Following my review of Chlemsford 123 (the greatest Roman-era sitcom of all times!) I found the more recent Plebs. Centered around the lives of (very) common people in 27 BCE Rome, it’s a nice little British sitcom with enough going on for it. What to Expect Set in Rome of 27 BC, two mates – […]
News / Blog
Writing Process (or, how to make sure the muse works for you)
On several occasions recently (lecturing writing groups and chatting online) I was asked about my writing process, about anything from using pen and paper vs typing to ideation. And it hit me that a lot of it is inter-connected. I’ve talked about the tools I use and where I sit on the plotting-vs-pantsing scale, but […]
Ancient Trivia
Did you know that the word “trivia” originates in Latin? Trivia is based on trivial, which in turn comes from trivialis. That pertains to trivium — three roads, or a crossroad, as something very commonplace that can be found anywhere. Of course, Trivia was also an epithet of Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, […]
Book Review: Cthulhu Armageddon, by CT Phipps
I like genre mash-ups, have loved Lovecraft’s work (and have role-played the old Call of Cthulhu RPG), and although I don’t read much dystopian works these days I was in the mood for something darker. Cthulhu Armageddon was it. What to expect The author notes in the preface that he set out to mix Mad […]
The Soul of Tech
This is a real-life-inspired, near-future science-fiction(ish) flash fiction I wrote recently. I find it poignant to our modern existence, especially after my own social-media-detox last year. Mailing list subscribers got a chance to read it already, but for those who missed it here it is for your edification and consideration. Megan had a problem. Automatic […]
TV Series Review: Chelmsford 123
I’ve mentioned this TV series plenty of times, and I re-watch it every couple of years (yes, it’s that good). I’ve even put in some pop-references in my novels (an homage, not plagiarism 😜) So here’s a formal review, in case you needed encouragement to watch it. What to Expect Set in the year 123 […]
Book Review: By Demons Possessed, by P.C. Hodgell
As anyone who read my previous review of the series up to this point can imagine, I had this one on pre-order. As soon as it arrived I delved in (and the world could burn while I read — though see below how I handled it in between!). What to expect If you’ve read the […]
The Art and Craft of Writing (or, the worst and best advice you’ll ever get as an author)
I’ve recently been invited to talk to a few writing groups, about the experience of transitioning from a reader, to a budding writer, to a published author. This column comes as a result of thinking about that journey, from the advice I gave and the questions I answered, plus a few interesting discoveries on the […]
Book Review: Black City Dragon, by Richard A. Knaak
Black City Dragon is the third installment in the series, one I have been waiting for since I first came across it. Nor was I disappointed. (Well, apart from the special announcement at the bottom of this post 😉 I’ve previously reviewed of Black City Saint (book 1) and Black City Demon (book 2), and […]
Milestones (or, the art of blogging as a key to a successful author platform)
In a twist that should surprise no one, last week’s post was the 200th post on my blog — and that milestone went past to the sound of crickets. I thought I’d take a moment to speak about milestones (besides putting in a big, actual, stone at the side of the road — for that […]
FELIX THE FOX MYSTERIES 