It's November again. And you know what that means. Before I begin, an important disclaimer: this is not a post designed to denigrate or disparage National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or NaNo) as a concept. I operate under the banner of 'you do you', and clearly NaNo has struck a chord with an awful lot… Continue reading the strange urgency of NaNoWriMo
Spooky Stories for Samhain and Halloween
Tomorrow marks the arrival of both Halloween and Samhain, two similar but disparate festivals which celebrate the dark, the supernatural, the thinning of the veil between our world and the next. The perfect time of year, then, to settle down with a suitably spooky read. Whether it’s a crisp, cold day, a grey, rainy afternoon… Continue reading Spooky Stories for Samhain and Halloween
And even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Even more people have been saying incredibly kind things about Sing Your Sadness Deep and I'm honestly slightly overwhelmed by it all, and expecting it all to come crashing down at any moment. A vardo, which may or may not belong to Sara's grandmother in 'The Pain-Eater's Daughter' The venerable John Linwood Grant over… Continue reading And even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
The Gods watch you and the whole world
I had to share this beautiful piece of art, which was created by the talented Max Siskin, a student of fellow author David Surface. It looks like a magazine cover, albeit with a seriously spooky headline. I love the text - I feel like there's a story in there. Maybe I'll even write it. My… Continue reading The Gods watch you and the whole world
Even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Attention is scary. Being a writer* is embodying a strange paradox in that on one hand, you would like people to read your writing - that's why we submit it to anthologies and magazines. But on the other hand, knowing that people are actually reading your writing is a deeply unnerving experience. It feels like… Continue reading Even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Reviews coming in for Sing Your Sadness Deep…
...the inimitable Des Lewis has real-time reviewed Sing Your Sadness Deep, which is always a joy. Des has a knack of unearthing previously unrealised themes and motifs, which - if you're a seat-of-your-pants writer like I am - is a process of discovery. He also finds fascinating links between works he is reading and reviewing… Continue reading Reviews coming in for Sing Your Sadness Deep…
The Great Charity Book Raffle – in aid of RAICES
So. Phew. This one started as a small gesture and, thanks to the generosity of the genre fiction community, has blossomed into something really quite wonderful. I was horrified by the news coming out of America that migrant children arriving at the US border are being separated from their families and detained in crowded, filthy,… Continue reading The Great Charity Book Raffle – in aid of RAICES