T.W. Iain's Blog, page 5

Explore 200 Free Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books

February might be a short month, but I’ve got a long, long list of free books for you. This promotion contains almost 200 titles, covering almost every type of fantasy and science fiction you can imagine. But don’t hang about‌—‌this offer only runs until the end of the month.

Check out the books by clicking here.

Back to the beginning (another rotation of the spiral) – my first major edit, and why I’m focusing on the opening

What is editing? Ask someone unfamiliar with writing, and they’ll likely say something about correcting grammar and spelling. But editing is so much more. Grammar and spelling checks come right at the end of the process. Before that, we have developmental editing. This deals with the story, with the pacing and the character arcs. It looks at the big picture. There’s no point worrying about commas if the story itself doesn’t yet ‘work’.

I’ve started this stage of editing on my first draft now ...

Explore Free Science Fiction & Fantasy on Kobo+

Looking for new science fiction or fantasy? If you read through Kobo’s subscription service (Kobo+) you can get all the titles in this promotion for free. And if you’re not a Kobo reader, many of the books are free or cheap through other vendors (Amazon, Apple, and so on).

Click here to check out these great books.

A rose by any other name… (My series needs a decent title!)

I can’t keep referring to this new project as ‘my new project’, or even ‘my space-opera project’. It needs a name. It needs a title.

But titles are tricky.

Okay, it’s easy to come up with titles. It’s coming up with good titles that takes work. A good title has to catch the attention. It helps if it’s memorable. And a good title needs to say what the story might offer, either in plot or tone (or both).

Yes, there are exceptions. Trainspotting is about drug addicts in Scotland, isn’t any...

Join the ShadowTech adventure for only 99c

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For a limited period (until Friday), Desert Bound, the first book in my ShadowTech series, is reduced to 99c (or your local equivalent). So if you’re in the mood for some sci-fi action/adventure with found family, alien relics, technology and divided loyalties, get Desert Bound from your favourite ebook retailer now.

Get ‘Desert Bound’ for only 99c!

Join the Dark Sci-Fi Book Giveaway Now

They’re not for everyone, but some of us enjoy the darker side of sci-fi. The future might be some kind of utopia, but there are so many great stories where the future isn’t a happy place.

If you enjoy books that explore darkness in sci-fi, then check out the Dark Sci-Fi promotion for free books. Click here to find out more.

This promotion ends at the end of the month, so don’t hang around.

The Uncovered Consequences Of Technology

Revisiting my previous books leads to a range of emotions. There’s pride (’this is something I created!’). There are moments of surprise (’I’d forgotten how well that twist works!’) But there’s also a vague sense of disappointment.

Yes, I may uncover mistakes (proofreading errors always slip through), but that isn’t what I’m getting at here. As I continue to write, my writing and story-telling improves. And there are moments in those older books that now feel clunky. There are passages (some ...

Kobo Plus: Your Gateway to Free Sci-Fi Books

If you read on Kobo, you might know about Kobo Plus. It’s their subscription service‌—‌pay a monthly fee, and you can read as many books as you want. And there are loads of books in Kobo Plus, including science fiction.

You want some examples? Check out the titles in this promotion‌—‌all free on Kobo Plus. And if you read on other platforms, you can find these books at other retailers too. So take a look, click on the covers that look interesting, and find a great new read for the start of th...

When characters go off-script, and why working doesn’t only mean ‘doing stuff’.

You might’ve heard writers say things like ‘my characters keep on doing things I don’t want them to’, or ‘my characters are always surprising me’. For a long time I thought this was nonsense‌—‌if you’re writing the story, surely you’re in control. Those characters are your inventions. They do what you want them to.

But this happens to me. I’ll be writing, and because of my planning I’ll have a solid idea of where the scene’s going. Then I’ll have a line of dialogue come to me, and before I’m ...

Start the new year in a new world with these free books

How does a free book sound? What about a couple? Or five? More?

This promotion has almost a hundred books, all free. The range across science fiction and fantasy. You can find short stories, novellas, novels, and even collections. There’s something for everyone here.

But don’t cogitate for too long, because this offer disappears at the end of January. So click here to snap up some free fantasy and science fiction, and start your new year exploring new worlds.