year of Open Doors' collection, and Craig Lamont, assistant editor of Cargo Crate and another talent to watch.

The Facebook event for the launch can be found here. Come one, come all, and support some great new writing :)

Meanwhile, in other news, I gave up on NaNoWriMo. Basically I was struggling to devote time to it, to get over my issues with procrastination, and also to find time between working shifts and whatnot. Maybe next year, when a plan is established. But at least I've proven to myself that I can still write if I try.