Tales from the Garret

Thanks largely to the hacking skills of M the Uber-Geek, we have internet access here. As ever, our week in Portmeirion is passing far too quickly. It’s featured all the usual fine ingredients: decadent meals, chilling out with friends, late-night tabletop RPG sessions, cocktails, staring contentedly out at the fabulous views and vague discussions about […]

As anyone who lives in the UK can’t have failed to notice, we have a general election coming up. I was sick of most of the coverage before the first week was out, but this morning, waking up to the sound of Radio 4’s Today program as usual, I was treated to the Clangers explaining […]

By Charles Stross’s definition, I don’t write proper science fiction. He’s a writer I admire, and I think his argument is entirely fair and reasonable. My personal preference is for telling stories that are character, not idea, driven. That’s not to say I don’t want to explore ideas through my fiction; any writer who doesn’t […]

… to Eastercon in a non-euclidean hotel in the barren urban wasteland that is Heathrow, just next to the eponymous international airport. I’ll be doing a few Official Things, but between times I can be found in the dealers’ room stall-sitting for the Awesome Ms Williams or else in the least-overpriced of the con bars. […]

In an ideal world, an author should be able to check all of these: 1. Space to write.  Kitchen tables are common, as are laps. Whatever your lifestyle there needs to be somewhere, even somewhere you carry with you, that’s a writing place. 2. Time to write. This one can be hard, because the rest […]