Fantastic wolf. The photo’s by Bernard Landgraf, from Wikimedia. It captures the wolf’s alert intelligence. I can understand why shapeshifting has existed as a notion throughout human history. Shamans have long claimed the ability to assume animal shapes. Other stories mention curses or monstrous births. But this new upsurge in interest in shapeshifting stories, even…

Via a link on Dear Author, I just read Jason Pinter’s question on whether an author having an online presence really helps to sell their books. It’s a good question. The epublishing houses want their authors to have a marketing strategy, and this naturally means an online presence. So some people think it works. There…

Restoree is undoubtedly SF romance. Anne McCaffrey builds a strong other-planetry world and civilisation, and a gruesome enemy. A body snatching species, no less. Although I had a few moments of doubt with how readily Sara adapts to her new body and the new planet with its political intrigue, the story romps along at a…

I first heard of biochar as terra preta, the black fertile earth found in parts of the Amazon. I was fascinated that charcoal could make such a difference to soil productivity. The question then is can we translate this knowledge to a practical methodology for Australia, converting farm and household organic waste into field improving…

Writing for a few years doesn’t make me a writing expert, but it has given me a little distance and perspective on my own work. Now, I can see some of the flaws in my style. In fiction, I overuse the characters’ names. The reader doesn’t have to be hit over the head with whose…