Lessons from the Void is the second novel in the Lessons Saga. It is now available online through Amazon. A war between Earth and Mars is inevitable. Five years ago, Prince Du Mon prevented an alien attack on Mars. Now, he has been tasked with taking command of the fleet’s newest starship: a ship grown from the very flesh of the alien that Du Mon killed. The scientists have named…
‘I must compliment you on your choice of venue,’ said journalist Tony Walker. He sipped his turmeric latte and spun a ballpoint pen around his thumb with practised ease. ‘Thank you, Tony. I’m not a fan of power plays in interviews. I thought this might be a more neutral spot.’ Senator Flim lounged in her chair, which was several inches taller than his own. Twelve private security operatives paced behind…
I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed. New Girl tries to be many things: a situational comedy about what it’s like being the only female roommate; a PG-rated version of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia; a will-they-won’t-they romantic comedy, featuring three guys; a representation of a school teacher amidst millennial doomer culture. On many of these fronts, I think it succeeds. For instance, New Girl plants Jess in the lives of…
In many ways, Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash reads as though it’s describing the modern-day. It has business franchises spreading like viruses, mafia-controlled mega-corporations, boats of refugees lashed together and fighting to escape their homeland while the West tries to push them back into the ocean. The unrelenting presence of capitalism grips each page of the novel. Hiro delivers pizzas for the Mafia with the skill of a getaway…
‘Bedside Manner’ was originally penned for a 100-word microfiction competition. Little Anne woke up screaming. Her forehead glistened as she wrapped her thin arms around herself and shivered. ‘Nightmares again?’ I asked softly. We were used to the routine by now: Anne would awake screaming and I would come and sit on the corner of the bed. Downstairs, her mother and father hurled abuse. A plate smashed, followed by loud…
Tomato Soup is an imaginative response based on the writing style of J. D. Salinger (author of The Catcher in the Rye). The storyline is adapted from the poem Gooseberry Sorbet by Simon Armitage. Well, if you really must know the truth, it was probably around this time last year that I started setting the table with an extra bowl, of tomato soup. It’s a helluva food to serve. Real…
Spirits In Your Area is an interconnected anthology of urban fantasy stories, mostly set in Australia and Greater Oceania. This collection of stories reimagines classic fairy tales and folk ghost stories in a dark, quirky, and surreal way. It’s like The Witcher meets The Castle. Set in a world very similar to our own, Spirits in Your Area is about humans who must wrestle with their understanding of death, loss, family, and…
The judge presiding over the courtroom massages his temples. He’s old. Old enough to have seen it all before, so the skin on his face moves easily under his fingertips. “The plaintiff will present their case,” he says with a nod to me. I stand, spilling paperwork from the table as I hurry to rise. “Your honour,” I begin. “The Arctic Monkeys have committed a terrible crime. Not a crime…
Why Limitations Are Helpful You want to create, and you’ve been doing it your whole life. As a child, you drew pictures without worrying what others thought of them. You told stories with toys. As adults, however, our desire to create becomes complicated. The joy of simply doing is lost, and replaced with a host of anxieties and frustrations, as our imagination becomes better than our skill or ability to…
For a variety of reasons, authors lie to their audience. It makes perfect sense because most fiction is a falsehood. The author tells a story, with an implied wink, and for a short time, we choose to believe it at some level. Most of us have those moments when we are transported during a good story and briefly forget at the conscious level that it isn’t real. This one of…
