Right now my first epic fantasy novel, a standalone titled Twice Against the Dragon, is in a Storybundle called Sorcery and Steam. Thinking about that novel has me thinking about magic items in fantasy fiction. Now, I realize that with … Continue reading →
So, a couple of years ago I serialized two short novels for my newsletter. I had to stop that because turning out a weekly newsletter was … rough. (If you’re curious, my newsletter readers get a free short story each … Continue reading →
People love to ask writers about our research. And it’s true that some stories require me to read nonfiction books and websites, watch videos and so forth, in order to get the stories right. Tell you a secret though. Most … Continue reading →
The other night, Dean Wesley Smith wrote a good blog post about plot twists. You can read it here, if you’re interested. I’ll warn you though. Dean’s blog is written for other writers, so it may not interest you if … Continue reading →
A number of weeks ago, some writer claimed he’d never been influenced by anything written by a woman. I won’t link to it here. Go look it up if you’re interested. I’m more interested in the result. Lists. A lot … Continue reading →
So, I was asked by @SubjectPlusVerb to write a story for this GISHWHES thing. For those who don’t know, that’s an acronym for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. It’s the brainchild of Supernatural’s Misha Collins, … Continue reading →
“My Favorite Schemes” Baffling policemen with puzzling riddles Robbing museums to steal priceless fiddles Series of murders all following themes These are a few of my favorite schemes Taunting the heroes with bright shiny clues Building their deathtraps in big … Continue reading →
Some people think of cats as stand-offish, aloof, self-sufficient. I feel sorry for these people, because that means they never got to know cats for the goofy, silly little things that they really are. Exhibit A: Dervish (left). What you … Continue reading →
Recently on GooglePlus, Jason Wade Howard asked the question, “Why do we write Science Fiction?” I couldn’t resist giving a flip answer first: Short answer: because those are the stories that play in my head anyway. I might as well … Continue reading →
About Magician’s Choice Academic wizard Donal Cuthbert thought courier work would be easy money. But after someone tries to blow him up, Donal must navigate a web of lies, murders, and corporate espionage, including a beautiful liaison who might be … Continue reading →