MERRY CHRISTMAS (plus a New Year's RESOLUTION)

I hope you're having a good time. A seasonal chill-out is good for the soul. Me, I'm enjoying my Christmas present of a yellow-painted steel sphere with a handle attached. It's superb: my very first kettlebell, which we picked up a week ago from www.kettlebell.co.uk... and thanks to Peter for the friendly greeting and impromptu tutorial. I've swung that little monster every day after my combat conditioning (that's from www.mattfurey.com) and it's high intensity fun. Yvonne bought it for me. Ta lots.

If you're a UK resident and you're close to a good bookshop, you may not have to wait till the New Year for a RESOLUTION. That's the title of my new book, officially published on January 6th, but already making sneak appearances on some shelves. I hope you like it.

Or, if you'd like to grab hold of some shorter Meaney fiction (I mean shorter fiction, not shorter Meaney... I stand almost as high as Harlan Ellison's elbow, I'll have you know) then scoot over to the fabulous new online magazine, Aeon, situated at www.aeonmagazine.com and check it out. By a weird cosmic coincidence, three of the authors in issue one were performing martial arts forms (kata) in the book dealers' hall in Boston during Worldcon. Lori Ann White, mistress of the Chinese fighting arts, demonstrated a shaolin five animals form, while I showed one of the three shotokan kata which are alleged to have originated in the shaolin temple. Then Walter Jon Williams, who is a most courteous gentleman, demonstrated a kempo form, and I immediately took out a subscription to Asimov's. (Walter had been manning the Asimov's table, along with Connie Willis.) I've been a huge admirer of Walter's work for a long time. I'm honoured to have a story of mine appear alongside one of his.

If you wonder why I keep making references to the Labyrinth, then the answer's in RESOLUTION. It's a magical place. Keep focused, Pilots, and may your wishes come true in the coming year. Per ardua ad astra.