Over at Fantasy Faction I’ve recently had an article published regarding attending your first convention as an unpublished writer. If you have further ones, please be sure to add them to make this a really useful resource for unpublished writers.
The prospect can be a little scary the first time so hopefully there’s some good tips there for those of you who’ve yet to brave the con-o-sphere. There are also some great additional tips in the comments.
Be sure to check it out over at Fantasy-Faction
I’ve been a bit bad at updating the blog recently. The ironic thing is that at those times when I do have a lot to blog about, I’m too busy to do so. I’m currently behind on everything. The test results have come back from the leg and there’s a ridiculous number of activities now happening ranging from referals to the hospital, to high risk of a repeat, to building the walking up again. So here are a collection of points, most of which are blog posts in their own right.
My latest article for 
I’ve been a little busy to give this series of articles the publicity they deserve but the last in a series of five articles by me on craft has 
Last week, I managed to call in some favours to knock off the day job early in order to head up t the British Library to attend the Strange Chemistry imprint launch. Those who’ve ever read my writing might question why I would go to the launch of an imprint specialising in YA fiction. The answer to that goes back to long before the imprint was conceived.
It occurred to me whilst driving home the other night that we live in the first age without heroes. A combination of greater openness, social media and press intrusion means that we no longer hear a one-dimensional description of people portraying them as true heroes through and through in the classic sense of the word. That soldier who risked their life to save their comrades commits domestic abuse, that Olympic sports star has been found cheating on their partner. That nurse who went to some disaster ravaged country to help give aid has a conviction for drug abuse. Instead heroes have been replaced by heroic acts.
Not sure if something is wrong with me or if I’m coming down with something but I’m falling out of love with Epic Fantasy. For years, I would say my subgenre of choice was the Epic. I love the whole ‘bigness’ of it all – vast casts, vast worldbuilding and story with such massive consequence. I want it bigger with greater consequences. I want it to take my breath away.
The wonderful thing about ideas is that they never present themselves at the right time. In fact, they usually turn up at entirely the wrong time. They come out of nowhere and hit you sideways.
Disassociated thoughts rattling around my brain today:
Illness has continued for me this week. Gone is the fever but a dry cough lingers that feels like a 500lb gorilla sitting on my chest. Even simple things like a small shop leave me feeling drained.