Made of equal parts Yorkshire grit, Rambo and Delia Smith, Glenda has lived with the Penhaligons at the priory for more than 30 years. She's the ultimate housekeeper, with eyes in the back of her head, a knack for shooting and no love for naughty goats. She has an ancient partner, a brusque telephone manner,... Continue Reading →
Furies at the Gate
This is an NTSR short set in London in the 1970s, introducing characters who will feature in the No Good Comes series and bringing back underused characters from NTSR. If I'd finished drafting the Victorian NTSR stories during NaNoWriMo, I was going to move onto this one. I didn't even get close. *** Infuriated by... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo: Day 25
I hit 50K on day 18. I celebrated with booze and cake. I really could've worked harder in the week since, but I didn't. I've clocked another 8K though, so I'm not too disappointed with myself. The problem I've had, and it's a new one for me, is that I planned to write three Victorian... Continue Reading →
How to tell if you’re in an Inka York short story
This post is based on articles from The Toast and the idea proposed in this tweet. Companion post: How to tell if you're in an Inka York novel How to tell if you're in an Inka York short story ... You wake up on a stretching rack. Love is tragic. Your cat has adopted your sworn... Continue Reading →
The Birth of an Assassin
In honour of Halloween, here's a trick and a treat from The Lion & The Wolf. I'll leave you to decide what the trick is. The Lion knew that sin well enough; the sin of being born with his mother’s last breath brought censure upon his head from her grieving family. He had long ago... Continue Reading →
Ninety Blooms & a Wishing Well
This is the last of the Victorian spin-offs I have outlined for NaNoWriMo. It's a companion tale of Two Souls & a Pocket Watch, and it will feature my favourite foppish archangel, Uriel. I was twelve years old the first time I summoned a well-demon to the garden. Sitting by the well in his garden,... Continue Reading →
Rabbit Holes, Puddles & Pubs
I love a good rabbit hole. I fell into this one with a mouldering duke and came out with the chills. Back in 2015, for the first time ever, I started writing with the barest bones of a partial outline. For me, that was a list of six scenes with a short paragraph explaining what... Continue Reading →
Forgotten
A short standalone story about the depths of darkness we'd endure for those we love. This is already outlined, so I'll add it to my NaNoWriMo pile in case I finish the Vic fics. *** Clio needs three things to come alive in the world to which she truly belongs: the touch of her human... Continue Reading →
Two Souls & a Pocket Watch
When the Thames is alive with the dead, who you gonna call? This is another spin-off story from NTSR. It's fully outlined and will be written during NaNoWriMo. Uriel and Bel are back after Puddles, this time taking a back seat. The story is set in 1900 around the old London Dock. *** Vampire daddies... Continue Reading →
5 Ways to Bring Autumn to Life in Your Writing
There is an excited buzz at this time of year. Everyone on Twitter has changed their name to something spooky because Halloween has its own version of Advent now, NaNoWriMo is on its way, and Christmas is just around the corner. I don't write blunt how-to posts. The idea here is to get you thinking... Continue Reading →
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