So here we are, heading for the Ides of March and the world is in the grip of Corvid-19, the rebranded Coronavirus. First off: my sympathies go to all those affected and their families. A flowery writer could spout about fear-filled streets, but I'll avoid that. My personal and very selfish focus is on the …
Category: On Writing
A Winter’s Tale
February I look out the window at the storm-wracked forest beyond the rainsoaked fields and long for Spring. My personal "writing place" is my garden patio in the sunshine with rock music on my headphones and coffee within reach. Sitting in my attic office with artificial lighting to compensate for the all-day, gray-sky dullness outside …
Almost February?
Wow, time flies! I am SO glad I renamed this an "occasional blog" a while ago. Luckily, the world ducked Father Time's scythe as December slipped into January, despite Middle East issues, although China's upcoming New Year of the Rat (starts January 25, 2020) is plagued with spreading Coronavirus problems and Australia is still beset …
Getting Hissed
Can you hear that? No, you probably can’t. But I can. Tinnitus: ringing or buzzing in the ears. That definition just does not do it justice in my case. A concentration-shattering, perpetual whistling, more like. A shrill, hissing, sibilant, headache-inducing screeching that eases off to a whispering susurration at times. Or maybe you can hear …
Onward and Upward
It's a sunny day here in Luxembourg. The heatwave has eased, the rain has stopped, and it's perfect weather for sitting out on the patio and pouring thoughts and words into my laptop. I started looking through my Scrivener folder of "Unfinished Works". More accurately, it should be called, "Started and Stalled". Some authors struggle …
April & May
BSFA Ytterbium Chocaholics and parents might have noticed it was Easter again last month. To me, that meant eating chocolate at the British Science Fiction Association's Annual Convention! Code-named Ytterbium, it was held this year at London Heathrow's Park Inn. As always, I rolled up ready to meet old friends, make new ones, and …
Back in the Saddle
Belated Happy New Year! It's been a while since I blogged. No, it wasn't the longest coffee break ever. To be honest, I've had enough medical, legal, and dentistry distractions to set me back more than a few months, but I'm bouncing back! Anyway, I had to put my writing and publication on hold, …
Winter Is Coming
No, not another "Game of Thrones" review. It's snowing in Luxembourg, Halloween is here and there's only 55 days left to Christmas at time of writing. (To keep track of how time's running out for your gift shopping, click here.) And it's been another month of ups and downs in a writer's life... A Short Story Published "Your …
The Writing Game
This writing game is a bit of a strange adventure. Telling Lies A fiction writer tells lies in a vacuum. S/he tells lies about things that didn't happen to people who don't exist. And there might be no one listening... (Hello? Anyone there? I'll carry on and you can catch up later.) Writers write - …
Guilty As Charged
In my previous post, I dangled some "click bait" about how I was over-committed, then offered only a cliffhanger. My bad. Seriously, I found myself in a time bind over the last few months... My next novel is a 1950's L.A. noir, "Private Vices". I was working hard on the final revision while looking …
Andy McKell, Speculative Fiction Author 
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