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, […]

I recently received the map on the left from my fellow author Eric Klein (click to enlarge it — it’s beautiful). This is a classic configuration for a Roman-era house, at least for those who could afford it. It’s quite similar to what I have in mind when I describe Felix’s own house (the only […]

Rather than an article, I include below links to two others, with my thoughts on them. I think they show pretty well the current turmoil that the publishing industry is in. The first is titled “Cover Story: The Quiet Catastrophe, Then Reinvention Of Book Publishing”, by John Birmingham on which-50. Here’s a notable excerpt: The last […]

Unless you somehow missed it, I recently published my debut novel. For those who asked about how I did it, and as a sort of learning exercise, I recently wrote an article for Lifehacker about what it takes to become an author. You can read it in full here: www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/12/the-complete-guide-to-writing-your-first-novel/ While the article contains a lot of information, […]