Browsing all articles in Articles.
A Different Kind of Hero
The heroes in our novels come in all shapes and sizes. Their nature and actions are crafted at the whim of the author. Some heroes are larger than life, giant personalities with immense powers, while others are regular people thrust into grand events. Some are born great, chosen by destiny and circumstance, others make their […]
Gemmell Winners & Social Media Reactions!
Just a quick post this morning to let you all know who the winners of the David Gemmell Legend Awards are and provide you with a quick snap shot of their individual social media reactions. Mark Lawrence took the Best Novel Award for the second time for The Liar’s Key! Jason Chan took the Best Cover Art […]
Don Drake to return…
Our very good friends at Angry Robot Books have treated us, this weekend, to the news that they’ve signed and confirmed the third book in Peter McLean’s Burned Man trilogy, Damnation. They’ve even got a synopsis ready (to prove it’s a real thing… check it out): Shambolic demon-hunting hitman Don Drake is teetering on the edge of […]
Gender and Stereotyping in Fantasy – Part Five: Bisexuality
When we talk about queer character representation, there’s letters of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum that get left behind, for whatever reason. With Bisexuality Visibility Week’s focus directing the spotlight, now seemed as good a time as any to explore the characters in SFF who identify (or are clearly identifiable) as bisexual. But first, a working definition: […]
Six Scenes With Jesper
The wonderful Leigh Bardugo has a hugely anticipated novel coming out soon: Crooked Kingdom. It’s the sequel to what many consider one of last year’s very best novels, Six of Crows. Again, Game of Thrones will meet Ocean’s Eleven as the six characters we know and love attempt to survive their success and make their […]
50 Years of Star Trek
Let me make this clear from the start; I wasn’t alive when the first episode of Star Trek was broadcast on the BBC. The last episode (discounting the ‘banned’ episodes – in the 70s the BBC was not as ‘enlightened’ as it is now… maybe) was aired 7 months before I was born. Now that’s […]
Gollancz have gone mad!
Just a very quick post to let you know that a ton of titles from Gollancz (including some new, highly-anticipated ones) are just 99p on the Kindle here in the UK to celebrate the upcoming GollanczFest. Authors such as Abercrombie, Pinborough, Lynch, Harris, Sykes, Rothfuss, de Bodard, Sanderson, Cameron, Aaronovitch and so many more are […]
Where do you get your ideas from?
Sometimes out of the mouths, well hands, of babes and sucklings it seems… It’s a question many writers dread and I think it’s because it’s so hard to give any sort of concrete answer. Mostly. I mean, they come from anywhere and everywhere. They pop into your head unbidden (inspired by something you’ve seen or […]
Nothing Is As It Seems
I’ve always referred to The Relic Guild Trilogy as a single story chopped up into three books. Mostly because it’s true. It is the tale of a secret band of magickers protecting a million humans in a city hidden at the centre of a giant labyrinth; a city that barely manages to survive, trapped behind […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Known Title, Unknown Story
The name of the short story must be that of a fantasy bestseller but the story isn’t allowed to have anything to do with the original book. So if your story’s title is The Name of the Wind it isn’t allowed to be about an orphan musician magician sex god king killer and the power […]
The Sacred and Profane in Fantasy Writing: Who Gives a F___?
As I started writing this my five-year-old niece was settling down to a sleepover with my youngest daughter, and my second daughter had just reminded me that we would have to watch our language around the impressionable little one. Those who have worked with me will know that I have a slight tendency to cuss. […]
Havens And Hells In Fantasy
When we talk about how we feel when reading we often refer to characters or plot. We vent about a villain we hate or gush about a hero we love. A devastating turn of events or an amazing plot twist might prompt us to express how moved we were. When it comes to setting, however, […]
