As 2013 draws to an end, all I can say is "Finally!". There was something about this year that had me almost constantly looking over my shoulder and waiting for the next shoe to drop. Without going into boring detail, let's just say that on a personal level this was an "interesting" year and I... Continue Reading →
Remember not the sins of my youth
I’m busy trying to frantically finish the current Heirs book which takes the future of some of the slightly lesser characters from the earlier books and builds on them. And of course the characters I have built in those more-than-a-million odd words. It’s really too long in a universe, for this author anyway. It does... Continue Reading →
No, I’m NOT Giving Up On Elf Blood
Do come back in a week for a new chapter. Today... well, on top of the way the holidays always upend my family life, we are having a mini-family crisis with a friend who is in the hospital -- prayers requested -- so being able to concentrate is a little difficult. To compensate, I'm pasting... Continue Reading →
Taking my Peeve for a Walk
This reader has a few pet peeves. Most of the time I just avoid them, but once in a while I put them on a leash and take them for a stroll, because I am also a writer, and knowing where the peeve has gone lets me avoid annoying my readers. Just be careful where... Continue Reading →
Need a Laugh? Governmentium has been Discovered!
Season's Greetings to all! I thought a joke might be just the thing for the festive season, rather than tax too many brain cells. Here is something I came across a little while ago, one of my all-time favourite Geek Jokes. The heaviest element yet known to science has been discovered. The new element is... Continue Reading →
The Perpetually Offended – Saving the World from the Horrors of Monster Erotica
When you follow the writing field for any length of time, one thing you can be certain you'll encounter is a selection of some of the most... er... eccentric people who still manage to be moderately functional in this world. That's to be expected: the act of writing fiction is in itself a sanity-breaking thing... Continue Reading →
A Good Ending
In writing, a good ending hides a multitude of sins. This is particularly true in short stories, where a good ending can draw together a rambling beginning and a confused middle and make a story extraordinary. Among the many strange things in this era of the internet and far-flung friendship is that both Dave Freer... Continue Reading →
On writer’s block and inspiration
It's Christmas Eve morning and the oven is cleaning. Soon, I'll be in the kitchen baking another couple of batches of cookies to deliver to neighbors and friends. This evening we'll have our annual holiday meal with friends/family. Tomorrow we'll open gifts and then collapse to try to recover. Pretty much what so many other... Continue Reading →
Iggy and the Beach
As most of you live in the Northern hemisphere, and cold winter is on you, I thought I'd fill you all with a happy vision of Southern hemisphere beach holidays to make you feel better about the amount of fuel your furnace takes: Iggy's Beach Holiday Eyes pinched tight against the sandblast that was stripping... Continue Reading →
Building Blocks
So I’m stuck. I get stuck all the time, looking at this vast lego-block looming in front of me, making me feel like my mind is blank because all I can see is this blank wall in front of me. Sometimes, stepping back away from it a little helps, because I can suddenly see how... Continue Reading →