Hello everyone!

Well it's been a bit of a week. I've actually been quite busy in several regards.

Straight into writing news, I've been getting quite a lot done. I have a new fantasy novella starring a regular character, an elf barbarian by the name of Gwaeloch Irisgarth, and it's all plotted out with the relevant world building, character development outlines and background all sorted out. It has taken a lot longer than I planned to get it all done, but I was getting some old world building redone.

All in all, I've actually written about 15,500 words this last week. I'm pleased with that, but it's a shame that its all background stuff that folks probably aren't going to properly see. I just hope that I can keep that up that average word count when I come to actually start writing this novella. I think I feel more capable doing so now I've made a few dietary changes - please see last weeks blog post.

I feel My writing has been revitalised at the moment. It may be the dietary changes, but its started warming up here a bit. I don't now if this is a sign that Spring is coming here, or if we'll get another cold spell. I wouldn't be surprised if we do, we can get cold spells and snow up until the end of March, and sometimes into early April around here.

Anyway, this evening, I'll be able to sit down and full concentrating on this new novella. There'll be a Black Knight protector spirit and the remnants of lost elves. There'll also be a mad human general worshiping egotistical gods too.

I feel like writing this will go well.

Afterwards, I think I'd better start editing a few of the stories I have in the archive and start getting them actually published, but I have a feeling that I want to get the first draft for a third novella done before that, so I can get them out in quick-ish succession. Then worry about other works and getting a certain other novella finished that turned out to basically be a full on novel. I', putting that to one side for now as it's so long. It just feels like a better use of my time to concentrate on shorter pieces at the moment. I think one of the reasons I was so grumpy before Christmas was because I'd decided to get so many first drafts done before doing any editing, so I was feeling very bogged down by things, like I wouldn't be seeing the fruits of labour any time soon, probably for a couple of years.

But regardless, things are progressing very well at the moment and I intend to capitalise on it.

Onto other literary news, I managed to get a book delivery from the dreaded Amazon arrive during the week. I got a couple of Judith Sonnet splatterpunk volumes. One, Judith Sonnet wrote a few months ago called Torture the Sinners and one has just been released recently as part of a series.

Torture the Sinners looks good. There are undead monks in a monastery. It reminds me of one of the old Giallo books and films, like Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento.

Torture the Sinners,
a splatterpunk book by Judith Sonnet

The other Judith Sonnet is called Carnage on 84th Street and was written in conjunction with Brian G Berry's Hooker Massacre of Trash City and Otis Bateman's Medusa's Son. All are part of a trilogy called Splatter Crimes and I hope they are made into an actual series, even if it's only occasional with volumes added every six months or once a year or something.

I've only started reading Judith Sonnet's Carnage on 84th Street so far and I'm enjoying it. The three books are meant to be in the old '70s Grindhouse vein and I am getting that so far, with a strong dose of other exploitatin films. I can't help but imagine stuff like the Death Wish films or some of the Mickey Spillane stuff when I pick it up to read more.

Carnage on 84th Street
by Judith Sonnet,
Hooker Massacre in Trash City
by Brian G Berry,
and Medusa's Son by Otis Bateman,
Splatter Crimes books

That's pretty much it for literary news from me this week.

The only other thing is that I'd like to share a Kickstarter with you.

It's for the first two actual issues of New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine. I wrote a blog post during the week about it and you can see it by scrolling down a bit once you've finished reading this fine post.

But I'm impressed by what they are trying to achieve. I got their issue 0 in late August last year and the stories were a real fresh take on the Sword and Sorcery genre, with some really nice takes on the main character being an outcast, thrust into an uncaring, vicious world.

They have articles included too. The ones in issue zero were really intriguing, with one about women in Sword and Sorcery and one about Black Agnes, one of Robert E Howard's female main characters.

If you would be interested in looking at the Kickstarter, take a look here. They have even wrangled a certain Michael Moorcock into contributing, which has impressed me. He was one of the earliest fantasy authors I ever read and have been reading his stuff since.

New Edge Sword & Sorcery
Issue 0

Michael Moorcock, author of Elric of Melnibone,
contributor to New Edge Sword & Sorcery

I even have fond memories of enjoying New Edge Sword & Sorcery's issue 0 in Derby's oldest pub, the Dolphin, with a lovely pint of Bass.

New Edge Sword & Sorcery issue 0
in The Dolphin, Derby

Well into New Edge Sword & Sorcery
Issue 0 that I needed a 2nd pint of Bass
in The Dolphin, the oldest pub in Derby

There isn't much in the way of any wargaming news this week. I've been knuckling down with my writing mainly this last week. But I have ordered a few more things from Oakbound Studio to go with my The Woods warbands. Hopefully I'll get it all painted up soon. I want to get some games in and hopefully start getting some of those games filmed for YouTube.

Delivery from Oakbound Studios
that I received last week.
Reinforcements for The Woods'
Pixie Badger-Rider warband

But otherwise, I've been slowly painting up the models I had ordered last week and trying to finish off the human Druid warband I received from Oakbound Studio's Patreon.

The Druids of Anglesey warband
for The Woods by Oakbound Studio
Patreon exclusive

It's time for a regular slot now, just before I go. As probably usual, I've been drinking a nice mug of refreshing tea while writing this. I'm getting used to having it without sugar now that I've had a bit of a health scare with diabetes. But I am also watching the lovely, tipsy guys from Battlehammer play a game of Dystopian Wars. I think they're great, but I will say as a bit of a warning, there is some swearing and drinking in this, so it may not be fully safe for work.

And with that done, I wish you all safe travels and wellness.

 Hello everyone!

Well, its been a moderately busy week for me. On a bad side, my oven is on its way out and I need to think about getting a replacement. But I think I've hit my swing again with my writing.

I really don't like the Christmas period if I'm honest, I find it really disruptive and it seems to be that a lot of people don't really get into the 'Christmas Spirit' anymore. The corporatisation of the holiday seems to be taking it's toll on a few people around me and they are really getting bothered by all the pressure and expectations around this period. I think I sort of agree with them. Though there is still a lot of good to be had about this period. I managed to go to my regular Yule Dinner with friends, which was lovely.

It does seem to just get in the way of getting things like length projects being done. There are usually a couple of other things about this period that add to it all as well.

But I might just be getting a little bit of an old codger with the encroachment of middle age.

But I feel the start of the year has brought a freshness of mind and a new start, in a way. I'd like to take advantage of it. Hopefully, nothing unexpected will get in the way to disrupt things as it has done before.

Anyway, I'm still working on a set of fantasy short stories and novellas based on the adventures of a swashbuckling exiled lord and an aging mercenary based on the galloglass. I have the inspiration of some of Robert E Howard's historical fiction based about the mid 16th century like Shadow of the Vulture and his Solomon Kane to blame for that. And also, George MacDonald Fraser's The Steel Bonnets - about the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers.

Solomon Kane by Robert E Howard

The Steel Bonnets by
George MacDonald Fraser

Things are coming along nicely with that. I've the characters and background pretty much sorted out and I'm setting up a couple of stories - a short story and a novella - and should be starting actually writing these during the coming week once I've got some story specific things set in place.

I'm generally feeling pretty optimistic about all of that. Then, once I've got a first draft or two or three done, they can join the stockpile of first drafts to be edited.

I think at that point I really need to start doing just that. Editing. I think part of the big miasma like grump I'd got myself into in the build up to Christmas was partly to do with that. I'd stayed too long on one stage without seeing the end of things, with it possibly being a year or two before I would see the end of a project and have something to show for anything. So I need to rectify that.

Also, again, if anyone has any suggestions for increasing their average word counts, that would be great. I seem to pressurise myself about that and I need to somehow work out how to get my head around all of that.

But now, onto a bit of wargaming. I did take the plunge and get myself a couple of boxsets of Eldar for Warhammer 40,000. I got the codex, a couple of the combat patrols and a fire prism. The codex has already arrived and I'm still waiting on the actual models.

Warhammer 40,000 is something I've sort of had a love/hate relationship over the years. Perhaps its the curmudgeonly encroachment of middle age again, but I keep finding myself favouring the oldhammer or early middlehammer era of stuff. Thankfully, with some of the base Eldar models, they can pass for that period. But I do miss the way that James Workshop used to do things in the '90s. But, it's one of the more popular games out there and it's where 'the cool kids are at', if you'll pardon the parlance.

Eldar/Aeldari Combat Patrol boxset
for Warhammer 40K

Anyway, I remember really liking the Eldar tanks when they first came out with the elegant lines. I think I'll enjoy building and painting them and then can join in with a few games. I know a few folks who play it, so should be fun.

Eldar/Aeldari Fire Prism
Warhammer 40K

I still need to get around to building up my Empire army I got for playing 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy. And the oldhammer style Undead and Chaos armies I got too. They use models cast from the original casts, which is nice to have found out - oldschool minis for modern prices is nice instead of the collectors prices for the originals that you find on Ebay. Its hard to build up an army that way. But once it starts warming up a bit, my modelling room won't feel so uncomfortable for long periods of time. I can then get a few games of 4th and 5th edition Fantasy in.

Anyway, I think that's pretty much everything for this week. I'll post updates as things go and see you all soon.

I'm almost tempted to start mentioning what I'm listening to while I write these posts and the favored beverage while I do so as well, just for a bit of fun. The answer is a Caesar III playthrough by DDRJake and a lovely mug of builder's tea - one of my favourites. Just a bit of silliness, I know, but some little bit of fun nonetheless.

 Hello everyone!

Well, well, well, I did manage to finish the novella during the week, which I'm pleased to announce. It was on Thursday that it happened and I think, with a word count on that day of over 4,700 words, I think its the most productive day I've had in a while. The novella now weighs in at a little over 25,000 words so far. 

I've yet to do an edit on it though and I think that it will be cut down a bit, but I'm expecting that. I'm sort of aiming to self publish this novella and as long as it totals more than 8,400 words in total, I'm happy as there are minimum restrictions to stuff being published in the way I'd like to.

Anyway, it has now been added to a 'to be edited' pile with a couple of short stories in the same series. I want to do another couple of novellas and about 4 short stories that I'd like to have down in first draft form and then I'll work through the stack, editing it.

Though with the next few stories, I'd like to make that post four thousand word daily total an average. Perhaps I am being hard on myself with that as I am sort of comparing my productivity to what I was able to do a handful of years ago, but those days saw me working so hard, I ended up in hospital. So that's something to work around. Anyway, the 1,400 words a day average I did during the novella, I'm happy enough with.

Anyway, what have I been doing since Thursday?

I've been planning the next couple of stories: that's what. There is a short story based on what happens when a wizard college pub has a bar room brawl and  there is a novella based on a three way battle over a trans dimensional portal to a pocket dimension at the centre of a Fimir village. Pirates are involved.

Friday saw me also attend a birthday party. The lady who inspired the sidekick in my novella had her 50th birthday, which was nice.

Also, yesterday was May Day, a day of celebration for me, and celebrate I did. I'm feeling much the worse the ware for it today though. But after seeing my dad, I went to The Dolphin and The Flowerpot in Derby and a few friends were bumped into there, which was nice. Though I had pencilled in meeting a friend in the suburbs for an afternoon trip, but things were left a bit late to organise things with that.

But anyway, if you like Vikings, history and folktales, take a look at his YouTube channel here.

The Flowerpot, Derby

The Dolphin, Derby

 Hello everyone!

Guess what, life still got in the way after my last blog post. Yeah, I was hoping that that wouldn't happen, but it has. But anyway, I think there'll be a little influence over my writing and a few more minor commitments, but no so drastic as they have been over the last month.

That unfortunately means that I've managed to get very little writing down in the fortnight since my last post, and that's something I was almost immediately dreading. I'm still not sure I want to go into what has happened too much, but I think there is some much needed help coming in to some areas, which I'll welcome.

Onto some peripheral things that have happened in the meantime that is actually relevant. One thing I've been thinking about is to include some wargaming and roleplay games that I think are relevant. I have got into a game called The Woods by Oakbound Studios, which I love the background to, with inspirations from Celtic Myth, King Arthur Legends, Welsh Legends, some Brian Froud things and some terry Pratchett inspiration. I've been painting up some models, all be in badly, ready for a few games. I do need to base them up properly. Please excuse the quality of the photos as well.

Fodden and Pixie Badger-Riders
for The Woods

Representations of the four seasons,
for The Woods.

If you would like to check them out, please take a look at their website here, and their facebook group here.

Also, I received my copies of Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride, a campaign setting for DnD 5th Edition and also for Dungeon Crawl Classics. I managed to get a copy for each. Hopefully, they be available for general sale soon.

Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride,
for DnD and DCC

Anyway, where am I heading from here? Will I be continuing writing?

Of course I will. I realise that life has got in the way recently, but storytelling is something I serious about. It sometimes feels like there are so many stories in my head that its difficult to get them all down quick enough. Sometimes that's a problem - it doesn't exactly aid focusing. But still, even if I have difficulty getting stiff out there for you guys to read, it's still something I'm serious about doing.

So what's happening with the story I was working on until recently?

Well, I think I've lost momentum with it at the moment. I think that it would be much easier to start the story over again. It's a shame, I was about half way through the first draft, but I'm having difficulty building the momentum up with it again. To be honest, I'm not really happy with how the first half was going as well. There were clunky bits in it and I think it could generally have gone a lot better anyway. I think starting it over again could fix a number of the problems that I'm seeing at the moment. I'm still having difficulty getting the characters to the nub of the story, to the necropolis of a mummified elf king. But those should work themselves out.

I still have the other couple of stories to edit, but that'll be once I've completed a couple more first drafts. I want to go through things in batches, get a few first drafts done, then work through them with second drafts, and then edits and so on.

Anyway, I think that's enough for this week. Hopefully I'll have a lot more writing based news to share with you. I hope you all are well and I'll see you next time.

 Hello everyone!

I realise that I missed a post last Monday and I apologise for that.

There have been a few changes around here, mostly in my sleep pattern. I think I put up on my twitter that it had thrown me off a bit, but I was still carrying on with the novella. Well, turns out that jet lag can be a bit of a pain in the bum and I've been on the verge of a migraine for most of the last week because of blood sugar levels. There have been a few other issues with family and with housing recently too, but I don't really want to get into that here. I think that is in hand now. Hopefully.

So where am I after attempting to start waking up eight hour early and doing the day shift mentality instead of the night shift?

Well, things are finally settling down and I can get my head around the novella again. I had got some stuff sorted in the meantime with it, but I think I'm going to have to go back and re-write parts of it. I think there'll be a prison break with magic, instead of a tentative alliance with evil satyrs. But I'll hopefully soon get back into the swing of my fantasy novella. The elf barbarian and wizard apprentice will be back to storming an ancient elvish necropolis soon.

But in other news, a kickstarter I backed last summer is now being shipped, so I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride to arrive from America. I know some copies have already arrived. It should be excellent. And I managed to get both the 5e and the DCC version, so I'm quite excited.

Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride

Also, something else I'm quite excited about is the another kickstarter finished and soon, I should get my copy of Rackham Vale: Paint Box Edition. It does look lovely and I know the company that made it has worked hard on it.

Rackham Vale

If folks would be interested, I could do some things involving these and other roleplay game books to, and possibly some wargames too, just to mix things up a bit. But primarily, this is a writing blog. But on another note as well, I have been talking with a friend about us starting up a wargaming and roleplaying Youtube channel. We just haven't gotten our acts together with that yet.

Anyway, that's about it for this week. Hopefully I'll have more writing related stuff for everyone next week.

See you all soon!

 Hello everyone,

Just a quick update. I've wanted to keep this up as a regular thing and this week, I'm finding it hard to think of much to say, I'm afraid.

Something happened during the week that shook me up a little and I feel almost embarrassed that it shocked me and threw me so badly as it isn't necessarily life changing, but it had made be have flashbacks to a time when something similar happened and I was almost made homeless. But I relly do doubt that it'll get that bad. But much of my writing this last week has taken a back seat and I'm having a little difficulty starting up the routine again.

Anyway, I am still trucking through my copy of the WFRP 4th Edition source book: Altdorf, The Crown of the Empire.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition,
Altdorf: Crown of the Empire

I have also decided to revisit a book I finished about 20 years ago when I was in my teens called Puckoon by Spike Milligan. Its hilarious! Its one of the few books that I think everyone should read.

Puckoon, Spike Milligan

Beyond that, I'm also still reading one of Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May novels called The Lonely Hour. Its going slowly but I'm progressing alright.

The Lonely Hour, Bryant and May,
Christopher Fowler,

I have also backed a few Kickstarters, all of which are supplements for RPGs. I have a couple on order for Dungeon Crawl Classics and a couple for Old School Essentials. Both are fun games and I love the Dolmenwood setting for Old School Essentials.

One of the books is for an Old School Essentials setting book based around the artwork of Arthur Rackham which is wonderful. The Kickstarter for which you can visit here.

Rackham Vale for
Old School Essentials

 Hello everyone!

I had thought I'd get a post up yesterday, but I had thought how the first of these new regular posts had gone up on a Tuesday, there wasn't much of a problem with putting one up today instead. there had been that impromptu post put up on Sunday about Andy Remic and him sadly loosing his battle with cancer as well. May he go on adventures wit the gods and goddesses now.

A bit of news about Thadeus Morticaine, he is still studying away at a few things, looking into the lesser known things of the world and the universe, 'playing with chaos and dancing with the fae' as he puts it but he has been looking into some very interesting stories. He has managed to et an interest in Folk Horror and has been working his way through both the collections of 2000AD's Thistlebone and he is thoroughly enjoying them.

Thistlebone Volume One, 2000AD

Thistlebone Rising, 2000AD

Thistlebone, 2000AD

If you would like to take a look for yourselves or buy them, take a look here for volume one.

And here for volume two.

Now onto what Dan Coghlan has been up to. Well, the essence of it is that he is still trucking away at his novella. It's taking a bit longer than he planned, but he has broached the half way mark and soon, once there has been a prison break, the undead will run rampant and a wizard will be found to have been dead for longer than was thought - no, she wasn't leading the undead. He hopes that during the week to come, he'll be storming his way through the final chapters.

After he's finished with this novella, there'll be another first draft written about fimir breaking into a strange dimension and a short story about ancient and unearthly powers being woken below a city that's been built over a pyramid complex. He then should really start editing those stories and the two from before Christmas, but he may well try and get another two or three first drafts done before he grinds through the edits.

And that's about it for this week. I hope to see you next time.

 Hello everyone.

This update is a bit out of routine.

I recently got a bit of a shock and wanted to share, that with a sad heart Andy Remic the fantasy and sci fi author lost his battle with cancer today. He died at the age of 50, leaving his wife and two kids.

By the sounds of it, he was a much loved teacher, a filmmaker and generally, a bit of an adventurous sort.

If you are unfamiliar with him and would like to find out more about him, please follow this link here.

Anyway, I think I'm going to start reading Kell's Legend again.

Kell's Legend by Andy Remic

Andy Remic, Sci-Fi and 
Fantasy author