Short Trips: Monsters, published by Big Finish Productions in England, is out soon and features my story, "Flashpoint."
I mailed a story outline and sample text to Big Finish this past February, and was commissioned the following month based on a revised outline. A finished draft was submitted in May. Over the next two months, I hammered out a final draft based on the editor's suggestions.
Although I've written and edited Doctor Who fan fiction before, this was my first experience with a commercial publication. I can be quite a lazy writer, but signing a contract stating you'll submit a quality manuscript on a set date is great motivation to write several hundred words every day! I hand-wrote the first draft, as I find a blank computer screen very intimidating.
Fortunately, my editor was very encouraging and provided constructive criticism. My reader, a fellow Who fan fiction writer, provided many helpful suggestions as well. Thanks Ian and Jeri.
Although I'd intended to move on to original short stories at the start of this year, I'd already written a draft of "Flashpoint" (then called "A Cold Sweat") and hoped to have it published. On a whim, I thought I'd give Big Finish's Short Trips anthologies a try, rather than a fan-produced collection. So what an incredible rush it will be when my contributor's copy of Short Trips: Monsters arrives in October!
In other Who-related news, the Trenchcoat Farewell Project is nearing publication and features my story, "To Go Beyond." And Doctor Who, which has been off the air since 1989 after a 26-season run, will return to the air in spring 2005. Apparently, the CBC will air it in Canada!
