Such a shame. I had the good fortune to work with Marcus last year. He was a wonderful performer with an unforgettable voice, but more than that a charming, humble man with a wry smile and a wealth of anecdotes. Never to be forgotten. www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

Perhaps the surest sign of AI not being super intelligent is the amount of tailored scams targeting the finances of authors, which is as rewarding as trying to mug a seagull.

Sam Altman: hey I made a machine that stole literally all your stuff in order to make CSAM of your child actors, sometimes it encourages people to kill themselves Disney: Holy shit here's a billion dollars Altman: the machine loses more than that each week but thank you. Soon it will become god.

Couple of quite wonky days, but a couple of hours with Eliza Carthy piped into the headphones is definitely helping.

In service of a forthcoming project (we'll talk more about that another time) I find myself trying to reconstruct the LEGACY TRILOGY timeline, which I cunningly made almost zero notes about at the time. I don't recommend it as a pastime. #amwriting #amwritingfantasy

Last week I had the pleasure of popping in to the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club (@srfantasyclub.bsky.social ) for a reading and a Q&A. Before that, I had to figure out the right pacing. You can now find the (no spoilers) alternate reading up on Youtube (link in reply).

It'll be time to watch the first episode of THE BOX OF DELIGHTS on DVD tonight. As every year, one episode a week, ending on Christmas Eve... m.imdb.com/title/tt0086...

Last week I had the pleasure of popping in to the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club (@srfantasyclub.bsky.social ) for a reading and a Q&A. Before that, I had to figure out the right pacing. You can now find the (no spoilers) alternate reading up on Youtube (link in reply).

Next author, Matthew Ward ( @thetowerofstars.bsky.social ) with his Legacy trilogy, reading from Legacy of Ash. @allgoodbookshop.co.uk @srfantasyclub.bsky.social

First up is Alastair Reynolds, with his book Halcyon Years, a sci-fi noir featuring Yuri Gagarin. @srfantasyclub.bsky.social @allgoodbookshop.co.uk @thetowerofstars.bsky.social

Excellent. I always thought that V for Vendetta would have been better with more fart jokes and scenes that don't go anywhere.

buying into AI

Looking forward to this. A visit much-delayed (initially by the Covid pandemic).

Really looking forward to the 11th November event, featuring ALASTAIR REYNOLDS and MATTHEW WARD @thetowerofstars.bsky.social Grab a free place at srfcnov2025.eventbrite.com And sign up for our mailing list at srfantasy.club to be first to hear about this sort of thing!

I can't believe I finally get to announce this: Wolfskin, Book 3 in the Common Saga, will be coming out in March 2026. It is, I think, the best thing I've ever written. I've been out of the public and literary consciousness for a while, so any support is appreciated. (pre-order links below)

First Commander night in a while, so… new decks! Some old friends alongside newcomers.

Case in point…

I'm not THIS bad, but I certainly have a few regrets...

Had to go with the other head. I swear you can hear the laugh with this one.

As I was sorting out the shelves earlier, it occurred to me that the plastic parts of this are actually the fault of @runalongwomble.bsky.social and his long ago K1 Robot tempting. Can’t trust him.

Fascinating that after settling a libel case, the production company are able to put out a statement that appears to boil down to "we did nothing wrong, so there". www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

MATTHEW WARD @thetowerofstars.bsky.social will be speaking at SRFC on 11th November! Author of the epic LEGACY fantasy series will read and chat about this and plenty more. Reserve your free spot now: srfcnov2025.eventbri...

My new fee scale.

If you want to scratch that epic fantasy itch, I'm going to recommend two very different but equally outstanding complete series by agency clients. First, the Legacy trilogy by @thetowerofstars.bsky.social , opening with LEGACY OF ASH: www.orbit-books.co.uk/titles/matth...

"The chocolate fireguard, it does nothing!"

Just because technology lets you fix a sloppy handover at the last minute before publication, it doesn't mean that a sloppy handover is acceptable. Why is the last resort so often the first port of call?

Sooner or later, we are all a feast for the ants.

If occurs to me that my relationship with Classic Doctor Who (more correctly known as “#DoctorWho”) has always been changing. I’ve been the kid hiding behind the sofa. The older kid hunting down the novelisations (this stage has not yet ended, to be fair)… 🧵

POV You’re a pedestrian trying to use a zebra crossing in London when tube strikes send all the idiots scrambling for Lime bikes.

POV You’re a pedestrian trying to use a zebra crossing in London when tube strikes send all the idiots scrambling for Lime bikes.

Slightly diminish a book The Lord of the Ring

At last! A Taren Capel #Lego minifigure (if you know, you know). “I had overlooked the possibility of substitution.”

This is about as close to the Holy Grail of Doctor Who novelisations as it gets. One photo. Just one. And then placed far beyond the reach of cats.

This is about as close to the Holy Grail of Doctor Who novelisations as it gets. One photo. Just one. And then placed far beyond the reach of cats.

There’s a guy over on the Other Place feeding Doctor Who production stills into AI and having it animate the gap. I’ve just seen two Yeti run after a dog. Yeti. Run. AI is truly to art what Wikipedia is to wisdom. It has the tools and the facts but it takes more than that.

Thunders Edge: Echoes of Memory by @skullqueen.bsky.social is available now to pre-order. Serving as prequel to the events of the forthcoming #TwilightImperium expansion from @fantasyflightgames.bsky.social, don’t miss this story of survival! books2read.com/TWIThundersE...

How to drive me crazy: make me wait for something that should be simple to resolve. Today, that means: - Waiting for a delivery (1 hour late) - Waiting for documents for a time critical project (5 hours late) - Waiting for an invoice so I know I'm going on holiday next month (1 week late) Yay!

Star Trek heathensim perhaps, but I just don’t “get” Inner Light. It’s perfectly well written, but it feels like a sixties sci-fi short that puts the show on pause for 45 minutes. Not so bad watching as part of a binge, but infuriating if it was that week’s only Trek fix.

On the topic of whether Author A should finish Author B’s story: a) You know how it ends. There was a whole TV show about it. b) Other FINISHED series are available. You don’t have to buy one of mine (though that would be nice). There are loads.

Folks, if you love audiobooks, if you want creators to be able to keep MAKING audiobooks, you're going to have to start... paying for audiobooks. Not subscriptions. Audiobooks themselves. Because Amazon are absolutely intent on paying creators even less. They aren't cheap to make.

We’re getting there. Slowly.

As one does, I have bought an Emotional Support Gowron for the office. When you look into his eyes, anything seems possible.

Fur with an idiot hanging off it.

Trash.

AI content was partially birthed by marketeers too lazy to sell the product they have & instead mask it as a different one that folk will buy with less effort on their part. There is no dividing line between “good but not for you” and “bad” if you don’t make it past the first page/minute/panel. 🧵

“I want to work in video ga—“ Don’t “I wanted to ask you about how to get into narrative des—“ Don’t “I have a job in marketing but I want to switch to games wri—“ Don’t “I’m thinking of switching careers to work in ga—“ Don’t “Do you know a good narrative design cou—“ Don’t

I’m sorry but as a creative you cannot be bending to the whims & will of a demanding audience. Good art will not appeal to everyone & your voice won’t either. It’s supposed to be this way. Anything else runs the real risk of being soulless consumerist drivel. Do yourself the favor & stay true.

Wasn’t what I planned to do today, but the gang’s all here now. #StarWars #Shatterpoint #StarWarsShatterpoint #MaytheForceBeWithYou #minipainter

Serious question: how many TV adverts do we think are now being written by ChatGPT? I’m seeing more and more that only make sense if you don’t actually listen to the words. (This post brought to you courtesy of mainlining The Persuaders and Rising Damp on ITV Retro.)

Today, I *think* that I finally got to grips with a synopsis that’s been bothering me for years. Turns out it’s another “men are awful” plot. But I guess that makes it evergreen. Let’s see if anything comes of it.