A short progress report. The week has gone well, with some new research done (there’s a lot happening regarding Mars at the moment!). I’ve added 13,345 words to last week’s start, making the total word count 18,145 to date. The story continues to flow and the characters are developing. I wake up at night sometimes …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Today marks 2 years in our new home in the Forest of Dean. The move away from East Yorkshire, family and friends, was planned and chosen, but none the easier for that. But it was the right time and, we hoped, the right place. Somewhere to settle for our retirement. A place where we could …
Continue reading A Day for Celebration
You really should have had this update yesterday, as I do them on Wednesdays. But I was actually writing (and, tell the truth, the heavy cold that had me in its clutches throughout Xmas and the New Year celebrations had returned to turn my brain to mush for most of the waking hours). Today, I …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Today, I’m delighted to be interviewed on the unplag.com/blog, and given a chance to share information, motivation and writing advice. The piece is titled, 'Stuart Aken reveals a secret of his writing craft in his interview to unplag'. I consider this a real honour and I’m pleased to share it with you. Here’s the link …
Continue reading Author Interview on Unplag.com.
Many readers followed my progress on Blood Red Dust, so I've decided to run a similar series of short blogs for the second book in the series. The new book is underway. I have a small core of characters, some of whom readers met in Blood Red Dust, and others new to the series. The …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
A book launch, where we sold out of the publisher’s stock! A meeting with Royd Tolkien and lots of other authors. A gathering of enthusiastic and generous people at an event celebrating science fiction, fantasy and gaming. Plus: Visits to relatives and friends in various locations. Visits to Family Research Centres to gather facts for …
Continue reading Fantasticon 2016 and Other Treats
What better place to launch a new science fiction novel than a convention devoted to scifi and fantasy? Well, today (19th November) I’m here at Fantasticon 2016, in Hull, signing copies of my latest book, Blood Red Dust. Set on Mars before the end of this century, it follows the lives of a set of …
Continue reading Today’s Definitely The Day!
From Glen Donaldson on Goodreads: Enjoyed? I positively feasted on this book! It opened a door to a behive-world of thoughty concepts and high-res imagination the likes of which I have rarely seen. The 'frolicksome' character of Jannine deserved a book all on her own! You really have dynamited the vault and poured out the …
Continue reading Blood Red Dust Gains Great Reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.
All of us who blog, or use a website to inform potential readers about our books, are aware of the struggle for exposure, the difficulty of getting our names out there. We indulge in online activity to add value to the lives of others (at least, I hope we do: those interested only in self-promotion …
Continue reading Liking is Lovely, but Sharing is Caring.
I read this book way back in February 2016, so why am I reviewing it in November? Well, seems to me the best evidence of a diet book’s validity is a personal test. And I can say that this one definitely worked for me! The book is aimed at individuals in danger of becoming type …
Continue reading The 8-week Blood Sugar Diet, by Dr Michael Mosley, Reviewed
https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B01M6A07BE&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_ERalAbGW2P26R&tag=stuartaken-21 A scary collection of thirty-two horror shorts, every one of them exactly 666 words long! These Fantables were mostly the result of a contest run by the publisher, Fantastic books Publishing, but include some tales by selected invited professional writers. The stories run the whole spectrum of horror writing from the traditional through to …
Continue reading 666, An Anthology of Horror Shorts, Reviewed.
My latest science fiction novel, Blood Red Dust, is now available as an ebook as well. You can get a copy by clicking here to buy from Amazon. The paperback version was mentioned in a previous post. As readers of my blog, you get to know about the new book before the official launch. That’s …
Continue reading SciFi Made: Now Available in All Formats!
It’s here! It’s there! And you can have it everywhere! Okay, a little ott, but, hey! I’m excited. My latest science fiction novel, Blood Red Dust, is now available and you can get a copy by clicking on this link. At present, it’s available in paperback; the ebook will follow shortly: I’ll let you know …
Continue reading SciFi in the Making: Now Available!
On 20th September, I wrote a short piece titled ‘Denying Digital Demands’. This is the follow-up. If possible, once a year, I attempt a break from the demands of online life. Usually, it coincides with a holiday away from home. Breaking free from both the everyday and the unending demands of constant connection can refresh …
Continue reading Returning to the Digital Drama
Nestling close to Turkey, so you feel you might swim the channel to the mainland, lies the Aegean island of Samos. If you dared that swim, though, you’d probably be swept into the wilder parts of the sea never to be seen: the undercurrents are very strong! Valerie and I hadn’t visited Samos and chose …
Continue reading A Sojourn on Samos.
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Stuart Aken 