Month: June 2026
-
The truth about indie publishing. Here are some classic myths people love to perpetuate about self-publishing (indie publishing) and traditional publishing. Which ones have you heard before?
-
Oceanus is a science fiction mystery novel and when I was writing it, I drew inspiration from many sources, many of them not very obvious based on the blurb alone. A starship drifts, its crew gone. The planet it orbits has no name. Survivors are separated on the surface. Exhausted. Hunted. Lost. The longer they stay,…
-
Review of this feral, familiar tale of motherhood and transformation.
-
Inspired by classic Egyptian horror stories such as Lot 249 and The Ring Of Thoth, I published The Shade In The Sands And Other Stories last year. It is a collection of short Gothic stories centred around the historical phenomenon of Victorian and Edwardian Egyptomania. You can read a sample of The Shade In The…
-
‘nothing that is human is alien to me’. Every book, except I suppose for the most utterly trashiest, has something you can learn from, even if it’s just what you don’t want to do. Great writing starts with great reading, and great reading starts with the Melville-based canon and then branches out, forward and backward,…
-
A British character is drinking coffee in your Edwardian novel? It’s not as unrealistic as you think.
-
Six things I wish I’d known before publishing my first book. If you’re writing your debut novel, you might find these tips useful.
-
Here is a list of books that combine the sci fi thriller with mystery and other sub-genres. The mystery genre is full of ways to seek the truth, and in many ways, so is science fiction. These books all fall under the speculative fiction umbrella but are mysteries. Read on to see what you should…
-
Below is a quick guide to the main differences between Gothic horror and horror, but scroll down to find a more in-depth overview of the genres. Feature Horror Gothic horror Main goal To shock, terrify or disgust the audience. To create an atmosphere of dread and unease. Too unsettle. Source of fear Overt physical threat…
-
Occult detective novels blend the traditional detective and mystery tropes with urban fantasy, dark fantasy and horror. Here is a list of occult detective novels and/or series to try. 1. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. This is a series of supernatural mystery novels featuring occult detective Harry Dresden. Dresden is a wizard working as…
