Although I’m still sorting my diary for the summer, I do know I’ll be at Edge-Lit, in Derby, on Saturday 19th July. The Guests of Honour for this one-day convention are Charles Stross and Joe Abercrombie, and many other cool people will be there. The provisional programme has me on a panel on ‘The Science […]
I’ve finally seen the light and, prompted by a recent special offer, bought a copy of Scrivener. One of today’s tasks is to get to grips with it, a job which goes hand-in-hand with the other task of rounding up some persistent plot-bunnies in the latest novel. I should have (shoulda, coulda, woulda – the […]
It’s a while since I’ve read a book on the craft of writing. It’s not that I don’t have more to learn (I do; I hope I always will), it’s just that I’ve learnt enough that I need to put in some effort to find new advice amongst the stuff I’ve heard before and I […]
I’ve not had a great week. I’ll spare you full details, but let’s just say bad things have happened to good people, bad people have happened to me and a moment of stupidity on my part cost me money I couldn’t spare. Several times this week I’ve walked into the library – OK, the spare […]
I like one-day conventions. They’re condensed, manageable (financially and physically) and tend to have an unique feel to them. Picocon holds a special place in my heart as it was the first con to invite me to be a Guest of Honour. So, this year I’ll be back and, in true Picocon anarchic style, may […]
Much has been said about how e-books will change our reading habits – and our lives. I’ve no interest in either railing against or defending these changes. I’ll leave that to more informed people with clearer agendas and views. Changes will happen: we’ll adjust. Things will be gained and things lost. But one small aspect […]
This year, Beloved and I haven’t had an argument. Or rather, we haven’t had a specific argument – OK, not really an argument, more a discussion which has been known to get heated – that normally occurs around now. It’s known in our household as the Great Book Cull. We love books but don’t have […]
I’ve lost my notebook. Well, more accurately, I’ve lost a notebook. But just calling it ‘a notebook’ doesn’t do justice to this loss, which I’m quite peeved about, as you may be able to tell. The recent failure of said notebook to be anywhere I expect it to be did get me thinking about the […]
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve sold a story to the fantastically titled ‘Mammoth Book of Tales from the Vatican Vaults’, due out in spring 2015. The premise behind this anthology is that the Catholic Church might have kept a few things secret down the years … but now the truth can be told. Lots […]
As part of the continuing expansion of this lovely new website, another page has magically appeared overnight. (OK, not technically ‘magically’, but as M made the change to the menu for me, it is beyondr my lower-than-you’d-expect Clarke horizon) The ‘Reviews’ page repeats some of the nice things people have said about my books, online and […]