Tag: fantasy

New Financial year – Start of July

So, the first thing I have to do is apologise. For some reason, I couldn’t get into my WordPress site, so my regular blog only went to Facebook and Discord. I have uploaded that just before this one. Might be confusing, but they say life is full of surprises.

I know you’ve been keeping up with my updates, but one of my characters had me research Yellowstone National Park. I know I’ve always been fascinated with volcanoes and tectonic plates, etc, but this character got me so fascinated that when I pulled up the National Parks website, I found a live webcam on the geysers.

So, I’ve been watching it off and on and I’ve seen an eagle, a bison, and today I got to see Old Faithful erupt twice. How amazing is that?

Okay, and we’re in a new financial year. Has anything changed? Really? Maybe. I really don’t know. I do know that the sun still rises and sets and that there might be rain or sun through the day. We can lose ourselves in all the hype that goes through the world – and I’m not saying that sort of stuff is not important – I’m just saying that some things are fundamental and life continuing is one of those fundamental things.

Anyway, enough with heavy stuff. We have yet to visit our tax agent.

On another subject, I finally am getting my very own logo. I have been experimenting with early versions, but we’re finally down to the nitty gritty.

But it’s updates time!

Updates

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!) UPDATE – the cover is finalised and once I receive it I will publish it to Amazon. Can’t wait!

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published. (Have I mentioned how much I hate editing?)

I am currently halfway through the editing. So you understand why it’s taking so long, I am pulling apart every scene and editing each scene individually. Then I’ll go through it as in the below paragraph. So, I’ll keep supplying updates as I get further along with the editing.

I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!

Update – I am now more than two thirds of the way through. I will go through it once more to tidy things, then it’ll go to the editor.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

Actually, I’m going to move this universe into the Gifted, because all of my paranormal stories are based around Nina and Perth. So, technically, they’re part of the Gifted universe – just specialised in supernatural entities.

PS. I have started a new paranormal story that draws both sides of this together, so from the next blog, paranormal will be part of the Gifted.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.

So, in the last 2 weeks I finished my last story on The Gifted for now and everything’s quiet, so I am able to edit other work. When I’ve finished with that one, and then another, I’ll start editing my first Gifted work and going through that.

The Gifted universe has a heavy police presence and the main character for two of the stories I’ve written is a drug squad officer who is also Gifted. His Gift is the most dangerous and his stories are quite traumatic in themselves. But you’ll read about him in his own stories. Stay tuned – they will come out.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is going through the second round of editing with Bushland Castle Productions editors. Stay tuned for more updates.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Otherworldly Emergence

It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.

Covers are now being revealed, so check out BCP Creative on Facebook – or visit BCP‘s website for the reveals!

Launch dates

We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.

This is the link for the series: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/otherworldly-emergence-series-launch

There is a door prize and a lot of games and Q&As as well as conversations! We’re happy to talk about our books at the launch of the series!

For each individual book, we have a separate day and those are below:

Not Your Normal Heroes

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/not-your-normal-heroes-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available. See details at the link.

Hidden Heritage

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/hidden-heritage-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.

The covers have been revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

Otherworldly Origins

Pitching for Otherworldly Origins is open from 6 July (tomorrow) for concepts! Book in so you can pitch your story concept for this series. You’ll join a whole collaborative community where you can get help and insights with your writing.

Otherworldly Origins will build on the Otherworldly Emergence concept. Visit the BCP website: http://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo for more information or use the QR code below!

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

These competitions have now closed and I ended up entering the Catalyst Scroll. Details of the winners of those will be announced shortly.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, check out the next speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

I’ve already booked my pitch meeting and got a sample together for the pitch! I’m looking forward to this series.

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Pantsing (writing by the seat of your pants – sometimes called “discovery” writing)

Okay, so as you all know, I’m a pantser. I write without knowing what is going to happen in the story. Sometimes I have an end goal, but sometimes I don’t. Most of the story is up in the air. (Which means I have to have a finished story before I can write a pitch for it!)

The most “planning” I’ll do is to discuss with the character when I go to bed what they hope to achieve in the next scene. I clearly remember one from the Consequences series. I asked myself what I was going to do to the MC next. I got a clear answer: ‘Shut up, you’ve just shot me!’ Imagine my surprise!

Now, I know people spend time worldbuilding, but being a pantser doesn’t really allow for that. Because you don’t know how your world is going to end up like.

A lot of you might say ‘how can you write like that? How can it make any sense?’

Sometimes, that happens. Sometimes, a story will go in a completely different direction to what I think it will. Take the latest paranormal story I’m writing. Starts off as you’d expect it to, then after a few scenes, ends up in a completely different place. I’ve had to jump ahead to get it back on track. But I might return to that set of scenes because it brought together a lot of earlier work and characters. Which is a bit of closure for at least one of them.

Anyway, that’s one of the things about pants writing. It’s character and plot-driven. Because the setting and world are dynamic when you write as a pantser. You’re bringing everything together as you go. You don’t have time to build a world or a universe. You know why? Because a pantser has to get that story down.

I don’t know about other writers, but my characters drive me to write. Take one of my Gifted. I started his first story with a broken character. He was torn between grief and revenge and he was the worst Gifted to experience that.

But he pushed and pushed until I not only finished his story after Hidden Heritage (yes, he tried to interrupt that) but he continued to push until I’d finished his second story. Now he’s quiet. (That’s a strange feeling for me.)

So that’s what I mean by my stories being character-driven. And Ben did the same with his story. Pushed and pushed until I finished it – even when I had to add more to it. (He’s quiet, too.)

Now a lot of you are probably saying that’s all well and good, but how much do you know about the universe you’re building? How do you stop the inconsistencies?

I do that by talking with the characters. I remind them how things like (in Jamie’s case) the laws of physics work. How consistency works. How changes to them can affect how they react. (And, yes, we’ve had arguments.)

But even when you’re a pantser, you still need to build your universe and you’re probably asking when that happens. It happens after the story is written.

When it’s a complex world, like the Clans in Conflict and Gifted/Exiled universe, then this happens after that first (or zero) draft is written. Because that’s when I’ve got time to write down more things.

Mind you, Ben’s Gift is so complex that I actually got to draft 2 before I realised I had to really bed its various effects down. And I continue to do that with his Gift.

It is serendipity that I write about worldbuilding and pantsing here because I really need to set down the history of the Exiled’s home world. I have notes and stuff all over the place, but I haven’t actually set it in place.

And that’s how I work as a pantser. I will take this time and write down all that information. I’ll bed down how the Gifts work. How the Exiled came to be in Perth. How it came to be that they can’t go home (oops, nearly gave the game away there!).

Because I have time to ensure that everything works out properly. I have time to go over things time and time again. And spreadsheets are my friend in these instances. And I’ll admit I don’t use them for financial stuff very much, but for lists and notes.

But to go back to my version of worldbuilding. After that driven writing is completed, I look back at what the elements are of the universe I’m writing in and I make note of all that. The reason I do that before I start editing is so that I can make sure that any changes I have to make are done before I start editing. Even now, I’ve noticed some thinks in Ben’s first story that don’t line up with what I know now, so I must write down all the Gifts, all their recipients and how everything works and apply that to the next round of editing for that story.

So, that’s how I pants a story and then worldbuild after it.

End of June – End of Financial Year

Yes, we’re halfway through the year. And it’s been bloody cold here! Moreso than usual. Mind you, in the 90s, our coldest month was May, with overnight temps getting down into the 1s and 3s and sometimes even -2. Then a few years later, we often got an Indian Summer at the end of May where the temps would be warmer and July became our coldest month. I’d hate to see what July this year will bring. Will it be cold and wet or warm and wet? Not sure which I want. Mind you, a wet winter means a much better fire season.

Anyway, Yes, it’s been cold. Yes, it’s been wet. And it’s tax time. Woe is every adult!

And that’s about the only update I have for this fortnight.

Updates

And still waiting for that competition to close – but there’s another one! This one’s through BCP, so if you want to know more about the Catalyst Scroll and Heritage Scroll, see the link to BCP‘s website below.

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!)

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published. (Have I mentioned how much I hate editing?)

I am currently halfway through the editing. So you understand why it’s taking so long, I am pulling apart every scene and editing each scene individually. Then I’ll go through it as in the below paragraph. So, I’ll keep supplying updates as I get further along with the editing.

I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.

So, in the last 2 weeks I finished my last story on The Gifted for now and everything’s quiet, so I am able to edit other work. When I’ve finished with that one, and then another, I’ll start editing my first Gifted work and going through that.

The Gifted universe has a heavy police presence and the main character for two of the stories I’ve written is a drug squad officer who is also Gifted. His Gift is the most dangerous and his stories are quite traumatic in themselves. But you’ll read about him in his own stories. Stay tuned – they will come out.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is going through the second round of editing with Bushland Castle Productions editors. Stay tuned for more updates.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Otherworldly Emergence

It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.

Covers are now being revealed, so check out BCP Creative on Facebook – or visit BCP‘s website for the reveals!

Launch dates

We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.

This is the link for the series: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/otherworldly-emergence-series-launch

There is a door prize and a lot of games and Q&As as well as conversations! We’re happy to talk about our books at the launch of the series!

For each individual book, we have a separate day and those are below:

Not Your Normal Heroes

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/not-your-normal-heroes-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available. See details at the link.

Hidden Heritage

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/hidden-heritage-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.

The covers are about to be revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

These competitions have now closed and I ended up entering the Catalyst Scroll. Details of the winners of those will be announced shortly.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, check out the next speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

I’ve already booked my pitch meeting and got a sample together for the pitch! I’m looking forward to this series. It may actually bring the Exiles and the Gifted together – as they should be because Perth has 3 degrees of separation rather than 6!

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Growing a character (character arc)

Characters are complex creatures. They start off in our minds as a nebulous being and they might put a story into our heads. They get under our skin and start tapping on our minds when they have that story. They won’t let us rest until that story is written.

At least that’s how my characters are. But I don’t go out and immediately start a new story. No, I discuss with them what they want out of it. I talk to them about what’s happening and if they give me a snippet, I ask them where that’s going to go.

Sometimes I get a full story, sometimes I don’t.

Take the latest saga from the Gifted universe.

From a remark in an interview between Jordy and Ben, a massive chain of events unfolded that involved a small country town in the South West of Western Australia and ended up in the city with high-ranking officials.

It led to a three-pronged police investigation.

That took a lot of conversations between Ben, myself and another character, Jamie. Together, we pieced together what was going on and over the course of two books, the story arc came to fruition.

Now, Ben started as a secondary character. He’s been my go-to police detective in Perth for a number of years (in different stories that have yet to be edited and published).

In the second Gifted story, Ben was supposed to remain a secondary character, but he decided he wanted to be more than that. When Ben became a major character, he reminded me about that single remark in his conversation with Jordy.

That reminder allowed us to coalesce a nebulous idea into two major police investigations, culminating with the conclusion at the end of Jamie’s first story.

That story was the start of Jamie’s character arc while Ben’s continued. Jamie’s second story saw the continuation of his character arc into something more than a drug squad detective – something that the world as a whole needs (much to his dismay) and the expansion of one side of Ben’s character arc.

But their character arcs haven’t finished. They’re still evolving and they’re not the only ones.

When I wrote Nina and Matt’s story, Matt had only a small inkling of his Gift. By the end of that, his Gift had grown into something more and over the next few stories that will be written with their help, that growth will be exponential.

Same with Nina’s character and, I think, Phil’s as well. I can see him not quite leaving the secondary character position, but he will play more of a role in the future.

Character arcs never really end or come to completion. As in real life, characters are always learning as they go and they never stop learning and growing.

June begins

Wow, June already. And cold – not as cold as July probably will be, but definitely chilly.

And who said the year could go so quickly? Will it slow down at all?

So, we went to a quiz night. Interestingly, we were in the lead for the first 2 of 5 rounds, but then we dropped the ball. Well, they would bring in religious questions! Mind you, I was impressed with the inclusivity of the questions on religion. Quite a few different faiths were involved. I’m just not religiously-minded! In fact, our whole team was not religiously-minded.

But it was a good night and the proceeds went to a great charity, so that was the main thing!

And that’s real life at the moment!

Updates

And still waiting for that competition to close – but there’s another one! This one’s through BCP, so if you want to know more about the Catalyst Scroll and Heritage Scroll, see the link to BCP‘s website below.

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!)

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published. (Have I mentioned how much I hate editing?)

I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is going through the second round of editing with Bushland Castle Productions editors. Stay tuned for more updates.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Otherworldly Emergence

It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.

Covers are now being revealed, so check out BCP Creative on Facebook – or visit BCP‘s website for the reveals!

Launch dates

We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.

This is the link for the series: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/otherworldly-emergence-series-launch

There is a door prize and a lot of games and Q&As as well as conversations! We’re happy to talk about our books at the launch of the series!

For each individual book, we have a separate day and those are below:

Not Your Normal Heroes

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/not-your-normal-heroes-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available. See details at the link.

Hidden Heritage

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/hidden-heritage-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.

The covers are about to be revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

You can find all the details on how to enter these at the website:  www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/competitions

I am toying with the idea of entering the Heritage Scroll, but I’m not sure yet. Still have to work on it.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, check out the next speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

I’ve already booked my pitch meeting and got a sample together for the pitch! I’m looking forward to this series. It may actually bring the Exiles and the Gifted together – as they should be because Perth has 3 degrees of separation rather than 6!

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Editing and Competitions

Strange title for a blog post, isn’t it? And you’re thinking why? Right?

Because competitions want polished and edited manuscripts.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I grew up at a time where typos and errors were not a part of any book. So I hate them. Especially in my own work. Which I am diligently trying to make sure that they’re not in there.

I am currently editing Legacy of Risks really heavily because of that reason. (And the Emotion Thesaurus).

I won’t class myself as a perfectionist, but I do take pride in what I do and I will admit, somehow I dropped the ball on Heart of Deception, Ed 2. So, I will be going over that and making sure that is spot-on as soon as I can.

One of the hardest things, as I’ve heard that Stephen King says, is to kill your darlings. We spend a lot of time on our prose, whether it’s a novel, novella, short story, poem or something entirely different.

And if you’re not selling what you write, then it doesn’t matter how it sounds. As long as it says what you want to read.

But sometimes that’s not the case when you’re selling your work. There are so many distractions out there that stop people from reading. And while that is something to address in the writing itself, sometimes editing – or lack thereof – can cause people to just not finish a book.

Because we, as authors, usually keep all the nitty gritty in our heads and sometimes that nitty gritty doesn’t make it onto the page or screen. If that nitty gritty ties a scene together, or links two scenes together, then that nitty gritty needs to be in the book. In the raw writing. (I’ll get back to that.)

It’s not only the nitty gritty that we hold in our heads, but it’s how we put the words together. They have to make sense. If they don’t make sense, the book won’t be read.

Writing for a competition is much more serious than that. The whole time you’re writing, you have to keep the criteria and theme in mind. You have to remember what the competition parameters are. It is very easy to over-write for a competition.

Sometimes, the hardest thing is to abandon something that is going into a competition – because you’re not feeling it or it doesn’t really suit the criteria.

But that’s only the writing itself. Editing is a major part of competition writing.

Because a writer who enters a competition must show that they are fully aware of the rules of grammar, spelling and punctuation. Judges in a competition can be really harsh and quite often there is no feedback to say where you went wrong.

When a competition is advertised worldwide, it attracts many more writers than a regional competition does. That means, if you’re going to write for a competition that invites writers from across the globe, then you have to make sure you meet the criteria wholeheartedly and that your manuscript is print-worthy. As in fully edited. No typos, no missing punctuation, no misspelt words.

Competition writing is a harsh reality. It can be brilliant for your writing career, but a writer has to be the worst critic possible. Because a manuscript for a competition may need to be stripped to the barebones to fit it into the wordcount.

So, if you’re considering entering a competition, make sure you have the criteria correct. Even if you ask questions when it’s not clear (like we did at university).

Take the time to edit the piece. I suggest leaving the raw work for a few days before tackling it.

Listen to the words through a computer program – or read them aloud to yourself. Even get others to read it for you. (If you’re like me, you won’t read them to yourself :D)

Think of your writing from a reader’s perspective. Because that’s what competition judges are – readers. But they’re usually authors themselves – or educators in the literary fields, so they will be going over your entry with a fine-toothed comb.

Keep their interest. Kill your darlings if they have no part in the story. You can always expand on that story later and put them back in. Sorry, forgot to say – kill them in the story, but don’t get rid of huge swathes of them. Just in case. I mean, if you’re like me, you’ve got draft upon draft upon draft and those words are still in there somewhere!

So, please, if you’re entering a competition, take the time to perfect that entry. Make sure it’s readable. Check it for typos. And the main thing – keep the reader’s attention. Don’t take half the story to get into the action – unless it’s a cosy story.

That’s it. Go. Perfect your work!

End of May

Is it really close to the middle of the calendar year? Is the end of another financial year almost upon us? Gah! How scary! Are the years speeding up? I need a longer day and a longer year!

All the same, we’ve had some really nice weather. At this time in May, the weather usually turns lovely and warm during the day and we’ve had that this week. Sooner or later, though, it’ll blow full-on winter.

I haven’t done much except working on editing and finishing off a couple of stories that are now on backburner. More on those later.

Updates

Just to let you know – I know I’ve been going on about that competition. Well, it doesn’t close until September. So bear with me and more updates as it gets closer. (Wow, it’s not that far away!)

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!)

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published.

I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is currently with my editor and then will be going to Bushland Castle Productions editors.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Updates

Otherworldly Emergence

It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.

Launch dates

We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.

This is the link for the series: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/otherworldly-emergence-series-launch

There is a door prize and a lot of games and Q&As as well as conversations! We’re happy to talk about our books at the launch of the series!

For each individual book, we have a separate day and those are below:

Not Your Normal Heroes

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/not-your-normal-heroes-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available. See details at the link.

Hidden Heritage

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/hidden-heritage-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.

The covers are about to be revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

You can find all the details on how to enter these at the website:  www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/competitions

I am toying with the idea of entering the Heritage Scroll, but I’m not sure yet. Still have to work on it.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, keep your eye open on another speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Worldbuilding

So, this is something that is organic for me. I often don’t realise I’m worldbuilding until after the story. That’s how most of mine goes.

I don’t do maps – unless there’s something within the story which needs something laid out. When I was writing Dark Reign, I actually mapped out the city of Torkandisch on graph paper – only because that was the only way I could understand what my characters were doing. I needed to understand the various small villages, such as Barriscade, outside the city, so I needed to pinpoint where they were.

The other map I created was Albermarle. Once I’d worked out where I wanted it, a very kind friend put together a map for me. I stared at that map for ages because it put the country into focus for me.

But worldbuilding isn’t just about maps. It’s about a society, science, a religion – if the story calls for it – a magic or power system, technology and what level of civilisation the story sits on.

In the Gifted universe, I found I had to make note of all the characters and their powers so that I didn’t get them mixed up. And I will admit, the Gifted universe is the most complex universe I have currently going. Yes, it’s based on our world, but there are a lot of aspects that aren’t this world. (Not giving too much away here.)

I know a lot of authors spend time mapping their world and building its nuances. One of the most famous is J R R Tolkein.

And while that’s true, I don’t work that way. I have a style sheet that started as just somewhere to put spellings. This has now grown into other data that I use and that data is what builds my world for me. I’m not talking how the landmasses look, or the rivers or oceans. I’m talking about how the world works. How the people move and grow and how the animals and other life forces interact with the people. And the people aren’t necessarily humans. I look on the “people” as the major creature in the story. There are many in my worlds that aren’t human, but I refer to them as “people”.

Because that’s how people see themselves, whether they’re humans or not. But I’m not talking about that.

Worldbuilding includes the governance of the world, its education system and its commerce as well as any industry – which includes agriculture – after all, we all know about Pern.

So all of these aspects must run together and if your world grows organically like mine does, then an author needs to note down those aspects so that they can be referred to later. (Yes, I’ll be doing that with my work in the future.)

An organic world build can take a long time, but so can a non-organic build. When I wrote Dark Dimensions, I assumed that the fangs of my vampires were the same as all the other vampires in every other universe that others have written. But then I thought about it. What if those fangs weren’t just the tools for accessing the artery? What if they were the instrument of absorption of the blood? So I researched what type of fangs could be suitable and then, with poetic licence, modified them. And it works.

So, whatever worldbuilding you do, whether it’s planned or organic, just make sure the detail is available, whether it’s in the book or in complementary works. Because we have to remember that readers sometimes like that, as well as the information being handy to refer to and create complementary works with.

Mid-May

Is it really almost the middle of the year? It seems like it was only last week that we were sweltering in heat. Now it’s alternating between nice warm weather and chilly. (I won’t say freezing, because that is yet to come).

The sunny days have been idyllic although it has been cool. I have taken advantage and spent some time in the sun, but the wind is cool, so it’s of limited enjoyment.

There’s not a great deal more to tell, although the Otherworldly Emergence series is getting closer to publication. More on that later.

But real life has been fairly boring – which I appreciate, because it means I can concentrate on the things that really matter.

Updates

Draft2Digital

Due to the company’s decision to add fees to those books that aren’t performing well (yes, I know, it’s all marketing and I have yet to do that properly) I have decided to pull my books from Draft2Digital. They may have listed the books with companies, but 44c over 2 years is not worth the $10 fee.

I do have a new update completely unrelated to any of the works I currently have going. I will be entering a short story competition – and I’ve actually paid money to do so. Update on that – I have sent the story in, so let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, the Ryan Locke story is with the editor. Explosive Reality is now with the cover artist. Once I get it back, it will go through to publication as an ebook exclusively to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. Stay tuned for updates.

I am still considering the following idea, but I have been too busy to do more than consider it. I haven’t done a lot with Alex Travis and his mother Katarina. I feel that their history should be told, but I think that’s going to be in a book between Dark Reign and The Dark Road. So, stay tuned for that.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is currently with my editor and then will be going to Bushland Castle Productions editors.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Updates

The covers are about to be revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

You can find all the details on how to enter these at the website:  www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/competitions

I am toying with the idea of entering the Heritage Scroll, but I’m not sure yet. Still have to work on it.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, keep your eye open on another speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. We are very excited to announce that our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Rein a character in or give them free rein

So, continuing in the vein of characters, I thought I’d talk about whether an author should stick to what they have planned in their works in progress or whether they should give their characters free range about who wants to be written first.

I thought I’d bring this up because I’ve just finished the second in a story revolving around one character. After the first book, his second story was supposed to go on the backburner for a later creation. However, I run write-ins on Mondays and Wednesdays in Discord for BCP Creations and I prefer to write in sprints than edit.

I had a few ideas for the second book but didn’t want to go all out on them because I had too many finished manuscripts to edit (still do) so it started out as only writing in the write-ins.

That soon changed. We all like a strong character, but when that character wants to get their story down, they can interfere with the best laid plans.

So, what started as just a few choice scenes for write-ins became an obsession and two months later, Jamie’s second story was complete. Well, the barebones were.

But I enjoyed doing that. Because I got to explore sides of him that I hadn’t quite anchored down, if you’ll take that expression.

In the opposite manner, I have another character – the one I’m doing for the Otherworldly Origins. Now, the pitch for that story is in July and that is when the writing is supposed to start. But, of course, there is a 2,000-word submission sample, so I had to write that and enjoyed it just as much as I did Jamie’s second story.

After writing those 2,000 (which of course ended up being 2,500) words, I have again put that story on hold. But I have a clearer picture of what is going to happen in that story and the final conflict has some definition, which is helpful in this case. I just have to stop that character from tapping me on the head.

So, my take is this: if your character knows enough about what’s going on and they feel strongly about it, then let them take control. Let them write their story.

If you have a specific deadline in mind, then have a discussion with the character. They will understand and keep feeding you little snippets, if you like, of what is to come – just so you can make notes.

It doesn’t really matter which way you go – either write the story now or later – just go with what feels right at the time. Because that’s how our stories work. They sometimes get a mind of their own (or character!) and take control over when and how long you’re writing that story.

(PS. This is mainly for self-published – those who are with a publisher have those deadlines I just mentioned.)

End of April

So, yesterday was ANZAC Day. Sad day for Australia and I did catch a little of the ceremonies on TV. Always has a good turnout.

It was a nice day but I was busy working, so I couldn’t attend any of the ceremonies.

I will also say that for the first time this year, I wore my fluffy hoody. Not wearing it today, but definitely yesterday.

The weather is decidedly cooler and we did have quite a bit of rain up until midway through the morning yesterday. Today is absolutely beautiful.

Apart from that, there’s not a lot to update – oh, wait, I forgot about the car. We traded in our diesel 4×4 for a hybrid electric/petrol car last week. I’m still trying to get used to the lack of sound it makes. We got one that charges as it drives and has a damned good range on it. Yes, we said K2 was going to be our last car, but fuel prices have just skyrocketed here, so we thought it was the right choice to make.

And that’s about it from real life.

Updates

Draft2Digital

Due to the company’s decision to add fees to those books that aren’t performing well (yes, I know, it’s all marketing and I have yet to do that properly) I have decided to pull my books from Draft2Digital. They may have listed the books with companies, but 44c over 2 years is not worth the $10 fee.

I do have a new update completely unrelated to any of the works I currently have going. I will be entering a short story competition – and I’ve actually paid money to do so. Update on that – I have sent the story in, so let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, the Ryan Locke story is with the editor. Explosive Reality is now with the cover artist. Once I get it back, it will go through to publication as an ebook exclusively to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. Stay tuned for updates.

I am still considering the following idea, but I have been too busy to do more than consider it. I haven’t done a lot with Alex Travis and his mother Katarina. I feel that their history should be told, but I think that’s going to be in a book between Dark Reign and The Dark Road. So, stay tuned for that.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is currently with my editor and then will be going to Bushland Castle Productions editors.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

You can find all the details on how to enter these at the website:  www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/competitions

I am toying with the idea of entering the Heritage Scroll, but I’m not sure yet. Still have to work on it.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, keep your eye open on another speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. We are very excited to announce that our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Flawed Heroes

So, I’ve decided to talk about writing flawed characters. I mean, we’ve seen the type, the one that stands out is Tony Stark/Ironman. The way he is portrayed in the movies is a masterpiece of characterisation.

Everyone is flawed to a degree. We all have our character traits, our physical forms and, even, our emotional situation. Some of us even have a strong spiritual tendency. All of these go to rounding our own characters in a way that helps us to relate to others and helps others relate to us.

We also put on different masks/hats depending on the situation. I know when I worked in an office, there was an awful lot my colleagues didn’t know about me. That was because of the hat/mask I wore. Same thing at school/university. It’s most likely a societal thing, but I’m not going to get into a debate about why we wear hats/masks. Each situation is deeply personal to each person.

In writing, such idiosyncrasies can enrich a character. One might have a character who works in the mining industry but suffers claustrophobia. That could cause conflict if that character is asked to go to a deep mine instead of an opencut mine.

Another could be, like the famous English show about a doctor, someone with a phobia to blood, or vomit or diarrhoea. If your character is in the health industry, that could cause all types of issues for your character.

Take a character who’s a cop who can’t stand conflict. How would you put that cop with a bunch of bikies or bank robbers?

I ran with a character who I have since called my “experimental character”. This character is my protest against all of the things that are wrong in society today. But an added bonus to this character is that he taught me about flawed people. He let me see what I could do with a flawed character in my worlds.

I don’t have a lot of physical flaws in my stories, apart from Matt, but you’d need to read Hidden Heritage to find our what his flaws are, nor do I look at the deeper mental health issues in the world today. I am not willing to venture too much into that side of it because I have no experience with it. I do, however, have a number of characters whose lives have induced trauma and quite a few have anxiety and similar syndromes.

One of my earlier characters was a fairly ordinary person, hadn’t been through a lot of trauma, even if his chosen career was pretty questionable. So, I wrote three books with him. Then I wrote a story about him five years before the first book where he suffered emotional shock. Luckily, I had to rewrite those books because I was able to include that trauma reaction throughout them. I’ve been told it made him a more rounded character.

So, when I create a new character, I look at those types of things. As I said earlier, I am currently working on a new story based in the Gifted universe. The character in this was so traumatised before his first book that he was torn between grief and revenge. The balancing of those two reactions was difficult and I’m still not sure if I’ve treated it properly.

The Emotion Thesaurus and its fellow books have helped greatly in exploring emotional and trauma-related flaws in characters and I can’t recommend them enough. They are my rock and my solid resource for character creation, now.

March – halfway

Okay, I’m a week behind and I apologise for that. I have been very busy and have finally had time to sit down and organise stuff. I will be back to fortnightly from now on.

Our weather has been up and down. We’ve had some really hot weather, but this weekend has been beautiful. The heat is ramping up, however, by the end of the week.

Didn’t go out much this time. Have been too busy with stuff. But I have a few updates for you.

Updates

I do have a new update completely unrelated to any of the works I currently have going. I will be entering a short story competition – and I’ve actually paid money to do so. Update on that – I have sent the story in, so let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, the Ryan Locke story is now with the cover artist, so it’s closer to publication. I will share the link when it is published. Don’t forget, this will be an ebook exclusive to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. I finally have a working title to it – Explosive Reality. Still working on it.

I do intend to write a few more of these and, perhaps in the future, they may end up being in a collection of short stories in this universe.

I am still considering the following idea, but I have been too busy to do more than consider it. I haven’t done a lot with Alex Travis and his mother Katarina. I feel that their history should be told, but I think that’s going to be in a book between Dark Reign and The Dark Road. So, stay tuned for that.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon and Draft2Digital. This is now in the Midland Library in print form.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

Speaking of which, you can find the Otherworldly Emergence information at the website below.

Bushland Castle Productions

I have finished editing one novella, Not your Normal Heroes. This is now with the editor. I have finished editing Hidden Heritage but have another round to go before that goes to the editor, too.

I have received the feedback for both of my stories and I may finally have a name for the second story. As mentioned above, it is now called Hidden Heritage.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/emergence

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

While you’re on the website, is information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. BCP are about to start on their 3rd season of the podcast, so stay tuned for updates on that.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Not only that, but Finding Elara has just made it onto YouTube. There is a Halloween special up that features one of my short ghost stories being read out live. So, just search for Finding Elara and have a listen. I’m the one in the blue hat.

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia.

It has arrived! Our anthology is now in Midland Library in print form.

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone. It is available on Amazon currently.

Writing tips and tricks

Yes, I’ve named this section. However, this particular post won’t have a tips or tricks – or even a hints post. Which I apologise for. I am having some technical issues and hope to have those resolved by the end of this week. Once they are resolved, the next tip or trick – or hint – will be the second half to the last one.

Then again, I might just write them both up and perhaps repeat the first half. I mean, I got it all mixed up!

So, I apologise if you are waiting for some insights that I have learnt and I hope to bring you more insights in my next post.

Until then, keep writing or whatever you do to keep your mind and body active!

End of February 2026

Well, after a week of fairly sweltering heat, then a cool down and then a warm up, we’ve got another few days of nice weather. Not too hot, not too cold. From tomorrow, though, the temp is starting to ramp up again. Oh, well, that’s what happens in Perth in summer!

So, today is my brother’s birthday. Or would be if he was still with us, but it happens. He would be 74 and probably just as cheeky as he used to be. I call myself a wordsmith, but he wasn’t too shabby himself. Verbally that is. I’ll have a drink later to celebrate him.

Earlier this week, we went to the Titanic Exhibition in Perth. While it was informative, I was a bit put off by the AI-sounding voice over. I haven’t done any research, so I don’t know if it was, but the lack of contractions and emotion makes me suspect it was. Also, I’m not aware if they realise that Molly Brown wasn’t the slim figure in the picture on the wall. But for people unfamiliar with the details behind the story (we’re Titanic avid nuts), then it was informative. The raw footage of the Olympic being launched was truly captivating, I will say.

But the next day was a day off for me and as I had talked Stu into going to a local printer (love their work) we decided to spend the day on the new trainlines. Late last year – well, late for us – Perth’s first elevated trainline was completed and this was the first opportunity we had to ride on it. We’ve been on ones in Victoria – well, on YouTube, anyway, and they were pretty awesome. I was a little disappointed in ours ’cause they put up these barriers either side of the line so you couldn’t actually see much of what you were passing. Yeah, okay, been on that part of the trainline before, so I do know, but it would have been interesting to see it from higher up.

That particular trainline was then extended out to new suburbs south of Perth. That part of the line was amazing. We went through the last major council area, then there was a lot of farmland until we got to another bustling suburban area. What a contrast. The stations are mostly new, except for the heritage listed ones.

From there, we caught the train partway back because another of Perth’s lines was extended last year and by catching that extension, it was easier to reach our final station where we’d parked the car. The day was not as humid as the previous day, when we went to the Titanic, and it wasn’t a scorcher, so it was a great day out. Totally fun day.

On to updates.

Updates

I do have a new update completely unrelated to any of the works I currently have going. I will be entering a short story competition – and I’ve actually paid money to do so. Update on that – I have sent the story in, so let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

Okay, the Ryan Locke story is with the editor. From there, I will engage my cover artist and it will be published as an ebook exclusively to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. I finally have a working title to it – Explosive Reality. Still working on it.

I am still considering the following idea, but I have been too busy to do more than consider it. I haven’t done a lot with Alex Travis and his mother Katarina. I feel that their history should be told, but I think that’s going to be in a book between Dark Reign and The Dark Road. So, stay tuned for that.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon and Draft2Digital. And an update on that is that the 10 copies ordered came through early, so there will be a copy donated to Midland Library, as well.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

Speaking of which, you can find the Otherworldly Emergence information at the website below.

Bushland Castle Productions

I have finished editing one novella, Not your Normal Heroes. I am still editing the other and will have that editing finished by the end of the week.

I have received the feedback for both of my stories and I may finally have a name for the second story. At the moment I’m calling it either daemon hunter or ghost hunter, but that’s not the actual title. Still working on the title itself.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/emergence

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

While you’re on the website, is information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. BCP are about to start on their 3rd season of the podcast, so stay tuned for updates on that.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Not only that, but Finding Elara has just made it onto YouTube. There is a Halloween special up that features one of my short ghost stories being read out live. So, just search for Finding Elara and have a listen. I’m the one in the blue hat.

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. We are very excited to announce that our very first anthology is being printed and we hope to have it in our hands very soon. Watch this space!

It has arrived!

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone. It is available on Amazon currently.

Polishing your work.

This was supposed to be about editing, but it’s grown beyond that. So, I’m not writing about editing this blog – that’s the next blog. This is about polishing our own work. Why and how we do it.

This something I really hate. And the reason I hate it is because I’m a big-picture person. When I write, I don’t see words. I see the action, the places. I hear the people, I smell what they smell. While I don’t often put that in my writing, I get it all. Which is really annoying at times, because my protagonists and other major characters tend to take on a life of their own and it’s nothing for me to be on the verge of sleep when one will say “I want you to do this with me”. Seriously? I’m sleeping! And I have other things to write. (Usually the phone or the tablet computer comes out for me to send an email to myself so I can make a note on my writing program.)

But polishing is an important stage of our work. It enhances our writing and improves our skills at words and teaches us how to make our stories stand out for readers.

We have whole worlds in our heads. They are populated with our characters who are just as real to us as our friends and family. I know because I’ve left one or two of them traumatised over a weekend and come back to get the impression they’ve gone through quite a lot of booze (not giving out any names here).

Now, our whole reason for writing is to share those worlds and characters with other people who can look through our words to experience what our worlds have to offer. For a long time, reading was a major way of learning, entertaining and exploring ideas.

Now? Now we have television, social media and streaming platforms to occupy readers’ time. We have to get past TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X, Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube and many other platforms – including streaming TV, to engage with our audience.

Whilst we do that within our writing, by polising, we ensure that writing grips the reader every moment that they’re reading and that they don’t want to put our world to bed. We want them to have sleep deprivation (at times, I admit it). We want them to sit in a chair and read. We want them to sit on the beach and read. Or in a paddock or on a lawn. Wherever they feel comfortable – which includes libraries and cafes.

How many times have you read a book and put it down before you finished it because it didn’t engage you or something that was so wrong with it pulled you out of it? I know I’ve done it. I’ve got quite a few books on my ereader that I just haven’t finished. (And I’ve only just discovered some downfalls I have as a reader, too.)

What I’m trying to say is that we need to grab the reader’s attention from the first page. (Yes, I’m still digressing. I promise, I’ll stop soon.) Then we need to keep that reader’s attention through the rest of the book. I know there’s a number of pages (approximately), but I have no inclination to remember what it is. Because I’m more focussed on my stories being the best they can.

Now, that means our stories have to be believable. The characters have to be relatable and three-dimensional. The action has to be reasonable – and don’t talk to me about fight scenes in movies. Not discussing that. But what I mean is, make any action you write believable. Discuss the action with people who might be able to help you out. If your action scene involves a boat and you know someone with extensive boating experience – especially in the Navy – then get their help. Make it believable. Don’t go and think “it’s only a story”. Not good enough for most readers. I remember going to one of the James Bond movies many years ago. Now, I like James Bond. It’s fun, it’s exciting and, while farfetched, mostly believable. Not this particular one. My father taught me the laws of physics and this movie defied those laws in the first few scenes. It pulled me out of the story so much that I nearly wasted the money and walked out. I have never done that in a cinema. Laughed at stupidity on the part of the directors, etc, yeah, but not walked out.

Now, you might wonder what this all has to do with polishing.

It’s simple. If your words don’t make sense, then your story will suffer. If your dialogue has your characters stuttering or not making sense, then your readers will walk away.

There are 2 things that help with that – diversity in reading – believe me, I’ve read most authors over the years, including Alistair McLean, Agatha Christie, H G Wells, Jules Vern, Isaac Asimov and, not to neglect the author who introduced me to science fiction, Andre Norton. I’ve also read Mark Hayden, Steve McHugh, Robert J Crane, Rick Gualtieri and Charles Phipps. Oh, and C L Schneider and Kelly Blanchard Dale. As well as many, many more. (Yes, I know. Anne McCaffrey, Stephen Donaldson, J R R Tolkein, Marion Zimmer Bradley.) What I’m trying to say is read all genres – and YES, I have read Mills and Boon as well as Elizabeth Lowell and Ann Maxwell. And still many more.

The more diverse your reading, the more your mind opens to how writing works. Stephen King says there are no rules to writing. I apply only 2 sets of rules – grammar and punctuation (yes, Australian grammar and punctuation is different to that of the USA). Be wary of conventions – conventions can be broken.

February 2026

Can it get any hotter? I doubt it! Oh, wait, yes it can.

Have you ever felt like you’re melting? I sure do! But that’s Western Australia for you – mostly hot. I will say there is the usual fire up in Brigadoon, so I hope everyone got away from Bells Rapids.

I don’t have a lot to report apart from it being really hot which always amazes me that other parts of the world are currently freezing. Amazing. We live on such an incredible planet. Absolutely astounding with all its differences.

Anyway, onto updates.

Updates

I do have a new update completely unrelated to any of the works I currently have going. I will be entering a short story competition – and I’ve actually paid money to do so. Update on that – I have sent the story in, so let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have an update on the Ryan Locke story. It is currently with the editor after having had the Emotion Thesaurus applied to it. I have yet to brainstorm about a name, yet, but once I have that title, it’ll go for cover art and publishing. I actually did learn quite a bit from the read aloud function, but some of the ordinary words like tear as in cry was pronounced like tear as in rip, which had me laughing! I may still send it to beta readers as well.

I am still considering the following idea, but I have been too busy to do more than consider it. I haven’t done a lot with Alex Travis and his mother Katarina. I feel that their history should be told, but I think that’s going to be in a book between Dark Reign and The Dark Road. So, stay tuned for that.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon and Draft2Digital. And an update on that is that the 10 copies ordered came through early, so there will be a copy donated to Midland Library, as well.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

Speaking of which, you can find the Otherworldly Emergence information at the website below.

Bushland Castle Productions

I have finished editing one novella, Not your Normal Heroes. I am still editing the other and will have that editing finished by the end of the week.

I have received the feedback for both of my stories and I may finally have a name for the second story. At the moment I’m calling it either daemon hunter or ghost hunter, but that’s not the actual title. Still working on the title itself.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/emergence

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

While you’re on the website, is information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. BCP are about to start on their 3rd season of the podcast, so stay tuned for updates on that.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Not only that, but Finding Elara has just made it onto YouTube. There is a Halloween special up that features one of my short ghost stories being read out live. So, just search for Finding Elara and have a listen. I’m the one in the blue hat.

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. We are very excited to announce that our very first anthology is being printed and we hope to have it in our hands very soon. Watch this space!

It has arrived!

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone. It is available on Amazon currently.

Research

Who likes researching?

Who falls down the rabbit hole of researching?

(I put my hand up) Yeah, I think we’ve all done it!

I sometimes leave research until the story is complete. Especially in something like Dark Dimensions. I only looked for things that would represent the Stronghold and Torkandisch after I’d finished the manuscript.

I did a lot of mapping when it came to Torkandisch – I will admit, that city is all mine.

In Heart of Deception, I gave Marek 6 days for his journey before I did any research on it and found he would only need 3. The extra days were handy.

While doing the Otherworldly Emergence stories, and one of the follow on novels, I researched the areas – especially as one of the characters grew up just outside Albany, Western Australia.

With the metahuman side, I have been exploring what the powers could be, how they could be named and exactly what the metahumans could do with their powers.

For my paranormal stories, YouTube is a great resource. I mean, I don’t necessarily believe everything I see on it, but it is a valuable source of ideas and seeing what could work and what might not.

In the Strefinobhan universe, I roughly mapped out a world map for that, as well.

The vampires in Clans in Conflict have completely different fangs to those of the current legends and lore. After I had finished the raw writing, I sat down and thought about the mechanics of what a vampires was and how it would work. (I blame my father – he drilled the laws of physics into me.) Thus, they are completely different to the accepted vampire. Hopefully, it makes them more interesting.

Going through researching on these things is important. I have even researched the effects of scopolamine, crystal methylamphetamine and a heap of other poisons and substances.

In one of Marek’s stories I placed him into what I thought was just plain shock. I later researched and found that I had given him all 15 symptoms of emotional shock. (That story is yet to be published.)

Research is a fundamental part of writing a novel, novella, short story or whatever you choose to write. Without performing research, our writing may fall short of where we want to take our readers.

End of 2025

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!

It’s finally the end of the year and lots has happened with lots more to go.

For those who have been following me on Substack, my account is now what I call abandoned. I will no longer be posting there.

So far, our weather has evened out, but we are due for a very hot Christmas day. Tuesday we’re expecting 38, Wednesday 41, Thursday 42. Then we start to cool off for a few days. I think I’ll be living in the spa on Thursday!

We’ve done another ghost hunting session. Which was fun. Had some interesting words come up and lots of false positives such as trees and lights in the SLS. What a blast it was!

Updates

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

The Ryan Locke story has gone through one edit and I’ll be starting on a second edit in January. Hopefully it will be out soon.

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon and Draft2Digital. And an update on that is that the 10 copies ordered came through early, so there will be a copy donated to Midland Library, as well.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it.

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

Speaking of which, you can find the Otherworldly Emergence information at the website below.

Bushland Castle Productions

I have finished editing one novella, Not your Normal Heroes. I am still editing the other and will have that editing finished by the end of the week.

Both stories have gone through some beta readers and have been received well and will be going to more beta readers on Friday.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/emergence

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

While you’re on the website, is information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Not only that, but Finding Elara has just made it onto YouTube. There is a Halloween special up that features one of my short ghost stories being read out live. So, just search for Finding Elara and have a listen. I’m the one in the blue hat.

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. We are very excited to announce that our very first anthology is now going through the finalisation of publishing and we expect copies to be available in January. Watch this space!

Worldbuilding

One of the questions that often pops up is how much worldbuilding a writer should do and how they should do that.

As with writing, there are many ways to do this. Some writers build their world before they “put pen to paper”, others build their world as they go while still others build afterward.

I am of the opinion that the worldbuilding can start anywhere. I believe that it should not get in the way of the storytelling and should be used to enrich the plot and the characters.

But worldbuilding is separate to settings. Well, that’s my opinion. In technicalities, I really don’t know if they are separate or one and the same. There are probably arguments for both. (If I was talking to you, I’d be shrugging here.)

Some worlds need to be complex structures, like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Julian May’s Saga of the Exiles and a few other worlds, such as Foundation, by Isaac Asimov and, of course, you can’t go past Downton Abbey and Star Trek.

And imagine creating the Upside down of Stranger Things.

But then you have the worlds that are based on our real life, such as crime shows and things like that.

Worldbuilding, I believe, can be as much or as little as you like.

I have used Google Maps to help me with my worldbuilding but it has been on the spur of the moment. And it usually is as a guide – unless I’m writing about our world, such as the Consequences series or my Otherworldly Emergence stories. Then I might use those maps as a way of guiding my characters’ activities in existing places.

Some people use mapping programs and this is perfectly fine. I am currently testing one but I’m still learning to use it. When I’ve got my head around it, I’ll let you know which one it is. Because if I can get it working in what I need it to, it is a great program.

When worldbuilding, bear in mind what your characters do. Only one of mine is religious, so I don’t reference any religions and nor have I created any religions for Clans in Conflict or Strefinobhan.

But religions can be a key ingredient in worldbuilding, so be mindful of what you create. Be sure that it is clear in your mind and write the background to that religion separately so that it becomes clear in your writing.

Same if you’re using a magic system. In Strefinobhan, I decided to make magic scientific. I looked at what formed the basis of the magic in Strefinobhan and then brainstormed how science could create that same effect and power. Thus was born, with the help of a friend, synergy. My sorcerers became synergists. (No, you’re not learning what the power is they synergise until the first book is out.)

Another important factor of worldbuilding is the legal and social structure. I base most of my legal and social structures on a variety of concepts that are born of real life, television shows and books. Some of my social structures are idealistic and some of them are realistic. It’s just what I use at the time and what seems appropriate.

Because that’s the main thing when worldbuilding.

When you decide to build a part of it, such as magic, law, social structure, religion, stuff like that, always ask yourself this question: is it appropriate in the setting? Does it work in this world and does it add to the story and characters. Most of the time, you’ll thrash out what works and what doesn’t and don’t ever let yourself lose sleep if you’ve had to lose a part of an idea. Keep that for another story.

There’s another secret – don’t ever throw anything away – you might be able to use it somewhere else.

And that’s the gems for today.

Be safe over the holidays and I’ll talk to you next year!