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Phil Williams was born in the commuter-belt of Hertfordshire, where he learnt to escape a comfortable life through sinister fantasy fiction. His erratic career has variously involved the study of language and people - and took him to such locations as Prague, Moscow and Abu Dhabi. He finally settled on the quiet Sussex seaside, where he lives in Worthing with his wife and his fluffy dog, Herbert. He divides his time between writing educational books that help people better understand English and fantasy books that help people better escape reality. So he tells himself. I've been a fan of Phil's stories for a long time, his Ordshaw series defines urban fantasy as far as I'm concerned. If you haven't read them - do so! Without further delay, let's find out not only how Phil writes but why he's so good! 1.      Phil Williams is the creator of the highly successful and varied Ordshaw series of urban fantasy novels. Never one to be defined in such simple terms, Phil’s latest Blood Scouts series has taken him into the darker, bloodier and grimdark corners of the fantasy genre. Think you know him yet? Well, don’t forget his books aimed at teaching the technical aspects of English.  Which prompts the question, how do you define yourself as an author, Phil? I suppose the easiest answer there would be to say I try not to! When it comes to creative projects, I’ve always been driven by the idea of trying something new, so I end up mixing things a lot more than I should. I guess “experimental” might be a good word for it. But in genre-terms the vibe I go for tends to fit thriller, action and horror styles, with whatever speculative elements I can get away. Mostly, I’m telling stories that talk to me, but making them weird.   2.      In our highly contrived acronym, W.R.I.T.E. the letter W represents World Building. In such a diverse catalogue of novels, with such different worlds, tell us how you go about inventing your world. What must they include? What is less important? Does a world develop in an organic way as you write or, godlike, do you establish it first and then populate it with people?  I find a robust setting helps a lot to get my inspiration going; whatever setting I’m going for, including contemporary stories, I like to create something that feels real by grounding it in various bits of background trivia. I particularly look for a sense of history: stories that have come before this story. That can be established in all sorts of way, but a particularly effective method I find is to create characters outside the scope of the actual story. For example, I try to root religious and scientific details in people who might’ve discovered or promoted them. Another jumping off point I enjoy is spending a lot of time developing histories for names, and exploring how they’re influenced by the wider world (details that are almost never actually explored in my actual books). Once I’ve got my thoroughly detailed plans to start out, things tend to develop organically as I write; I’m always looking for opportunities to add more detail and texture to a world. Mentions of books, buildings, whatever you have, I want to give it some backstory…   3.      R is for Routine: what does your writer’s routine look like? Are you the disciplined sort that sets yourself goals and does everything to meet them or does writing sort-of happen? A little of both. I have certain projects that I’ll set for myself as professional targets, e.g. whatever novel I am definitely aiming to release in a year, and with these I’ll tend to make myself sit down and write them at certain times of day. But with other projects, it’s more a case that I write them when they grab me, and if they grab me well enough I’ll keep writing every chance I get until it’s done. Though either way I tend to get drawn into my writing and want to finish it, as it occupies my mind in the meantime, so I tend to be a binge writer.   4.      I stands for Inspiration. Having established you have a wide and varied catalogue of books, tell us how you continue to find new ideas. What continues to inspire you to write?  I’ve got a deep, dark back catalogue of story ideas that just hover around in my brain, so I’m always picking from that, and thinking about things until they become real enough that they need writing down. But in terms of initial inspiration, my stories usually get triggered by something I’ve seen, experienced or felt. A lot of the time I connect with a piece of music or art that conjures a scene to mind and a story comes with it – often in a way that might seem completely illogical from the source material. Other times, more mundanely, I get an idea where I see something that hasn’t been done the way I would’ve done it, or wanted it done.   5.      The T in this sequence refers to Type (yes, mega contrived!). Fantasy is a wide and diverse genre these days, pin your work down for us, what should we expect from your stories, think of it like a recipe!  My fantasy leans towards the darker edge, with elements of horror but underpinned by dry (or often absurd) humour, balancing each other out somewhat. I’ve got fast-paced plots, eccentric characters and occasional mysteries, and strive for the unexpected with original creatures and settings.   6.      With E for Edit, the question could have asked you about another side to Phil Williams – the editor. You’ve edited for a variety of authors and publishers, both indie and traditional. Using this expertise, share a few tips to avoid those common errors writers can make.  The main issue I see with new writers, which took me a while to get my head around myself, is understanding what the reader needs to know. As writers, we already know the story, and can picture the setting perfectly, so it’s hard to objectively see if the writing conveys what we want it to. So, a difficulty I tend to see is in how much information we’re given: either too much or too little, and with a sub-consideration of where/when that information is presented. This applies on both plot and sentence levels; it’s the same consideration for whether you manage to surprise or confuse a reader with a twist, or if your description produces a clear or confusing image. A lot of the time just stopping and thinking about your writing in these terms may be enough to start triggering synapses, and the key is regularly asking yourself if, at any point a reader might have room for confusion. Realistically, though, to properly gain perspective on this, what every good writer needs to progress is constructive feedback.   7.      If N had featured in our silly acronym we could have used Novella. Let’s pretend it does still work, that way you can tell us about your success in SFINCS.  We could’ve said WRITEN I suppose, and confounded spelling and grammar enthusiasts alike? But thanks for wedging it in – the stories of my novellas are always fun because I never really intend to set out to write them. Usually it’s a short story that got out of hand, and that’s exactly what happened with Oksy, Come Home . It started out as a newsletter reward that turned out longer than I intended, fleshing out a bit of action for the world of The Blood Scouts . By the time I entered it in SFINCS, it’d been available for a while but almost no one had read it because no one knew it existed (it wasn’t actually available for sale). SFINCS was a big boost for it; I only actually published the novel publicly after it’d already found some success in the competition, and I got some really wonderful responses to the novella. It’s since drawn people into the series, as opposed to being a reward for those already reading it, which goes to show you can’t always plan where your writing’s going to land – though I can’t emphasise enough the importance of such generous competitions to help draw attention to these books. I was really honoured by how well it did, especially considering the talent of the other entries involved. It came out as a runner up to Cate Baumer’s As Born To Rule the Storm, and while my novella stretches the boundaries of a short story, hers achieves more than most full novels in a seriously short space!   8.      That I in the acronym serves a double purpose. I is for Independence. You self-publish your books. Tell us why and what you’ve learned about the publishing industry in the meantime.  I can also stand for Impatience here, because that would be my main reason for self-publishing. Traditional publishing is incredibly slow compared to the ability to churn out your own materials. I used to put out submission after submission, but I got fed up with waiting more than anything else. The traditional publishing industry is also minutely concentrated, though, more so now than ever: there’s a vanishingly small chance to find anything resembling commercial success selling books, and it’s made all the harder by having such a limited number of entry points into traditional publishers. I’d rather spend my time working on new projects than trying to figure out a way in. Finally, it’s also mostly more financially viable to self-publish these days. Case in point being that I’ve heard of people writing English textbooks for publishers and being given a flat fee, with no royalty options, which was lower than I’d make in a month from one of my books (in their peak; not going to lie, those sales aren’t what they used to be!). I won’t say I’d not still consider traditional publishing if the opportunity arose, but I’m more than happy doing what I’m doing.   9.      If it had been possible to squeeze an A into the High Contrived Concept of W.R.I.T.E. it would have included A for Admire. Which modern, (current) authors do you admire and why?  Okay but now we’re up to WRITENIA. Come on, Phil, we could’ve gone with RATWIINE! But oh there’s so many authors to recommend. I admire your work, for starters, Phil – not just for your genre-bending fantasy and humour but all you do for the indie world too! I most like authors who manage to do things differently, though it’s a matter of the voice which most resonates with me. Currently, Christopher Buehlman is one I really admire for his mastery of horror, humour and fantasy; each of his books feels like a quintessential example of a different aspect of the genre, while also pushing the boundaries of it, but they’re also just damn well written and entertaining. The past year I’ve also been really enjoying Nnedi Okorafor’s books after seeing her give a talk; she is likewise adept at slipping between different genres and has a fantastic sense of voice. In the indie sphere, I’m a long-term fan of Travis M. Riddle’s books, as he goes in for some truly weird concepts with a very light and dry style that dips into surprising humour and outright brutal horror. And limiting myself to some more off the top of my head, I think the most impressive horror authors for me in the past couple of years have been Alison Rumfitt and Philip Fracassi. Lastly, shout out to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, whose dystopian death game novel Chain-Gang All-Stars was one of my top reads last year. Death games have been done and done but again, this one has such a strong sense of voice, it’s a great (and important) read.   10.  What does 2026 promise for Phil Williams: Fantasy Author?  As always, I’m packed with plans but I’ll try and keep things realistic – the main target I have besides surviving is to get the next Blood Scouts book out, to keep that series consistently going. I’ve just started it and the idea I have is the most ambitious of the series so far, so let’s see how that pans out. Other than that, I have another two novels I want to write and three unpublished novels I’d like to finally get around to releasing, but that all depends on me finding time in between learning to design computer games, which is my current distraction. Phew.   Tell us how we can find you on social media and the internet. Mostly through my own site: www.phil-williams.co.uk Or possibly on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fantasticphil.bsky.social I’m hesitant to suggest I’ll keep using other platforms at the moment! Click the image to buy my books!

Tim Hardie grew up in the seaside town of Southport during the 1970s and 1980s. This was before anyone had even heard of the internet and Dungeons & Dragons was cutting edge. Living in a house where every available wall was given over to bookshelves, he discovered fantasy writers like JRR Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Ursula Le Guin, Alan Garner, Stephen Donaldson and Susan Cooper. Those stories led him into the science fiction worlds created by Frank Herbert, Philip K Dick, Arthur C Clarke and HP Lovecraft. After training to become a lawyer Tim lived in London for three years before moving to Yorkshire in 1999, where he has worked ever since in a variety of legal, commercial, financial and management roles. His writing began as a hobby in his early twenties and has gradually grown into something else that now threatens to derail his promising career. Tim writes epic fantasy that will appeal to fans of Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne and Robin Hobb. Tim has made me super jealous by sharing pictures on social media of his European Tour and also the success of his novels which consistently get great reviews. I finally pinned him down for this interview, presumably before he sets off on a world tour or writes another successful series! 1.      Tim Hardie is the creator of the Viking inspired Brotherhood of the Eagle epic fantasy series. Its opening novel, Hall of Bones, was a finalist in 2021 SPFBO and also a semi-finalist in the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2023. Tim, putting your modesty aside, what’s made this series successful? Thanks for that lovely introduction! And you’re absolutely right. This is a tough business, so it is really important to celebrate your successes. When I began Brotherhood I did set out with the intention to entertain my readers as well as surprise them. I think the series works because it has enough of what people expect to find in epic fantasy, and the Viking-inspired setting is something most people are familiar with at some level, which enables them to jump right in and feel at home. At the same time the series subverts certain fantasy tropes and the plot is full of surprises, which keeps people guessing throughout. I think those are the main reasons why it has generally been well-received by critics and readers.   2.      Let’s start with the W in this oh-so-contrived-concept, W.R.I.T.E. - W is for World Building. Along with your novels, you’ve written short stories too, which include A Roll of the Dice that builds on the lore and history of The Brotherhood of the Eagle universe. It’s a fascinating development, one which suggests your world building is incredibly clear. Tell us about it.  For every novel and series I write I create a set of background notes for the location, general historical details and a full bio for every character who appears. Taken together, those various notes contain the lore of the fantasy world of Amuran. If I’m being perfectly honest, it’s all a bit of a mess! Imagine a very disorganised virtual office with papers strewn all about the place. Some elements are no longer cannon as well and need updating to reflect what’s happened in the books. I recently set up my own Patreon and one element of this is going to be building up a specific ‘Lore’ section on there that contains definitive information set out in a logical and accessible format. Put another way, I’m trying to incentivise myself to organise all my notes once and for all! As for A Roll of the Dice , that really came about because I ran my own Kickstarter fundraiser in 2024 to record the Hall of Bones  audiobook. I wanted to make sure something brand new was created to help reward my backers for making that audiobook project happen and that short story collection was the result. Since 2021 I have been writing short stories more. It’s a great way to explore certain concepts and see if the premise or characters demand something more, which has resulted in three separate novel projects emerging from those ideas. In other cases, the short story is just that but it enables me to expand on a character’s background where there was no room for that in the main novels, or simply to fill in a bit of history and establish another world building element.   3.      R is for Routine: what does your writer’s routine look like? Are you the disciplined sort that sets yourself goals and does everything to meet them or does writing sort-of happen?  I think there’s a fine line between having goals and trying to force it. For example, I’m writing the answers to this interview today because I just wasn’t feeling creatively inspired to write my current novel. I really enjoy doing stuff like this as well, which still helps me further my general author goals. Being an author is about so much more than just writing the books. By giving myself a break that means I should be fresh tomorrow morning, which is when I’ll give some time over to creative writing. As a result, I don’t set myself daily word counts or anything like that. Instead, I carve out time when I know I’ll have the space to write and then use that time in the way that appeals to me. I have to fit writing around a full-time job and family commitments, so when the kids were young I was a classic nighttime writer, working until midnight once they were in bed. Nowadays, they’re up later than me! Now I’m older, I tend to do creative writing on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and I have set aside Fridays (my non-working day) to keep up with author administration, when my energy levels are generally lower following a full week at work. Whatever your creative process, anyone who has written a book knows it doesn't just happen! You have to sacrifice other things to create the space you need to get the words down on the page. In my case, I watch much less TV and sport in particular had to go if I wanted the time to do this. Everyone is different and it’s about finding a routine that works for you.   4.      I stands for Inspiration. You credit JRR Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Ursula Le Guin, Alan Garner, Stephen Donaldson and Susan Cooper as major influences on you as a younger man and that books were a massive feature of your childhood home. How did these influences turn you into an author? After all, not everyone who reads these books become authors too!  I’m a firm believer in the saying that if you want to write, first you must read. As literacy rates fall around the world I do worry that future generations are losing a key skill that defines what it means to be human. We’re constantly tempted to take the easy short cut and seek out instant rewards when it comes to entertainment and information. However, if you don’t read you’re missing out on so much! "Reading gave me enormous pleasure as a child and teenager and for me it’s a crucial part of your mental development. Reading enables you to sharpen your critical thinking by considering ideas and concepts outside your normal frame of reference. It helps you learn empathy for other people as you experience their thoughts and feelings, especially if those are the opposite of your own opinions and beliefs. There’s also the element of escapism that comes with books and they’re a less passive medium than film or TV, because you have to engage your own imagination to enjoy a book." As a writer you need to understand all of that to produce good writing yourself and, crucially, characters and plot which interest and engage your readers. I don’t think you can do that if you don’t understand what good writing looks like in the first place. Of course, not every avid reader is going to turn into a creative writer. There are far more readers out there than there are writers. However, I’d argue that every author started out as one of those avid readers, once upon a time.   5.      The T in this sequence refers to Type (yes, mega contrived!). Epic fantasy is a wide and diverse genre these days, pin your work down for us, what should we expect from your stories, think of it like a recipe!  I’d describe Brotherhood  as dark epic fantasy in a Viking-inspired setting. The story does go to some dark places, although there’s also some humour and friendship in there as well so it’s not unrelentingly dark, which is a style of book I generally dislike reading. My standalone, A Quiet Vengeance , is set in the same world but in a different continent. The feel of that book is drawn from the Middle East and North Africa, and it’s more of a low fantasy political thriller. My current project, The Silent Division , is a gaslamp fantasy with a late 1800s European setting. This is a good example of a short story leading to something more! In all of my books, I’d say the common features readers will find are complex and diverse characters and plenty of twists and turns in the plot.   6.      With E for Edit, we’re talking about getting your books ready to be launched into the world. How do you know it’s ready? What processes do you go through with your book to ensure it reaches the standards expected by a highly perceptive readership?  I edit my own work and have refined that process considerably over the past five years as this is a skill that requires a lot of practice. For line editing and proofreading I now use the read aloud function on Microsoft Word. It was a game changer for me in terms of picking up when the rhythm of a sentence wasn’t right. It’s also useful in highlighting what you have actually written, rather than what you think you’ve written. This is really helpful for catching typos the human eye often overlooks. For these aspects I listen to the book two or three times from start to finish and I don’t stop until I stop finding errors. On that point, over-familiarity with the text is the biggest issue when it comes to proofing your work. If you can bring yourself to put the manuscript away for at least a month, it does make it much easier to spot errors when you go back to it. Knowing when you need outside input is also important. My agent John Jarrold is also my development editor, so once I have a first draft he’s one of the first people to read it. John’s great at pointing out if something isn’t working in terms of plot, phrasing or character consistency/believability. I’m also part of a writing group, so I will ask them to beta read if I feel I need more input in those areas. "My main advice when it comes to editing is don’t rush the process. Almost every book I’ve read has contained at least one error I’ve spotted, so some inevitably slip through, but you want to present readers with the best possible version of your work. It’s better to be a few months late and get it right, rather than rushing and putting out something that could be better."   7.      It was tempting to use the R in the acronym as the means to talk about another side to you - Tim Hardie the Reviewer. Your insights feature on the Page Chewing  and Spotlight Indie  blogs. What prompted you to become a reviewer? Is it connected to being a writer?  When I started out as an author I realised how important reviewers are when it comes to helping readers find the right book for them. I also started to read more as a writer than I had done previously. I read critically to understand why a book is or isn’t working for me. Reading excellent books by brilliant writers is the best way to develop your own craft. I felt it was important to review the books I was reading in this way and give something back, rather than merely consuming them. I’ve been very grateful to both Page Chewing and Spotlight Indie for giving my reviews a home. I didn’t want to set myself up with my own review blog since I don’t generally take requests. I’m a relatively slow reader and the turnaround time when I do accept them can be years. Being part of a group of reviewers is much easier and it means there’s not constant pressure to write the next review compared to when you’re doing this solo. I prune my to be read pile on a regular basis. I also read the book which calls to me, not the one I feel I should be reading. I want to be in the right frame of mind when I pick up a particular title, rather than doing so out of obligation. That gives the book the best possible chance of getting a good review!   8.      That I in the acronym serves a double purpose. I is for Independence. You self-publish your books. Tell us why and what you’ve learned about the publishing industry in the meantime.  When I started out writing fiction in 2005 the independent publication scene was much less developed than it is today. I initially went down the traditional publication route because I didn’t really understand there was an alternative option. I acquired an agent in 2015 and Hall of Bones  and A Quiet Vengeance  both got some interest and good feedback from some of the publishing houses. However, getting accepted as a new author is very difficult and ultimately they passed on both those projects. I knew my writing was of a publishable standard and I felt readers should be given the opportunity to read my work, so I went independent in 2020 and haven’t looked back since. These days I describe myself as an aspiring hybrid author as I’m still agented, since this opens up the door to things like translation rights and TV and film options. I’m also not in the camp that one route to market is intrinsically better than the other. I would still seriously consider a traditional publication deal if it were offered to me and I will be seeing if there is interest in some of my future projects. The traditional publication route is very hard. Your chances of even getting an agent are only around 1-2% when compared with the number of submissions they reject every week. What I hadn’t realised was getting publishers to accept your manuscript is similarly difficult and much depends upon chance and who else they have on their books. However, if you want your physical books to be widely available in bookshops this is the route you have to go down. Indie publishing has much to recommend it and I love the sheer variety of work being produced in this space, which would likely never find a traditional publisher. We have a wealth of choice when it comes to fiction these days and I think that’s a good thing. However, indie publishing is also very hard and I have struggled to find the numbers of readers that would justify doing this if you were looking at it purely from a commercial point of view. Authors like me write for the love of the craft and that has its own reward, for sure, but I also want a readership that makes this sustainable in the long term, even if it’s not my main income. That’s why I’m exploring all the options at the moment. Completing my Brotherhood  series has also allowed me to begin work on various new projects, and that’s been a lot of fun as well.   9.      If it had been possible to squeeze an A into the Highly Contrived Concept of W.R.I.T.E. it would have included A for Admire. Which modern, (current) authors do you admire and why?  I’ve drawn inspiration from various authors over the years. The following have been particularly important for me more recently: Joe Abercrombie – For teaching me the importance of having a compelling voice as an author. Robin Hobb – Her books showed me how character drives a story and is essential for a successful novel. John Gwynne – I’d highlight his work for showing how you can take a genre like epic fantasy and make it feel fresh and new. David Barnett – A writer who uses plot brilliantly to tell his stories. His English folk horror novel, Withered Hill , was my favourite book of the past 12 months. PL Stuart – For showing me the value of the wider reviewing and blogging community. He also demonstrates a work ethic that puts everyone else to shame! HL Tinsley – She always challenges me and helps me push the boundaries, both in terms of my own creativity and also the wider projects I have become involved in. For example, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to run my own Kickstarter had I not previously been involved in her horror anthology project The Anatomy of Fear in 2023. "One of the things I’ve valued the most since becoming an independent author has been the sense of fellowship and support found amongst the reading, writing, blogging and reviewing communities. I used to think writing was a solitary profession and it turns out I was completely wrong!"   10.  What does 2026 promise for Tim Hardie: Fantasy Author? 2026 is going to be a very busy year… For starters, I’m going to be marketing the Brotherhood of the Eagle  omnibus. This gathers together all four books in one 1,900 page eBook volume for the first time, with brand new maps and four bonus short stories as well. I released this on 1 st January 2026 and you can pick up a copy here . I also hope to finish edits on The Wolf Throne  in January or February. This is a prequel novel to events in Brotherhood , and the manuscript is currently with my editor. The plan is to go on submission and see if there’s interest in traditional publication. That means there’s going to be a delay before the book comes out, although I have made the original version of this novel available to my newsletter subscribers. If you can’t wait to read The Wolf Throne  then you can subscribe and read all the instalments released to date here ! The Silent Division is my current gaslamp fantasy writing project and is another manuscript I want to submit to traditional publishers. The goal is to have this written by the first half of 2026 and then explore those options further. A Quiet Betrayal  is the follow up to my standalone novel A Quiet Vengeance  and will be my next planned independent fantasy release. I’m aiming to begin writing this in the second half of 2026. I’ll have a better idea of publication timescales once I’ve finished working on The Silent Division . I also have plans to relaunch A Quiet Vengeance  as well and discussions are already well underway on that front. One of the best things which happened in 2025 was I joined the Spotlight Indie  team. Spotlight Indie  is a growing community of writers focussing, unsurprisingly, on independent speculative fiction. They have their own YouTube channel and organise both in-person and online events. There’s lots planned for 2026 and I’m really excited about joining them on this journey and being part of something that’s a positive, supportive force for independent creatives. Finally, I intend to begin offering paid editorial services. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while. Now the omnibus is finished this is a service I want to offer to other authors and I’ll be launching this as a new business later this year. Watch this space for further news on that front. Tell us how we can find you on social media and the internet. Thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to interview me, Phil! If people want to connect and stay in touch they can find me at the following places: X – @TimHardieAuthor Facebook – @ Tim.Hardie.Author .Public Bluesky – @ timhardieauthor.bsky.social Instagram – @timhardieauthor Website – www.timhardieauthor.co.uk Patreon – www.patreon.com/TimHardieAuthor   I'm Phil Parker - click the image to find out more about my books.

Simon Kewin (he/him) has over 100 short stories in the wild, and he’s the author of a growing number of novels, including the Office of the Witchfinder General books, published by Elsewhen Press , cyberpunk thriller The Genehunter, “steampunk Gormenghast” saga Engn and the galaxy-spanning Triple Stars trilogy. He’s originally from the Isle of Man and now lives deep in the English countryside. He still thinks digital watches are a pretty neat idea. I was lucky to find Simon in those rare moments when he wasn't writing. For someone with a humungous catalogue of work to his name, that involves a great deal of luck! As with other authors, he politely acquiesced to answering questions based on my irritatingly contrived W.R.I.T.E. acronym. So, let's not waste any more time! 1. Simon Kewin is the prolific author of His Majesty’s Office of the Witchfinder General series, to name but one collection. There are many more. Let’s start with that series though, tell us about this government agency that deals with mythical creatures. The Office of the Witchfinder General has been quietly protecting the British realm from unnatural and supernatural threats since 1645. The Witchfinder General himself operates out of 13 Downing Street (the existence of which is officially denied), but there are offices all over the British Isles. My series of books about the Office are set in the present day, mostly in and around Cardiff. The Office is facing grave difficulties: not only from the constants threats to the public caused by hauntings and demonic incursions and the like; the Office itself is threatened by shadowy forces that want to see it destroyed. Its very future is in doubt, not least because it refuses to use magic in the fight against magic. My hero, Danesh Shahzan, is a young operative based in Cardiff. He starts out being devoted to the cause, but soon starts to have doubts and questions about how the Office works. This isn’t helped by learning something about himself that he can never reveal to his fellow Office operatives… 2. Let’s launch into our highly contrived set of questions. W is for World Building. Where, with most authors, we could focus on one type of world, you’re different. You write different forms of fantasy then switch over to science fiction. How does this affect your world building? I mean, where do you even start? "It works for me because of the differences. When I’m working something science fiction, and I’m trying to write something where the science is accurate – or at least believable – then I find myself longing for a magic system and a world where crazier stuff can happen. When I’m writing fantasy, I sometimes miss the clearer framework that scientific understanding provides." Obviously there are a lot of grey areas and overlaps between the two genres. A magic system has to be internally consistent, for example. Mainly, I’m not really sure that science fiction and fantasy are that different. I’m not really sure if any forms of fiction are that different. Everything is people overcoming difficulties in an imagined setting. 3. R is for Routine: being so prolific must mean you write twenty-five hours day, eight days a week. Are you mega disciplined? Or do the words flow when you sit at your computer? Sometimes, it’s a complete slog. Sometimes it feels like I’m just a typist and someone else is whispering the words to me. On some days I might only write a few words, make some notes, do some editing. On others, a couple of thousand words can magically appear on the screen. It’s definitely more fun when that happens! I’m probably not as disciplined as I could be. Ironically, when I worked full time, I was more regimented, because I had to be. If I had a spare hour, I used it. Now, when I have more time, it can be a struggle to find a focus. Setting an arbitrary target is one way to focus my mind – that or an impending deadline. 4. I stands for Inspiration, which provokes the question, does inspiration differ depending on the form of speculative fiction? Where does it come from? How do you marshal it into action when you write fantasy and science fiction? The form of speculative fiction doesn’t matter too much for me. Whatever the genre, I start off with the little thrill of a cool idea, or maybe the excitement of “What happens if I combine these two unrelated things?” – and the story begins to emerge. Humans understand the world through story, and I think “inspiration” is just the mind naturally imagining what could happen. As to marshalling it, it’s just a matter of being open and receptive to fresh ideas and angles. "If I’m stuck in a story, it’s weird how often some chance remark or sight shows me the new direction I need to take. Of course, it’s just the mind making connections, as it’s evolved to do, but it feels like the universe miraculously providing answers." 5. The T in this sequence refers to Type (yes, mega contrived!). Acknowledging the way you write across such a broad literary spectrum, do you have a preference? We’re also talking about other types – such as Point of View. Third person? First person? Third person omniscient? Past tense? Present tense? Which and why? Typing vs. handwriting? Always typing. I can’t think straight without being able to cut and paste text, move things around. Analogue is too clunky. As to Point of View, I tend to default to third person, limited omniscience. That allows me to focus in closely on one or a few characters, see things from their viewpoints, but then to pull out and get a wider perspective as I need to. I’ve never written “full” omniscient viewpoint, but I can see the appeal. I do sometimes use first person. The science fiction trilogy I’m working on at the moment – The Möbius Sequence – is mainly written in a first-person perspective as it suited the thriller-style protagonist, but even there I drop into third person to represent different voices and wider perspectives. 6. With E for Edit, we’re talking about the process of taking something that looks like a lump of rock and turning it into a shiny diamond. How do you define the facets of your stories? It’s different for short stories and novels. With a short piece, I may just start with a setting, or a line, or a character, and I discover what’s going on as I write. Then, obviously, lots of polishing is needed. For a novel, that feels too dangerous. I could end up rambling into a dead end, or making no sense. So I like to have a clear beginning and end defined – I may even write both first – and then allow myself the freedom of discovering how I get from A to B. I do enjoy the editing and polishing process. When something slots into place, when it shines, it’s glorious. 7. While the questions have been squeezed into the letters of W.R.I.T.E. - there’s another one that’s pertinent to Simon Kewin. It’s O for Organisation. Like Merlin, who lived his life backwards, you do much the same with your stories. You don’t always start at the beginning. Tell us how this Merlin-like writing method arises. From sheer incompetence on my part. I wouldn’t recommend this approach. My Witchfinder books have been written in a sensible order, by the way: so far, Book 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, with Book 5 planned. But you’re probably talking about my Triple Stars science fiction trilogy, which I wrote backwards: Book 3, then Book 1, then Book 2. This came about because Book 3 was supposed to be a standalone novel, but then I discovered there was this whole fascinating lead-up to those events, so I wrote those. To make matters worse, with my current Möbius Sequence novels, the first book I wrote turned out to be Book 2, so I’ll go 2, 1, 3. Like I say, I’m not sure if I’d recommend this to anyone. 8. If it had been possible to squeeze an A into W.R.I.T.E. there would have been a chance for you to offer Advice for people who write and want to publish their work. What words of wisdom can you impart? Do it because you love doing it. Write and keep at it. Have fun. Ignore the doubters. Don’t be hard on yourself if it isn’t working. Don’t read the reviews – and, in fact, be very careful who you do listen to for advice and feedback. Be true to your own vision. "Write several things so that all your hopes aren’t pinned on just one. Learn your craft, but don’t get lost in endless writing advice articles and books. You instinctively know how stories work; you can create your own." 9. There was another A word that felt left out, Admire. Which writers do you admire and why? So many. The easy answer is to say “The one I’m currently reading,” but if I had to pick one it would be Ursula K. Le Guin for her range and her humanity. But many, many others. 10. Your website tells us you have over a hundred short stories too. They’re a very different animal to the novel. What prompted you to get into this style of writing? How would you say it differs from novel writing? I started with short stories because I couldn’t imagine it was possible to write a full novel, and because I had lots of ideas teeming around in my head, so many I knew I couldn’t turn them all into full novels in one lifetime. Gradually, my stamina and confidence grew, and I learned to write and structure longer pieces. I gained confidence and ambition. I’m not convinced a short story is fundamentally different to a novel, other than its length, as some people claim. You still need arcs and character development etc. Short stories are an end to themselves, for sure, but they’re also a good way to learn how to write concisely and clearly. Several of my novels started out as short stories that gave me a glimpse of a wider world that I then wanted to explore. Tell us how we can find you on social media and the internet. Web: https://simonkewin.co.uk Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SimonKewin Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/simonkewin.co.uk Here are Phil's books - click the image for the link:

HL Tinsley (Holly) is an indie author, podcast host, and GM. She is the author of the Vanguard Chronicles series, which includes the SPFBO 7 Finalist novel We Men of Ash and Shadow and its sequel, The Hand that Casts the Bone, along with the standalone fantasy noir, The Hallows . She has been part of several successful anthology projects and works as a lead editor for multiple magazines. When she’s not busy curating everything that runs through Spotlight Indie, she spends her free time running homebrew DnD campaigns and admiring dice. Holly found time to join me in this interview which, when you read about her lifestyle and hectic schedule, you'll appreciate what an achievement that was! We used my highly inventive (not at all contrived!) acronym: W.R.I.T.E. 1.      HL Tinsley is the creator of the Vanguard Chronicles, the highly-praised grimdark gaslamp fantasy series, its first book featuring as a SPFBO finalist in 2021. Beyond that, this dynamic force of nature curates the features on Spotlight Indie – the home for independently-minded creative types such as writers and artists, features that include online and real-world conventions. All this leads to the obvious question – how do you do it, and why?   "Easy, I adhere to a strict cycle; periods of unshakeable optimism combined with boss-level energy followed by total burn out and emotional collapse. I’m a ‘project’ person which means I always need at least three things to work on at any one time. I’m always focused on the next thing I need/want to take on. I’m also a solution driven person – I need to fix things and fill gaps." I started Spotlight Indie because I could see there weren’t enough platforms that specifically focused on indie creatives. I was also feeling quite low and struggling with imposter syndrome and I figured if I could find a way to help other people get through that, I would be contributing something valuable to the community. The first Spotlight event was a day of pure joy at a time when a lot of us really needed that. That said, I released the last book in the Vanguard series in 2022 and I’ve only just this week finished the first full draft of book 3 – so maybe I’m just really, really good at procrastinating? 2.      Now, to address the hopelessly contrived acronym that drives this interview: W.R.I.T.E.   W is for World Building. Your books, not only the Vanguard Chronicles but also your standalone novel, The Hallows, can be defined as Gaslamp fantasy. What does this mean and how does it define your world? I never specifically set out to write gaslamp (or grimdark for that matter) but I am naturally drawn to modern history themes and aesthetics over the more traditional medieval fantasy settings. The Hallows is 1920s inspired, and Vanguard was originally based on technologies and inventions that started appearing between 1850 and 1900, so – in real world terms - you’re looking at a span of almost 100 years, during which time there were colossal technological changes, societal upheavals and cultural revolutions. Yes, my writing has the aesthetics expected – the smog-filled air, the oppressive workhouse-esque buildings – but for me it will always be about encapsulating the emotions and the undercurrents that were driving those huge changes. People were starting to think differently about things like faith, class, work and their place in the world. All of my books share a common theme of looking at political and societal shift through a street level lens. 3.      R is for Routine: having established that you squeeze many more than twenty-four hours into a typical day, what is your routine and how do you find time for writing? It depends on the day. I have a day job as an editorial lead, so I work from around 8am to 5.30pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday – on those days I tend to finish work, eat and then I’ll either write or (more likely) work on Spotlight Indie. We’re still a baby platform, so it’s an enormous amount of work while we’re growing. I try to be strict with myself, but it’s not uncommon for me to switch off around 10/11pm. Even then I’ll most likely be lying in bed with my kindle, editing or taking notes until about midnight. Wednesdays and Fridays are my Spotlight days at the moment, but I try to do less hours – I’ll start around 8am(ish) and switch off by around 3pm(ish). I use the weekends for my own writing. I have a private writing group and more often than not, we’ll do a 9am writing sprint on a Saturday. I’ll do a few hours in the morning and depending on how I feel, maybe a few in the evening. Sunday nights I’m usually DMing for my D&D group, or I’ll spend a couple of hours planning the next session. Generally speaking, I’ll spend about 25 hours a week on the regular job, 30 hours on Spotlight Indie and around 15 to 20 hours on my writing and other projects. I am trying to get better at doing things that might not be considered ‘work’ but it’s a work in progress. I go to the gym on a Tuesday and Thursday and we walk dogs at a local shelter, otherwise, I don’t have much of a social life aside from D&D. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I have a lot of control over how I spend my time. I don’t have young kids, and my lifestyle is quite flexible in that I can work from anywhere which helps.  4.      The I in W.R.I.T.E. refers to inspiration. What is your individual wellspring of inspiration that provides the ideas for your stories? How does it manifest? Is it a reliable source or does it dry up and leave you parched? I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I didn’t feel inspired. As mentioned previously, I do suffer from burnout sometimes, and during those times I barely feel inspired to put socks on, much less anything else. But generally speaking, I take my inspiration from people and history – and the history of people. I know this is the cliché writer thing, but we really are fascinating. I love looking at the small, mundane parts of life and how they weave together to make this tapestry full of connections. I like to think of it in terms of breaking human life down by increments of time – the wars, the revolutions, the empires – those are the days. The lives, the deaths, the loves and the friendships – those are the hours. All the way down to the small, seemingly inconsequential seconds - the haircuts, the stubbed toes, the headaches, the eating of chips and the fixing of table legs. They all deserve exploration. I’m pretty sure that makes me sound outrageously pretentious, but it is what it is. 5.      The T refers to Type (yes, it’s mega contrived!). Normally this would cover genre but you’ve talked about Gaslamp fantasy already, so let’s broaden the topic. I’m not sure there’s a question here, Phil, was there meant to be? Or are you just giving me free reign to talk unchecked about a topic I’m very passionate about? Always dangerous. I’m going to assume you’re asking me to recommend some other excellent indie gaslamp books? In that case, for a shorter read, you can’t go far wrong with Thomas Howard Riley’s The Monsters We Feed . It has similar themes and worldbuilding to my Vanguard series, and a really interesting magic/technology system. I’ve also recently read Steve Pannett’s The Sins of Steel and Shadow – and while it’s not strictly gaslamp, it definitely has the vibe and will tick a lot of boxes for readers who, like me, enjoy a sort of gaslamp/grimdark blend. Plus, the first chapter has the main character travelling via grimy, fetid canal waters under the blanket of night. Anyone who knows me will know I love canal systems in fantasy books.  6.      With E for Edit, we’re talking about getting your books ready to be launched into the world. How do you know it’s ready? What processes do you go through with your book to ensure it reaches the standards expected by a highly perceptive readership. I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic group of peers who act as beta readers for me and have done for years. I’ve also worked with some fantastic editors, artists and – of course – the inimitable RJ Bayley , who narrates my audio books. "People talk about writing being a solo activity – publishing a book is definitely not a solo activity. I’ve always been very firm in my view that we exist as a team, and the people around me are instrumental in not only getting the book ready to publish but getting me ready to publish. We’re team Vanguard." I might have the final say on when I’m ready to go live, but they are really the driving force behind me getting to that point. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there for whom my books definitely do not meet their standards. All you can do is your best. Then, when you think you’ve got a book that is the absolute best it can be, find someone to tell you that it isn’t, and give it another pass/edit. Repeat this process until that same person gets annoyed with you and says ‘look, it’s ready, stop moving that same comma back and forth’. 7.      That I in the acronym serves a double purpose. I is for Independence. You self-publish your books. Tell us why and what you’ve learned about the publishing industry in the meantime. "To be honest, I didn’t really give that much thought to trad. I sent out about 5 queries when I first started, because it was the thing that writers do, but I didn’t invest a huge amount of time into exploring it as an option. I didn’t just want to write books. I wanted to be a writer, build a brand, run a business and do everything myself." I’m excited by the challenge of it. That said, you could write what I know about the publishing industry on the back of a teaspoon. I’ve worked out what works for me. I guess that’s what I’ve learnt. And yes, I am fobbing you off with that as an answer. 8.      If it had been possible to squeeze an A into the High Contrived Concept of W.R.I.T.E. it would have included A for Admire. Which modern, (current) authors do you admire and why? In the trad space, Peter McLean and Janny Wurts both spring to mind, not just for the support and encouragement they’ve shown me personally but for the spirit of generosity and kindness they show for other writers and people in general. They’re each responsible for lighting the fire under my ass at least once. There are plenty of people in the indie space I admire (and they know who they are). It would take me all day to list them all. But if you’re going to force me to choose one, it would be PL Stuart . The man is an absolute machine. His work ethic and dedication are unbelievable, and he still manages to be the most humble, generous and warm-hearted human being (while writing absolutely brilliant books). I also have to mention my Spotlight cohorts, Frasier Armitage , Alex S Bradshaw , Tim Hardie and Amber Poppitt . They basically signed up to work with the indie writing community’s version of Lesley Knopes (“There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk all other responsibilities in our lives.”) for minimal recompense, because they believe in what we’re trying to do. If that’s not worthy of admiration, I don’t know what is. 9.      What does 2026 promise for HL Tinsley: Fantasy Author? (Editor's note: that idiot, Phil Parker, included the name of Tim Hardie in this question when he sent it to Holly. He's blamed old age and the deteriorating effect on the brain.) The year will start off pretty great – that lottery win will come in handy and the subsequent six-month chartered-yacht voyage around the Mediterranean will mean lots of time for writing. I’m not sure Tim is looking forward to the crew mutiny or the long month spent alone on a mysterious island after he drifts off course, but he’ll have his coconut pal and that weird, ominous growling sound that carries on the wind to keep him company. He’ll make his way home eventually with three new books under his belt (literally, they’ll be written on palm leaves) and publish them to massive success and wild acclaim. (Please leave this bit in, Phil, it’s very funny). As for HL Tinsley – I’ll do my best to finish Vanguard 3, even if I don’t publish it in 2026. Our next live Spotlight Indie event takes place in Shrewsbury on May 23 rd,  and my primary focus will be on launching our promotional campaign and getting people to spread the word. We’re a small platform, so we’re still trying to build up our reach and we’re relying on people who can see what we’re trying to do - and what it could mean for the community - to boost our signal. There are a lot of people out there in the writing and creative communities who are trying to fight for indies, human creators and art in general, but they’re being buried under the algorithms. If we want to keep these spaces, events, communities – we need to fight for them and talk about them. Tell us how we can find you on social media and the internet. You can find me here: http://linktr.ee/h.tinsley And Spotlight Indie here: www.spotlightindie.co.uk Here are Phil's books - click the image for the link:

Derek Power is the mind behind Filthy Henry, the fairy detective. Born and bred in Dublin, he currently lives in Skerries with his family. He predominately focuses on comedy-fantasy works but has dabbled in sci-fi noir with his novel 'Duplex Tempus'. When not writing he spends his days refreshing the inbox wondering when Hollywood is going to come knocking for the film rights to his books. After much blackmailing, erm sorry that should read persuasion, Derek has joined me to talk about writing. To that end the questions fit into a clever little acronym that is not in the least bit contrived: W.R.I.T.E. Without further delay then: 1. Derek Power, author of the adventures of the only (as far as we know) fairy detective in Ireland, Filthy Henry. Tell us a little about him, is it true that he’s actually a leprechaun? DP – Ha, it is not true that he is actually a leprechaun. Such falsehoods would have Filthy Henry getting the fireballs out I can tell you. No, Filthy is what I call a half-breed. The only one of his kind. He has a fairy father and a mortal mother, but his existence is something of a rarity. Usually, the fairy folk find out about half-breeds and ‘take care of them’ – in the very gangster meaning of the phrase – before they turn one year old. According to The Rules, a sort of magical compact that oversees the fairy races uses of magic, a half-breed that survives to their first birthday is allowed to continue living. However Filthy Henry has a very powerful fairy father, one so powerful that his survival was almost a sure thing, making him the first half-breed to actually live. A huge bone of contention in the fairy world. Because of his unique nature, Filthy Henry is ideally placed as a sort of bridge between the mortal and fairy world. Mortals don’t actually know the magical side of things exist and fairies like to keep it that way. But The Rules stipulate that any time the two worlds mingle, there needs to be a neutral party involved to sort things out – which is where Filthy Henry steps in. Of course, he has a huge chip on his shoulder about pretty much everything, so nobody really likes dealing with him. But they are also stuck dealing with him, so it let’s me write some hilarious adventures. 2. W is for World Building. Describe the world of your Filthy Henry novels. They’re predominantly set in Dublin but is it the Dublin we will easily recognise or something more? DP – Yes, it is very much a Dublin that would be recognised. A lot of the landmarks mentioned I purposely picked so people can actually go and see them. In fact, one review (on Goodreads I think) walked the route of the second book and mentioned it. Which was a nice thing to hear. But because of how the fairy world is hidden from mortal eyes I can play with some locations. Such as the location for Bunty Doolay’s Bar. I know exactly where it is and the building has been a boarded-up shop for at least thirty years. I pass it every few months, just to make sure it is still there…and maybe pop into the bar itself to say hello to the occupants. Other than the true aspects of the city, the world of Filthy Henry is really two worlds. The mortal one, which is unmagical in every possible way, and then the fairy one that exists right alongside it. But due to The Veil Mór – or The Great Veil – mortals cannot see the fairy world and any time they might bump into a fairy the spell causes their memories to be altered. It allows the streets of Dublin to be populated with fairy folk as far as the eye can see…but they aren’t seen. And sometimes it makes you wonder if you really did sidestep for a random reason or was it to let a fairy pass you on the street. 3. R is for Routine: you have a family, a career and you’ve recently turned director of a theatre company that produced a play by Terry Pratchett! How do you find time to write? Is there a routine? Or is writing about catching spare moments as they race past? DP – For me writing is as much a part of my life now as breathing, I can’t not do it. There are days that I don’t get words down because stuff gets in the way, sure, but I am pretty much always doing something in the creative space. Either plotting, doing a short story, editing, or when I am in full flow writing the latest Filthy Henry novel. My routine is fairly simple – I have a daily word target that I hit before I do any of the fun stuff like computer games or watching a show on T.V. It is a realistic goal these days since I’ve the family stuff that I like to be involved in, so I aim to get 500 words a day written. Most days I fly past that without breaking a sweat and get maybe 1500 done. Other times I might struggle to get the 500, but get it I do. Then once the book is done I switch the goal to editing at least five pages a day. Even with the play I managed to get the goal down five nights out of seven. But I have a little mantra that I like to use as well for these types of questions. I have an unknown and finite amount of seconds on this wonderful rock, so I write for as many of those as I can. 4. I stands for Inspiration, an essential commodity to any author. What has (still does?) inspire you? Does it change or is it constant? This must be an interesting question for someone writing a series – does Filthy Henry still inspire or does he need a kick every once in a while? DP – " Filthy Henry is steeped in Celtic myths and legends, of which I have a vast pool to pull from. So, it is very rare that I get stuck for a story. In fact, right now I have six novel ideas paragraphed out – that’s six novel seeds that each just need to be plotted. I’ve often said that writing a Filthy story is like putting on my favourite coat, it just fits. I rarely need to get back into his mindset." Even now with the latest Christmas Case File up on the podcast , I wrote it entirely in a day and edited it over two. It was about forty pages long and just flowed out. I think that’s why I enjoy doing projects that aren’t connected to Filthy Henry at all. Sometimes it is nice to stretch the writing muscles but not be in my comfort zone. But I know he is always there, waiting with his next adventure. I also get inspired by other writers – both those I read and those I have been lucky to engage with. Hearing how everyone has different approaches to things is great and can inspire you in those moments when you think “Why am I bothering with this at all?” 5. The T in this sequence refers to Type (yes, mega contrived!). We’re talking about genre predominantly here – how would you define your series? How did you arrive at it? (Was a map involved?) We’re also talking about other types – such as Point of View. Third person? First person? Third person omniscient? Past tense? Present tense? Which and why? DP – This is a tough one to answer. I have always classed my genre as comedy-fantasy, but sometimes I get told to drop the comedy part and just call it fantasy for a broader appeal. There aren’t many comedy-fantasy authors out there these days but I also don’t want to have some hardcore fantasy reader pick up my “fantasy” book and wonder why it is trying to be funny. In terms of the series itself then, I have always been a huge fan of Sir Terry Pratchett and really loved how you could read the Discworld books out of sequence and still enjoy them (with one exception, where he explains why you need to read another book first). So, when I started Filthy Henry that was my idea too. I want to have books that could be read in isolation. You could read the latest one and work backwards or pick up on in the middle and then jump to the end. Each book is written in a stand-alone manner with all the information you might need from previous books stuck into the one you’re reading. In terms then of the third person aspect, it was because I genuinely did try to write it as a first person detective novel in the beginning but it wasn’t working. You can have all the dry humour you want, but when it is only from one person’s perspective it can get a little grating. I jump around with the point-of-view depending on which character gets the spotlight and it also allows me to use the right character for the right emotional beat. Such as when you need to feel sadness, I bring in Shelly as she is the heart of the cast. But if you want a bit of ‘well I feel foolish’ then I switch to Dru the Druid. It just works better and allows me to play with some voices too. 6. When including E for Edit, the focus is on the mindset needed to shift the book from something sitting on your computer, looking shifty – to being polished, well-dressed and ready to meet the world. How do you get it ready to party? DP – In the beginning, eleven years ago, I was a bright eyed and idiotic writer who was convinced you couldn’t write paragraph two until paragraph one was perfect in every way it could be. I think I spent about six months trying to make every single perfect before I realised how daft I was being. So, I started writing with the mindset that everything can be cut – changed – reworked. Nothing is set in stone. This isn’t like back when books were written on a typewriter, we are digital and should behave like we have that at out disposal. Now I write a full draft first without looking back and then I go into edit mode. Draft 2 is what I call my refresher draft – as I go through fixing up typos I jot down the plot points to make sure stuff gets patched up if needed. Draft 3 is the cutting draft, whatever didn’t work is gone, with the plot patched up to make sure nothing is left in a mess. Typically I might go through eight drafts before I, well not so much say ‘This is brilliant’ but effectively give up because I am changing nothing of value and just changing for changing sake. A friend once said they were jealous of the edit phase – because it meant there are versions of the book nobody else ever gets to see other than myself. He was right too, in book three of Filthy Henry I removed an entire subplot around his grandfather. 7. OK, so that’s the contrived stuff. Tell us what you’re up to at the moment. Got any exciting news that’s hot off the presses? Or even lukewarm? DP – I won’t lie this one will sound a little like a daft answer considering everything I said about finding it easy to write Filthy Henry. I have draft five of the sixth book in the series and I have sort of…stopped. I am at a point I am sure other writers get to were I am wondering why I am bothering. Filthy Henry is great and fun but sometimes I think the books don’t get read as much as they should and maybe I should try something else. So the lukewarm news is that I am working on draft five, but slower than usual. I finished the Christmas short story and that is up on the podcast for folk to listen to if they want. But I am working on something a little different that I may make the main project in 2026. Still comedy, still fantasy, but not Filthy Henry. 8. If it had been possible to squeeze an A into W.R.I.T.E. there would have been a chance for you to offer Advice for people who write and want to publish their work. What words of wisdom can you impart? DP – "My advice on this is always the same – just write. You don’t have to get it perfect, you don’t have to be happy with it, but just write. Writing is a muscle that you can’t see on an MRI scan. You get better by doing it, but you need to do it to get better." You may pump out a thousand pages of utter trash but from that you can edit a nice three hundred pages of a novel that is brilliant. Editing is your friend as well. Get the first draft out and edit it, if you keep trying to edit during writing you will never finish anything. But mostly…write! 9. The other A word that hung around, eager to be involved, was Aspirations. What dreams do you have for your writing? Any plans for 2026 that might make the dreams more likely? I will aim to have Filthy Henry: Big Shoes (working title) out in 2026 because it has been about three years since the last book came out and that’s too long really. But this new project I am noodling on in the background is causing the voices in my head to get loud…so I think I will definitely have to get going on it or become a madman screaming at the grass. 10. Finally, there was another A word that felt left out, along with the other two. Admire. Which writers do you admire and why? DP – I am assuming I can’t name your good self here but let’s say I will for the bonus point aspect. From the indie world I do find David Green somebody to admire. He has been pumping out books in the last few years and is really making a go of it. His self-promotion is something I’d love to emulate successfully because it clearly helps him move units but he has a fanbase building nicely too and you can see that from the reviews he gets. I usually drop Sir Terry in here for the other end of the spectrum but I think this time I will say Brandon Sanderson. I’ve started his books and they are fantastic pieces of work. But I love some of the lore around him as well. Like his publisher and agent both said he had to take a holiday from writing…so during his holiday he wrote four books instead because he got bored doing nothing. Tell us how we can find you – not in a stalking way but on social media and the internet. My website: https://www.powerwrites.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/dcpower_author Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/derek-power-author.bsky.social Find out about my books, click the image:

I'm currently writing a novel set in a dimension visited by authors, a place that inspires their imagination. The further into the novel I get, the more I realised I needed to research how this concept worked "in reality". The concept arises out of occasions when I've woken up with an idea for a book or a solution to a plot problem solved. I've read about how other writers who've done the same thing. So how does it work? Is this something any writer can do? Here are the answers! Sleep Stages Understanding the sleep process is important so let's look at how it works. There are 5 stages of sleep: Drowsiness - when you're awake but "drifting off" so you're more relaxed Stage 1 Sleep - "light" sleep where the theta waves reduce, you may be aware of noises etc Stage 2 Sleep - slightly deeper sleep where the brain "turns off" and you sink into deeper sleep Stages 3-4 Sleep - deep sleep, no rapid eye movement yet - lasts 20-40 minutes REM Sleep - Rapid Eye Movement where brainwaves become more animated Normally the average sleep cycles through these stages during the night, roughly this cycling processes lasts between an hour and an hour and half before repeating. Lucid Dreaming Most dreams happen during REM sleep (shorter, less organised dreams can occur in Stages 3-4 but these aren't important to this topic). The brain kicks into gear and goes to work on thought processes that may remain unresolved, it's a useful time because it's not having to deal with all the external stimuli from when we're awake. It's the brain putting in overtime on the night shift! This is when "lucid dreaming" can take place. What is lucid dreaming? It is typically defined as a dream in which the dreamer becomes aware of the fact that they are dreaming, which often allows them to consciously influence the dream content. Research mentioned in this article identifies 7 stages of lucid dreaming - (1) recognizing that one is dreaming; (2) having freedom of choice within the dream; (3) clarity of consciousness; (4) clarity about waking life; (5) clarity of perception; (6) clarity regarding the meaning of the dream; and (7) clarity of recollection. The latter stages of this process (5-7) can be achieved by training the brain. This process often includes words like "elevated awareness" - we become aware of what our brain is doing and can influence it. This process, and its outcomes, are famous in eastern philosophies, meditation is a means to achieve this end result. For some people, it can happen more easily and naturally. Lucid Dreaming and Creativity The ability to access lucid dreaming and make it become a productive form of expression has been claimed to be a source of inspiration by numerous creative types. The Surrealists, such as Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dalí acknowledged the process, their work makes this obvious! The same is true of the Post Impressionists like Vincent van Gogh and Francis Bacon. Gogh said, "I dream my paintings, then I paint my dreams." Stephen King is another proponent of using sleep to enhance creativity: creative sleep . "In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives. And as your mind and body grow accustomed to a certain amount of sleep each night — six hours, seven, maybe the recommended eight — so can you train your waking mind to sleep creatively and work out the vividly imagined waking dreams which are successful works of fiction." Williams Blake famously found inspiration through his dreams but went further - in one dream where he had a conversation with his dead brother, he woke with the idea of the printing press that would later bear his name. Mary Shelley reportedly came up with the idea of Frankenstein from a dream. Legend has it that Samuel Taylor Coleridge found the opening lines of “Kubla Khan” in a dream. While suffering a fever, Robert Louis Stevenson dreamed about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. William Styron had a dream that inspired Sophie’s Choice. Edgar Allen Poe was quite forthright about the impact of dreams on his creativity - "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." Conclusions Earlier I mentioned how other cultures recognise (and have done for millennia) how the mind doesn't stop working when we're asleep but can be encouraged to work on specific material if it is trained to do so. I'm reminded of the native population of Australia and what western explorers came to label the "dreamtime" - where the mind could be helped to access a state of mind beyond what was available in the normal, conscious mind. It seems so many other cultures have always understood this process, in western cultures we're only starting to explore it now - in scientific terms, to analyse, measure and define it. For me, I think it comes down to the level of importance, the status, you give to the issue you want to explore. If that plot point that's bothering you has a high enough priority in your waking mind, it may well sit there, like in a doctor's clinic, patiently waiting to be seen! The crucial part is creating that level of priority. I've found it works best for me when I think about the issue as I'm dozing off. I don't pursue the idea (if I can help it - it will keep me awake!) but simply remind my brain that the issue is there. I think it places the problem at the front of the queue in that waiting room I mentioned. It doesn't always work but I've found it to be a useful mechanism. I hope you find this information helpful and if you have experiences to share about how you've accessed your lucid dreaming to write your stories, let me know - I'm on BlueSky: @ philspeculates.bsky.social or Threads https://www.threads.com/@philparkerfantasyauthor or https://linktr.ee/phil_parker Click the image to find out about my stories!

Self-publishing is booming! A year ago I shared the self-publishing statistics for 2024 . There were some exciting statistics too - such as over 50% of #indieauthors feature in Kindle's Top 400 books in 2023, that was a 53% increase from 2022. Earnings have risen as a result - according to Amazon more than 2,000 self-published authors have surpassed $100,000 in royalties. Adam Croft is a good example: he self-published NINE books, selling half a million copies, turning down numerous publishing deals before finally agreeing to join the Amazon imprint, Thomas & Mercer. So where are things going to go from there? What's in store for #indieauthors in 2026 and beyond? It might be contentious to say so but traditional publishing continued to languish in the twentieth century, #indieauthors continue to increase market share because they stay ahead of the game. Knowing how others are succeeding - and replicating that success for ourselves - is how to make things work for you. Self-publishing is a business after all, and like any business, you need to analyse what others are doing - and do it too! Growth Areas Let's start with some basic facts: the increase in self-publishing is linked to the ebook. It's cheaper for readers to buy and better for the environment. In the UK last year, ebook revenue increased by 17%. In 2023, the UK market share was 36.7% of readers who were classified as being in the High income income group, more than half were male. That said, Generation Z is a growth area and is expected to lead the growth of the ebook from 2026 onwards. The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is a fancy term for how quickly an industry is growing. This graph shows the potential for #indieauthors over the next decade. Ebooks are the future! The same is true for audiobooks . According to the Alliance of Independent Authors, in the last year there's been a 36% increase in use of audiobooks. The trend is driven by a population of busy people who don't have time to sit down and read books, they listen while they're commuting (on the train, bus or in the car) for instance, it's easy because you don't need to carry heavy books, the content is on their phones or iPads. To prove the extent of this growth, the Speakies Audiobook Awards are going to celebrate the work of voice actors who narrate stories - and unlike many awards, they are explicitly open to indie authors! There is an existing award - the Audies, run by the Audio Publishers Association but these have been largely dominated by major publishers. It's worth mentioning AI narration tools like Amazon’s KDP Virtual Voice that offer a way into audiobooks that would otherwise be financially out of reach for #indieauthors. While some voice actors will agree a royalty share with you, this may not be an option if sales aren't tempting enough. Virtual Voice fees vary from $3.99 and $14.99 though some authors have complained how the AI cannot doesn't always pronounce words accurately and can be confused by some punctuation. There's also the ethical issue, using AI denies the use of human voice actors! Print of Demand (PoD) is another growth area which confounds the traditional publishing sector that has to print in quantity and risk the volume will sell. The self-publishing sector buy the number of books they want, acknowledging that smaller numbers increase costs. Even so, last year, the global market was valued at $10.2B. It’s projected to reach almost $103B by 2034. That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR - defined above) of approximately 26%. The major market share for PoD is in the USA. They have the largest number of publishers and purchasers (like bookshops, libraries and individuals). To give you an idea of the scale: PoD books are sold in 17,500 stores in the US, just a thousand in Canada and the UK, Australia, Germany & France have half that number again. This method is driving a trend in self-publishing - to direct sales. The adoption rate varies widely: while 87.5% of authors have a website, only 29.6% currently sell books directly to the customers. Lower-earning authors (under £250 annually), direct sales are rare, with most sticking to third-party platforms like Amazon or Kobo for their reach and simplicity. Mid-income authors (£251–£2,500) start experimenting with platforms like Draft 2 Digital or BookFunnel to sell directly while maintaining their presence on larger platforms. There are benefits from this approach: direct sales lets author keep more profit, they get to build stronger reader relationships and offer perks like exclusive content or signed books. The downside is the risk of bulk purchasing - then not selling! The answer to that last problem lies with one more feature that business leaders need to understand - data analysis. You need to know your market, intimately. Understanding your readership, making sure they recognise your brand, knowing what others are doing - all this is vital. Regularly interrogating your dashboards - perhaps also your website to see what blog posts are generating traffic. Let me illustrate that last point - in July 2024 I posted an article called The A to Z of British (and Irish) Mythological Creatures - as of mid-November 2025, this post has received over 48,000 views. It not only tells me the popularity of the topic but Google analytics show the largest percentage of viewers are from America. This stat ties in with sales figures for my noir fantasy series, The British Bureau for the Arcane series, where America is my best market. It means I can be more confident where to target my marketing and sales. The Niche Market There's an old sales slogan that goes, "Sell to everyone, sell nothing." This advice follows on from the ending to that last section: it's knowing your market. Readers are more discerning now. They're willing to take a risk - particularly if that risk isn't too expensive. If your book is on Kindle Unlimited, the reader has nothing to lose, they can experiment. (I've come across so many great authors that way!). If you target your pricing structure too, keeping ebook prices low to tempt someone to read your book. Platforms like Amazon (and others listed above) offer promotional offers (like giving a book away free for a week) to broaden your market awareness. The bottom line here - experiment, cut your losses for a while to attract audiences, know which niches are best for you. Data tells us the two most popular (and therefore profitable) markets are Romance and Speculative Fiction (Fantasy, Science Fiction). The fantasy market is perhaps where there are the most niche audiences - readers will seek books that qualify as urban, high, low, grimdark and epic fantasy (and I haven't included gaslamp, historical, gunpowder, punk and the rest!). As with any market, it pays for customers to know what to expect from you - it's brand recognition. Do you brand your work (covers, book blurb, social media etc) with language which defines your stories? Or do you just hope they will see your book cover and buy it? 🤔😥 Here are some strategies to help you identify profitable niches: Research Amazon Bestseller Lists : Keep an eye on what’s trending in various categories. This can give you insights into what readers are currently interested in. Analyse Social Media Platforms : Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Goodreads are treasure troves of information. Look for popular topics and hashtags to gauge reader interest. Use Online Tools : Tools like Google Trends and Keyword Planner can help you identify popular search terms and emerging trends. Engage with Readers : Direct feedback can be invaluable, especially via social media, it's worth thanking reviewers for kind comments and mentioning a specific comment, it shows you care! Use surveys, social media polls too. Select bloggers for reviews and blog tours : not just any blogger but those people with a specific focus on your target audience, they're more likely to agree if they know you AND appreciate your style of storytelling. Become an Influencer Influencers carry enormous responsibility and enormous marketing potential. They can be found on Instagram and TikTok, often talking about great books they've read. Increasingly, #indieauthors are also becoming influencers too. The publishing market is saturated and getting recognised and known means being seen. It can start by appearing on online events - such as author panels at conventions (in the real world and online). A bunch of my writer friends and I regularly engage with Spotlight Indie - a collaborative group of wonderful people who organise events for #indieauthors. They have their own YouTube channel where influence can be extended even further. YouTube is another way to get yourself "out there". Use simple videography (try Canva or Streamyard ) to create effective resources to share on your channel and on social media. You don't have to do this on your own either. Find a group to join (or create one!). Here in the UK I'm part of the Creative Commune - a bunch of #indieauthors who publish a free magazine six times a year that promotes our work and empowers others at the same. Earlier this year we wrote and published a collaborative story - 9 authors: 1 story - called Realm Raiders. You can find it in the Creative Commune link above - there's also a blog post about the experience here . Conclusion I've made the deliberate choice not to touch upon the basic topics - the importance of hiring an editor and a cover designer, marketing strategies, pricing structures etc. These are covered in my blog in greater depth. I wanted to look at the way publishing is changing and how we need to be familiar with these changes - and embrace them. At a convention I was asked this question: "What proportion of your time is spent writing, how much everything else?" (By "everything else" they meant the business and enterprise element of being an author.) My answer? 50-50. I spend half my time promoting my work, analysing the market and my sales, staying familiar with trends and lots of time engaging with others on social media to cover all those things. The more I've done that, the more my sales figures improve. I can always tell when I get caught up with writing and overlook the rest of the job - my sales plummet! I hope you find this article helpful. I'd love to get your reaction - find me on BlueSky (@ philspeculates.bsky.social ). If you want to find out more about my books, click on this image:

There are locations in Britain which defy rational explanation, places which qualify as supernatural (beyond natural). They are a fantasy writer's delight - not just because of their mystery but because the explanations which accompany them appear to be so grounded, so viable. I've used some of them in my books for this reason. When your goal is to convince your readers there may be some truth to your story, fantastical as it may be, using locations drenched in British folklore and with credible explanations, half the work is done for you! Arthur's Hunting Path We begin in Somerset, in a location filled with folklore and myth (in my opinion, more so than any other in this country!). I learned about Arthur's Hunting Path from local people whilst on a research trip for my novel The Bastard from Fairyland . Notice the diamond shape and how it connects four earthworks - that are exactly 10.9 miles apart (that's precisely 4 geomancer miles - an archaic form of measurement ). The line between Burrow Mump and Glastonbury Tor (and therefore also Hamdon Hill and South Cadbury) lies at an angle of 27 degrees at sunrise on Beltane (a highly significant date in the pagan calendar). The other lines are equally aligned to astronomy - the Lunar Standstill, another significant phenomenon in pagan beliefs (it happened every 18 years). In other words, these sites possessed mathematical precision and aligned to regular cosmic events. The same is true for Stonehenge but this site is hardly known in comparison! The connection with King Arthur comes from the role South Cadbury plays in British folklore and was the work of the Tudor academic, John Leland who wrote about the location in 1542. His theory arose from his collection of books and manuscripts that he spent a lifetime assembling. It's believed these mounds are hollow, which has given credence to stories of fairies living beneath them - beliefs arising from Celtic stories of the Tuatha de Danaan who fled the invading Milesians by going underground. I have more to say about this in the section about Glastonbury Tor further down in this post. Stories have evolved telling how Arthur and his knights use this route to hunt on Midsummer and Midwinter nights and are derived from tales told by the French author, Chretien de Troyes, and another Tudor historian William Camden. Victorian archaeologists reported how, during a dig at South Cadbury, locals asked if they were there to "take away the king" (Arthur), who it was believed had been buried there. (That said, Arthur's burial place is also thought to have been in Glastonbury Abbey, according to Leland, though his remains were removed by Edward I.) Supernatural Conclusions In the 1920s, Katherine Maltwood an artist and historian, found place names from Avalon, referenced in Grail mythology, matched place names on Ordinance Survey maps within this area. She superimposed maps of the constellations over the Somerset landscape and found they also reinforced these connections. These connections and the mathematical and astronomical connections make this area a supernatural fantasy land - one I relied on heavily in my novel. Like Stonehenge, this place reinforces the knowledge that existed in the people who lived three thousand years ago, or more. Archaeological research conducted in the last 20 years shows South Cadbury was a deeply significant site. It houses a boat-shaped grave which had to belong to a person of considerable importance, given its construction and the items found in it. Arthur's grave? Who knows. But there is no escaping the evidence - these earthworks exist, place names remain, stories documented over 700 years record even older stories. An oft-repeated mantra applies here - such stories would not remain in the collective consciousness, unless there was something significant about them in the first place. An excellent article, giving more information, is here . Glastonbury Tor Following on from the previous section, the Tor carries even more supernatural mystery that I discovered on my research trips. Even the National Trust expound the myths centred on this earthwork, it says there is "a hidden cave through which you can pass into the fairy realm of Annwn. There dwells Gwyn ap Nudd, the lord of the Celtic underworld, with the Cauldron of Rebirth" . The mention of the cauldron is significant; it's an item reputedly stolen by King Arthur in the Welsh story 'The Spoils of Annwn' and also represents a pre-Christian version of the Grail legend. They go on to say, "The hill mysteriously causes the two nearly adjacent red and white springs below the tor, to run with different waters. The origins of its seven terraces are uncertain. Were they built for growing vines or ploughing? Or did they form a sacred labyrinth for pilgrims?" Locals told me how there have been attempts to contain this water, in reservoirs inside the Tor. The idea that there are channels within the mound fascinated me and featured in the second book in my trilogy, The Bastard in the Dark . Rather than flout copyright, it's worth Googling ' Katherine Maltwood zodiac ' to see the map she created (I mentioned it in the previous section too). Mary Caine published a book about it in the 1970s, it explains the theories in greater detail than I can here. Whilst these details are exciting and mysterious, my attention focuses on the terraces which encircle the Tor. Geoffrey Russell's 1968 book, 'Secrets of the Grail' promoted the theory, held by locals for a long time, that the terraces contained a labyrinth. The historian Ronald Hutton stated this path was a 'spiritual walkway'. However, in the 'Spoils of Annwn' , Arthur and his knights are forced to navigate a maze at a location called Caer Sidi, or 'spiral castle' - a fortification reached by a spiral maze. The Tor's terraces are only just visible now, having been eroded by the weather and tourists. The lines still show what is called a septenary maze, shown here. The Glastonbury Tor version is more elongated than this, because of the hill's geology but the shape is consistent. This shape is also called the Cretan maze because it's the same as the labyrinth on Crete, created by the Knossos civilisation (wiped out by the eruption of the volcano on what is now Santorini). This shape appears in similar contexts around the world, from south-east Asia to the Hopi peoples of Arizona. The purpose of these features usually involved rituals that tested mental strength and religious faith. This may have been the purpose on the Tor. In the centre of the maze is what is now called the Egg Stone - a large boulder, unlike anything else found in the vicinity. There may have been a singular Standing Stone (like Avebury, Stonehenge etc) that represented completion of the journey. There is more information here . Supernatural Conclusions What qualifies the Tor as a 'supernatural feature' is the maze. When you combine it with the surrounding zodiac details referenced by Katherine Maltwood and the details in ' The Spoils of Annwn ', the Tor takes on additional mysteries. I'm intrigued how people in the Dark Age became familiar with the Cretan Maze, since it featured in civilisations around the world. Sure, there are varied explanations for the terraces, such as agricultural use, but they have been answered with enough conviction that gives the supernatural criteria greater strength as far as I'm concerned. When you combine these stories with those that describe the Tor as a 'gateway to Fairyland', the intrigue levels go sky high! It was a local bishop, Saint Collen, who claimed he met two male fairies on the Tor, close to where he lived. He was invited to meet Gwynn ap Nudd and recorded his experiences afterwards. So many stories - are they just invention or based on some lost truths? The Woolwich Foot Tunnel Some years ago the Guardian carried the story about the Woolwich Foot Tunnel and the interdimensional portal that was believed to exist within it. The tunnel allows people to cross over the Thames. The source was the Portals of London website which documents strange phenomena. Routine maintenance work was delayed by 8 months, after 18 months of closure. The cause of the delays turned out to be a time anomaly. Read the account from one of the workers that's included in the website and you'll see how time played tricks with the workers, who couldn't explain what was happening to them. Experiences included doing a day's work in the tunnel, to come back up to the surface to find only a couple of hours had elapsed. Or the occasion when a group of workers camped out in tents in the tunnel for 3 days, only to find they came out again on the same day they'd left. Perhaps the weirdest? A Bulgarian guy, Petar, had a rope tied around him and his friends kept hold of it as they watched him walk along the tunnel. Just as he was about to disappear around the curve in the tunnel, those workers on the surface called out that they could see Petar on the other bank, even though he was still in the tunnel. Supernatural Conclusions Timeslips are not unknown but in modern Britain, the Woolwich Foot Tunnel is the most famous. It reopened in 2012, there have been no more reportings of timeslips since then. Another London example is The Quaerium. This example supposedly dates back to the Romans who called it a 'doorway to other worlds'. There's no sign of it now, though a Roman bath (a square of stagnant water) can be found in an alleyway off The Strand. Perhaps not a place to go bathing? Avebury Stone Circle Avebury is a small village in Wiltshire, built in the Middle Ages, long after the largest stone circle in Britain had been constructed, during the Neolithic period, somewhere between 2850 BC and 2200 BC. Like nearby Stonehenge, it likely served as a site for rituals. In more recent times, we're talking from the 17th century onwards, the stones were vandalised by people believing their pagan purposes to be the work of the devil. The stones were often destroyed, those which have survived were buried, to be returned to their rightful place during the 20th century. The efforts to destroy the stones were abandoned after a series of catastrophes; such as the barber-surgeon whose skeletal remains (along with his tools) was found under one of the sarsens after it had fallen on him. Myths inevitably develop about such a place, such as the Diamond Stone. This huge 500 tonne rock sits on the side of the A4361, until night falls when it supposedly crosses the road to position itself in its new location, only to return before sunrise. The story is linked to a report in the 1970s and a car which crashed on this location and burst into flames, supposedly from colliding with the pedestrian Diamond Stone. Whilst such stories are easily dismissed, tales of the Avebury Fair are not. These stories have been curated into 3 books by the aptly named Kathleen Wiltshire. The story takes place just after the end of World War 1 and involves a 12 year old girl from nearby Cadley who heard music coming from the village and saw what appeared to be a fair taking place. She and the rest of the family set off to Avebury to have fun at the fair, only to find there was no sign of any festivities. The local people know nothing about it either, there hadn't been a fair since 1850. A similar experience happened to an Edith Oliver, whilst driving her car near the village. She stopped because she heard the sound of fairground music and strange lights, went into the village looking for the fair and found nothing. Supernatural Conclusions There are numerous stories of strange lights seen within the circle at night. Eye witness reports have included seeing shapes moving between the stones, amidst the lights. Local myth suggests it is a location for fairies to celebrate and party. I mention this because the Avebury Stone Circle is another place on the Michael ley line - just like Glastonbury Tor and Arthur's Hunting Path (it runs from Burrow Mump to the Tor). If you're not familiar with ley lines, they are a form of earthbound energy that, like our National Grid, criss-crosses the country; the Michael line is the most powerful and connects locations which carry the same name, frequently churches dedicated to... you guessed it... Saint Michael. (The church that sat on top of the Tor was one example, until an earthquake destroyed it). Supernatural stories often describe strange energies in these places. Some visitors to the Avebury circle talk about hearing or sensing the stones "buzzing", as though they contain energy, like any electrical appliance. Could the ley line be responsible for the fairground stories? More information and images available here . Saint Michael's Mount Following up my mention of ley lines, it leads me to include St Michael's Mount in Penzance, Cornwall. Its original Cornish name is Karrek Loos yn Koos (meaning ‘grey rock in a wood’ and shows how it was originally built when sea levels were lower than today. Neap tides (when the sea recedes to its furthest extent) you can see the remains of the trees. The church itself does not have any strong Christian affiliations, it's the myths that makes this place famous. Let's start with the raising of sea levels. Believed to have been part of the Scilly Isles, the city of Lyonesse vanished beneath the Atlantic Ocean in one dreadful night. There are connections with Arthurian legend. Thomas Mallory, who wrote Morte D'Arthur also curated events about a son of Lyonesse, the book is The Book of Sir Tristram de Lyones . The tragic story of Tristan and Isolde features in the Vulgate Cycle and it became the source of more stories, even opera, from that point. The Tristan Stone, just outside Fowey, has an ancient inscription linking Tristan to the area, even referencing Nennius, a 9th century Welsh academic monk who wrote many of the stories that others curated into Arthurian legend. My reason for this slight diversion is to emphasize the proximity of the myths. Rising sea levels likely did wipe out communities in this area, St Michael's Mount became a tidal refuge and a stronghold, a location for several battles. Its religious relevance started after four miracles occurred in the Middle Ages, when Saint Michael intervened to rescue fishermen at the mercy of mermaids. Unsurprising in a coastal community, mermaids have featured in many stories. Alfred Watkins, in a lecture to Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club in 1921, first referenced 'ley lines' and stated how the Michael line entered England at St Michael's Mount, traversed the land in a straight line, taking in Glastonbury Tor, Avebury until it left the nation, to enter the North Sea at Bury St Edmunds. (Notice another Saint reference!) Considerable debunking of the ley line theory has met stiff opposition (check out ley lines on YouTube!) and resulted in theories which contend these lines extend around the globe. The connection with St Michael and dragons, (which is mentioned in the Bible) has been linked to lung-mei (dragon paths) in Chinese geomancy. Supernatural Conclusions An academic essay goes into enormous detail here . It's assertions on ley lines is particularly interesting as is the way in which mermaids, dragons and even giants are linked to this location. It points out as significant that for a religious location, unlike places such as Lindisfarne, there is little relevance to Christianity. Pilgrims visited only because of its links to Mont St Michael in Normandy, along with the tale of the four miracles (which was likely a means to attract pilgrims). More fascinating are the stories which permeate this whole area, starting with the drowned city of Lyonesse (England's answer to Atlantis!) and its connections to Arthurian legend. The ley line theory ties St Michael's Mount with these stories beautifully. Final thoughts Ten years ago I started work on The Bastard from Fairyland, my first novel. It had undergone several earlier iterations as I struggled to find ways to incorporate my years of research on British folklore. Stories, like the ones detailed here, felt so mysterious and yet so real that I had to include them, to validate the events in my book. I mention this to illustrate the thin line that separates fantasy fiction from the real world. Earlier I said, these stories would not remain in the collective consciousness, unless there was something significant about them in the first place. I believe that. Sure, details get exaggerated or invented to fill in the gaps, but there is often a nugget of history at the centre of these stories. For fantasy authors, like me, it's a question of working out how to use those details to make your reader question how much is fiction - and how much may be real. Click on the image to find out about my novels:

To be semi professional, according to the Cambridge Dictionary means being "someone who is paid for an activity that they take part in but do not do all the time." Let me explain why I describe myself in this way. I'm an #indieauthor, I'm my own boss and I receive income from my book sales. Like most authors I don't earn enough to live on that income. (The Society of Authors state 19% of UK authors earn all their income from writing.) To define myself as 'semi professional' means doing more than writing a novel or two. It involves a journey - that's what this article is all about - describing that process. Having the finished book in your hand is a lovely feeling - but getting it into the hands of your readers, is a very different challenge. On social media, you see wannabe writers ask it all the time - what do I do to get people to read my work. Here's my answer. Write books In an earlier post of mine, research from Written Word Media found #indieauthors needed to write EIGHT novels before they experienced success - which I define as making a reasonable income from your sales AND validation from others as an author. I believe that figure to be accurate - having written eight novels and found the success that's gone with them. (It's worth pointing out that, as an #indieauthor, you can decide how long it takes to reach that goal. The glacial publication process trad authors encounter will take a very long time!). Investigate the reason for that figure and it comes down to the size of your repertoire, if readers like one of your books, what else do you have to offer them? It's how a fan base forms, readers recommend you because you have a good selection of material. Imagine going into a library with one shelf of books - would you recommend it to your friends? Probably not. Writing in some genres involves finding yourself, as an author. Some writers call it defining your voice. What sort of story do you want to tell? Will they always be the same kind? This is particularly true in the fantasy genre. The choice is so wide, the market so competitive, the author needs to be recognisable. Think of it as a brand. If a reader enjoyed your light-hearted adventure in a low fantasy story and wanted to read another, how would they react if your next book was a bleak grimdark story filled with violence? That inconsistency will lose you fans. When I say "write books", it's not a case of writing anything. Pick your focus area and stay true to it. Build your brand. Ensure those eight books have some commonality. Promote yourself and your books Notice I've included YOU as well as your books in the title. Your name needs to be known, recognised and remembered. With what I've just said, it needs to be linked to the genre in which you write. Getting you and your books "out there" is a time and energy consuming exercise and one from which you must not shrink. You might well be an introvert, unused to such self-promotion - but if you want to find success you must get noticed and you won't do that by hiding. Book reviews are an obvious starting point because they bring objectivity - that requires courage on your part. Their audience trust their opinions so they will always be honest. Bloggers and vloggers are swamped by enquiries, approach them politely, sell your story (and you) but be prepared for rejection, and acknowledge you will need to 'book' a date in the future. Allow time for this - I start booking in with bloggers when I send my finished manuscript to my editor. Before doing any of this, forge a relationship with them first. Follow them on social media, interact with them about their posts, their reviews. Think about it - if a complete stranger came up to you and asked you to read their book - would you? Engage with social media by posting comments that provoke interaction but not the kind that asks pointless questions that are clearly clickbait. Use it to find friends, those of similar minds to you - then chat. Use your website, like I'm doing here, to write articles that promote ideas and opinions that engage other writers. I find it's worth creating simple resources to attract attention - 60 seconds of content that people can look at and respond to. A short video made on your phone can do this. I use Canva to create short info-videos that are effective in this way. Cover Reveals are ideal but do need a relationship with the bloggers/vloggers who host them. Promoting your book cover (so long as it's a good one) is another means of gaining attention. (Make sure you use a professional cover designer, don't cut corners here! We DO judge a book by its cover!) Get yourself out there I confess to realising the importance of this one very late! Once I "got out there" the impact on my sales, my personal recognition, increased exponentially. What do I mean? Go to book festivals and cons and meet people (ideally those you know from social media). Why not get yourself a table from where you sell your books (you'll need a good stock and this is another reason for giving people a wide choice). Make sure you have good signage, freebies, or just business cards with links your website. (Perhaps QR to obtain emails?) Once you've built your reputation a little, try going to cons and get yourself onto panels to talk about topics you feel confident on. There are lots of video cons these days, or vloggers who invite authors for an interview or to group chats. These can be lots of fun. (I've just completed some here , have a look at the topics.) Physically appearing at these events turns you from simply being a name to a real person. It's easier to make friends that way, friends who will be willing to help you, so long as you help them. The crucial factor here - be reciprocal. Cooperate and collaborate. Finally, don't rely on others to do all the work. Be the initiator. Set up your own YouTube channel and host video events. It's easy, you need a camera and microphone. The arrival of Covid led to lots of writers and vloggers developing their use of video and that practice has grown massively. I use StreamYard because it's easy to use and it's free (for basic use). Why not interview other writers, chat with them on topics that interest you - then promote the finished video. (Make it look professional by editing it on Canva ). Two years ago I set up a group of like-minded writers (we're called the Creative Commune ) and we meet online via MS Teams. We've written a serialised webstory together and on our site you will see our magazine aimed at other #indieauthors. It's all about networking. And finally I published my first novel in 2018 and imagined it would be plain sailing to become an author. Sure, I promoted it, built relationships with bloggers and other authors and experienced a modicum of success. Writing the novels and promoting them is 60% of the job. The other 40% is about becoming established as a bona fide author who others recognise, acknowledge and respect. For me, it all came together with the launch of my latest book - with a launch party on a well respected platform that involved other writers and bloggers. Sales went through the roof! That's why I think of myself as semi professional because being an author isn't just about writing books. It includes connecting to the wider world, where those books will be read and where others want to get to know you. Traditionally published authors tour the country doing promo gigs where they sign books - an expensive venture and one that requires a fan base. To reach that point (either as a trad or #indieauthor) you need others to get you noticed and recognised. That takes time and effort - just as much as writing the book itself. It's a commitment; one that helps reduce Imposter Syndrome that we all experience, one that increases sales and primarily brings enormous satisfaction - just as much as writing the books in the first place! Find out about my books by clicking on the image:

The word trope has evolved and expanded in meaning over time. Originally it came from the classical Greek concept of rhetoric—the art of effective communication. Tropes in that context are all the ways that a writer or speaker can use nonliteral language to get their ideas across and evoke the response they want. More recently, however, the word trope has come to describe certain conventions of fictional genres. (Source: Grammarly) It's an indication of the sophistication of speculative fiction that so many tropes are now seen as clichéd, over-used and predictable. I've listed some of them below: The Chosen One  – a person who must fulfil a purpose and who carries the responsibility for its completion The Lost Heir  – someone of low status becomes high status, their growth is the focus of the plot, kept under a spell perhaps? True name is hidden from them? Good versus Evil  – the protagonist and antagonist are at either end of the ethics scale while other characters may be morally grey, testing both characters The Prophecy  – a useful maguffin that predicts the impact of a given character on the future, or it may be an artefact (or both). The Reluctant Hero  – the protagonist is unwilling, perceives themselves unfit/unable to fulfil their role, often hailing from a low status background where they’ve developed said skills The Dark Lord  - super powerful, the antagonist is arguably the key figure here, the protagonist must defeat them but can they succeed? Forbidden Magic  – set in a location where magic is prohibited for given reasons (seen as evil, harmful, responsible for past problems – users must remain hidden, risk discovery The Magic Item  – the precious artefact (or historical) is central to the story, providing answers and solutions to overcome the main challenge in the story – or to make it worse. Might involve solving puzzles The Quest  – a character (or several) must go on a journey which involves great risk to complete a mission, often obtaining something valuable in the process - This narrative framework provides a structure for a hero to face trials and obstacles, fostering personal growth and self-discovery. Key elements often include a call to adventure, a band of companions, a wise mentor, symbolic tests, and the ultimate achievement of the goal, leading to a transformed hero who returns to their world with newfound wisdom or power.  The more recent trend is to invert these tropes, to turn them on their heads, do the opposite to what happened originally. It's a great starting point for a story! Working from the concept of the inverted trope, you can tell stories which confound the expected, deliver something original. With that in mind, I've created a few 60 second videos that invert the tropes and offer some inspiration for stories! In this one, I've turned the tables on the classic trope - The Chosen One. In this one, I flip that classic trope - the magical artefact. In this one, I turn the tables on another classic trope - The Quest! Last but not least, another transposed trope - The Reluctant Hero Inspiration often comes from a tiny seed sown into the imagination. I hope my ideas in these videos perform some useful propagation and yield a valuable harvest! 😉🤔 Want to know more about my stories? Click this image...

Who are you gonna call when come across criminal magic-users? Her Majesty's Office of the The Witchfinder General, of course! The Blurb When Danesh Shahzan gets called to a crime scene, it’s usually because the police suspect not just foul play but unnatural forces at play. Danesh is an Acolyte in Her Majesty’s Office of the Witchfinder General, a shadowy arm of the British government fighting supernatural threats to the realm. This time, he’s been called in by Detective Inspector Nikola Zubrasky to investigate a murder in Cardiff. The victim had been placed inside a runic circle and their eyes carefully removed from their head. Danesh soon confirms that magical forces are at work. Concerned that there may be more victims to come, he and DI Zubrasky establish a wary collaboration as they each pursue the investigation within the constraints of their respective organisations. Soon Danesh learns that there may be much wider implications to what is taking place and that somehow he has an unexpected connection. He also realises something about himself that he can never admit to the people with whom he works… Think Dirk Gently meets Good Omens! The Review The Eye Collectors is the first novel in a series, following the investigations of Acolyte Danesh Shahzan. As such, establishing the basic premise and its context is essential and in less-skilled hands, such challenges can slow down the narrative. That is not so here, in fact, quite the reverse. To illustrate my point, I read the story within twenty-four hours, I hardly put the book down. The pace, the sustained tension, is a strength of the story and it's down to the minor details. I'm a huge fan of Ben Aaronovitch's London rivers series and there are some similarities here. Both stories centre on organisations closely linked to the police, detective stories with crimes to solve. However, for me, the London rivers books primarily focus on police procedure, that's where the believability is central to the plot. In this story, the focus and the believability focuses on the magic. That trumps police procedure because magical usage, in this story, is highly dangerous. The most innocuous looking item, such as a pentangle cannot be shared or photographed when it features in a crime scene. Those minor details I mentioned earlier are responsible for this credibility. They form the exposition behind the story but they're disclosed in small doses, just enough to hook the reader in to want to know more. The protagonist's relative ignorance allows the author to expose the reader to these dangers. Those minor details, a scent, an innocuous looking object, a light source, warn us of the danger but we don't know what form it will take and that's part of the fun. Magic, all magic, is highly dangerous - it's gelignite with the fuse lit, at your fingertips. And not a magic wand to be seen anywhere! When it comes to characterisation, again it's the minor details that make them stand out. This is particularly true for the minor characters. The aptly titled Lady Coldwater is an example, ruthlessly chilling in demeanour, we meet her only a couple of times and yet her impact is enormous on the story. Well defined characters need to resonate across the book, like ripples in a pond, and that happens here. Her frightening persona turns her into a variety of possibilities to the plot, keeping the reader guessing as to what her role will be. This is true for most of the characters - more examples could lead to spoilers so I'll avoid doing that. Danesh is a brilliant protagonist. His background, his cultural history, his family, his secrets, make him a rich and complex hero. You can't help but like the guy and root for him to succeed, to bemoan the setbacks and the prejudices he faces. On that, this is a story which resonates with our society. It deals with fascism in Britain in the twenty-first century and I like how that reflection is shown, again in minor instances but regularly enough that it's never overlooked. Different facets of his character appear in his relationships. His connection to his mum is a wonderful example - he's the dutiful son, guilty for not spending enough time with her, appreciative of her efforts, worried by what she endures. We see it when they go out for dinner together, the meal is described, the joy they both feel during it, the memories it evokes. Again, in less skilled hands, such details would be omitted. The author shows us how it should be done. All this leads me to one conclusion and it gave the story such an inventive edge, the similarities to Raymond Chandler. Perhaps not as dark and 'hard-boiled' as Philip Marlowe's investigations, first person narrative, the diversity of characters with their grey morality, the attention to minute detail and the emphasis on the senses, all gave the story a distinct 'noir' flavour that made this such an intriguing detective thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is refreshing in the treatment of its fantasy tropes and that takes some doing these days. It's why I mentioned Aaronovitch, why the blurb mentions Richard Adam's Dirk Gently, they do the same thing. The skill is to do it differently to them and Simon Kewin does it with originality, attention to detail and engaging characters that keep you guessing. You can find this book, the rest of the series and Simon's other stories here: https://simonkewin.co.uk/ To find out about my own fantasy collection, click the image:

William Shakespeare did not write the plays that carry his name. He couldn't have done. A simple boy from the shires, with a basic education and who never left England - how could he have written such lyrical, thought-provoking material? How could he have known, in immense detail, about locations in the rest of Europe and quote from rare literary works kept hidden from the public? Shakespeare is a myth, a manifestation of tourism, literary affectation and mistaken historical interpretation by Victorian "experts" whose work still holds sway today. Within weeks of starting my Drama course at university, my head of department made a point of dispelling this myth. I remember him explaining how the house in Stratford-on-Avon, acclaimed as the Bard's birthplace, hadn't existed at the time! Of course, the myth has become so real now, it takes a leap of faith to question the truth but that's what I'm going to do here. I'm going to dismiss the Shakespeare myth and present you with the facts that contain the truth. William Who? First of all, let's deal with the name. In Elizabethan England, plays were frequently written as a collaborative venture by members of any company. According to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's website , there are thirty-eight plays, 154 sonnets and two lengthy narrative poems. The Taming of the Shrew was first performed in London in 1592. The Two Noble Kinsmen was performed in 1614, two years before the Shakespeare died, back in Stratford. That is a hell of a lot of writing in twenty-two years. Especially when the length of the original Folio editions were much longer than appear on stage today. The original Hamlet script demanded four hours! Collaboration made all this possible. So did rampant plagiarism. It was common to "lift" scenes, speeches and situations from other sources. Few of the plots are original, mainly taken from classic tales dating back to Greek theatre in many cases. At other times, from contemporaries. We might call it stealing but it's way more likely the original writers were part of the writing "team" - just like you get on TV now, where scripts are a collaborative process, even though one person may receive the credit. How do we know this? Because of a tradition from the time . Any script written as a collaborative venture was credited to a Mr Shake-spear . Everyone would know this wasn't one man but the work of a group of writers. It goes a long way to explain why there are so many, wildly different, spellings and handwriting styles attributed to this name. Much of the play would be improvised in early productions, written down as things were polished. It explains all the mistakes . There are a lot of them. One from personal experience. I was cast as Benvolio in a university production (directed by the Head of Drama I mentioned). The mistake is a big one. Benvolio vanishes as a character in Act III, Scene 1. In Act IV, the character of Balthasar appears, a character never previously mentioned. Likely the same character, both starting with a B and with the same role. A simple typo when it came to recording the script. So, if William Shakespeare wasn't the author but rather a name that suggested collaborative writing, who did write the plays? Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford This theory has been around for a long time and dismissed by some scholars but I want to show you how the theory carries greater credibility than some young guy from Warwickshire with a dodgy dad who got in trouble with the law. His son would emulate this criminal intent when he was caught poaching on the Charlecote estate - the only reference to the guy from Stratford. Edward de Vere was a writer and something of a man-about-town. He was a ward, and later son-in-law, of Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I's Secretary of State and therefore a regular attendee of her Court. It would explain why she enjoyed having his plays performed for her - far more likely than some obscure guy from Warwickshire! His relationship with his father-in-law is important. Lord Burghley had an extensive, well-stocked library. The man was an academic and wrote accordingly. Burghley's Precepts was a book, written around 1585, and contained advice or guidelines intended for his son, Robert. It's fatherly advice, later published in 1616. One example - "To thine own self, be true." Recognise it? It's a line from Hamlet, spoken by Polonius as he offers advice to his departing son, Laertes. Fatherly advice. Also in Lord Burghley's library, the "Geneva Bible" - the first authorized Bible in English, that pre-dated the King James version we use today. Banned by Queen Mary, the translation took place while its writers worked in exile, in Geneva. Copies were rare and highly prized. Phrases from its text also appear in Hamlet, 'manicules' (margin notes) written by Burghley, also get used. Because of its value, the book never left Burghley's library. That Stratford guy could never have seen it nor use the exact phrases it employs. De Vere's network of friends and associates gave him access to a lot of people who provided links to the plays and their references. One example - the Westcoats Boys (choir boys from St Paul's cathedral) performed plays - such as The History of Errors. A play about two pairs of twins who arrive in the same city, mistaken identities lead to comic capers. The very same plot as The Comedy of Errors. Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, offers another reason for discounting Shakespeare as an author. Those two narrative poems I mentioned, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were dedicated to this man. In a sonnet he's believed to be the infamous 'fair youth' that places questions about the author's sexual orientation. The critical thing to keep in mind here - it would be inconceivable for a common man from the shires having any contact with a member of the aristocracy, certainly not an intimate one. The risk would be too great. As it was, the letters between Wriothesley and De Vere weren't published until after both men had died - and against their wishes, set down in their wills. What is significant is the collection of De Vere's values that appear in his other letters and writings. The authorship is obvious. The Plays and their References If you believe Shakespeare wrote the plays, you must address this question with a convincing answer. For a guy who never left England, how did he know so much about so many places in Europe? The references that appear in the texts, the locations, the people, the imagery - these are things only travellers would know. More than that, travellers who had the right contacts to visit the right places. For the young men of English aristocracy, it was traditional to go on the Grand Tour - to visit the historic and cultural capitals of Europe. De Vere went on the Grand Tour. Any one of the Comedies share identical situations and characters that feature in the Commedia dell Arte - improvised plays that were hugely popular across Europe. De Vere lived in the French Court of Henry III in 1575-76 - which was when the Commedia visited to perform for the king. They never visited Britain. The arrogant Pantolone features in characters like Malvolio, Arlecchino is Dromio in Comedy or Errors or Touchstone in As You Like It. The situations: mistaken identity, pride coming before a fall, love conquering all, fools and idiots being made to look stupid - these were all stock-in-trade scenarios for the Commedia and feature in every single Comedy. Let's get more specific and use The Merchant of Venice, written in 1597, when De Vere was in Venice . The location of the true story of Ribeiro, a Venetian Jew whose daughter married a Christian. Angry at his daughter's (perceived) betrayal he takes her and her husband to court. Like Shylock, he loses the case. However, the lawyer who defends the couple lived on the banks of the Brenna river, at Belmont, exactly the same place as Portia describes in the play. This lawyer was actually known to De Vere and would have told him about the case. In A Winter's Tale, the theatrical device of the play-within-a-play is used (as it is in Hamlet). It is about the murder of Gonzago, who is killed by having poison tipped into his ear. An unusual method, until you discover this actually happened! De Vere was told about it by his friend Romano, with whom he was staying in Mantua . A family member had been killed that way. In the same house was a huge tapestry, depicting an event from the Rape of Lucretia, the source of that narrative poem I mentioned earlier, a scene which features heavily in the poem. While staying in Sienna , De Vere wrote about watching a performance of a play called The Deceived. The plot centred on a pair of twins, with the usual mistaken identity theme, who end up in the same royal court, both believing their sibling to be dead. Yes, it's the plot of Twelfth Night. In the cathedral in Sienna is a famous circular marble mosaic, it has been copied and appeared in other churches subsequently but this location was the original (and yes, there is a church in Gloucestershire with a similar image but it is much later). Called The Seven Ages of Man, it appears in As You Like It and likely written in 1599, after De Vere returned to England. I could go on. Each time asking the same question - how would William Shakespeare know these things without ever having visited these places? OK, just one more! In Romeo and Juliet, there's a reference to meeting in a sycamore grove in Verona and yes, it really did exist! The Epilogue You could ask why Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is not recognised as the rightful author. While there are references to people of the time stating that he DID write, there is nothing definitive to link de Vere directly to the plays. Why not? It may be down to social standing. Playwrights were not held in high regard - think tabloid reporters! It would be most unseemly for a member of the aristocracy, the son-in-law of Elizabeth I's chief minister - to be doing such things. Yes, the Queen liked having the plays performed, no doubt knowing who wrote them - but that was all within the secrecy of her Court. For the common man and woman, better to have some generic name attributed to the plays, to avoid embarrassment. Imagine a member of the British Royal Family (like Prince Edward, he performed in theatres!) writing plays - I'm sure he'd be told to use a pseudonym! Finally, to dispense with the whole Stratford issue. The enigmatic message in the town's church, concerning Shakespeare, is open to interpretation and could be read in such a way to reinforce what I'm saying here. Perhaps the best fact is the one to end this commentary. Shakespeare's so-called contemporary, Ben Jonson's poem, written in 1623 describes him as 'the swan of Avon'. Elsewhere, the man is called the Bard of Avon quite often. Yet it isn't referring to the town situated on the banks of that river. No. Avon was another name for Hampton Court , where Elizabeth spent much of her reign and where the plays were performed. It had nothing to do with towns in Warwickshire or their delinquent citizens! I write fantasy novels, you can find out about them by clicking the image: