Fantasy For Good raises over $10,000 for the CCA

Posted on March 23, 2019March 23, 2019 by Richard

Fantasy For Good - the paperback cover Yes it's true! The Colorectal Cancer Alliance has confirmed to our publisher, Nightscape Press, that Fantasy For Good - A Charitable Anthology has raised at least $10,290.82 for their outstanding organisation! I say at least because it's been a time-consuming challenge tracking down all the payments that go directly from Amazon to the CCA (Nightscape Press gets none of the proceeds from sales of this book, they all go straight to the charity). This ...

We Don’t Want No PSAs

Posted on February 27, 2014February 27, 2014 by Richard

I'm posting this not to elicit sympathy or support, though both are welcome, but as a kind of Public Service Announcement. Yeah I hate them too but this one is important so please read it. Late last year my wife was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. As you can imagine, that wasn't a fun day and we've been dealing with the repercussions ever since. The good news is her cancer was caught early and was confirmed as stage 1. According to the multitude of scans and tests she's undergone, there is ...

No time to write? Get a dog!

Posted on October 9, 2012October 9, 2012 by Richard

So during August and September I wrote a novel. Yeah I know, it came as a shock to me too. This haunted house tale (with a difference!) currently clocks in at 71,000 words, which is more than I've produced on a single project since I was in university and I wrote a Doctor Who book called Two's Company. Yes it was dreadful but it was 75K and it actually made some sort of sense. I was quite proud of that. Since then of course, life has gone out of its way to ensure I don't have the kind of time...

Reviews and Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2012January 1, 2012 by Richard

First things first, a very happy new year to all my... er, fans? Nah, I sound like an X-Factor contestant. Erm, readers? Folks who have seen my name somewhere and have a vague clue about some writing I did once. Yeah there you go. Here are my new year's resolutions. (more…)

What a year it’s been…

Posted on December 31, 2011December 31, 2011 by Richard

2011 was a tumultuous year to be sure. For starters, I lost my job of eleven years, my wife lost her job of ten, within months of each other. I was lucky enough to find new employment so we'll be fine, but it's still a scary thing to happen, especially in the current economic climate. In terms of my writing though, 2011 has been a stellar year. I sold as many short stories in one year as I have done all the previous years of my life combined! By my count, ten of my stories have been commissio...

Get your writing torn to shreds!

Posted on December 22, 2011December 22, 2011 by Richard

Don't worry, I'm not going to do this very often. If I'm honest, I don't feel like I have a ton of advice locked in my brain just waiting to spill out and inspire all the wannabe writers out there. But the more I thought about it, the more this one little nugget kept surfacing as the most important step in my writing career (such as it is). (more…)

Two shiny things and a reminder…

Posted on November 9, 2011November 10, 2011 by Richard

First shiny thing, I have a new job! Just got the offer and it looks good, so in a week or two I'll be starting at the new place. Thanks for everyone's kind words and support. Somehow I managed to convince someone else to take me on at some point during my six interviews. Didn't get much writing done during my time off - it's amazing how busy unemployment can be! Second shiny thing, the astonishing cover to Phobophobias, the new horror collection from Dark Continents Publishing, edited by Dea...

Writer by Default…

Posted on September 29, 2011October 19, 2011 by Richard

So, today I got laid off. I've been working with the same company for 11 years, since I moved to Canada in fact. And now they've been bought out and I fell victim to the latest round of cuts. Don't feel sorry for me. My prospects are good and there's lots of opportunities out there. I enjoy what I do as a day job and I have a young family to support, so I will definitely be starting the job search soon. However, I find myself in a situation I've never been in before. Right now, other than ...

Writer of Sorts…

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