Dark Clouds

Dark Clouds story cover

As a Hallowe’en treat, I’m reprising here a little story I wrote as an entry in a writing competition about four years ago. The idea was to start with “Shadows crept across the wall.” Extra points were awarded for ending with “everything faded,” and using the word “orange.” This vignette follows the action in Dark […]

Dark Clouds story cover

The Graveyard A few years ago, I published a short story called “The Mandrake Ruse,” which is the first instalment in Dark Clouds, a novel that I would write as a series of episodes or short stories. The story of the witch queen and her son, the only man immune to magic, it became minor […]

Literary genre: haven or prison?

Creative Commons licence.http://moon.com/2014/03/hiking-and-recreation-in-parque-nacional-torres-del-paine/ A little over a year ago, I wrote a post for the Guild of Dreams blog where I wondered about how important it is for a writer to remain within a genre. Now that I have just sent my third manuscript to an editor, I find myself wondering about that again. Without […]

Hallowe’en is coming up fast, and in honour of that auspicious occasion, I’m posting some spooky stories on the next few Sundays.  If you’ve been to this blog before, you’ll recognize Dark Clouds. “The Mandrake Ruse” is the first chapter in what is slowly growing into a complete novel that I hope will cross the […]

Cleaning off winter’s dust

Spring is coming to Ottawa — I can tell because the snow is getting dirty and the birds are starting to chirp (“Hey! We’re freezing out here!”) Photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson, licensed under Wikipedia Creative Commons. A change of season always inspires me to take on new projects, and to resolve to complete […]