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Archives for June, 2018
Yngvild and Noren – Editing my 2016 NaNoWriMo Novel
Working cover for Noren the Strong, my 2016 NaNoWriMo entry (image: James Kemp) At the end of May I went back to my 2016 NaNoWriMo novel, having left it in the early hours of December 2016. After a gap of 18 months I figured that I would have the detachment from it necessary to give it a good edit. Reading my 2016 NaNoWriMo novel It stood up pretty well on my first read through. I spotted many typos, and highlighted bits to re-write. But for the most part it got left alone on this read through because it was better than I'd expected. I'll do more with it as I find time, mostly when waiting for trains, or traveling. The main things that I noticed that I need to fix are: It needs a new title. The first six scenes…
The Denounced: A Grey Sun by S.J. Sherwood [Book Review]
The Denounced: A Grey Sun by Sherwood My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Denounced is a dystopian future that reminded me of Divergent and the Hunger Games. The Denounced is its own story, and once I started it I just wanted to read to the end to find out what happened. The author does really well at hooking you in and setting up questions for you to wonder about and want to zip through the story to find the answers. The Denounced: A Grey Sun The point of view character in The Denounced is Ned, he's an orphan who has been in the system since his parents died when he was seven. His entire aim has been to live in the shadows and become free at the age of 18. Unfortunately he's denounced anonymously and sentenced to death by…
Southwold Lighthouse – Writer’s Guide
During the half-term week I had a tour of Southwold Lighthouse, and there were a lot of interesting facts that I thought were worth capturing in case I ever want to write a story featuring a lighthouse. So here they are. Southwold Lighthouse Southwold Lighthouse is a late nineteenth century lighthouse, one of the later ones built on the East coast of England. It was deliberately built inland, on top of a hill right on the Northern edge of the town of Southwold. Of course it's now in the middle of town, opposite the Adnam's brewery. With the lighthouse automated there's no documentation. (Photo: James Kemp) The lighthouse started with an oil burning lamp, which was upgraded to electricity in the early 20th century. In the early 21st century it has been upgraded to using LED lights and fully automated…
Unbroken Fire by Anne Wheeler [Book Review]
Unbroken Fire by Anne Wheeler My rating: 5 of 5 stars Unbroken Fire is the sequel to the awesome Asrian Skies by Anne Wheeler. You really need to read Asrian Skies before embarking on Unbroken Fire. It's not that Unbroken Fire won't be a great read, but that Asrian Skies is too, and it's way better if you read them in the correct order! In my review of Asrian Skies I compared Anne Wheeler to Ann Leckie and Elizabeth Bear. This sequel is even better than the first one, and I stand by that comparison. Anne Wheeler is a really talented author, and she crafts amazing multi-dimensional stories with multiple twists. Following on from the events of Asrian Skies, Unbroken Fire follows Avery Rendon in her quest to free her home planet of Asria from the invading Haedarans. The title's…