Writing and reviews with an environmental, science fiction, and fantasy touch
The Penderwicks was the Great Middle Grade Reads group’s September Book of the Month. I’ve had it on my list since 2013, possibly not from being a BOTM runner-up, as I thought, but because MG King cited it in a
Upsizing – although not so much inspired by the picture as the word from KL Caley at New2Writing.com. Last week I revisited a house I had really liked, but was sold before I’d sold mine. I just wanted to see
Z2134 is not the type of book I usually read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to complete my Alphabet Soup list with a Z title. Apologies if my review is not as enthusiastic as it
I chose cake over tractor for this week’s #writephoto. Is that cheating? I mean, we did a tractor story a couple of weeks back, so another tractor prompt was a bit much. Sorry KL Caley at new2writing.com. I hope you
The Darkness Manifesto caught by eye in the netgalley listings, as it was an examination of darkness and its scarcity. It seemed to fit well with the other non-fiction books I’ve taken this year. It takes me to just one
The Viridian System Series Box Set is now available on Smashwords in a pre-sale. The regular price is $11.99, which is a $3 discount on the individual book costs. It launches everywhere else except Amazon on November 10th. Why a
Having trouble with comments seems to be a thing at present. I thought it was just me, but then Damyanti wrote a blog post asking for feedback, and I sent her quite a lot. And then I worked out why
Fog and Halloween. I can see the way KL Caley’s mind is working for the week’s #writephoto prompt at New2Writing.com. I have a series of features I’ve written in the past, featuring the guinea pigs as themselves, tangling with supernatural
Nocturne and A Quick Death are two books suitable for YA readers by indie authors I’ve been following for a long time, namely Cheryl Mahoney and Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine. I didn’t read them just because of the Alphabet
Gargoyle: one of my favourite architectural features. I took many photos of them at Norwich RC Cathedral when I went there for a conference once and we had a ‘special’ tour, including the roof. But ‘gargoyle’ is also the #writephoto
Silver and Iron completes the SAGE Trilogy. I reviewed the first, The Fall of Onagros in April 2020 and the second, Bargain with Fate in January. I think I commented about the need to keep track of this amazingly complex
I was beginning to run low on bookmarks for my stall at the craft fairs. It acts as my business card, and judging by my online sales, it does have some effect. I wouldn’t say they have shot up, but
It’s a nice cemetery. Not all ghoulish, and crusty crooked headstones. Hang on, I haven’t started the fiction yet. This is today’s #writephoto prompt from KL Caley at New2writing.com, coming in at just under 1000 words. Okay, you can read
The Empire came up on NetGalley’s list, and I liked the sound of it. With other celebrity authors, though, I’ve had trouble getting rid of their voice. Would Michael Ball be different? The only way to find out is to
This walk on the South Side of the Thames happened during the mourning period for the late Queen Elizabeth. It was the Thursday, the first full day of the Lying-in-State event. Rumours of queues five and more miles long, queuing