by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
When we think about women in speculative fiction, it seems to be fantasy figures that quickly come to mind: Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, Professor McGonnagal and Sir Terry Pratchett’s wonderful witches. When it comes to science fiction, however, the landscape seems to change.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
WorldCon in Helsinki is THE social event of the year, and we’re all really looking forward to it. However, for many folks, it might be the first time traveling to a country where English is not the native language. This can be nerve-wracking because it is impossible to know what to expect. In a vague attempt to help, I’ve created this ten-point list of how to cope.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
As a science fiction writer, I’m always on the lookout for cutting edge technologies that might spark an idea for a story. This time, an initiative called Project Scarlet Eagle came looking for me. At first it was all hush-hush, but now I have permission to tell you everything[1].
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
The popular advice for writers is to write your first draft for just one person and then to revise for the world. Your voice, they say, should be personal and true and deep but the story itself must have mass-market appeal. This is a rainbow I chased for a long time. Lately, though, I’m starting to question the simple assumption that success is measured by the number of readers.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
I need to know if a Greater Black-Backed Gull could and would eat a Welsh faerie if the opportunity presented itself.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
The ground in front of me slopes down. There is a red painted stone marking the end of the path, which makes me laugh, because of course I’m not going to stumble down to the cliff edge, the sea crashing against the rocks a hundred below.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
“Also, just keep writing, even when it seems stupid. You’ll need to use up a whole lot of words to get to the good ones.”
Skokholm, Richard tells us, is a honeycomb of burrows. The rabbits, the puffins, the storm petrels and the manx shearwaters all make their own burrows and to be honest, it’s a bit of a nightmare, the island riddled with holes.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
If I had a week with nothing to do, I would write amazing words. I would write a book. I would write a million words and then dream the story while I slept under the stars and then I would write another million words and the faeries would come out and dance around me and I would make novels like the miller’s daughter spinning gold out of straw.
These days, many authors focus more time on self-promotion through social media than on marketing their books. It’s not necessarily a bad idea, but with all the social media hype, it can be easy to forget about the fundamentals.
Born a Cambion & cursed by a terrible hunger he can barely control, Augustus Thorne spends his long and lonely life hunting any of the demondim he can find. But no matter how many he destroys, his tenuous link to humanity will always be at risk.
Michael R. Johnston is the author of The Widening Gyre, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, and What Rough Beast. He lives in Sacramento, California, where he teaches high school, works with young aspiring genre writers, and daydreams of flying starfighters.
