Category Archives: fiction

Dear Edgar #4 Loss of Breath

Posted on March 29, 2023 by darrack1

I shall not explain how he proposed to treated women in whom he diagnosed as afflicted with similar afflictions, including ‘nymphomania’ which is to say any woman who enjoyed any kind of sexual agency in her own right outside of the marriage bed, because frankly you don’t want to know. Just let me state it was horrendous. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, Dear Edgar, fiction, goodreads, horror, Lovecraft, Poe, quotes, reads, retro book reviews | Tagged amreading, books, Dear Edgar, Edgar Alan Poe, Poe, reads, writer, writerslife, writing | 5 Comments

Eating the Livers of my Lovers: A guest post by Nimue Brown

Posted on March 28, 2023 by darrack1

The full title of this blog is ‘Eating the livers of my lovers and other poems I now have to write because Mark gave me a title’ Which was a writing prompt I gave to the ever wonderful Nimue Brown when she asked the world to do so. Having supplied this title I abdicate all responsibility thence*. The rest is all Nimue… Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, blogging, books, druidry, fiction, IndieApril, indiewriter, pagan, reads | Tagged amreading, folklore, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 3 Comments

Steampunk Fiction, what is it?

Posted on March 23, 2023 by darrack1

Anyone who knows anything about the Steampunk subculture will generally answer the question “What is steampunk?” with words to the effect of “Whatever you want it to be..!”

This is of course an absurdly unhelpful answer. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, Canadian steampunk, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, reads, steampunk, writing | Tagged books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 6 Comments

Dear Edgar #2 The Duc de L’Omelette

Posted on March 7, 2023 by darrack1

I find it hard to sympathise with anyone who puts a towel on their head to eat a bird that’s been force feed and drown in brandy. Continue reading →

Posted in book reviews, Dear Edgar, fiction, humour, opinion, reads, retro book reviews | Tagged amreading, bookblog, books, Dear Edgar, Edgar Alan Poe, goodreads, horror, Poe, read, reads | 4 Comments

Auguries

Posted on February 8, 2023 by darrack1

A storm was coming, dark things on the horizon, a great gnashing of teeth, dogs and cats doing unnatural things together. That sort of thing, nothing specific, just general ominous stuff. But whatever was brewing it wasn’t the Earl Gray… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, dreamlands, fantasy, fiction, horror, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, Lovecraft, novels, reads, rites, steampunk, supernatural, writing | Tagged amwriting, amwritingscifi, amwritingsteampunk, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

The rules of write #2

Posted on January 31, 2023 by darrack1

I’m not a great fan of talking about characters in terms of ‘her/his truth’. Though it is a concept I understand, my problem with the concept is it is by nature restrictive. Which is to say that the concept states that I, a white upper working class British man in his early fifties, should not write about the experience of an African American soldier born in the early 1900’s in the southern states of the US, because I can not know, or speak for, that characters ‘truth…’ Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, reads, writes, writing | Tagged amwriting, amwritingscifi, authors, bookblog, books, reads, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Severn sisters…

Posted on December 30, 2022 by darrack1

Seven is a strange number. According to numerology the number seven represents perfection and is a symbol of eternal life. Seven suggest completeness, there are seven wonders, seven days to the week. It is also the number of change, it is often said that at the age of seven we become complete within ourselves and our true personalities manifest. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pagan, pointless things of wonderfulness, quotes, reads | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, goodreads, newbooks, newfiction, reads, sciencefiction, sureal, urbanfantasy | 1 Comment

Books of the year 2022 edition

Posted on December 7, 2022 by darrack1

As with last year this may be slightly early, as there is a fair chance I’ll read a couple more before the end of the year. (in fact I know I will as there are a couple I am reading … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, publication, reads, sci-fi | Tagged amreading, books, books of the year, fiction, newbooks, newreads, reads, sciencefiction, speculative fiction, steampunk, writerslife | Leave a comment

Rune Rat Rune…

Posted on November 30, 2022 by darrack1

whats a littler mass murder between friends Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, humour, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, reads | Tagged amreading, bookblog, bookreview, books, fantasy, reading, reads, sciencefiction, urbanfantasy, writing | 1 Comment

A special kind of purgatory…

Posted on November 3, 2022 by darrack1

I bought a copy of Barbara Avon’s novella Owl Eyes Motel in a fit of rage spite and with an urge to dress the balance of the universe a little because cretinous arseholes leaving shitty one-star reviews for another human being’s labours of love offends me… Continue reading →