I do all the cooking at my house. All of it. Unless I’m really ill, my wife never goes near the kitchen utensils. Even if it’s a quick snack or a bowl of cereal, that’s my job, not hers. My wife is the better cook, I have to admit, but it’s part of our agreement…
As generative AI gets better at writing, my fellow writers are getting more stressed about their careers and their craft. On the one hand, they are starting to acknowledge that some AI models can write quite well (but the work is still “derivative” or still lacks that “magical” human spark). On the other hand, they…
I feel I really ought to be doing something to try to sell my books. Unfortunately, it’s barely a year since I last posted about my books (you remember, All the Novels, from Nov. 2023) so regular readers may feel a bit badgered. However, I do have two new books out since that last post,…
We Can All See It It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them. The quote above is from US Senator Bernie Sanders, explaining why he thinks the Democratic Party lost the recent US election. Here’s another quote, this…
Ah, the open fire, the unsung hero of the perfect Friday evening. There’s something almost magical about sitting outside as the week’s worries drain away faster than wine in a goon bag. It’s the original social network, where stories are shared, and the warmth is not just from the flames but the company. Picture this:…
To celebrate the launch of my newest novel in the Luke Kelly Crime Stories series, I’ll be offering the first book of the series at just US$2.99 in a Kobo promotion throughout the whole month of July (e-book only). Read about Bright City Deep Shadows on my website then visit the Kobo site to buy…
Bright City Cold Blood, the new Luke Kelly crime novel, is now in print (and available as an ebook). Get it at your favourite online book store. As the blurb says… Luke Kelly was out of the game. His days of hunting murderers as a private detective were over. He’d had one too many brushes…
Australia’s Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, is drafting hate speech laws that will impose criminal penalties for vilification based on a person’s race, sexuality, gender, disability or religion. While I agree broadly that this is needed, there is a massive flaw in the argument that religion should be included with the rest. My position is this: race,…
When Bertie died The angels bowed their golden heads And mighty gums in the forest Dropped their leaves in sorrow When Bertie died The skies rained bitter tears And the magpies in the garden Sang a long and mournful song. But I tell a lie. There are no angels And the mighty gums…
I was challenged to write a sci-fi novel about a Dyson sphere. I wanted to – so much! – but I said I couldn’t because I’d need to do months of research first. But, once that virus had entered my brain, there was no way I could get rid of it. My mind became full…
