Baby Cockroaches (Photos)

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This post has sad news and happy news.

As some of you will know from Twitter, Sparkle (my pet cockroach) died recently. At just under four years old, he was an elderly cockroach, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The result in writing terms is I’ve shelved my NaNo project for now, as writing about pet spiders was a little too close (I have been writing other things, including my main novel and a steampunk short).

I’d initially intended to wait a bit before getting another cockroach, but the weather’s only going to get colder* and the supplier is closing early this year for Christmas. So I’m now the owner of two baby cockroaches. They’re in a temporary tank for now, while I sort out their permanent homes.

And in the spirit of baby animals, baby cockroach pictures…

Gem is the boldest of the two. They went to explore the tank soon after arrival and quickly found the heat pad. Gem jumped the first time I stroked them, but wasn’t bothered the second time. I think they’ll tame pretty quickly.

Gem

Ash is rather shy, and didn’t leave the kitchen roll they arrived in for hours (and when they did, panicked and hid as soon as I came in). Ash was very skittish about being handled, but I did manage to get them to come out for long enough for the photo**.

Ash

They’re both active and some of the food has gone, so it’s a good start.

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* Cockroaches arrive by mail order. Though this might seem a little odd, as you wouldn’t mail a puppy, insects don’t really mind being mailed if they’re packed properly. My experience has been they mind being disturbed on arrival far more.

** You might think the flash would bother them, but I haven’t found that to be the case. Scary monsters that pick them up are far more worrying.

Roses Story in Nature (Nature Futures)

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My hard science fiction piece “War of the Roses” is in the current issue of Nature (Volume 467 (7316), 7 October 2010). At least, that’s what their website says and I’m going to believe them.

It looks like the story is available online at the moment, but I don’t know how long that’ll last as they’re not primarily an online market: War of the Roses

Back when I was studying for my ecology degree, Nature was one of those places trainee scientists wanted to get published in. Perhaps a paper about some amazing research into the sort of things ecologists research*. I probably wouldn’t have believed time-travelling future me if I said I’d get a piece of fiction published there.

At least fiction doesn’t need citations**.

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* Usually stuff like measuring lichens and wading out into swamps to take insect samples. Ecologists are the hardy branch of biologists.

** Blake, Polenth, A Bunch of Random Stuff about Roses, Polenth’s Brain, 2010

Featherbrains – John Yeoman (author), Quentin Blake (illustrator)

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First Published: 25th February, 1993
Genre: Children’s Fiction / Chapter Book
Available: Out of print

Featherbrains is the story of two battery hens, Flossie and Bessie. When they escape their cages, they find themselves in the outside world. A friendly jackdaw watches out for them as they explore.

This is a children’s chapter book. The story is light-hearted and there are quirky illustrations by Quentin Blake. At the same time, it introduces the serious issue of animal welfare in farming at a level that a young child can understand. It’s not a favourite and I don’t think I’d seek it out (unless specifically needing a book on battery hens), but it’s also not bad.

Steampunk in Bards and Sages Quarterly

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I have a piece of flash fiction out in Bards and Sages Quarterly (October 2010). ‘Clockwork Fly’ has a steampunk vibe, which probably isn’t a surprise from the name.

It’s not a free-to-read publication, but if you’re a subscriber (or want to check it out), here are the details:

Main Website – The e-versions are probably best price-wise for most people (Kindle or PDF), though it is also available as a physical book.

In random tangent notes, one of the other authors in this issue is a Blake. You’d think this’d come up more often, as Blake is a pretty common surname, but it seems there aren’t very many writing fantasy and science fiction. Either that are they’re all using pen names.

Banksy Visits St. Leonards-on-Sea

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The street artist Banksy was recently in my local area* – he left a picture of a child making Tesco sandcastles**. Needless to say, I went down to get some photographs. The local council stopped it from being removed by the anti-graffiti team and covered it in a clear protective screen. Other graffiti appeared around it, including some from the feud between Bansky and King Robbo.

The Tesco in St. Leonards is really big. Not compared to space, but compared to supermarket sizes. The store is some ways inland from the coast.

The Banksy itself

Banksy art: A child making Tesco sandcastles

Detail of the child

Banksy: Detail of the child

The Banksy with the beach in the background

Banksy with shingle beach in background

A crowd gathers

A crowd looking at the Banksy

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* The location is St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. If you’re in the area, here’s how you get there: starting at the Hastings / London Road side of St. Leonards, walk down the seafront past the Marina (the large building shaped like a boat).

The Banksy is on the side of one of the steps leading to the beach. It faces away from the direction you’re walking.

** Banksy has confirmed it’s one of his.