One of the things I say to aspiring authors is that the number one reason a writer never sees publication is that they don’t finish that first draft. The thing is, first drafts are ugly. They’re universally terrible. Anyone who says they’re a one-draft writer either has no sense of quality control, or they’re lying.Continue reading “A Tale of Three Prototypes”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Tale of Three Releases
They say to never read reviews, but I always do. I suspect I’m not the only one. In the past six months, I’ve had three releases: one novel (The Fiend in the Fog), a 10,000 word novelette (Dust to Dust), and an anthology (Death by Cupcake), which I edited some time ago. The Fiend inContinue reading “A Tale of Three Releases”
Pandemic Trio
Story ideas are rarely in short supply, but sometimes getting them into a presentable state takes a lot longer than it should. And then…then there are times when I blink and suddenly there are three new projects with my name on them. The Fiend in the Fog A disgraced physician, an aspiring alchemist, and aContinue reading “Pandemic Trio”
June/July Rescue: Spiny Anteater Shirt
This month’s rescue is this t-shirt, which hasn’t been languishing in my drawer, but had been languishing in someone else’s drawer before finding itself in a thrift shop. I grabbed it immediately because it had an echidna on it, and how often do you find a t-shirt with an echidna? I also liked the colourContinue reading “June/July Rescue: Spiny Anteater Shirt”
An Interview with Toby Virgo Recently I had the pleasure of taking the Real Sherlock Holmes walking tour of Edinburgh. If you didn’t know, Edinburgh was Arthur Conan Doyle’s hometown. He lived not far from the town centre, and there’s a plaque at the University of Edinburgh medical school honouring him as the doctor forContinue reading
Every Monster Has a Job to Do
The idea behind my upcoming novel, The Fiend in the Fog, took root many years ago. It was the summer before I entered teacher training, and I was working in a day care centre in Tucson, Arizona. It wasn’t a posh daycare — one of my fellow teachers had an ankle bracelet courtesy of ArizonaContinue reading “Every Monster Has a Job to Do”
May Rescue: Tell Me Where It Hurts
Today I want to talk about armpits. This top sat in the back of my closet, unjustly, for about three years. I never got rid of it because I like it, but I didn’t wear it because it pinched my pits. You might think that if a garment is uncomfortable, finding out *why* would beContinue reading “May Rescue: Tell Me Where It Hurts”
April Rescue: Springtime Sleep Mask
I was going to do a Giant Jammies Makeover for April. But then this month got the best of me. Work piled on, and then I had the Fauci Ouchie. I was all prepared for a raft of Horrible Consequences which thankfully didn’t come, though I did feel rough enough the day after to justifyContinue reading “April Rescue: Springtime Sleep Mask”
March Rescue: A Most Unfortunate Hemline
Garments should be made to fit the body, not the other way around. A lot of mass-produced garments aren’t made to fit the body at all, not to mention a diversity of body shapes. Instead, they’re made to fit the needs of a factory to churn things out quickly and cheaply. Often this means sheathContinue reading “March Rescue: A Most Unfortunate Hemline”
Meet Abigail Gordon
Abigail Gordon Nurse Abigail Gordon co-founded the Cornwall Street Clinic on London’s East End. Kind, but with zero tolerance for shenanigans, Abby considers herself the protector of the clinic, its patients, and her fiancé and clinic co-founder, Dr. Gideon Spencer. But the real threat to everything she holds dear is not what Abby thinks itContinue reading “Meet Abigail Gordon”
Jess Faraday 