Chapter Five: The hall had been built inwards to his specifications. A high ceiling, invisible overhead, made the space feel claustrophobic while his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The walls were only a metre and a half apart, made of frosted black glass that stretched from the floor to the roof. Ahead, he… Continue reading
Chapter Four: It took Quinn two hours to get ready for the show. Stevie helped to arrange her mousy-brown hair, curling it into wide waves that touched her shoulders and bounced when she walked. She had bought four dresses for the event, unsure which one would best suit the weather or her mood, and Stevie… Continue reading
Chapter Three: Tokyo was nothing if not busy. The two girls spent their first few days navigating coloured trains that ferried them about the immense metropolis. Quinn had her photo taken, instantly uploaded to her social profile, at the foot of the Gundam statue in Odaiba. She was dressed in a new wardrobe of Japanese… Continue reading
Chapter Two: A full moon illuminated the landscape around Narita Airport as the plane came in to land, its solitary eye gazing through the cloudless night on trees and planes and asphalt. The flight had been smooth and uneventful – eight hours direct from the sunshine state; Queensland, Australia. For as long as she could… Continue reading
Chapter One: A dull flash lit up the city streets – a strobe of light passing over every surface like the piercing illumination of a flat-bed scanner from the nineties. Behind him, in the reflection of the window, the phone began to ring. The sound filled the studio apartment with the chiptunes madness that came… Continue reading
So this is a slightly blurred version of the mind map I used for Book I: At some point the colours were meant to mean something, but I lost track of the purpose and I just tried to be semi-consistent in my palette. (There’s actually a second map for book one that is just a… Continue reading
I read because books take me places that I can’t physically go and they show me things that might never even exist. I read because I like meeting new people especially when I don’t have to think about what to say next. I like learning about their lives and their families and their vices –… Continue reading
It was important to me when constructing the story of Light’s Shadow that no single character would have direct connections with every other member of the central cast. I wanted the reader to wonder how they would connect – and whether they would at all. I guess, the reason for this was that while Exodus… Continue reading
Years ago, shortly after I’d read the original Dune series and the Hyperion Cantos, I decided that I wanted to write Science Fiction. I’d always loved science fiction: the idea of space and discovery, futuristic weapons and transport, aliens and new mysteries – what’s not to love? And there’s nothing like reading the absolute pinnacles… Continue reading
Becoming attached. I don’t really know how other writers develop characters. I say this not in the sense that I have ‘no idea’, but rather in that I haven’t specifically looked into methods and approaches. I’m sure that there are a wealth of styles and work-ethics out there. I imagine that people do all sorts… Continue reading