by StephenOliver | Jul 17, 2021 | My Books, Publishing
“Retsyo”, another of my short stories, will be appearing in the following anthology on the 27th of August, 2021. It will be available at the following links, but you can already pre-order it: Paperback US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098WBJ7XH Paperback UK:...
by StephenOliver | Jul 9, 2021 | My Books, Publishing
Today, my story “Star Truck: A Star Trek Fan Fiction Spoof” was published on Tall Tale TV’s podcast. You can listen to it or read it here. It’s also available here as part of an...
by StephenOliver | Jul 3, 2021 | Other People's Work
This is just a quick post that has nothing to do with me. For all lovers of poetry out there, I’ve just purchased a copy of a book of poetry from a friend of mine. On occasion, when the Whittlesey Wordsmiths get together, we challenge ourselves. We select a theme and...
by StephenOliver | Jun 24, 2021 | My Books, Publishing
My urban fantasy noir short story “Orion” will be published on the 30th of July by Dragon Soul Press. You can find it for pre-order here.
by StephenOliver | Jun 21, 2021 | Publishing, Writing
I complained to my mother the other day because I had just received another raft of rejections and was being ignored by a whole load of other agents and publishers. I’m “only” selling short stories, despite having sent out queries for my dark urban fantasy anthology...
by StephenOliver | Jun 5, 2021 | Publishing, Writing
I’ve decided to talk about two different subjects this time, although they are connected. Anthologies Here’s a strange situation. I’ve written, revised and edited an episodic novel and three anthologies of dark urban fantasy, science fiction and horror, with more than...
by StephenOliver | Apr 18, 2021 | Other People's Work, Publishing, Writing
This is not one of my posts but something I am cross-posting from Edgeverse with their permission. It says something I’ve long suspected and have been saying for some time. I remember reading an interview with Frank Zappa in NME years ago. Despite its claims to...
by StephenOliver | Mar 24, 2021 | Writing
Here are some thoughts I had during a writers’ retreat in May, 2019, but it’s still as true now. “I can’t write because…” Name your problem: space, time, people, inspiration, whatever. I have heard this, seen this, read this, more times than I care to...
by StephenOliver | Mar 14, 2021 | My Books, Publishing
As I’ve promised before, it’s time to talk about rejections. “Rejection” is a harsh word to hear when you’re a writer, even though it’s part of the process. It’s painful to get a rejection because it means that someone doesn’t like your writing for some reason. And it...
by StephenOliver | Feb 17, 2021 | General
Have you come across The Pomodoro Technique [unsolicited plug]? It’s a method of dividing up your work time, to ensure that you work in a concentrated manner in short bursts, a bit like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) for the brain. Basically, you set a timer...
