Have you ever wanted to be just like your idol, but didn’t think you had what it takes? Do you get trapped thinking everyone had their shit together better than you? Everyone is beating you in this game of life? Well I think I might have unlocked their secret. It’s funny how often people say… View more
Have you ever not started something because you were afraid you would fail? Declared something too hard before you made an attempt? Thought to yourself, “this date would be perfect if…” Driven your friends crazy trying to find the best seat, the most balanced meal, the ultimate sound-track? Spent so much time trying to get… View more
I love my Wicce novels. If you have followed me here from my old blog, you’ll know I didn’t start out writing urban fantasy. Tir Rhaycorda Forsaken, my darling, is a massive epic set on a made up world, and I came to Namesakes looking for a project I could complete while the goddesses were… View more
As the LGBTQ+ community gains rights and acceptance in the Western world, there is an increasing number of books, films, etc. being criticized for queerbaiting. Along with queerbaiting, though, there is a related concept called queer coding. These two often overlap, but they are not the same. As stated by the LGBT Fiction Guide wiki, “[q]ueer coding… View more
I try to put actual content into these blogs, but sometimes—like today—this is my diary. A record that I can look back on, and a way to get everything I’ve learned straight. I need that, particularly after four days at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SiWC). Thursday TI only took one masterclass on Thursday, and… View more
They never told us that black is beautiful Chronixx When I was a young boy, I noticed something. I was a huge fan of fantasy, which has stayed with me to this day. Anime, movies, TV shows, novels, I devoured them all. I don’t remember when, but I eventually realised almost none of the characters… View more
The fantasy genre, though very well loved by the readers who enjoy it, is often looked down upon in many high-class literary circles. This is because it is viewed as shallow stories of magic and monsters, ones that lack the depth and real world criticism found in more literary types of work; however, anyone who… View more
I don’t generally write posts about writing, namely because writers aren’t my target audience, but I think this is a subject that can cross over into other fields so I’m going to have at it anyway. This is on my mind because not only have I done a lot of ALPHA reading and offered a slew… View more
Sometimes I look at Tir Rhaycorda, the fantasy world I created, and I think it’s too big for me. I can’t possibly tie up all these sub-plots, fill in all the plot holes and create a satisfying ending. How can I keep their different seasons and way of measuring time straight in my own head… View more
On the surface, there are two types of writers: Planners and Pantsers (people who fly by the seat of their pants.) Like anything, it’s more complicated than that once you dig in, but they are two nice little boxes with which to catagorise people, and we’re going to run with that for the sake of… View more
