a little thrill

Yesterday we dug our car out from under half a foot of snow and left Wexford for a long, careful drive up the South-East of Ireland before heading West to Galway.

The first section was like driving through the landscape of Germany or Austria in winter, without the benefit of a country used to heavy snowfall. The entire countryside was swathed in white, and the snow-capped mountains appeared ready for skiers. As we passed through the Wicklow mountains we encountered a minor blizzard but luckily we were on clear, good roads and left it behind after a short distance.

Once we hit the motorway to the West of Ireland the going was relatively easy, except for a dense fog in Galway. It was great to get home safely after a long, slightly stressful drive.

This morning we had a short, instense snowfall, but the sun is out already burning it away. I have to venture out soon and collect Minnie from the kennels, so I’d be happy for the roads to clear up a bit.

I only thought to check for post a short while ago and was delighted to discover while I was away I got delivery of my contributor copies of The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2010, edited by Paula Guran.

I’ve never had a story selected for a year’s best anthology before so I believe I’m allowed to be thrilled. There is a magical quality to seeing my name and story title inside the book itself.

Paula wrote the following after the story:

“This subtle story is not one you can rush through. Since I was reading a lot of stories, I admit to, initially, getting to the end and realizing I needed to go back and read more slowly to fully appreciate it. I did… Then I was too stunned to read another story for quite a while.”