Most Recent

  • As I mentioned in my last post, I have joined up with some fellow book bloggers as a judging team for SPSFC 2! What is it though?

    SPSFC 2: Intro
  • I feel like every year I have to make one of these entries where I explain my absence and the quietness of the blog. This time I think I have a valid excuse or two. Earlier in the year I joined Grimdark Magazine‘s online reviewer team and BookNest.eu‘s and agreed to do reviews for Black…

    Breaking the Silence
  • Welcome back to another stop for Escapist Tours! This time we’re celebrating Hands Like Secrets from Mariah Norris that was released earlier this month by Shadow Spark Publishing. I’ve had the pleasure interviewing Mariah for my stop on the tour where we talk about worldbuilding with diverse characters, designing festivals and the need for more…

    ‘Hands Like Secrets’ tour: Mariah Norris Interview
  • Gunmetal Gods by Zamil AkhtarMy rating: 4 of 5 stars   NB: This review is also available on Black Dragon Books. Please consider using them for your SFF and Horror book purchases.    What use is winning if we lose everything in the process, even ourselves?  This is the question that runs central to Gunmetal…

    Review: Gunmetal Gods
  • As part of the Escapist Book Tour for The Iron Crown, I asked author, L.L. MacRae, for her thoughts on dragons.  Dragons. Love them or loathe them, they’re a staple of the fantasy genre (and to be honest, one of my most favourite things in the world!). Whether it’s a tiny, palm-sized dragon fiercely guarding…

    Guest Post: L.L. MacRae on ‘Dragons: Friends or Enemies?’
  • For National Storytelling Week, the library at my university held a flash fiction competition for entries that were 100 words or under and inspired by the painting ‘Grasmere’ by George Fennel Robson. Below is my entry. I left a piece of myself in Grasmere, atop Helm Crag to watch the Lion play on cloudless nights.…

    Writing: Grasmere
  • Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars   Brave New World was first published in 1932 by a man who was nominated for a Nobel Prize on nine separate occasions, so you can imagine that much of what can be said about Brave New World has already been said. It is…

    Review: Brave New World
  • Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas LietzauMy rating: 4 of 5 stars   Some of you may have spotted on Goodreads that I read Dreams of the Dying and never reviewed it. Don’t worry, I have reviewed it and a full and comprehensive review can be found at Grimdark Magazine, here: https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-dreams-of-the-dying-by-nicolas-lietzau/ I’m very pleased and excited…

    Review: Dreams of the Dying
  • Following on from my post with Round 1’s story, here is Round 2’s entry and feedback! Sadly, I didn’t advance into Round 3 but nevertheless I’m quite impressed I got as far as I did for my first attempt at any of NYC Midnight’s challenges. I hope to revisit this story and maybe expand it,…

  • The NYC Midnight Micro-fiction 250 Challenge for 2021 is the third time it has been run and, in short, it’s a challenge to write flash fiction stories, in under 24 hours, to three specific prompts and no more than 250 words long. Each round you get a genre, action and word prompt that shapes what…