If you're a supporter of Ten Little Astronauts (which seems likely given that you're reading this right now), then you should by now have seen something a little like this pop into your inbox:

That email gets into what will be happening next - copy editing, cover design, typesetting, proofreading - but it doesn't mention what's happened already. Six Years Stolen, the short story I've been rewriting is now finished, and it turns out it's not so short after all: the new version comes to around 11,000 words in length, meaning that the book as a whole will contain about 50% more sci-fi murder mystery goodness than originally planned.

I've also adapted elements of the essay submitted for my MA alongside Ten Little Astronauts into a non-fiction section bridging the gap between the two stories, but that's substantially shorter than it might have been. The original essay was absolutely crammed full of footnotes, and given that so much of the idea behind Ten Little Astronauts itself revolved around using the sci-fi setting to support a tense, fast-paced mystery it seemed worth making sure that everything that came with it was similarly tight. I also wanted to rework the essay into something without spoilers: although I don't recommend reading this non-fiction bit before the story itself, I don't think it would do any harm either.

So that's where we are now: Ten Little Astronauts is in great shape - as is everything that'll come with it - and if you check the sidebar to the right you'll see that we're expecting it to be available sometime next month! I'm also in the process of organising the more extravagant supporter rewards, so if your pledge includes a story or a necklace then I hope to be in touch very soon.