Hello readers! I finally got around to reading Frank Herbert’s Dune. Not sure why it took me so long, as I’ve been curious about the book for as long as I can remember. It is so well-known, so well-loved, and so well-integrated into the public imagination that most of us have felt its influence, either … Continue reading Dune (1965) is a timeless classic
Tag: fantasy
New concept art: Nia
Hello readers! Just a short post this week, announcing the addition of another character to the Highmoor series “art” collection. This is Nia, one of the four major protagonists with perspectives that drive the story. She is the most headstrong of the main characters, in that she speaks her mind plainly and abruptly, and won’t … Continue reading New concept art: Nia
Science fiction and the future: Part one
Hello readers! I’ve been pondering the science fiction genre again – specifically, science fiction stories which are set in our universe, with some connection to our world. I haven’t done a thorough survey, but I get the impression that most science fiction falls into this category, rather than being pure science fantasy. And within this … Continue reading Science fiction and the future: Part one
The perils of productivity simulators
Hello readers! Just some miscellaneous waffle from me this week. I’ve been doing a fair bit of book writing recently, but I don’t have much to say about it – nothing entertaining, anyway. From an outsider’s perspective, book writing must appear to be very mundane: just a figure staring at a screen, sometimes hammering out … Continue reading The perils of productivity simulators
New concept art: Norbert
Hello readers! Just a short post this week. I’m adding another character doodle to the Highmoor series art collection. This is Norbert, one of the four protagonists, and for those of you that have read the books, I hope that this is somewhere close to your mental image of the character. It might sound odd … Continue reading New concept art: Norbert
Free book weekend: 21st-23rd February
Hello readers! This weekend, five of my books will be available for FREE on Amazon (find them here). Unfortunately, Kindle Store scheduling issues have meant that I can’t include Synwyr, my most recent work – but all my books should be back on Kindle Unlimited in mid-March, as explained in this recent post. And from … Continue reading Free book weekend: 21st-23rd February
Why are so many fantasy protagonists upper class?
Hello readers! Have you ever wondered why fantasy stories so often revolve around royals and nobles? A disproportionate number of protagonists are lords and princes, rather than commoners, which suggests that we are drawn to tales of the upper classes. Many of us root for the success of fantasy royals, while remaining ambivalent towards real … Continue reading Why are so many fantasy protagonists upper class?
The blog is two years old!
Hello readers! On the 27th November, this blog reached its second anniversary. We now have two whole years of miscellaneous waffle in the post archives, all tangentially related to fantasy and science fiction. This week I’m taking the opportunity to look back over the last twelve months, picking out my favourite posts and acknowledging some … Continue reading The blog is two years old!
Free book weekend: 26th-27th October
Hello readers! This weekend, all my books will be FREE on Amazon (find them here). My current series, Highmoor, is traditional high fantasy, and the first three books are now out (with the final instalment in progress). These books follow the adventures of three brothers caught up in a conflict between the nations bordering their … Continue reading Free book weekend: 26th-27th October
New concept art: Eddie
Hello readers! Just a short post from me today. I’m adding a new doodle to the art collection, and I’m also dropping the quotation marks from “collection” now that it contains five artworks (three characters and two maps – that’s a collection, right?). This is Eddie, one of the protagonists in my Highmoor series. If … Continue reading New concept art: Eddie
C. W. Clayton 