The annual Eastercon show of hands

And all of a sudden, Easter is just around the corner. Which means the annual beer and gab fest that is Eastercon. I say this every year but if you’re interested in SF and Fantasy Eastercon is a great way to spend a weekend. If you’re a reader of SF and Fantasy books, it’s a […]

Not quite daily bread

Just caught up with the first instalment of the new Paul Hollywood series on BBC2. I’ve been baking my own bread for about six months and, I think, getting steadily better at it. Lunches in the respective offices in our house often comprise homemade soup (courtesy of the bidey-in) and my homemade bread. And they […]

The Late Next Big Thing

Towards the end of last year a meme flurried through the writing community called The Next Big Thing. The point of it was to allow folks to wax a little about their newest project and, by name checking other writers to take part, share the boost a little. Nice idea, and I enjoyed reading about […]

Some recommendations

So my Twitter today (and that’s the great thing about Twitter: there’s commonality and cross-over but ultimately everyone’s feed is unique – a conversational mix tape) has been largely full of shout outs for International Women’s Day. And in amongst all of that was some discussion about the guy who posted on some discussion board […]

Spin: a good yarn

The latest in TTA Press’s new novellas series (following on from Mike O’Driscoll’s excellent Eyepennies) is SPIN by Nina Allan. And, having been fortunate enough to get a sneaky early preview, I can tell you it’s a belter. Set in an alternative futuristic Greece, the story teases the familiar Arachne myth into something contemporary, relevant […]

Moving on…

So yesterday was a good day. That’s an understatement. Days like that are the rewards for working hard, and reworking harder, and then doing it again. And again. And, as soon as the moment has passed, it’s time to get on with the work again. But before I get down to it my Saturday morning session […]

The Moon King

I’m overjoyed to announce that my first novel, The Moon King, has been sold by my agent, John Jarrold to Ian Whates of the excellent Newcon Press. The book will be published in hardback, paperback and ebook formats in April 2014. I’m proud of this book. It’s my first attempt at a novel and it’s taken a […]

Neu Birlinn

Good to hear that Nova Scotia’s publisher, Birlinn, has a new website. Birlinn took over publication of Nova Scotia after they merged with original publisher, the wonderful Mercat Press, and for a while it was really tricky to find the book on their site. So if there’s anyone out there with an aversion to A****n […]

Monthly : February

Reading long Eyepennies by Mike O’Driscoll (TTA Press) Not that long a read, actually (in fact I read this novella pretty much in one sitting). I’m a long standing O’Driscoll fan and having taken out a subscription to TTA’s new novella series, I was gantin’ for this to arrive, and when it did I wasn’t by […]

The Mumford Experiment

It happened like this. I discovered the Brit Awards were being presented the other night via a disagreement on a friend’s Facebook. Simon was strongly expressing his dissatisfaction with Mumford & Sons (their award as best something or other, and just in general I think) and in turn an acquaintance of his was claiming they […]