Lakin’s Lycanthrope
The full lunar cycle in June was dedicated to werewolves over at the Dark Fiction Review. I chose to review Angela Carter’s short story ‘Peter and the Wolf’. “As a child, I was petrified of two pieces of classical music…. Continue »
The Thaw
“How do you feel?” my husband asked me last night when I told him I had finished writing my novel, Autodrome. “Not sure,” I answered truthfully, fully aware the answer should’ve been excited, euphoric, nervous, or enthusiastic. Continue »
The Great Idea
Maybe twice a week I get it. The Great Idea. In my case, I’m usually thinking in terms of a short story. I have very little in the way of plot, just a genesis of a setting, a character, or… Continue »
Feed Your Head – Research and Realism in Genre Fiction
Writers are eternal students. Our minds play host to a rich variety of subjects, albeit for the time period necessary to complete any given project Continue »
Pump Up The Volume: The Sound of Steampunk
While continuing to pay homage to its literary origins, noughties’ Steampunk has evolved into a veritable subculture in its own right. Dark aesthetics, combined with a flare for antique fashion, laboratorial curiosities, cybernetics, and the reengineering of all manner of… Continue »
The Birth, Death and Resurrection of the American Muscle Car
When it comes to muscle car action, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Steve McQueen as Bullitt in a 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 CID Fastback chasing two hit-men in a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum. From the guttural roar of the engines as experienced from inside the cars to the jaw-jarring seesaw of suspension up and over the hills of San Francisco, the chase encapsulates the muscle car experience – and it’s fast, mean and dirty. Continue »
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
I’ve got one thing to say about the trailers for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which I’ve caught so far. It’s all about the cars, man. And to all intents and purposes, the crew knew it; two accidents involving cars have already… Continue »
Suckerpunch. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with machine guns’
Here’s the blurb: “A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.” Any movie that has the tagline ‘Alice… Continue »
The Roadrunner – BEEP BEEP
Fast and Furious 4 – Trailer Fast & Furious 4 features a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner called Hammer. The Roadrunner features in my YA novel Autodrome. This is my favourite muscle car of all time. Continue »Lakin’s Lycanthrope
The full lunar cycle in June was dedicated to werewolves over at the Dark Fiction Review. I chose to review Angela Carter’s short story ‘Peter and the Wolf’. “As a child, I was petrified of two pieces of classical music…. Continue »
Thirst for the Undead
July 2010 is Vampire Awareness Month over at the blog of writer, editor, publisher, reviewer, filmmaker, and self-confessed cad, Mark Deniz. Continue »
The Thaw
“How do you feel?” my husband asked me last night when I told him I had finished writing my novel, Autodrome. “Not sure,” I answered truthfully, fully aware the answer should’ve been excited, euphoric, nervous, or enthusiastic. Continue »
The Great Idea
Maybe twice a week I get it. The Great Idea. In my case, I’m usually thinking in terms of a short story. I have very little in the way of plot, just a genesis of a setting, a character, or… Continue »
Feed Your Head – Research and Realism in Genre Fiction
Writers are eternal students. Our minds play host to a rich variety of subjects, albeit for the time period necessary to complete any given project Continue »
how this writer learnt to steam things up
So, how does a woman who doesn’t drive, who was strongly advised not to take Physics GCSE, and who knows too much pop trivia for her own good end up writing steampunk? Shouldn’t I at least have a rudimentary background… Continue »
Suckerpunch. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with machine guns’
Here’s the blurb: “A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.” Any movie that has the tagline ‘Alice… Continue »
Eastercon LX 2009: SURREAL SUNDAY
10.00am saw me moderating the panel, ‘The Appeal of Steampunk’ with panellists GofH Tim Powers, Toby Frost, Cory Doctorow, Peter Harrow and Venetta Uye. It was a daunting task aided considerably for having a clear head and six hours sleep… Continue »Lakin’s Lycanthrope
The full lunar cycle in June was dedicated to werewolves over at the Dark Fiction Review. I chose to review Angela Carter’s short story ‘Peter and the Wolf’. “As a child, I was petrified of two pieces of classical music…. Continue »
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
I’ve got one thing to say about the trailers for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which I’ve caught so far. It’s all about the cars, man. And to all intents and purposes, the crew knew it; two accidents involving cars have already… Continue »
The Birth, Death and Resurrection of the American Muscle Car
When it comes to muscle car action, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Steve McQueen as Bullitt in a 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 CID Fastback chasing two hit-men in a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum. From the guttural roar of the engines as experienced from inside the cars to the jaw-jarring seesaw of suspension up and over the hills of San Francisco, the chase encapsulates the muscle car experience – and it’s fast, mean and dirty. Continue »
The Thaw
“How do you feel?” my husband asked me last night when I told him I had finished writing my novel, Autodrome. “Not sure,” I answered truthfully, fully aware the answer should’ve been excited, euphoric, nervous, or enthusiastic. Continue »
The Great Idea
Maybe twice a week I get it. The Great Idea. In my case, I’m usually thinking in terms of a short story. I have very little in the way of plot, just a genesis of a setting, a character, or… Continue »
Feed Your Head – Research and Realism in Genre Fiction
Writers are eternal students. Our minds play host to a rich variety of subjects, albeit for the time period necessary to complete any given project Continue »
how this writer learnt to steam things up
So, how does a woman who doesn’t drive, who was strongly advised not to take Physics GCSE, and who knows too much pop trivia for her own good end up writing steampunk? Shouldn’t I at least have a rudimentary background… Continue »
