Plenty of nerdy couples read in bed at night. Really nerdy couples might even exchange comments on their respective books. But in a sci-fi writer’s house, such nerdiness achieves whole new dimensions: “This is a flawed discussion of quantum computing," I announced to the dark room. “It’s bedtime,” my Laddie mumbled from the pillow beside... Continue Reading →
Blog
Book Review: “The Ear, The Eye and the Arm” by Nancy Farmer
I recently came down with a touch of that pernicious malady sweeping the globe. Not COVID-19, thank goodness, but Lockdown Languor. It’s not the social distancing that bothers me: for a disciplined moonlight novelist with a deeply introverted partner, the normal pattern is to avoid people and stay home. The problem is that we don’t... Continue Reading →
Writer-in-(non)-Residence: Living In Limbo During the Covid-19 Lockdown
“So this is how the robot apocalypse begins,” I whispered to my Laddie under the shrill whine of the drone outside. Back pressed to the wall, I risked a peek through the curtains. The quadcopter hovered against the February sky, red lights winking like the eyes of a giant cicada. “I hope they can’t spot... Continue Reading →
A COVID-19 Parody Song for April Fool’s Day (Because We All Need A Laugh Right Now)
Did you know that I write more than just novels? As a teenager, I was a prolific writer of song parodies. Most paid homage to my favorite fictions, including a riff on the Spin Doctors' "Two Princes" to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, half a dozen popular songs restyled for... Continue Reading →
Buried Treasure: Five Reasons You Should Read Your Old Writing
You know the scene in adventure movies where the protagonist, digging feverishly where the "X" on the map has led, hits metal in the mud? That was me last weekend, only I wasn't excavating earth, just the closet in my home office. And the telltale clunk wasn't a spade striking a strongbox, but an heavy... Continue Reading →
The Stoic Writer: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Creativity
“Learn something new every day.” I’ve lived by this charge since graduating university more than a decade ago, determined not to let my brain atrophy amid the numbing routines of adulthood. Raw curiosity (and research for my novels) usually keeps me in good stead, but to supplement my cognitive nutrition, I always have a page-a-day... Continue Reading →