Academic Thinking

Over the last couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in a handful of academically-inspired projects, mixing scientific writing with fiction. A few years ago, I was asked to contribute to I Am Because You Are, an anthology of writings celebrating the centenary of Einstein’s general relativity, and now I have two […]

Introducing…The Disappointed Skeptics Club

And now for a musical interlude… If you’ve been following this site over the last couple of years you might have spotted that I’ve been doing a thing called FAWM (February Album Writing Month – think NaNoWriMo but for music) for the last few years. The aim of FAWM is to spend February writing at […]

2019 Roundup

Woah, that was a fast one. Like, blink and you miss it fast.* Right? *Insert gif of Man staring gormlessly at Butterfly and asking: “Is this ageing”? Yeah well, maybe. Or maybe it’s just that I’ve packed so much into this year that I’ve just had no time to watch the weeks roll merrily by. […]

Time for a time war

Last week I finished reading a new novella, This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Part Spy-vs-Spy, part epistolary love story, part time-travel tale, it’s a book that is sure to feature in the discussions when next year’s award season comes around. It’s a pacy read, but a […]

Once Upon A Parsec

A while back I was delighted to be asked by author and editor, David Gullen, to contribute a story for a forthcoming anthology with a brilliant premise: alien fairy tales. What would be the stories told by the elders of alien civilizations to thrill and instruct the younger members of their society? What might their […]

Eastercon 2019: Bringing out the new

Gosh, this one came around fast didn’t it? It’s time for Eastercon again and, as always, I’m looking forward to four days of chatting about all things science fictiony with some of my favourite people. There’s a hugely diverse and exciting programme of things to do and I’ll undoubtedly be doing quite a few of […]

Fantasycon 2018

This weekend I’m going to be heading to Chester for the latest instalment of Fantasycon. As always there is a programme full of panels, talks and other events on all subjects relating to the fantastical genres. I had a wee look at it over the weekend, actually, and marked out a few things that I […]

Memoirist price crash!

Hey, folks. For one week only you can get a copy of my near-future SF surveillance state novella, The Memoirist, for absolute buttons because Newcon Press are having an Amazon price crash on selected titles from their novella range. On Saturday, October 13th, the price will crash to £0.99 (UK) / $0.99 (US), but […]

Interviewing: Christopher Priest

Back when I joined the Glasgow SF Writers’ Circle I asked the members, who were clearly much better versed in the genre than I was, for recommendations of authors to read. The suggestions I received formed the basis of an excellent education, both in the history of SF and in my own tastes. I discovered, […]

The Importance of Warm Socks

I’m currently coming down from Follycon, the 2018 edition of Eastercon, which was held this year in the pretty (if sodden and sleety) Yorkshire town of Harrogate. I always find Eastercons a revitalising experience as a writer because you’re in place where people are genuinely interested in how you’re getting on. What have you written […]