Nine, by Drew Wagar, Reviewed.

On 06/09/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review

This is a science fiction short based on the Oolite space trading game. No, I'd never heard of it, either. But you don't need to be familiar with this created Ooniverse to understand and enjoy this clever tale. It's a multi-layered piece, with many themes, in spite of its brevity. But it can also be …

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The Man Whom the Trees Loved, by Algernon Blackwood, Reviewed.

On 05/09/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review2 Comments

Modern readers may find this short novel too wordy, which is a shame, as it's a well-told story. But it is undeniably written in the style of its age, with a good deal of description and not a great amount of action. The central characters are all very fully drawn and their interactions are beautifully …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 52

On 04/09/201504/09/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running2 Comments

Today, I’ve made the last training run before the actual race. For the remainder of the days between now and 13th September, I’m supposed to ‘rest’ the muscles and build energy for the race itself. This means some shortish walks only, to keep the joints moving and feed some work into the muscles without causing …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 02.

On 02/09/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Word Choice, Word Use

Many writers welcome the sharing of ideas that might improve our craft. So, let's chop the fat from our writing. Make it lean and trim. Readers will thank us. In this series, I'll look at some common redundancies. (I had hoped someone perspicacious might point out that the first post title in this series used …

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The Methuselah Strain in Hardback.

On 31/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction7 Comments

Here it is: the hardback print version of my science fiction novella, The Methuselah Strain. All copies will be signed. Dan Grubb, owner of Fantastic Books Publishing, suggested we launch this at the great fantasy/scifi event, Fantasticon 2015, in the region where I was born. It takes place over the weekend of 24/25 October in …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 51

On 30/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running

It's getting close to the event. In fact, 2 weeks today I'll be pounding the tarmac for 13.1 miles. Progress this week? Wednesday I was due to run for 4 minutes followed by 1 minute of walking, repeated 7 times. That's 35 minutes of exercise. I chose to do this along my 3.3 mile loop …

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Cut Out Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 01.

On 29/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Word Use3 Comments

Life's finally a little more settled, so I can return to posting about the mechanics of writing, as I used to on my old blog. I've found many writers welcome the sharing of ideas that might improve our craft. So, let's chop the fat from our writing. Make it lean and trim. Readers will thank …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 50 and #Free Books

On 24/08/201524/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fiction, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Running

Raising money for Action for M.E. Charity Registration No. 1036419 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is a disabling and chronic illness, devastating the lives of 250,000 people in the UK. Action for M.E. provides support and information for those touched by M.E., and campaigns for better services and invests in research to ultimately find a cure. I'm …

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Science Fiction in Print

On 22/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction4 Comments

A short announcement. The dystopian science fiction novella, The Methuselah Strain, will soon be available in print form. Copies will all be signed. This is a limited print run, so you'll need to get your order in quickly. The book isn't launched yet, but you can pre-order by clicking on this link. More on this …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 49

On 22/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running

Three weeks tomorrow I'll be running the Great North Run. A half marathon that's been going for a long time now. I'll be one of 57,000 participants and, like most of them, I've been training now for a few months. This week's programme involved a reduction in distance and time spent running. I suspect this …

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Wellbeing for Writers, by Jennifer Barraclough, Reviewed.

On 17/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Organisation, Review8 Comments

This is a handy little ebook that sets out to suggest strategies for writers that will help them get the most from their time and effort. I've been around for a long time, and been writing for many of those years, so there isn't actually a great deal here that's new to me. However, it's …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 48

On 17/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running

A brief update for those readers who expect one of these posts on a Monday. First, let me direct you to the two previous posts for more details. You'll find post 46 here and post 47 here. Suffice it to say that training last week went according to plan and I'm well on track for …

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Monster of the Apocalypse, by C. Henry Martens, Reviewed.

On 16/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review

This dystopian science fiction novel grips from the start. Set in the not-too-distant future, it portrays a world devastated by plague. The few inhabitants left alive display all the emotions, characteristics and personality types that exist in the real world, so it's easy to empathise with the players here. The story is different from many …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 47

On 16/08/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running

It's happening! It's really happening, 4 weeks today! My runner's pack has arrived from the sponsors. It includes my number and a timing chip, which will track my time from the moment I pass the starting line to when I stagger across the finishing line some 7 or 8 hours later! Joking: if I can …

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