It’s exciting to have any story published, but I’m especially looking forward to the release, on 21st September, of Quest — 22 Stories of the Hero’s Journey. An anthology published by Fantasy-Writers.org, which I’ve been a member of since 2004, it features two of my stories among the twenty-two. A communal effort by the members,Continue reading “The Shape of a Legend & Wyrmbane in Quest — 22 Stories of the Hero’s Journey”
Category Archives: Publications
Fantasy-Writers.org Anthology —Author Interview with David Staiger
As I highlighted in a recent post, the writers’ group I belong to, Fantasy-Writers.org, is about to publish an anthology of members’ stories. This is Quest: 22 Stories of the Hero’s Journey. To whet your appetite, this is an interview with David Staiger, one of the seventeen authors represented in the anthology, about his storiesContinue reading “Fantasy-Writers.org Anthology —Author Interview with David Staiger”
Quest — A Fantasy-Writers.org Anthology
There have been a few moments in my writing life that have changed everything. One was a long walk I took the family dog on when I was fifteen, in the course of which I thought up and planned a story which proved to be the germ for much of what I’ve written since. AnotherContinue reading “Quest — A Fantasy-Writers.org Anthology”
You Get Your Sword and I’ll Get My Trowel — Archaeological Fantasy
We’ve always been fascinated by far-off lands, unknown civilisations and lost cities. Ancient legends, from Gilgamesh to Odysseus to St Brendan, told of voyages that discovered lands lying just a little off the map. During the late mediaeval and early modern period, countless books were published purporting to tell of voyages to bizarre and fantasticContinue reading “You Get Your Sword and I’ll Get My Trowel — Archaeological Fantasy”
My Writing Goals for 2025
It doesn’t seem five minutes since I was posting my goals for 2024, and now it’s time to do the same for 2025. The past twelve months have certainly thrown up some unexpected plot twists on the world stage, but it hasn’t been a bad year for my writing. I didn’t achieve all my goalsContinue reading “My Writing Goals for 2025”
Gerda and the Darkness Published in Death +70
My story Gerda and the Darkness was recently published in Death +70, the rather curiously titled anthology from the equally curiously titled imprint Harvey Duckman Presents. This is a collection of eighteen stories by a variety of authors, whose theme is described as “Tantalising Tales from Beyond the Apocalypse”. The publisher describes it as “aContinue reading “Gerda and the Darkness Published in Death +70”
My Writing Goals for 2024
New Year is a terrible time for resolutions. We make them because we feel under pressure to do so, not because we really want to. We “ought” to go on that diet or join the gym, and the commitment quickly runs out because it comes from outside. Far better to make the resolution at whateverContinue reading “My Writing Goals for 2024”
Introducing Loshi vi Assarid — The Thief of Shimeth
Back in the late 1970s, I wrote a short story called The Gift of the Outcast. It was a deliberate attempt to write something that was closer to traditional sword & sorcery than the more elaborate fantasy I was writing. It concerned a young thief, Loshi, in a city called Shimeth who was hired toContinue reading “Introducing Loshi vi Assarid — The Thief of Shimeth”
You’re Starting to Drabble
It’s probably fair to say that my natural instinct is to write long stories. I might start with good intentions of keeping it to a story of four or five thousand words, but next time I look it’s into five figures. Some years ago, though, I disciplined myself to start writing flash stories — thatContinue reading “You’re Starting to Drabble”
Juvenile Delinquents Against the Future — Dweller in the Crack
Just over a year ago, my novella Dweller in the Crack was published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing — but I didn’t have a blog at the time, so I didn’t note the occasion. So here’s everything you always wanted to know about the book (didn’t you?). Dweller in the Crack is the fourth published storyContinue reading “Juvenile Delinquents Against the Future — Dweller in the Crack”
The Fantasy Worlds of Nyki Blatchley 