Six chapters to go, and the MS stands at 68,660 words, a record low word count for one of my novels! Thursday, I was driven to hospital by a kind and friendly volunteer from a local service that provides rides for people on such missions. I won’t bore, or distress, you with details of the …
Category: Fiction
Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.
A truly gothic and demonic horror story. The narrator’s voice carries all the bile, disapproval, confidence and uncertainty of the youth well. This is a short but powerful read and one to produce nightmares if read too close to bedtime in a lonely place. The conflict of denial against the reality of the situation leaves …
Continue reading Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
An ‘interesting’ week. One I realised early was not going to be my finest hour re the WIP. Nevertheless, 27 chapters now subjected to the in-depth part of the edit that includes running the text through ProWritingAid. And chapter 28 is ready for that process, but it’ll have to wait now until I’m back at …
Dogwatch, by Karen Wolfe: #BookReview.
Love dogs? Love crime? Love humour, even if a little dark sometimes? Then this is for you. Georgie Crane is at it again; getting in deeper than she should, that is. There’s a degree of ‘woman in jeopardy’ about this comi-crime novel that lifts it above the general level of the genre. The dogs, and …
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
23 chapters now subjected to the in-depth part of the edit that includes running the text through ProWritingAid. And Chapter 24 ready for that process, but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. The MSS now stands at 71,169 words, 198 fewer than last week’s total. The work is going well, with only 16 more chapters …
Dreams of Winter, by Christian Warren Freed: #BookReview.
342 pages Science Fiction/Space Opera/Military Whilst a devotee of Science Fiction, I admit to being less than impressed by most Space Opera, so I come to this book with baggage. This is one in a series of books with the collective title ‘A Forgotten Gods Tale’ and I have no knowledge of the rest of …
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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
A somewhat slow start to the final edit before my publisher sees the book. Many time-sensitive jobs to do, unfortunately. Who said ‘retirement’ would bring a less pressured life? Anyway, I finally completed the development work on the website I’m designing for a local charity where I act as a trustee (anyone interested can find …
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
The content edit is complete! I’ve now arrived at 71,057 words, an increase of 21,497 since last Wednesday. This means the first in-depth edit is finished. I’m resting from the process tomorrow, perhaps taking a long walk in the Forest with my wife and my camera. Then it’ll be the start of the more detailed …
The Hermit of Blue Ridge, by Cary Grossman: #BookReview.
300 pages Fantasy/Paranormal. Intriguing, engaging, inspiring, fascinating and enthralling, this book is a great read. Character driven romance is relatively rare, but this book, essentially a complex and deep love story, is seen entirely through the eyes of lovers. The people on these pages are both exceptional and real. We’re treated to their aspirations, frailties, …
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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
More movement! The first content edit is now complete up to Chapter 25, meaning I’ve 49,560 words, an increase of 17,481 since the last report. I hope to have even greater progress to report next week, now I’ve had an opportunity to properly set-up my new PC, and dealt with the basic stuff for the …
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Movement at last! Today, I completed the first content edit on Chapter 15, meaning I’ve 32,079 words in the new document for the book. I hope to have greater progress to report next week, now that I’ve completed all the work on migration of files and pictures to my new PC. Of course, there’s still …
To Enter the Path, by Stephanie Flores: #BookReview.
Within this book is a great story trying to get out. The main protagonist, a young woman overtaken by a demonic magic spirit, is very well imagined and drawn. Her companions are equally well created. The problem is that the story is somewhat swamped by the repetitive nature of the challenges and solutions. The book …
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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
It’s been an interesting week, but then most weeks this year have borne an element of surprise, frustration, despair, joy or paranoia. The important aspect, considering this post, is that I’ve put 8 chapters through the first content edit, reaching a total of 16,555 words in the current document. There’ll be a second content edit …
What is the Future of Sci-Fi Books?
These days science can be stranger and even more advanced than science fiction. While it is true that many ideas and dreams from classic sci-fi have been fulfilled, or even surpassed, sci-fi has rarely been about the prediction of an exact future; it’s always been about the dreams and anxieties of the present. H.G. Well’s …
Children of the Furnace, by Brin Murray: #BookReview
Science Fiction/Fantasy/YA 257 pages This novel tackles some pretty fundamental themes. Told through the experiences and voices of two young people, Will, an innocent boy from a rural settlement, and Leah, a rather more worldly and sophisticated girl from a city, the story is woven through their separate adventures in their different worlds until the …
Continue reading Children of the Furnace, by Brin Murray: #BookReview

