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 →

Free book weekend: 18th-20th April

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: 18th-20th April →

Laying an old laptop to rest

Hello readers. It is with great sadness that I must announce the retirement of my faithful laptop. This wonderful machine has facilitated virtually all of my creative efforts over the last ten years. However, it has really started to slow down over the last few months, and with Microsoft promising to axe all support for … Continue reading Laying an old laptop to rest →

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? →

Free book weekend: 18th-19th January

Lego and updates

Hello readers! Just a short post from me this week. The boring part, which I’ll get out of the way as quickly as possible, regards Amazon bookstore logistics – specifically, the availability of books through Kindle Unlimited. The exciting part (hopefully) is a new micro-scale Lego model, which might look familiar to those of you … Continue reading Lego and updates →

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! →

Another Lego model for the collection

Hello readers! Just a short post from me today. You might remember that back in May I shared a Lego castle from my Highmoor series. Well, today I’m sharing another! A second castle has been added to the collection, and this one is a lot more intricate. Those familiar with the second book might recognise … Continue reading Another Lego model for the collection →