Girl Power and the She-cession
I once had a look at my visitors and was pleasantly surprised to discover that most of them are women. I say pleasantly because, as the father of an, ahem, energetic 4-year-old girl, I know all about girl power. Nothing pleases me more than seeing women succeed (okay,...
The Future of Barnes and Nobles
The Passive Guy recently shared a post by Jane Friedman on the future of Barnes & Noble; a topic you may remember from my earlier post, "How Amazon Destroyed Barnes & Noble." Quite frankly, Jane's post made me sad. The latest chairman, James Daunt, is credited...
Ancient Travels
I came across an interesting question on Quora the other day: What was the approximate travel time between London and Rome in the 13th century? As Frank Melling, author of "A Sixpence in the Settee," points out, this is not a simple question to answer, as it depends...
The Problems with Publishing
Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch recently shared a must-read post about today's state of publishing, aptly titled Trainwreck, Fall Edition. As she explains, she tried in June to order a copy of a book she liked for her sister. However, she wouldn’t get the book until...
Free Online Character Name Generators
I have an unusual relationship with character names, probably because I have such a poor memory (as Electra likes to point out). Quite frankly, I don't particularly like the process of coming up with names. As the saying goes, you don't know how many people you...
Unknown Medieval Weapons
Everyone's heard of swords and spears. But how about the Goedendag, the Ahlspiess, or the Hussite flail? If you write historical fiction, you may appreciate this opportunity to spice up your weapons, courtesy of Quora. The Goedendag Essentially, the Goedendag (Dutch...
How Fiction Can Inspire Business Writing
Business writing includes memos, reports, proposals, emails, and a variety of other business-related written materials. It usually gets pretty bad press among both readers and writers. It is seen as boring and tedious, making for dreary reading - and even worse...
Remembering 9/11
Every year, this is a post I wish I didn't have to write. Will the pain ever fade?
How to Make the Best Choice of Ghostwriting Services
Besides my freelance SEO copywriting, I have ghostwritten a book, which is awaiting publication (more on that soon!). Anyone interested in this line of work should send their potential clients to this article to ensure a good collaboration. Written from the point of...
100+ Internet Statistics And Facts
The team at Hostingclues has created an exhaustive snapshot of the state of the Internet today. It contains over a hundred facts and statistics to create an impressive Infographic. For anyone using the Internet, it makes for fascinating reading! Key numbers Some key...
Dormice and Other Ancient Delicacies
I have a confession: besides writing, I love cooking and I love food. Perhaps that explains why the parts I enjoy most in fantasy or historical fiction books concern the little things - things like food and drink. What kind of dinner do the protagonists enjoy, given...
What Does Fantasy Get Wrong about Medieval Warfare?
Largely thanks to Tolkien, the fantasy genre consists basically of how we imagine the Medieval times. Readers of this blog will know of my many articles on the Middle Ages and my keen interest in historical accuracy. In the interest of improving our (fantasy) writing,...