Category Archives: sci-fi

Is Steampunk Elitist? A guest Post by Mat McCall

Posted on October 1, 2022 by darrack1

“Why do Steampunks always dress up as wealthy Neo-Victorians? What about the workers and the poor, why don’t Steamers dress up like them?” Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, fiction, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, opinion, quotes, rant, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, guestposts, opinion, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

Numerology and Gargoyles

Posted on August 31, 2022 by darrack1

In the dim distant past, in a more innocent time, before the great pandemic, I was invited to write a story for a new anthology. This was in the Autumn of 2018, before the final draft of the first Hannibal … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, cthulhu, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie, IndieApril, indiewriter, novels, Passing Place, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, newbooks, newfiction, newreads, reads, sciencefiction, scifi, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | 1 Comment

The one in five

Posted on August 22, 2022 by darrack1

This is slightly disingenuous, slightly, but on average one word in every five I write makes it to the printed page. It disingenuous because that figure is probably higher in the case of my novels, and maybe a tad lower … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, fiction, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, amreadingscifi, bookblog, bookreview, books, reading, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

The Joy of Random Things

Posted on August 11, 2022 by darrack1

There is something to be said for a low budget B movie that tried it best to rise above the constraints of budget, hockey writing, less than talented actors and more plot holes than plot to have holes in. Actually … Continue reading →

Posted in cthulhu, horror, humour, mythos, sci-fi, supernatural, Uncategorized | Tagged b movies, bad Bmovies, cthulhu, Lovecraft, movies, reads, writerslife | Leave a comment

Whitby, Witchcraft, and Goth-boots

Posted on July 14, 2022 by darrack1

Whitby, the north Yorkshire coastal town that’s half fishing village, half haven for everything alternative, strange and draped in black crushed velvet. The once quite little harbour below a cliff top abbey first gained a reputation as something more than … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pagan, reads, rites, sci-fi, writes | Tagged amreading, reads, sciencefiction, supernatural, urban fantasy, urbanfantasy, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

Witchcraft and Aether

Posted on July 14, 2022 by darrack1

Sometimes when you start to read a book you get the feeling you have read it before. To be fair in my house there is always a good chance I have read it before, as I reread old books all … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, newbooks, newfiction, newreads, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, steampunk fantasy | Leave a comment

The problem with Eddings

Posted on June 5, 2022 by darrack1

As is often the case my nightstand is looking slightly dishevelled with the number of books currently sprue across it in random piles. This is because, as well as been an eclectic reader in taste, I read eclectically. My life … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, fiction, indie novels, indie writers, novels, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes | Tagged amreading, books, newbooks, newreads, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 2 Comments

Passing Affirmations…

Posted on April 12, 2022 by darrack1

Around three years ago in 2019, which was another age, I was convinced by a force of nature known as C.G Hatton to take my books, stand behind a stall in Scarborough at a Sci-fi convention and pretend that I … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, booksale, depression, fantasy, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, Passing Place, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, Passing Place, reads, sciencefiction, scifiscarbrough, steampunk, writers, writerslife, writing | 3 Comments

You turn you back for one minute…

Posted on April 3, 2022 by darrack1

Honestly, the life of an author… (and yes I am going to be that pretentious, if you chose to read all this at face value.) You go away for the weekend for a commemorative game of golf, drinking, a gig … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, goodreads, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, reads, sci-fi, supernatural | Tagged amreading, books, newbooks, reading, reads, sciencefiction, writers, writerslife | Leave a comment

Evolving Consciousness

Posted on March 29, 2022 by darrack1

‘Cogito, ergo sum‘ ~ Descartes As a pretentious Frenchman once put it, because if you’re use Latin you’re always being pretentious… Though in fairness it was probably less pretentious in 17th century when Latin was the lingau franca of scientific … Continue reading →