Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai

Category Archives: Other


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Why I can’t be a fantasy writer

OK, silly post written on a dare.

Five things I miss for being a true fantasy writer…

a . a photo of myself wielding a sword or other sharp implement, in an unlikely martial pose, looking suitably moody and badass.

b . a tattoo – possibly tribal or featuring something out of the AD&D Monstrous Compendium – splattered somewhere I can display socially.

c . a big collection of heavy metal records, the more obscure the better.

51OwvGjqIBL._SY300_d . a black T-shirt with either a heavy metal band logo or the Jack Daniel’s Old N° 7 label printed on the front

e . goggles
Now being a geologist I actually have a pair of well-worn protective goggles somewhere – you know, to protect my eyes from rock chips when collecting samples. But they tell me they are not the right kind because they don’t come with a top hat.

All in all, as fantasy authors go, I’m a failure.


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A roguish kickstarter

I’ve backed an interesting Kickstarter, yesterday, and I thought I might as well give a shout-out to my readers, becose it’s the sort of thing that might interest you. WP won’t let me share the widget-thingie they do in Kickstarter, so we’ll have to make do with a picture

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The Blackguards anthology features many fine authors, and collects stories dedicated to rogues.
And yes, I’ve a thing for rogues that goes back to my dim and distant D&D days.

So, check it out – it’s worth your money.
There’s still 20 days to go – and the basic 15 bucks slot is just sweet.
Also, if they hit the 24K goal, they are going to give a raise to the authors – that’s something I like quite a lot!


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Being alive

You wanna hear a horror story?
Fine, here goes: yesterday my mother came back from the dead.
It went like this…

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The bank asked my father for a certificate – they asked him to provide legal proof that he’s alive.
It happens.
This being August, and administration offices still being in a state of summer torpor, my father downloaded a standard self-certification form from the web, filled in the blanks, and delivered it by had at the bank.
“Here’s my statement of being alive!” Continue reading →