A week may be a long time in politics, but in the world of corporate economics it`s practically a geological era. I became aware, via a friend emailing me, of some utterly appalling news - my publishers, Simon&Schuster UK, have decided that a wholesale restructuring of the company is in order and as part of that they are going to close down their SF and fantasy imprint, Earthlight.

That`s right, the imprint under which my Shadowking trilogy is being published. Not streamlined, either, nor tightened up, or even trimmed, but closed, completely. I understand that current contracts already signed will be honoured, but that holds little comfort for many writers who had fond hopes of certain career aspects extending into the medium term, not to mention Earthlight`s own editorial staff.

I`m too stunned to react fully just now, and in any case I have to talk with my agent to find out what the ramifications are. But I`ll keep you posted....whomever out there is reading all this!

Y`know, it`s a funny old world. Just found out from Alien Online that the Edinburgh International Book Festival has opened its online doors to show off this year`s program. Of course, as an SF and fantasy writer I was most keen know if the organisers would be building on the previous 2 years of higher participation of SF/fantasy writers....however, it is not to be. Sure, there`s plenty of fantasy in the children`s books parts of the program but nowhere else, and we know what message that`s meant to project, namely - `Science fiction and fantasy are not fit to share the limelight with authentic literature and its audience.` - unless you`re 14 or under, naturally.

I had to laugh, a hollow gallows laugh, when I read the introduction piece written by the EIBF`s director, Catherine Lockerbie, which began thus....

"If you like to talk, think, laugh and explore, then the Edinburgh International Book Festival is for you. If you have ideas, opinions, things you want to say; or if you like listening, relaxing, letting words work their magic on your mind - then the Edinburgh International Book Festival is for you."

- but not if you`re writing fantasy or SF for an adult audience, that is.

I`ve been writing SF and fantasy since 1986, and I`ve had a good number of short stories published in the UK and Canada, as well as translated into Czech, all prior to the publication of the 1st two of my Shadowkings novels. If I was a `literary` author I would probably have been cooed over in the pages of the Herald and/or Scotland on Sunday, would have been asked to speak at august gatherings or invited to review or write for some heavyweight literary column.....but I`m not, thus I am beneath their notice. Being a fantasy or science fiction writer in Scotland is like being a rock guitarist at a harpsichord convention - they might let you in the door, you won`t get to play in public.

I`m not sure what my next step will be (and there WILL be steps taken), but perhaps it might be fruitful to find out if the Scottish Arts Council is helping to fund the festival, and if so what remit the festival has to follow in order to justify that financial backing. After all, if public money is being used to bolster an International Book Festival which ignores, or in effect censors the existence of an entire genre of popular fiction, then perhaps questions should be asked.

Let`s see just what the picture is.

Stay tuned, mon petits.