The SpeckLit Years
There have been two important people on my path to writing short fiction. I’ve talked about one of them, Janet Reid, many times. The other person, I don’t know as much about: Alex F. Fayle.
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
writer’s life
Family, Tau Ceti, writer's life
TAU CETI: THe UNIQUE FIRST EDITION from 2014
My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. As much as she had become a fan of my writing, I knew there was a good chance that by the time I actually finished and published TAU CETI, it would be too late for her to appreciate or understand.
Creativity, Tau Ceti, writer's life, Writing
Strategies to Fix a Broken Story
There’s four different ideas that I’ve picked up in writing courses, in interactions with other writers, and on the advice of a literary agent.
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
Author Brand Identity (Updated 2026)
NOTE: This post was originally published on July 1, 2021. I’ve added an update on my thoughts about author branding
Creativity, writer's life
The Evolution of a Cover
I am a creative person. I’ve always had creative impulses, and I continually tinker with my creations.
writer's life
The Luxembourg Incident
From what I’m seeing on Canadian social media, we seem to have returned to a time when American tourists in Europe are trying to pass themselves off as Canadians. This was prevalent during my first trip to Europe, in 1989.
Creativity, Tau Ceti, writer's life, Writing
Tau Ceti: Cover Reveal and History
Tau Ceti, my first full-length novel is finally seeing the light of day. “Finally” is carrying a lot of weight here, because there’s a long story to tell.
writer's life
Short Story: The Wager
“Professor Cranston, I’m surprised to see you here today. Come to settle your wager like an honourable man?” One of the yellow journalists called out from the sidewalk. Cranston patted a fat envelope in the breast pocket of his vest and nodded.
Creativity, writer's life, Writing
Author’s Notes: The “Why” behind a story
The stories that I’m most proud of are the ones that have been written for a specific reason beyond “hey, here’s an idea.” As part of my writer’s journey, I’ve been gathering my thoughts on what inspired those stories.
writer's life
The Deacon Carver Chronicles – Origins of Character Names
I thought it might be time to start sharing a bit of this universe, where it’s going and who’s taking you there. And I thought it’d be fun to start with character names.