Blog Posts

  • A Pound of Darkness, a Quarter of Dreams

    A Pound of Darkness, a Quarter of Dreams

    … appears in the latest issue of Lightspeed Magazine

  • The Great Exam Misdirection

    GCSE results are out today in England and Wales, they include the new tougher examinations in English and Maths. There is a new 9 to…

  • Tagging #2:  Applications that use Tagging

    Here are few applications where I use tagging. Simplenote Tagging is straightforward on Simplenote.  Add your tags on the tag bar, keep track of them…

  • Tagging #1

    If you only answered yes to the first three questions, then I’m about to change your writing life for the better. Tags have been around…

  • The Edit

    I’ve spent the past week tweaking my latest novel following a rather excellent edit by my agent. An excellent edit. What does that mean? It’s…

  • One of Those Lovely European Moments

    On holiday recently I found myself on a bus supposedly travelling from Verona to Lake Garda. The heat was oppressive that day, the Veronese moved…

  • Worldcon 75

    I’m delighted to say that I’ll be attending Worldcon 75 in Helsinki

  • I Used to Worry About Finishing Stories…

    I’d plan them in minute detail, I’d obsess over the twists, the climax, the ending. And then I learned, as I’ve written in many other…

  • The Model Railway Men

    I stumbled across the ebook versions of the Model Railway Men novels on Amazon and bought them for old times sake. I loved the Model…

  • Six Tips on Writing Speech

    A pupil recently asked me about writing speech in stories…

  • The Manchester Arena

    I turned on the television on Tuesday morning to see a chicken being cooked. Two breathlessly enthusiastic Americans were discussing the flavours; the tenderness; exactly…

  • Silence

    My friend asked me to cover her duties as organist over Easter whilst she was trekking in Nepal. (I say trekking, she’s checking on the…