The following is a re-post from Greg Levin's Blog (28 December 2015) - so go blame him 😉 ------------------------ I’ve always believed astrology to be totally bunk, but the stars and planets recently aligned in such a way as to compel me to create the following. Horoscope for Fiction Writers: Aquarius. You are progressive-minded, original and …
Author: Andy McKell
A guy who writes speculative fiction, between doing a bit of acting
Christmas Already?
Crikey! And it only seems a few weeks ago that I was posting about Thanksgiving. Whatever you celebrate around this time - have a wonderful one. And best wishes for the coming year!
Thanksgiving
Being British, I don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but I have a few things to be thankful for at this time and I'm gonna brag about it! Two short stories published earlier in 2015 and more have already been "snapped up" by publishers for anthologies to be published in 2016... The Future Is Short #2 anthology (June 2015) includes …
So Many Whys
I recently re-watched "Prometheus", the movie. It was a "non-prequel" to the hit "Alien" movie franchise. Like many, (humourously here with adult language) I was left with more questions than answers. Sadly, some of those questions appear to concern plot-holes, or at least plot-weaknesses. However, I will suspend judgement until I see the sequel to the non-prequel and …
Who votes, and how?
More on the proposed Science Fiction and Fantasy Planetary Awards
Creating New Awards
An interesting proposal here…
I’m asking my fellow book bloggers, along with podcasters and booktubers, to join me in creating a new set of awards for science fiction and fantasy stories. Why invent another award? In addition to numerous regional and sub-genre awards, there are currently two broad awards: The Nebula and the Hugo. While both are based on good ideas, it’s possible they are overly influenced by the publishing industry.
Nebula Award winners are chosen by the members of the SFWA. Having authors choose the best stories seems logical, but has some drawbacks:
- Most fans can’t participate.
- The tastes of fans and creators may not overlap as much as the creators believe they do.
- SFWA members have ties to publishing houses (or are seeking ties) and may be subject to influence.
Anyone who is willing to spend $40 can vote in the Hugo Awards. The large fee is probably meant to limit…
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Time Passages
I don’t post every week. You might have noticed. So it was with some surprise that I noted my post counter showed my previous one was the 64th. Sixty-four? Being of a certain age, echoes of an old Beatles' song always sound when I hear that number. ("When I’m Sixty-Four"). I also remember that sixty-four is …
Paradisi Chronicles
I mentioned the Paradisi Chronicles "co-operative" project in an earlier post. I've worked before in loose-knit shared-world projects, such as the "No Revolution Is Too Big" anthology, but Paradisi Chronicles is different. Let me explain how... In July, 2014, best-selling author Hugh Howey's blog (Your Fear is My Opportunity) challenged traditional publishers to innovate. One suggestion was …
Writing in Groups
I kept reading about them in the blogosphere. Everyone recommends them: Writers' Groups! So how do you find one? Especially if you live in the small, non-English-speaking country of Luxembourg. So I filed it away as yet more writerly advice I couldn't take, like nationwide bookshop signings, getting into libraries... Perhaps I could find a critique …
Andy McKell, Speculative Fiction Author 
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