Inkspill Magazine and 3LBE Reviews

I recently received my Real Paper Format copy of Inkspill Magazine issue 3, which is looking every bit as beautiful as the first two issues. You can download the pdf of Inkspill 3 for free or order your copy through their website.


My poem, Kirkstone Pass Inn, (p.39) is inspired by the wonderful and dramatic inn that sits atop Kirkstone Pass in Cumbria, UK. I have just sent them a copy of the magazine - I hope they like the poem!



I have just been reading a couple of reviews of Three Lobed Burning Eye issue 20 and my story, The Birdstories of Jaywalker.

Rise Reviews says,
Issue #20 begins with the short tale, “The Birdstories of Jaywalker” by Jennifer Stakes, wherein a bird-man by the name of Jay attends a story telling festival in order to collect stories to bring to his masters who use them as a form of currency. Stakes sensory language is well deployed and we get a sense of the festival being a kind of sustenance to those to attend. We are left intrigued by the metaphor of language as currency and what kind of higher level beings are responsible for this system. “Birdstories” is a strong lead off to the issue.

I got a particular kick out of being called 'Stakes', like a Real Writer, or else someone in a boarding school who has just stolen a biscuit from the tuck shop.

Locus Online writes,
Jay, who does not seem to be a bird, is a wandering storyteller. He has a mystery. It is not clear why his stories are bird, or capitalized. Some nice prose. Although the author tells us that “He moved with the rhythmic patience of those who never get to where they are going, and are not sad when they don’t arrive,” in fact he is quite urgent about reaching his final destination in time.

The story was inspired by the Welsh Storytelling Festival, Beyond the Border, which I went to a few years ago, and the old myth that Jays take stories and news down to the underworld. It is still one of my favourites.

NaNo Day Sixteen

So, halfway there and how are we doing? I've just opened my rather beautiful Excel spreadsheet (created in a fit of procrastination, naturally) to find:
Words written during NaNo: 18,062
Novel total: 93,723

I'm going to utterly fail the NaNoWriMo task of writing 50,000 words during the month of November. BUT I actually think I might finish the novel by the end of the month, which, after all, was the task. I didn't do any NaNo-ing today but spent the afternoon writing a short story which was hammering to get out. Also, we do have things like a trip to New York and Thanksgiving (which we're hosting again) getting in the way of writing, but really, if I finish my novel on, say, December 3rd I'm not going to be too unhappy.
Then, of course, LoEdShiFiDra begins (Localised Editing of the Shitty First Draft) begins.

In other news, I've just had a poem accepted into the stunning Inkspill Magazine for their next issue in January.