Blog
Here’s where you’ll find previews of all my current projects, as well as updates on signings and convention appearances.
I also post links to essays that appear on my monthly newsletter Agent of Weird: Exploring the Write Fantastic
Subscribe for FREE to receive an in-depth feature every month, plus access to the AOW archive - a dragon’s horde of writing tips, industry insights, genre guidance and more!
Is The Dying Earth Still Worth Visiting?
Jack Vance’s 1950 fantasy classic was vastly influential and beloved by a generation, but does it hold up under the hype? What can modern fantasy learn from a book written in a time before Tolkien?
Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981): The Weird Wisdom of Epic Fantasy
Still a masterclass in movie mythmaking, knowing when to print the legend, and why the lessons of fantasy can only be learned by letting go
Saving the Writer’s Soul from Work-for-Hire Hell
What creative ownership really means, writing a sword and sorcery tale I can finally call my own, and how it all went wrong when I wasn’t writing for money
Audio of Weird: A Clutch of Christmas Ghost Stories
Snuggle down, drink up and listen in to a read-aloud of ‘Rats’ by M.R. James and ‘Over Before Christmas’ by Alec Worley
Who Dies First? Conan the Barbarian vs. The Bloody Nine
Fantasy writers, learn how to keep your fight scenes sharp with two classic examples of sword and sorcery
Lessons From Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin’s 'A Wizard of Earthsea' is a classic, no question. But does anyone still care? Writers and creators of fantasy, neglect this book at your peril
Evolve or Die: Is this the End for Sword and Sorcery?
Can the genre ever move on from Robert E. Howard's Conan? How can writers possibly innovate within this narrow fantasy subgenre? Is the sword and sorcery barbarian facing his last stand?
Old Sorcery, New Edge: Q&A with Molly Tanzer
Sword and sorcery heroine Jirel of Joiry, created by Catherine L. Moore. Artwork by Sasha Durdevic
Over By Christmas (a short story)
A Weird winter's tale of lost time, lost hearts and one very long night (30-minute read)
How We Built Black Beth
Resurrecting a British sword and sorcery heroine and what it takes to write a character 'well'