Later this year — sometime in late spring or early summer — Big Finish Productions will be releasing a Doctor Who anthology entitled Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership. Edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido, the anthology will feature the following stories:
- Introduction — Keith R.A. DeCandido
- “From Little Acorns…” — John S. Drew
- “One Fateful Knight” — Peter David
- “The Slave War” — Una McCormack
- “Goths and Robbers” — Diane Duane
- “Good Queen, Bad Queen, I Queen, You Queen” — Terri Osborne
- “The Price of Conviction” — Richard C. White
- “God Send Me Well to Keep” — Linnea Dodson
- “Peaceable Kingdom” — Steven Savile
- “Rock Star” — Robert T. Jeschonek
- “On a Pedestal” — Kathleen O. David
- “Cleanup on Aisle Two” — James Swallow
- “The Spindle of Necessity” — Allyn Gibson
- “Epilogue” — John S. Drew
A Doctor Who story! From me!
The premise of the anthology is that the Doctor travels through time and space, meeting leaders of various stripes. My story features the sixth Doctor — the one of the garish fashion sense and the tendency toward shouting.
Writing the story was… an experience. It’s the Doctor and one of history’s great know-it-alls.
I’ll say this. Aspiring writers out there? Don’t underestimate the power of competition. I said to myself, every time I sat down to write “Spindle” — “I’m going to be in a book with (to pull three names out) Diane Duane and Terri Osborne and Bob Jeschonek. My A-Game isn’t going to be good enough.” That might give someone else pause, but it actually kept me focused. Whatever I came up, other writers would have come up with first, and it pushed me to write the story harder. Think about the writers you’re competing against, and try to write a story that’s better.
I hope that makes sense. It seems so profound in my head….
For anyone playing at home, previous (and vague) posts about this story are:
- On the New Mission
- On Skipping Stones
- On Great Characters
- On the Old Mission
- On Putting Things In Order
- On Getting Paid (Hey, this one’s important… 😆 )
- On Receiving Galleys
Look for it in the spring. In the UK, I believe Big Finish books are available in bookshops. In the US, I would recommend WhoNA for all your specialty Whovian needs.
And of course, Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership will be available direct from Big Finish Productions.
I can’t wait to have the book in my hands. And having read about half the book, I know you readers out there are in for a monster of a treat. 🙂