How to Win the Lottery (And Other Stories), by Iain Parke, Reviewed.

On 02/05/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review

An unusual and intriguing anthology, this. The author introduces each piece of fiction with an account of his route to the story and some of his writing methods. It makes for an interesting read for both readers and writers. The collection is varied in both topics and style, but each tale is well structured and …

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Research or Write? That is the Question.

On 30/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress11 Comments

How much research should a novelist undertake before setting out on the creative journey? How much should be done before editing to produce the final work? These are questions that probably occur to most of us at some time during the writing process. I was inspired to visit these questions this week when I finally …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #7

On 29/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Grammar, Word Choice5 Comments

Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I watched the road as it took us …

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Publisher’s Trailer for The Methuselah Strain

On 28/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction2 Comments

My publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing, has just released this great little video to promote my SciFi novella, The Methuselah Strain. Please take a look, 'Like' it and, if you're looking for some exciting reading, buy a copy. It's available in both ebook and hardback versions by clicking those links. You can also find a synopsis …

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Synthesis, Fantastic SciFi Anthology Now in Print.

On 27/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review

The science fiction anthology from Fantastic Books Publishing is now available in print form. I’ve already reviewed this when it first appeared as an ebook. You’ll find the review by clicking this link. I have a story in this excellent collection of imagination and future speculation mixed with fantasy scifi. Great stories, now available for …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #6

On 26/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I had only ever seen a television briefly …

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The Case for Mars, by Robert Zubrin, Reviewed

On 25/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review

Subtitled, The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, this extraordinary work by Robert Zubrin, with Richard Wagner, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Mars either as an observer or as, in my case, a writer of science fiction. In researching for my novel about Mars, I’ve read a great …

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The Bridport Prize Anthology 2015, Reviewed.

On 22/04/201622/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Prizes, Review2 Comments

I bought a copy of this paperback to see what sort of work might win the prizes in this much respected annual contest for writers. I’m intending to enter this year, so I wanted to discover what quality and style of work is considered good enough. Each year, the judges for the three categories of …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #5

On 22/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar2 Comments

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Fear of Dying, by Erica Jong, Reviewed.

On 20/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Review

I was introduced to Fear of Dying by a friend after I’d read and reviewed Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying. Inevitably, there’s a temptation to compare, which I’ll attempt to resist. I’m of the same generation as the author, though a few years younger, so I’ve lived through the years she’s experienced and understand many …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #4

On 19/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice2 Comments

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. I started out this series with the …

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A Walk in the PuzzleWood from the Movies.

On 19/04/201624/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature15 Comments

Valerie and I have often wondered about a place called Puzzlewood that lies close to Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, about 5 miles from our home. We decided to give the place a visit for her birthday, yesterday. It has been used as a location for scenes in Dr Who, Merlin, Arthur, Starwars and is considered …

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Searching for the Right Word? Tip #3

On 15/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Delicate Delicate is an adjective with many subtly different …

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Searching for the Right Word? Tip #2

On 12/04/201612/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Abundance: Listed in Roget’s under the header, Productiveness (noun), …

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How We’ll Live on Mars, by Stephen Petranek, Reviewed.

On 09/04/2016 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Mars, Review2 Comments

There are times when a book comes into our lives at an appropriate moment. This was one such for me. I’d just spent a few days reviewing the research I’d been doing for a science fiction novel set on Mars. Amongst the websites I’d downloaded to consult on technical issues, I found references to this …

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