Nondescript

I have somehow managed so far to put in no physical description at all of one of the major characters of Heavy Ice, because every time he’s around we’re deep in his personal viewpoint and he’s got things on his mind besides stopping in front of a mirror. (Actually, that’s not totally true, I think […]

In praise of GeneWeb

(or, ‘Help, Help, My Family Tree Is Full Of Hawkwoods’) So, the new book is taking place in 650 S.F., which is two hundred and eighteen years after the last two. It’s also 4911 by the calendar the rest of the universe is using, but whether that’s 4911 CE or 4911 years after what someone […]

Things I am doing right now

Writing a sex scene from a man’s point of view. I don’t think I’ve done this since I was about fourteen. It’s very weird. I keep second-guessing myself: it’s all very well writing confidently about the details of riding across an alien landscape on xenoraptors, because no one reading the book will have done that, […]

Light the Flames

Firebrand is go! I was hoping to hold off the official launch until it had made it to Amazon in paperback, but the wheels of Amazon are grinding slowly, so for the time being if you want a paperback you can buy direct from Lulu. Here’s the link to buy it in various formats: .epub […]

Failing to build a coherent brand

So, Firebrand is off with Team Beta and out of my headspace for the time being. Heavy Ice is still mired in the mud of ‘Why didn’t I realise two years ago that this needed a lot more worldbuilding and a villain who Kallisty would actually have problems with?’ and I have a new project. […]

Things I Already Know People Won’t Like About Firebrand

About half-way through the first round of edits on Firebrand, and then the Beta Crew can take delivery of it and I’ll kick it out of my head until it comes back red-pencilled. As is usual at this stage, I’m noticing things people won’t like about it and thinking ‘Well, I like it’. Thing the […]

Writing

So, the process of planing and sandpapering Firebrand into shape is ongoing, and it’s making me think about how much easier writing was when I had no clue at all what I was doing. I mean, when I started out it was just a matter of getting some words on a page. What do the […]

Plot early, plot often

In the ‘good news’ category: the steampunk thing, now tentatively entitled ‘Firebrand’, is chugging closer to being finished in first draft. So then it’ll be time for the second draft and then to send it off to the various people who have very kindly offered (and in Jasmine’s case, been begged) to beta-read it, and […]

Titles

No, not ‘how do you address a marquess who is also an Archdeacon’ though I would really not be surprised at all if I did post about that one of these days. Today has not been great, though the only bit that’s really relevant to mention on here is that I thought I had a […]

An excerpt from the steampunk side project

Which is still growing like a weed. When I arrive back at the house, the second post has come and brought with it a copy of Larch’s Monthly Magazine and a couple of letters. One is from Micah Ellrington’s wife, and is concerned entirely with one of her children having the whooping-cough. This cheers me […]