Psychological horror is the subgenre I appeal to the most. It’s always blended into what I write. It’s the core of REFLECTIONS, an #InteractiveFiction novelette. A man sitting in darkness, talking... and you, listening. Controlling what part of his past you unravel. 1/7

STATIC SIGNAL, LIVING LEGACY. Politics. Knowledge. War. Same themes, genre: near-future sci-fi. 1/2

Two sci-fi stories: ➡️ One near-future and set in Australia, ➡️ The other far-future and following a sentient robot. Same themes as my other works—conflict, war, progress—and one key detail: they’re both #InteractiveFiction stories, published in Unearthed Stories. Let me tell you about them. 1/8

There is no piece of writing advice more frequently repeated than "show, don't tell"... yet it often comes with surprisingly little discussion of how it actually works. The truth is this: "Show don't tell" is not *a* technique, but a cumulative effect. 1/2

Do you know I write across genres? Sci-fi (near and far future). Fantasy Horror. Cosy (yes, indeed). A psychological dungeon-crawler/escape room novel. And here’s the twist: many are text-based #InteractiveFiction. Let me tell you about it 👀 1/7

He commands the shadows to tell a tale. It may not be real… or it may be just too ancient. The one listening to it cannot say. 1/2

This weekend I’ll be back as a panelist at WriteHive’s conference, discussing: ➡️Unreliable narrators (common in my writing), and ➡️Political writing—which is another of my favourite topics. The conference is online and free to attend. You can register and attend here: writehive.org/writehive-a...

A myth. The origin of the alchemists in RECORDS OF THE ORDERS. Told by a Storyteller who moves shadows while he speaks. But how much of it is real? 👇🏻 1/5

What is humanity in the first place? That’s the question cyberpunk explores. So much more than “high-tech, low-life” and so pertinent to the times we live in. Join me in conversation with @trnapper.bsky.social, Dr of Cyberpunk and award-winning author. 1/2

Two more influences: Jorge Luis Borges and Gene Wolfe. Worth noting: Wolfe was a devoted admirer of Borges. I only noticed I'd followed the same lineage after the fact—which is perhaps how influence really works. 1/7

From my cyberpunk short-story, THE BLUE DOOR: Lyon always comes back to his son. But at what cost? 1/2

“Write short, easy sentences” is common writing advice… yet many of the most celebrated writers use long, winding sentences to extraordinary effect. So: is the advice wrong? 1/2

Philip K. Dick. A mad genius. I encountered his work a few years ago and it blew my mind. Granted, I've not loved every book (Martian Time-Slip, anyone?) but that's always the exception. There's something of him in my writing. 1/4

What actually changes when a story moves from omniscient narration to close third-person—or all the way into first person? My latest essay from the “wide shot” of omniscient narration to fully “handing off” the camera to the character. It includes three detailed examples from classic sci-fi. 1/2

The first speculative fiction book I picked up was #Dune. I was 12. I'd seen parts of the Lynch film and wanted to try the book. The copy was well-worn; a translation. I re-read it recently (decades later!) and it remains an influence. 1/6

Non-fiction. I love it. Not of any type, no. War history, political theory—and then psychology, philosophy. More than once I’ve squeaked after finding a second-hand copy of a hard-to-find book (Hannah Arendt, anyone?). These books have influenced my writing the most. 1/5

The bookish need to drop everything I'm doing (and have to finish) to rush to a second-hand bookstore before they close for the day.

Is morality something we do, or something we tell ourselves we've done? Here are two unlike books circling this question from different angles: The Road by #McCarthy and The Shape of The Sword by #Borges. 1/2

Who am I? A writer, yes. But I’ve been a reader for far longer. The first books I picked up were random and based on the titles on the spines. Did it sound catchy? I picked it up—whether it was fiction, non-fiction, or even comics. Old books all of them. 1/5

This year I’m back as a panelist in Write Hive’s conference, discussing: - Unreliable narrators (a regular topic in booksundone.com), and - Political writing—which I’ve also discussed in Books Undone, both in podcast format and as essays. 1/2

THE ECHOES OF YORE is out in the world now. A story about fractured minds, eldritch curiosity, and the side-effects it brings. So for now, I want to share something different 👀👇🏻 1/4

When perception fractures, the mind becomes its own labyrinth. "Mind-rot, a curse, a sign of the Spirits. Whatever it is. Trace it." 👀👇🏻 1/2

“Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture.” Anthony Burgess nailed one truth: a translator’s job requires far more than simply converting words from one language onto another. Why? Let’s chat. 1/4

RECORDS OF THE ORDERS is now available wide! ➡️ Two prequel novellas: THE GENESIS OF CHANGE and THE ECHOES OF YORE ➡️ And the first book in the main series: THE OMENS OF WAR 1/3

THE HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector. An emotionally devastating tale of poverty—outward and inward—layered with a quest for meaning and a fictional writer who, through his character, unwillingly seeks to understand a life too unlike his own. My review: www.booksundone.com/p/review-th...

RECORDS OF THE ORDERS is a genre-blender. ➡️Military dark fantasy. ➡️Theory-backed political intrigue. ➡️Philosophical questioning. ➡️Psychological horror. ➡️Alchemists that defy what readers expect from cosmic horror. How does everything fit? 🤔 1/8

“Write in a single tense and grammatical person,” most writing advice would say. And yet some authors will simply switch from third-person to second-person. #CormacMcCarthy did it a few times in The Road. 1/4

Most people can trust what they feel. Fear means danger. Worry points to a real concern. An itch on your arm? Probably a mosquito. Your body and mind align with present reality. But that's not true for everyone. 👇🏻 1/8

We humans destroy what we do not understand. Whatever it is. At whatever cost. We destroy. 1/2

What makes a book… speculative? One answer lies in a device called ‘literalised metaphors’. Let’s chat 👇🏻 1/4

What is reality when your mind distorts what you perceive? This is the question at the heart of THE ECHOES OF YORE Let me explain. 👇🏻 1/7

THE ECHOES OF YORE released yesterday. To everyone who preordered, who engaged with the threads, who followed my #philosophical tangents: thank you. I can’t wait to hear what unreality you land upon! 1/3

THE ECHOES OF YORE is now out. A #philosophical #horror novella exploring what happens when reality and unreality blend into a single experience. For those who dare. 1/2

We tend to think of unreliable narrators as characters who willfully lie, misdirect, or withhold information from the reader. But that's a narrow definition. In THE ECHOES OF YORE, the unreliability runs far deeper. Let’s chat 👇🏻 1/7

There is more than body horror in #TenderIsTheFlesh. Something more unsettling 👀😱 1/2

RECORDS OF THE ORDERS is not a traditional series with a single sequential story moving forward. It's a universe. Expansive. Interconnected. Built on the idea that no character—human or otherwise—exists in isolation. Let me explain how THE ECHOES OF YORE fits. 👇🏻 1/8

Some battles don’t stay in the past. They haunt you, no matter when you are. 1/2

A Canticle for Leibowitz. A devastating post-apocalyptic novel that remains current because of its central theme: humanity’s own nature. It covers our insatiable need for war and conflict, and how we bury the past instead of learning from it. Full review: www.booksundone.com/p/book-revi...

What if your mind couldn't distinguish between memory and reality? What if the past didn't stay in the past, but bled into the present, indistinguishable from what's happening now? That's the foundation of THE ECHOES OF YORE Let me explain👇🏻 1/8

Three veterans. Three journeys. One alchemist in pursuit of knowledge. Three lifetimes of war and death now haunted by THE ECHOES OF YORE. 1/3

Three veterans. Three journeys. One alchemist in pursuit of knowledge. Three lifetimes of war and death now haunted by THE ECHOES OF YORE. 1/3

I have just seen some posts in my timeline about #Dune. That compelled me to clarify this (see image):

Reality. Unreality. What if both are true? #WeirdLit 1/3

Lyra isn't the only one falling into the darkness. The Alchemists of The Orders are returning. 1/3

The first line of a book is not memorable on its own. It is memorable because everything that follows makes it meaningful. Let me show you one example 👇🏻🤯 1/4

For the past month, we've been living in Lyra's world—in the bookshelves, among the fractured ceramic and the unheard survivors. Thank you for stepping into that story with me. 1/3

DANCE WITH ME is now wide! Kobo, Apple Books, Everand and more—in ebook, paperback, and audiobook (narrated by the incredibly talented Alison Phoenix). 1/2

When you started writing, one rule was probably drilled into you: every new speaker must have their own line of dialogue. But as we know, there are no real ‘rules’ in creative writing, only guidelines that may be broken or disregarded when doing so conveys meaning. 1/4

"There is a smile, and I keep it on while plunging towards the floor." This is the moment Lyra breaks. ( SOUND ON ) 1/2

DANCE WITH ME did not start as a book, but as #InteractiveFiction. Interactive fiction: books where *you*—the reader—are in control of the choices. So Lyra’s falls are not just hers… but yours as well. 1/6