All I can say about summer is “Is it October yet?” I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready for chilly wind, falling leaves, hot cocoa, thick socks, and not sweating the majority of each day! So, let’s get to the actual fun stuff that’s been happening this summer. (warning: includes lots of pictures!)

Creativity is the Journey

Like every other writer I know, I’m sick to death of AI. But instead of screaming on here about it (honestly, if you’re interested at all in seeing me rant, just check out my Bluesky account), I would rather talk about the cool shit that helps ideas evolve because THAT’s where creativity comes from: your brain taking all the things you’ve seen and heard and read and smelled and even tasted and mixing it all together to come up with something new. It’s the most fun part of being a writer and the REALEST part, too. I read a great take on it recently: AI can only regurgitate the past but your brain creates the future.

Some of these moments happen before you start writing, but often they happen during drafting or even after the first draft is done. Right now, I’m working on a secret project (with a writer friend), so can’t give storyline details (sorry! but soon!), but I can share some of the things that are helping my brain cook up details to give the book life and texture and a physical reality. I’m a visual person, so illustrations and photos often give me great ideas for stories. Take a look inside my head:

Fairy tale illustrations

Fashion inspired by history and fantasy

Books on making historical clothing or on how other things inspire clothing (Yes, I sew!)

And films with fashion overlap

I’m basically having a lot of fun looking at so many beautiful and surprising images and even reading stories (some I’ve read before, such as Susanna Clarke’s collection The Ladies of Grace Adieu) to get me in that head space and help this new idea come to full fruition.

Being an Award Judge

The Clarke Award winner will be announced in a little over a week, and I was one of the judges this year (alas, I am unable to be at the ceremony). It was my first time being an award judge, and though I never thought it would be an easy job, I now know how difficult it is to read over 100 books and condense that down to a handful of finalists and then choose a winner. (You mean I can only pick ONE?) The job of a judge is daunting, made even more so by the posts on social media when a finalist list (and later the winner) is announced. Everybody has an opinion, not just on the books but on the judges’ work. Best advice: do the reading, do the choosing, and stay off the interwebs until it’s all over. But I will say that it was a great honor to be invited to be a judge, and I loved reading all the books and being a part of the conversation.

Interzone Podcast!

Recently, Val Nolan and I were interviewed on the IZPod, Interzone magazine’s podcast. We talked about writing Spec Fic for Newbies Vol. 3 and about how we hope the guides can help people with their writing. We also chatted about solo projects an stuff we’ve been enjoying lately. Listen here: https://interzone.press/a-chat-with-tiffani-angus-val-nolan/

LA Worldcon!

I can’t go to LA for Worldcon (where I’m originally from!) so I’m taking part virtually. Find out how to join in person or virtually here: https://www.lacon.org/

My schedule (and all times below are London/UK time)

• Clarion Presents: Writing Horror at Home (aka The Suburban Hellscape of Technology: Writing Horror at Home). Thursday 27 August at 6.30 pm (nearly 90 minutes long). I’ll take you on a journey into the development of the subgenres of suburban horror and techno horror and look at how they evolved side by side and even overlap. The workshop will culminate in an activity that’ll get you started creating a whole new horror story.

• Friday 28 August (NOTHING because it’s my birthday :)

• A Cottage Garden Conundrum: Fantastical Garden Re-Creation. Saturday 29 August at 2 pm. I’ll discuss how the English cottage garden style represents a nation’s pursuit of identity during the long nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Through paintings, poems, and even clothing, this talk explores the history of the English cottage garden style and how it's based on a fantasy idea of the past.

• Clarion Presents: Writing Folk Horror- Linking the Chain. Saturday 29 August at 5 pm (nearly 90 minutes long). I’ll introduce you to the history of this fascinating subgenre and how it can be broken down into a series of elements that create the “chain” to help you better understand it and even write it. The workshop will culminate in an activity that’ll get you started creating a whole new folk horror story.

• Virtual Table Talk. Sunday 30 August at 3.30 pm. Come along and chat about subgenres of SFF/H, writing history (including historical fashion!), choosing writing workshops & university writing programs, the paths to publishing, fantastical & haunted gardens, women in apocalyptic fiction, and loads of other fun stuff.

NorCon 26 & 27 September

Locally I’ll be in person at NorCon in Norwich at the end of September, selling books with several of my author friends. It’s a fun weekend with lots of cosplay. So if you find yourself in East Anglia in late summer, come see us! https://nor-con.co.uk/

Until later, stay hydrated, stay sun-screened, and ride out the summer with a good book!