• Writing Resources

    Read Now: Stone Eater

    Delighted to see that my story ‘Stone Eater’ is now available to read at Abyss and Apex, the online magazine of speculative fiction. This fantasy story was one of the first I finished writing after retiring from BioWare. Best of all the story is free to read at the Abyss and Apex website for a few months, after which it will be archived (you need to be a subscriber to read the archives). Please let me know what you think of it! And if you enjoy it tweets and shares will be very much appreciated. This is my second story to see print this year. The first, ‘Touch the Dead’…

  • Writing Resources

    ‘Touch the Dead’ now available

    My latest story is now available! ‘Touch the Dead’ appears in On Spec #87 (Winter 2011/2012) issue. This is my third story to be published in On Spec. The best way to read the story is to get a subscription to the magazine. I believe you can also order single issues of the magazine instead… and there is a digital subscription option too. Lois Tilton from Locus has already put up a favorable review: While riding with his girlfriend, driving too fast, a ghostly encounter runs him off the road… Brian is haunted everywhere by hostile ghosts. Read the entire review. ‘Touch the Dead’ is also set in the same…

  • My Life,  Writing Resources

    On Spec Subscriptions for the Holidays (and an announcement)

    As a different sort of gift for the readers you know you might consider giving them a magazine subscription. I’ve always enjoyed getting magazine subscriptions, especially when they were to magazine I might not otherwise have known about. If you know somebody interested in fiction — specifically science fiction, fantasy, and horror — might I suggest On Spec Magazine? This is a fantastic Canadian magazine and I’m not just saying it because I’ve sold three stories to them (“A Ragman’s Vow”, “From the Sea” and “Touch the Dead”). I was a fan of the magazine long before I started selling fiction to them. So if you are interested, the subscription…

  • Writing Resources

    Editing Away

    After a quick weekend vacation to Jasper I’m back to work. I’ve had a busy day with edits to the novel and making good progress (despite a head cold). In addition to the novel editing I’ve also been reviewing the edited copy of my story ‘Touch the Dead’ (which I sold to On Spec Magazine last year). Not sure when the story will be available but I am looking forward to seeing it in print. I’m always impressed by the improvements the editor makes when going over my story. Lot of little changes that ultimately make the story a much better read. I’ll let you all know when the issue…

  • Writing Resources

    Sacred Legends

    My upcoming On Spec story ‘Touch the Dead’ as well as the novel I recently completed both incorporate some aspects of Cree mythology. I had previously found a few Cree myths online but to better understand the tales which were influencing my ‘fictional world’ I bought a copy of Sacred Legends By Carl Ray and James R Stevens. This is an interesting collection of stories told by the Sandy Lake Cree in Canada and interesting artwork accompanies the stories. The book itself was compiled in the 70s and then updated in the 90s. I’ve read some of the myths elsewhere but most were tales I had never encountered before. At…

  • My Life

    Read this Week

    Read On Spec #82 this week; I’ve been slow to catch up on my magazine subscriptions because I’ve been reading some ‘research novels’. A strong issue, as always, with several interesting stories and really cool cover. And just as I finish it issue #83 arrives! Which was also a delight because at the end of it is a little blurb listing who will be appearing in upcoming issues and of course my name is there — my story ‘Touch the Dead’* will appear in a future issue. I also read the novel ‘Druids’ by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston (published by Edge), an epic historical fantasy set during the days…

  • My Life,  Writing Resources

    The Novel is Done

    So I’ve finished the second novel this year! I still have to edit this one (and sell it!) before anybody sees it of course. Overall I’m satisfied with it. It is too long (115 000 words) but I overwrite my first drafts and I’m sure most of those extra words will disappear. Unlike the first novel there’s no major changes I need to make in the second draft. I’m going to read it over the holidays and come up with a revision plan and start tackling that in February. December and January will be devoted to playing around with some short story ideas I’ve put aside. For the curious this…

  • Writing Resources

    ‘Touch the Dead’ sells to On Spec Magazine

    Just signed and sent the contract to On Spec. This is the sale that I mentioned a couple weeks ago on Twitter and is my third to On Spec. I am super excited for a variety of reasons. As most readers know I’m a huge fan of On Spec and was eagerly waiting their response to this story. A couple years ago they saw a previous version of this story but declined. I took their feedback and the advice of my readers and rewrote the story. ‘Touch the Dead’ I think has been drastically improved by this feedback and I’m very happy with it. Some History This was actually the…