Marc Aplin's Blog, page 171
August 17, 2015
Does Size Matter In Epic Fantasy?
This year I decided to do something crazy—compete in an online writing contest called Pitch Wars. Run by the wonderful Brenda Drake, this is where unpublished writers query a selection of ‘mentors’ (published writers, agents, editors, etc.), for the chance to get some professional help on their manuscripts one-on-one, before pitching the polished work to […]
August 16, 2015
Killing Pretty by Richard Kadrey
Seven books in, Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series continues to have its hooks in me. Killing Pretty—the latest entry—was released at the end of July and I plowed through it in a mere two days. The further adventures of James Stark and his merry band of supernatural misfits have become annual appointment reading, on par […]
August 15, 2015
When The Dust Settles
While attending this year’s Nine Worlds convention I went to a session titled “How To Win The 21st Century,” which talked about games as a dominant cultural medium. This and many other talks at the convention highlighted the growing power and popularity of entertainment forms that had previously been regulated to “things geeks did.” Now […]
August 14, 2015
Writing Fight Scenes – What an Editor Wants to See
1. NOT JUST FIGHTING An action scene is a scene, right, where action is happening, right, hence the name “action scene”. As opposed to a “sitting down having a cup of tea and a nice chat” scene. It doesn’t just mean fighting. It can also mean running, climbing, swimming, wrestling, having sex etc. If it’s […]
September’s Newsletter
Dear Fantasy Factioner, Another incredible month here at Fantasy-Faction HQ. We’ve not only had our usual array of awesome articles and reviews, but also a noteworthy discussion on Self-Publishing that set Twitter ablaze. Oh, and you may remember that last month I invited you to join our Facebook Group that we’d just started… Well, as […]
August 13, 2015
Demon Road by Derek Landy
Derek Landy’s new novel is just as exciting, just as break-neck and just as addictive as his wildly successful Skulduggery Pleasant series. I tore through those books because I loved the characters and in Demon Road, we have a brand new set, some of whom will seem reassuringly familiar to Skulduggery fans. Amber is sixteen, […]
August 12, 2015
The Lowdown on REALMWALKER PUBLISHING…
Following the awesome response to my article on beginner writers choosing to Self Publish, we’re having a bit of a ‘means of publishing your work’ month on Fantasy-Faction. A piece of this will be my follow up article where I talk about when Self Publishing is probably more sensible than seeking the Traditional route and where […]
August 11, 2015
The Romance of Fantasy
Romance isn’t a word that we usually think of as being inseparable from fantasy; some people enjoy love stories with their fantasy and others vehemently object to them. But romance is not simply about love as it is represented in the modern romance genre. Look up romance in the dictionary and you will find a […]
Gemmell Award Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2014/2015 David Gemmell Awards. Although I wasn’t able to make it this year, I’m told the evening – hosted at Nine Worlds Geekfest – was absolutely awesome. Here’s a reminded of who picked up what: RAVENHEART AWARD (Best cover art) Sam Green for Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson […]
August 10, 2015
I Hate Info-Dumps
You’ve all thought it, haven’t you? Come on, be honest. You’ve had that heart sinking moment when you are reading a book and a new character appears in the narrative and… She crashed through the window. Shards of glass and splinters of wood scattered across the floor of the Dog and Duck Inn. The customers […]
