Tales from the Mothership

After my social awkwardness on meeting comic genius Stewart Lee, Medusa kept nagging at my subconscious and I knew that meant I needed to write a story about her.

It took me a while to find the right angle/voice but when I finally did, the story flowed. This is something that tends to happen when I write about things that make me angry (the last time was ‘What You Wish For’, published in the limited edition Invisible Collection by Nightjar Press). I drafted half of the Medusa story during a cafe ‘write-in’ session with some fellow Leeds SFF writers and finished that first draft when I got home. Once revised and edited, it was a few words under 1600 and so I knew immediately I wanted to send it to the Morning Star (their word limit is 1600). It’s rare that I write anything that short, so I was over the moon when they accepted.

I love the illustration they chose. The look of satisfaction on her face is perfect.

You can read it online here, or it’s also in the Culture section of today’s print version.