Revisiting Cinefex (21): The Terminator, Dune

Emerging from a wall of fire on the front cover of Cinefex #21 is the extraordinarily detailed stop-motion cyborg endoskeleton built by Doug Beswick for James Cameron's seminal 1984 science fiction film The Terminator. There's more fictional futurism on the back cover, in the form of the spice harvester from David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (21): The Terminator, Dune

The Many Lives of a Writer – 4

Most people are like cats – they live not just one life, but many. Writers are no exception. Here's what happened when my fourth writing life got underway. Life 4 - Phantom Fiction Sometime in the middle of 2007, my agent Dot Lumley asked me if I fancied writing a crime novel for a book packager. I … Continue reading The Many Lives of a Writer – 4

The Many Lives of a Writer – 3

Most people are like cats – they live not just one life, but many. Writers are no exception. Here's how my third writing life saw everything change. Life 3 - Size Isn't Everything After cutting the cord with Voyager Books, I wrote a dark fantasy novel called Panopticon. The title, inspired by an architectural concept for a … Continue reading The Many Lives of a Writer – 3

Revisiting Cinefex (20): 2010

Gracing the cover of Cinefex #20 is a haunting image of the enigmatic Starchild from Peter Hyams's 1984 film 2010. Visual effects supervisor on the film was Richard Edlund, who had recently left Industrial Light and Magic to take over Douglas Trumbull's EEG facility, soon to become Boss Film Corporation. Here's what Edlund had to … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (20): 2010

The Many Lives of a Writer – 2

Most people are like cats – they live not just one life, but many. Writers are no exception. Here are a few dramatic moments from my second writing life. Life 2 - A Long Way Down One of the ideas I pitched to Voyager Books during my dragon years was a dark fantasy novel about the power … Continue reading The Many Lives of a Writer – 2

“The Hole in the Hive”

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Hucknall National Church of England Primary School, where I gave a presentation about writing to the Year Four children. The main theme of the morning was stories written from an animal's viewpoint. Part of the session was a workshop, during which we wrote a story together about … Continue reading “The Hole in the Hive”

The Many Lives of a Writer – 1

Most people are like cats – they live not just one life, but many. Writers are no exception. Here's how I got started with my first writing life. Life 1 - The Dragon Years My first writing life began in 1992. I was in my late twenties and, after noodling around for years with odd … Continue reading The Many Lives of a Writer – 1

Revisiting Cinefex (19): Gremlins, Buckaroo Banzai, Dreamscape

It's okay to read Cinefex in the bath. The worst that can happen is the pages go crinkly. But you'd better take care with this issue because if you drop it in the water there's no telling what might come out. As if you needed any more clues, the giant close-up of Gizmo on the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (19): Gremlins, Buckaroo Banzai, Dreamscape

Writing a Novel is Like This

Writing a novel is like all these things: Weaving a carpet Hacking out a sculpture from solid marble Juggling scimitars whose blades have been honed to razor-sharp perfection Getting jiggy with someone you love Embarking on a long journey in a foreign land without map or compass Bringing up a child Building a replica of … Continue reading Writing a Novel is Like This

Revisiting Cinefex (18): Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Trek III

The front cover of Cinefex #18 is a real sizzler, showing as it does one of the hapless victims of the ruthless Thuggee cult descending into a lake of fiery lava. The image is one of the many impressive models created by Dennis Muren's team at Industrial Light and Magic for Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (18): Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Trek III