Paul Cornell's Friday Newsletter

Of Shadows, Stars and Sabers

I have a new short story in a new original anthology, Of Shadows, Stars and Sabers, edited by Jendia Gammon and Gareth L. Powell, and I’m alongside a stellar group of authors, including Adrian Tchaikovsky, David Quantick, Stark Holborn and Lizbeth Myles! The book is out on February 11th, and is available for pre-order from all these different vendors!

There’s also an in-store event featuring many of the authors at San Diego’s Mysterious Galaxy bookstore on February 22nd at 2pm!

Gnomes of Lychford

On 9th September, Tor.com Publishing is releasing the sixth book in my Lychford series of rural fantasy novellas, Gnomes of Lychford. It’s a re-editing of the serial I ran on this newsletter, and I’ve taken the opportunity to sort out a couple of little plot problems.

I think it’s my best Lychford book, and, weirdly, it’s a great jumping-on point, because everything about the series is explained at the start.

You can read all about it here.

“An unlikely group of supernatural creatures terrorizes the sleepy village of Lychford. Okay, they're gnomes. That's not a spoiler: you worked it out it from the title. When an ancient prophecy clashes with an unfortunate modern design aesthetic, the people of Lychford must band together to put out fires (both literal and metaphorical) to save their town before the king of the Gnomes (King Greg, and it's dangerous to laugh at a gnome) calls in the terms of an old promise.

Trouble is: no one knows what the promise is, nor how to fulfil it.

It's going to be a long night.”

Telefantasy Time Jump

The new podcast from me and Lizbeth Myles has just released its first Patrons-only episode. We’re covering the history of SFF on TV, from 1953 onward, with our regular episodes (on the 14th of every month) covering a show released that year in the UK, and the Patron Bonus episodes (on the 28th) covering a show from the rest of the world. This month’s shows, from 1953, are The Quatermass Experiment and Canada’s Space Command (starring Star Trek’s James Doohan).

The main episode is available free wherever you get your podcasts. To get the bonus episode, you need to follow us on Patreon at £3/$3 or above. (And you get access to seven years of Hammer House of Podcast bonus episodes!)

You can find all the info here.

For Your Awards Consideration

The project I’ve had out in 2024 that I’d like to put forward for any award nominations you might be considering this year is The Complete(d) Saucer Country by myself and artist Ryan Kelly, published by Image. (It’s weird not to have put out anything that would qualify for the Scribe Awards, but having had a Hugo Awards Best Graphic Story or Comic run last year I might have a shot there.) Thanks very much for considering it.

My Ko-fi and eBay Stores Re-Stocked!

I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi store, where you can buy my books and comics, signed and personalised, for shipping worldwide.

Similarly, I’ve now re-stocked my ebay store, full of Bronze Age Marvel comics at bargain prices.

Find my Books at Bookshop.Org and Help Out Indie Booksellers!

Bookshop.org is a collective selling tool that sets up a marketplace for all indie bookstores in the UK, functioning exactly like Amazon, except you’re supporting your local bookshop. You can find a selection of my books here, and I get a little cut of the proceeds too if you order from here!

My Linktree

You can now find all my social media links, my website/blog and links to where you can buy my books, in one place here, thanks to Linktree!

The Work of Friends

My friend the artist/writer Alison Sampson has her first story drawing on both talents at once in the forthcoming anthology comic Women of Marvel: She-Devils #1. Look out for it on your comic shop shelves. Here’s some of her art from that issue.

My friend the publisher Jamie-Lee Nardone has a new book from her Black Crow Books imprint available for pre-order.

It’s the Fever House Duology by Keith Rosson.

FEVER HOUSE ebook OUT NOW, paperback original publishing 27 March 2025.

THE DEVIL BY NAME ebook OUT NOW, paperback original publishing 25 October 2025.

A limited first print run of both paperbacks will have a block sprayed edge, available where all books are sold. A limited signed and numbered hardback set with slipcase will be available directly via Black Crow Books.

A small-time criminal. A has-been rock star. A shadowy government agency.

And a severed hand whose dark powers threaten to destroy them all.

And my friend the editor Eli Goldman, who’s got a great track record (including the book above), is now offering freelance editorial services. If you’d like your work made much better, check out the new website!

My Week

Thomas’ drumming adventure continues. This week Caroline took him along to the lesson, and was as heartened as I was. He’s going to get his own drumsticks, which means, as his been pointed out to me, any time I make a Dad joke now, he can literally go ‘ba dum tish!’ On the way home from that lesson, he was very encouraging about Caroline finding the route, saying ‘go for it, Mummy, you’ve got this’, etc. I think he’s been learning that at school.

This week I’ve been getting on with the fantasy novel (60k words now), and doing meetings about audio and games projects, both of which were promising. There was also the annual meeting with my Independent Financial Advisor, which is a bit of an obstacle course, in that I’m never entirely sure of what I have to prepare, but also leaves me feeling relieved and less worried about the future. (I think that’s part of their job description.)

Also looking toward the future, specifically to San Diego Comic Con, I booked my hotel and flights for that event. The Early Bird Sale means that I don’t have to worry about the bunfight that is the main hotel lottery. Now that I’ve learned to love the trolleybus system (it’s extremely loveable) I can find a hotel distant from the con but near a trolley stop and know I have all I need. This was also the week to apply for a Thought Bubble table, so I went ahead and did that too. Lizbeth Myles will be my co-adventurer on both those trips, and I couldn’t wish for more to look forward to.

To Be Continued

I heard yesterday that I have a tiny but lovely thing, as yet unannounced, out in September! So much in the pipeline now!

I hope to see you all here again next week!