... Wow, the year's drawing to a close already! Hello, Fall 2025!No book released this year and few newsletters...Yup, I'm in full George R. R. Martin unfinished "Game of Thrones" mode.Actually... my post-Covid brain fog has been supplemented by other health issues - which I hope my upcoming surgery will resolve. Then I can focus …
Victory in Europe
Sending deep respect on this Victory in Europe week to the young men and women who offered up their lives to free Europe of Hitler's terrible occupation 80 years ago. Many died. The survivors were left damaged by the loss of comrades, combat wounds and the trauma of the conflict. I thank them for their …
Time, time, time…
WRITER'S BLOCKI was never frozen by it. If I got stuck on one project, I worked on another instead. But... Yeah, the dreaded curse of all writers finally hit me. Lots of reasons - computer bugs, health issues, complications over the company I need to have to write books legally (Duh!) and learning of the recent passing of several schoolmates in various …
Ups & Downs – Mostly Ups
Hi there, As the planet rushes towards a celebration period from Thanksgiving through to the Chinese New Year, with multiple religious festivals in between, I wish all my readers the very best at their chosen festivity. I've had a hectic few weeks... travel, bronchitis, movie-making and beta reading... TRAVEL My wife and I took a vacation …
Autumn Watch
Hi there!Hoping all's well with you as the seasons' changes creep in upon us. I took a break in August... What I'm told are my Long Covid symptoms fatigued and brain-fogged me. And suddenly it's almost October! But I made some progress... I revised my first attempt at a YouTube video, based on comments from …
YouTube and ARCs
Just a quick post this vacation month... YouTube and ARC copies 1. YOUTUBE I launched my first YouTube video this week, featuring a tale from my Galaxies and Fantasies collection. Video available at https://youtu.be/sjS3aQCGvKE I hope you tick the Like button and subscribe, and why not give a comment? All comments - good or bad …
The Long Silence
Hi - it's been a long time since I posted, but I'm still here... And I'm BACK online! So why the silence? Issues. Over the last couple of months...* desktop burnout due to an overnight power surge, followed by...* finding mismatched backups when installing the replacement pc...* emergency spinal surgery in the family...* finally, a …
Is ANYTHING Really New?
It struck me the other day. Nothing is genuinely new. Hold on, let me explain. ITEM...INVENTED...AND NOW...MedicineHerbs, blood-letting, magic...Science (when it works)Oil lamps for lightingChina (?), 481–221 BCFuelled by plant or animal oilsElectric lighting partly fuelled by... oilIncome TaxPitt the Younger (UK prime Minister), 1799To fund the Napoleonic Wars as a "temporary" measurePermanent income-sharing by individuals …
Mixed Spring Thoughts
I was wrong. My previous post showed me looking forward to a sunny spring. The past couple of weeks in Luxembourg have seen hail and icy rain falling in between sickly bouts of unenthusiastic sunshine. Lucky I'm not a meteorologist! But the mixed weather has been symbolic of something deeper. On an upnote, my local …
Spring has sprung or still springing?
I just got back from a great trip to Tenerife, to get away from the dismal winter weather. Here's an ocean-side restaurant we enjoyed. The sunnier south is very commercialized amid a quite arid landscape. The north is very different. It's not tourist-centered. It's lush, with banana plantations and other farms, though less sunny. (I'm …
Educate. Don’t suffocate.
I started reading science fiction in my teens. Occasionally, there were features that puzzled me. So what better than to ask my Physics teacher for clarification? "Sir, if a spaceship travels at light speed with a spotlight on its prow, how fast does the light emerging from the spotlight travel?" I held my breath waiting …
LIBYAN “HOLIDAY”
Watching the sad news about the Libyan floods back in September 2023, I was reminded of my first visit to that country... Back in 1981, I was sent there to obtain research data. It was just a couple of months after the USA shot down two Libyan fighter jets over the Mediterranean. Maybe not the …
Wishing you the very best of Christmases!
Christmas is coming up fast, with a New Year close behind. Let's all hope for a calmer year ahead. And a huge welcome to my new followers! Lots of new stuff coming next year, new novels, more about YouTube, and more promotional goodies! Have a great Christmas with family and friends and I'll see you …
FaceBook Interview with Bob Goddard
I've been quiet for a while. Reason? My Long Covid returned with a vengeance - serious brain-fog and physical lethargy. I was zombified for weeks. But here I am again, rising from the depths. I’ve been mentally blocked from making creative redrafts following the developmental edit of “Revolt”, hence the beta-reader phase is postponed. But, …
Father’s Day Thoughts
On Father's Day last month, my thoughts turned to my own father. Born into social housing in the industrial city of Bradford, he ended his days in a bungalow near the beach in Yorkshire. A working man, holding down two jobs and fixing up our first house, he still found time to spend with my …
Legends of the Imperium
I am proud to announce the launch of my new sci-fi series! “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde Empires rise and fall in space as on Earth…Before the first stellar empire, there was only the Homeworld.The Earth: a pale blue dot in an unexplored …
Happy New Year 2023
Here's to a Happy & Prosperous New Year! After the New Year's celebrations are over, you might feel like a bit of reading. Here are a couple of suggestions on how you can share your thoughts on a novel, or participate in the storytelling, or just sit back and enjoy a good read... * Review * Beta Read* Add to …
OOPS!
Apologies to email recipients of my Blog for the formatting issue on many email apps. The scramble of text was supposed to be a table. Please view it in a browser to it properly at this url...https://andymckell.com/ Hope you find it interesting/entertaining/enlightening.... 😉
Andy McKell, Speculative Fiction Author 
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