(Image taken from this article at Fantasy Faction) Mallory Tam got in contact with me last week about Open Mike Mondays. It’s a pleasure to present the piece she sent me below. — I struggled with how to open this, turning it around in my mind over and over. I couldn’t decide if I …
(Photo from Ryan Seacrest’s homepage) World War Z is one of the smartest blockbusters in years. It’s not a popular opinion, lost as it is inside the miles of column inches devoted to the movie’s cost overrun and reshoots, but it’s the truth. Despite the gleeful feeding frenzy of the press, World War Z isn’t …
This week’s Open Mike Mondays features Scott Roche. Scott is one of the best writers and editors I know, as well as one of the most patient. I’m writing a story for him, for an anthology of Cowboy Bushido short stories and it’s both going very well, and very badly. It’s going well because I …
Atomic Robo is one of my favorite comics. It’s a glorious series, about the world’s first artificially intelligent robot, Robo (And yes he’s atomic). The ‘son’ of Nikola Tesla, Robo has been around for decades, faced eldritch horrors, fought in World War II and runs Tesladyne Industries, home of the Action Scientists (Recruiting now, via …
Sunday Moment of Zen: The Savage Ambiance of Doctor Dinosaur!
So, Open Mike Mondays is going well. I currently have another piece scheduled this Monday and three more potential slots so if you have an idea for a guest post, get in touch at alasdairstuart@gmail.com. Speak now or forever hold your pieces. In the meantime, this is the first Podcast Saturday Announcement (PSA, yes). When …
Podcast Saturday Announcement-The Great Game by James Vachowski and Cast of Wonders
Spring has sprung, summer is in the city and the back of my neck is indeed both dirty and gritty. Thankfully I wash my neck before cooking. Not because I cook WITH my neck, that would be weird, but rather because I’m a firm believer in not smearing dirt and grit all over my food. …
Al Dente: Chicken Goulash with Polenta and Cottage Cheese Dumplings
Joan De La Haye is one of the hardest working authors I know. She’s also one of the only authors capable of turning in horror that genuinely unsettles me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an enormous wuss and will jump at anything, but Joan twists the knife in a way very few others can. …
It should be the title of a reality show. The episodes would be variously subtitled: – “Are you crazy? Seriously?”, – “Just look at how many books you’re going to have to read first,” … and – the for the knockout stage: ” You know that there’s nine separate versions of who’s an Archangel and …
Open Mic Mondays: Lou Morgan – So You Want To Write About Angels…
I’m very fond of the Ocean’s Eleven remake. It’s a movie crammed with excellent performances and, for something which isn’t technically a comedy, has jokes woven into every element of it. Danny and Rusty’s shorthand conversations are a particular favourite, as is the moment where ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Elvis is used to tip …
Sunday Moment of Zen: The Clair de Lune sequence from Ocean’s Eleven
I’ve, over the course of the last couple of weeks, sorted out a couple of guest posts; one from Lou Morgan on angels and angelic research and one from Joan De La Haye on why non-paying anthologies and ‘payment through exposure’ are a growing problem for authors. Both are excellent, both are completely different and …