Heard there was a trend for posting first pages of novels on Bsky so figured why not: except this isn't the first page, exactly; it's the first page of an individual novella from a collection called Butterfly Box and other Stories. Link: mybook.to/ButterflyBox

In case anyone's interested, the bike is a custom-built, titanium frame road bike built by a local company called Performer who, I think, also make bikes for Trigon.

Monday, I headed out on the bike a little after dawn, and got back home half an hour before sunset, making it not only the longest bike ride I've ever gone on, but also the hardest at 120km total distance. Add in 4,000ft/1,100 metres of climbing, and you've got a long, hard day in the saddle.

I remember. Did try the Keelung route again a week or two back and it was better, but still too much traffic and noise for my taste. This time, I avoided it entirely by taking the route in the picture.

Cycled to the N/E coast of Taiwan today: 6am start, then east to Fulong and north to Longdon, before turning west to Keelung for the train home-then snapped my bike's front derailleur 5 minutes after disembarking and had to take it on the subway instead. 100km ride, 4,000 ft total ascent.

When not writing, I go cycling in Taiwan. usually post about this on FB, but figured why not on Bluesky too? So here's a pic of the north-east coast of Taiwan on a very rainy, very blustery day. Meant to be a sixty mile ride, but cut it short at forty when the rain got too much.

Butterfly Box and Other Stories, my new collection of short fiction and novellas, is out now. Get it here in ebook, paperback and hardback: mybook.to/ButterflyBox

More details can be found on my blog: whitescreenofdespair.blogspot.com/2024/11/new-...

Please share this post if you like my stuff.

Got my proofs of the physical editions of Butterfly Box through - paperback and hardback - and they look great. I’ll have more details, plus buy links for all three formats, including ebook, sometime on Friday or Saturday.

Forgot to add the cover!

Europa Deep now has over 300 reviews and ratings on Amazon, still with an average rating of 4.3. And here's a gem of a review. I mean, really. www.amazon.co.uk/Europa-Deep-...

If you've ever wondered what a gibbering lunatic sounds like, you can hear an interview Gareth Jelley, editor of Interzone, did with me for the Interzone Podcast the other day. It's just been posted up at interzone.press/pod/. Lots about EUROPA DEEP.

So far Europa Deep seems to be selling well out of the gate, with an average 4.5 on Amazon and, nicely, some great reviews from readers: www.amazon.co.uk/product-revi...

Proof copies of EUROPA DEEP just arrived a few days in advance of publication. Looking good. Cover design and art is by Tom Edwards Design.

Today's bicycle ride took me south of Taipei in the direction of Daxi Bridge. I didn't quite make it there, but maybe next time. Set out at 4.18am and got back at a quarter to nine. About a forty mile round trip.

Absolutely knackered.

Bali District, NW of Taipei, 600 feet above sea level. The hill tops out at 1250 feet, but I noped out halfway. Set out at 4am to see how far I could get on the Beast, built from a Performer frame and a Giant Defy that got wrecked ten years ago. This is the farthest this year.

Announcement! I have a new book coming in September called Europa Deep. I have a pre-order link for the Kindle edition (below), with paperback and hardback editions coming soon.

https://mybook.to/EuropaDeep_bsky

On the way back down from Fudekeng and into Liuzhangli, couldn't help but snap this quick picture of Taipei 101 caught in morning mist.

Up at 4am for a 3.5 hour cycle along the riverside, up to Fudekeng Cemetery in the hills above the city. Not necessarily a steep climb, but more than I've done in a while.