Ia looked down on the smoking remains of their village. Even from up here, in the safety of the mountains, she could taste the ash on the air. The anger inside her was deep, she had warned the council that the humans were advancing across their borders and yet they did nothing. And still did … More Smoking Remnants (From the Archives)
When I started An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington, I was certain of two things. Firstly, reading a huge fantasy story that I hadn’t read before on an e-book was considerably harder because I couldn’t have easy access to the map or the glossary, and secondly I knew for certain that this … More My Thoughts on An Echo of Things to Come
If you are active on any kind of social media, you are likely to see photos of beautiful writing setups, cosy desks, achievements of those who have written ten thousand words in a single day. Don’t get me wrong, that version of a “writing life” is quite valid, but I’m here to talk about why … More Why you need to go outside
Gerald purred against Lily as she stroked him gently. For once the normally crazy cat was subdued, exhausted from staying up all night because of the fireworks. It was a new year. Lily didn’t put too much stock in the whole event, the parties or the dramatic resolutions. That was for those who believed they … More Reborn (From the Archives)
Identifying how power works in your world is important because, let’s be honest, power is what drives society. Who has it, who doesn’t have it, and what those in power do with that power impact swathes of society and the people within it. It constrains some actions and allows others, creating a complex web of … More Top Tips for creating power structures in your fantasy books
“Stop this!” Vashna screamed, pulling at the ropes around his wrists, “for the sake of yourself, Maynie, you need to stop!” Maynie looked up from the alter, hair askew and magic wild in her eyes. Blue energy surrounded her hands as she continued to move them in the ritual movements. “Stop?” Even though her word … More You can’t re-write history
In April 2020, I wrote 40,000 in one month on my novel. In April 2022, I’ve written…about 2,000. But you know what? I’ve still written more valuable words, because they make sense. And this, my friends, is the conundrum called editing. I’ve been a religious users of wordcount trackers since about 2018, but recently I’ve … More Edits, Edits, Edits
“Today, we remember our leader,” Hectaius said, standing at the head of the small mound of pebbles which marked all that remained of Right-Leader Ingnat. The rest of the group, only four of them now, raised their tin mugs of whiskey to the sky. Geegi looked haggared, her face laced with cut marks from the … More Souls of Smoke (From the Archives)
The Poppy War by R.F.Kuang is a book I first stumbled upon when meandering through the quiet bookshelves of Waterstones on a “just let’s have a look and not buy anything” book hunts. Whenever I go to bookstores, I like to try get a flavour of the book from the first few pages – it … More My thoughts on The Poppy War
The rain hammered against the shutters. Some of it leaked through the shutters, splattering onto the window that was starting to steam up as the air cooled outside. Rhys and Yeil huddled in the centre of the room, wrapped in thick blankets. The house would hold, it had been tested before and it would be … More Prayer to Lymar (From the Archives)
Alex.J.Cobalt 