Writing

Transcript of my Interview

As I mentioned recently, I was interviewed on local radio. On Monday, I received the audio file, which I posted. Since then, I’ve used some online software to transcribe the interview. It did an OK-ish job, but I’ve just spent most of the day correcting its grammatical errors, and compensating for the fact that it’s not so hot at detecting various English accents…! So, if you’d prefer to read it than to listen to it, here it is. Fenland Radio Interview with Stephen Oliver and Rob Windal Rob Windal: And it’s time for…Read more

My Interview

You may remember that I mentioned being interviewed last month on Fenland Youth Radio. Their remit is encouraging commitment, determination, hard work, and, most importantly, having fun. Bringing the youth of today and the experienced together to work to provide a smooth and clear radio station for all the community to enjoy (quoting from their website). Well, I got the interview audio file this morning, so I'm posting it here for all to hear. BTW, I've removed the songs because of copyright.Read more

Creativity

Some years ago, I watched a program on daytime TV called The Wright Stuff (Channel 5, UK), which aired between 9:15 and 11:10, Monday to Friday. It was a discussion program with Matthew Wright, the host, and a panel of three guests who talked about what was in the news. It’s since been replaced by Jeremy Vine. One of the topics that morning was whether toys like Lego, selling kits to make specific models, were stifling creativity. I didn’t have much Lego when I was young, but I did own several Meccano kits.…Read more

Creativity and Inspiration

I’ve been a creative person for much of my life, but it’s only recently that I’ve begun to think about what exactly that means. First of all, what is creativity? If you ask a hundred people, you’ll very probably get a hundred different answers, each of which is in complete contrast to the other ninety-nine. It’s not that everybody’s wrong, either. It’s just that, like beauty, creativity’s in the eye of the beholder. Having said that, here’s my take on the subject. First of all, we never create anything out of whole cloth.…Read more

Paranormal City – Due Out Soon!

My first anthology is being published in a couple of weeks. Welcome to the city! There’s hospitality for all here, be you vampire, demon, walking dead, or one of the werepeople. We’ve something for everyone, no matter what your needs or tastes. Listen to some of the tales of those who live here. They’ll tell you this is the greatest city in the world. Oh, and mundanes are also welcome. Just try to fit in. A Devil’s dozen of tales from Paranormal City for your delight… and terror. You can pre-order it here.…Read more

SHEER: A Dark Fantasy Anthology Kindle Edition

Yup, it’s that time again! Another of my short stories has been published in an anthology: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNMV674/ My story is about a young mundane in a magical school, who’s left out of everything because he doesn’t fit in — until one day, he does!Read more

Getting Busy

Things are getting busy around here. I just sent off the contract for my second book, Paranormal City. I'll now have to wait to see what their next steps will be. In the meantime, I received the proofs for my first book, Shuttlers yesterday. So, I'm going to be knee-deep in checking everything out there. However, I won't have to worry about the cover art; they told me that the version I created for myself is fine, and they'll be using it.Read more

Originality

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 the contrary, he said, the music industry was not looking for "the next great thing". Instead, they wanted the previous great thing. When the Beatles hit the scene, every label wanted a band with multiple guitar players. Boy bands were a non-starter until the first one became…Read more

Computer Voices

I've been doing some experimenting recently in connection with a project I am working on. I discovered software that will allow me to enter text to create computer-generated voices. I am thinking of using them to make short training audiobooks. Three of the voices appealed to me for various reasons. One is British, the other two are American with different accents. I have a personal preference, but I would like to know what other people think. To this end, I used the software to create recordings of last month's blog post, "Becoming a…Read more