Dave Higgins's Blog, page 119

Absent Souls by Dylan S Hearn

In this sequel to Second Chance, Hearn has produced another post-cyberpunk tale that very definitely puts substance over style. While it does not skimp on interesting technology and racing action, this work runs on character not tech-porn. As this is … Continue reading →

State of Growth

Today I present for your delectation, the print cover for State. Technical gubbins by the talented Rodolphe Bessey. Hopefully, having learnt from my issues with the paperback of An Unquiet Calm, this will all go smoothly.

Seek Out the Alien Within

One of the best things about writing Greenstar is having the freedom to design amusing, scary, or just plain odd aliens, and Simon and I thought you might enjoy it too. So we are holding a competition to design an … Continue reading →

Garden of Eden by Allen Taylor (ed.)

Applying only the rule that stories must feature at least one significant reference – however altered – to the Christian myth of the Garden of Eden, Taylor has assembled a collection of works that span genre and style. Gathering ten … Continue reading →

Anti-Bullying Week

It is Anti-Bullying Week in the United Kingdom. I am against bullying, but don’t directly interact with many targets of bullying. So, in case anyone in my audience is facing bullying or knows someone who is, I have decided to … Continue reading →

The The Impotence of Proofreading

I have spent several hours obsessing over obscure typesetting issues for the paperback edition of State. So I thought I would share an amusing monologue on presenting prose. I couldn’t pick just one favourite, so I have decided to share … Continue reading →

Inspiration: State

My series of posts on the inspiration behind State ends with the eponymous story. There may be spoilers ahead. I suspect no one will be shocked to hear one major influence was the Berlin Wall. The immediate plot was drawn … Continue reading →

Green Lions by Simon Rogghe and Zarina Zabrisky

Avoiding both making words their tool and the rules of writing their master, Rogghe and Zabrisky enfold language as a co-conspirator in their poetic egg. Merging the radical collaboration of the early surrealists with the entirely personal secrets of alchemy, … Continue reading →

Inspiration: Fair Shares

Today I share the inspiration behind ‘Fair Shares’, the fourth story in State. There may be spoilers ahead. ‘Fair Shares’ started life in response to the flash-fiction prompt ‘Restitution’, and was a deliberate attempt to write a war story. While … Continue reading →

Inspiration: Crest of a Wave

Day three of my inspirations behind State series, brings us to ‘Crest of a Wave’. There may be spoilers ahead. This story grew from a collision of Warhammer 40K and Babylon 5. For those of you not familiar with 40K, … Continue reading →