Plymouth Writer's Group Anthology

Hi all,

The writer's group that I'm part of, Plymouth Writer's Group, is launching submissions for a brand new anthology! Check out more details here: PWG website.

For any writers out there that are interested, submissions opened February 14th 2026 and closes 14th May 2026. If you're sixteen or over, feel free to submit your piece!

The theme of the anthology is Endangered Species. Pick any species you like, as long as it hasn't been taken by any of our members. Please all make sure you read the submission guidelines carefully before submitting your work.

My species for this anthology is the Snow Leopard, my favourite animal! My story, The Fire Leopard, will be featured in this anthology.

If you're interested, make sure you check out the anthology and submit any stories you think might fit! Here’s the link one more time for those interested: PWG anthology.

That's it for this week, see you next Sunday. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles, all books are free to download!

Free Science Fiction / Fantasy Stories - March 2026

FREE Fantasy & Paranormal

Round Robin Stories Volume Four

Hi all,

This week I'm going to let you know how you can get an anthology that I've participated in! It's another one from Strong Women, Strange Worlds. It's the next one in their Round Robin Stories collection. This one is volume four.

This time I helped write two stories, which was extra fun! The stories in this volume are:

Family Time

The Guidance of Pigeons

Comms Down

The Mermaid's Curse

I helped write The Guidance of Pigeons and Comms Down. Last year I wrote a fantasy story, but this year I got to help with two Sci-Fi ones! It was a nice change and a genre that I probably write the least in. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to work on both stories and bring both stories to life.

If you would like to read this anthology, you’ll need to sign up to my mailing list, which you can do by clicking here. I’ll be sending out the anthology as a thank you to all my subscribers on March 1st, so make sure you’re signed up before then! In the meantime, you’ll get access to five FREE enovellas based on my books! Sign up here.

This was an amazing opportunity thanks to Strong Women, Strange Worlds. I would really recommend checking them out if you’re looking for new books to read.

That's it for this week, if you check out the anthology, I hope you enjoy it! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to support indie authors by checking out this promo:

Support Indie Authors

What I Would Tell a Child That Wants to be an Author

Hi all,

This week, I'm going to talk about children who want to be authors when they grow up. I thought I'd hand out a bit of advice for any teenagers out there who feel the pull to write books.

Practice often.

Even if it's short stories, flash fiction or fanfiction, just write. The more you write, the more your style will develop. You'll also get a good feel of what genres and stories you want to write. I started out writing stories about cats when I was younger.

Read.

Reading is a great way to learn other writing styles and pick up on new words. It doesn't have to be in the genre you want to write in.

Get feedback.

I used to write Warrior Cats fanfiction and it was a great way to get feedback on my writing from my peers. I'd highly recommend writing fanfiction as you'll meet a lot of people who already enjoy what you read and will want more of it. If you don't want to do that, you can ask family or friends about your writing. But they might not give you any negative feedback, so keep that in mind.

Research publication methods.

Look into how they published. Did they self publish or go through a publisher? Do you want to publish your own work or attempt to get through the slush pile of agents? Each method has its pros and cons, you just need to look into which will be better for you.

Write on the side.

Don't attempt to make writing your full-time job straight away. Especially if you're self-publishing, you'll need funds for editors, cover designers, ads etc. So I would recommend getting a full-time job and treat writing as a hobby until you earn enough to live off your book money.

Don't give up.

It can be daunting when you're first starting. There are so many hurdles to jump through and success still isn't guaranteed. A lot of the time you will feel like giving up. But persevere. If this what you want, then you have to make it happen.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

Four Original Standalones Completed!

Hi all,

This blog post is a celebratory one! The four standalone books that I originally first came up with years ago are now all drafted! These are:

Street Rats

Game of Air and Lightning

The Severed Pantheon

Cloud's Core

Years ago I put up polls asking for my readers to vote which book they'd like me to write first. Street Rats won, which took a few years to complete due to my depression, but I eventually got it done.

Game of Air and Lightning and Cloud's Core were featured in my cat competition last year, and both cute winners are included in their respective books.

The Severed Pantheon was one of my writing projects from 2025 which was drafted in a month.

It feels so good to get all of these books done finally. But at the same time I'm sad to move them out of my ideas folder. They've been there so long that it felt wrong to move them all into my completed folder.

I'm hoping to fill up my ideas folder again this year, with hopefully some more standalones to add to it.

The next standalone book that I'm hoping to write will be a horror one, which I will either write in either March or July this year.

Although I like writing a series, I find that switching to a standalone is a good palate cleanser. I feel refreshed going back into a series after writing a standalone book in a completely different universe. You can dive into the head of a different character and their experiences, rather than one that feels familiar because of a series. It's exciting and I love expanding on the world for another book that I've never written before.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

My 2026 Writing Goals

Hi all,

As this is the first blog post of 2026, it's time for my goals for 2026!

Write three books.

This year I'm going to write three books, and I want to get the remaining books in the Original Elementals series done. I haven't decided whether I'll write those first or if I'll get a standalone done first, you'll have to wait and see!

Finish writing the Original Elementals series.

This series has been ongoing for a while and I want to get it finished this year. I've got other books planned in the Elemental Dragons universe as well, though once Original Elementals is drafted I'll take a break from it for a bit.

Self-edit three books.

I want to get Game of Air and Lightning, Empty Skies #1: Missing Constellations and Empty Skies #2: Freezing Constellations edited. Once I'm happy with what I've done, I'll send them to my editor.

Get two covers designed.

Two covers will be getting designed by Deranged Doctor Design this year!

Publish two books.

I'm going to publish the last book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Dead Kingdom, and Game of Air and Lightning this year!

Publish the Curse of Anubis Complete Collection.

With all the books in this series released, there will also be a Complete Collection so you can buy all four books at once.

Read 100 books.

Seeing as I read 121 last year, I'm going with 100 this year. I've got a lot on my TBR list right now and I'm sure I'll find more to fill it out as well.

Run regular Facebook ads.

My Facebook ads did well for a few months last year but then fell off. This time, I want to try to keep on top of them more and expand my knowledge about how advertising works on Facebook. I'm gathering images and excerpts from my books, so this might not start until the middle of the year.

Write and send out the Game of Air and Lightning prequel.

This year I will get that prequel written! It will also be edited and then sent to my newsletter subscribers.

Plot the Empty Skies reader magnet.

I'm still not sure what the story will be for this book, and I'm looking forward to playing around with a few ideas until I find one that sticks.

Plot a Norse mythology series.

I've got the basics of this one already, but I want to expand on it further. I'd like to be able to start writing this series in 2027, so that means I need to get a solid outline done this year.

Plot a YA Fantasy series.

This one is very bare bones at the moment, but I have the characters and the magical system worked out. This one will be a massive project that will contain werewolves, vampires and eldritch beings that created magic in the first place.

Plot a horror book.

As this is one of the books I want to write this year, I need to flesh out the plot a lot more. I know where the book starts and ends, but I need to fill out all the middle bits, characters and side plots.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed my first blog post of 2026. See you next Sunday. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

2025 Year in Review

Hi all,

It’s time to take a look at my goals for 2025 and see what I achieved. I wanted to push myself a little bit this year and I think on the whole it was manageable. I didn’t hit all of my goals, but that’s okay!

Write three books.

This year I wrote the first drafts of:

Game of Air and Lightning

The Severed Pantheon

Cloud’s Core

It was the year of standalone books, it seems!

Publish two books.

This year I published Curse of Anubis #2: The Blazing Serpent and Curse of Anubis #3: The Frozen Eye.

Get two covers designed.

The covers for Curse of Anubis #3: The Frozen Eye and Curse of Anubis #4: The Dead Kingdom were both designed by Deranged Doctor Design this year.

Self-edit two books.

The last two books in the Curse of Anubis series were self-edited and sent off to my editor, ready for publication.

Send all my reader magnets to my editor.

All of them were edited by her and I feel like the stories have really improved!

Read 100 books.

This year I read 121!

Write the Game of Air and Lightning reader magnet.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get this one done. I’ve had so many ideas for it that I’ve started writing and then scrapped not too far in. I’m still trying to find the perfect story to write.

Change my writing schedule.

My writing months are now March, July and November. It works a lot better now that they’re more stretched out.

Write 12 short stories.

I initially planned to write a short story a month, but I forgot about the months that I’d be writing books. So, I managed to write ten short stories this year. My newsletter subscribers have read most of them.The stories are:

Affection

Blue Once More

Fire Dragon

Neglected Vote

Red

Run-Along

The Bus

The Last Excavation

Two Paths

Unnamed

Research different kinds of mythology.

I’ve done a lot of research this year into Japanese mythology and Celtic mythology. I haven’t come up with any concrete story ideas for either yet, but I’m hoping the more I read about it, the more ideas will come to me.

That’s it for this week! Next week I’ll be posting about my goals for 2026, so you don’t want to miss it. See you next Sunday.

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Brand New December Fantasy Adventures

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

Will I Write About Dinosaurs?

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about dinosaurs! More importantly, will I write about them?

I absolutely love dinosaurs and when I was growing up I used to love watching shows about dinosaurs and reading books about them. I still do all that today!

I've tried to plot a dinosaur book before and nothing has really come to me. Nothing that hasn't been done before and would spice up the genre. I would love to write about them, but I'd need a good enough idea to give them justice.

My favourite dinosaur of all time is the Velociraptor. I've tried to work this dinosaur in particular into books before, but it just hasn't worked out. I'd love to write a dinosaur themed book, but at the moment I have no plans to do so. Whenever I come up with a new book idea I hope that the next one will be about dinosaurs, but unfortunately it hasn't happened yet.

If I could, I would write a book about someone with a Velociraptor as a companion or pet. But that's as far as I've gotten, plot wise, which isn't enough to write an entire book about, unfortunately.

Maybe one day I'll come up with a great idea for a dinosaur book that I'll absolutely love. But currently there are no plans to write about dinosaurs.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next Sunday. 

PS; looking for some horror books to read this month? Check out this book bundle:

Horror Books for Halloween!

How to Choose an Editor

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about editors. I've used two in my publishing journey so far, and both have been great with my books. But I want to help others with picking an editor that works for them. Editors can completely transform your book, so you need to know that they're right for you.

Request a sample.

Most editors will let you ask for a sample of your work to be edited. This is important, as it gives you an insight into their editing style. You can see if they understand your voice and what changes they might suggest. If you send a sample and they've missed a lot of typos or grammar issues, then you know that they're not for you.

Read reviews.

If other authors are happy with the editor, then that's a fantastic sign. If they have a couple that are unhappy with their work, that's fine. Authors can be protective over their work and some might not be ready for an edit. If the reviews are mostly positive, then that's an excellent sign. Look out for editors who have bad reviews or aren't open to sharing their portfolio with you.

Look at their portfolio.

Do they have works that they've previously edited listed? Check the book out and maybe give it a read. It'll give you an idea of what your edit will look like.

Check which genres they edit.

If you're writing a horror book, there's no point in sending it to an editor who specialises in non-fiction. Your editor should be confident enough in your genre to be able to edit your book effectively.

Prepare yourself for the edits.

You won't like all the edits that your editor suggests. But they aren't doing it to be malicious, they're doing what you paid them to do. Before you get upset, take a step back and think about how it could improve your story. But if you think it changes too much, you don't have to do it. It's your choice, after all.

That's it for this week! I hope this helps anyone who is looking into getting their book edited. See you next Sunday. 

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)

The Frozen Eye now Available on Amazon

Hi all,

The third book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Frozen Eye, is now available on Amazon. You can now purchase it in ebook, paperback and hardcover! Carry on reading below…

Both Eyes can’t be united… but she has no choice.

Tahira has a chance to get the cure in the right hands. The only things standing in the way are hordes of mutated zombies and Anubis’ jackals. But with her goal so close, she’s not prepared to give up yet.

Horus’ Eye has been located but getting it won’t be easy. Bastet must partner with her greatest enemy to get her paws on it. Sekhmet and Mafdet are willing, but only if Ra’s Eye is kept safe.

Keeping both Eyes apart is crucial. Their energy cannot be combined or it will cause chaos in the living world and the afterlife. But, Anubis is desperate for that power and he won’t let Bastet or Tahira stand in the way of him getting it.

That’s it for this week. If you’re enjoying the Curse of Anubis series, let me know! See you next week.

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)

How my Zombies Differ From Other Zombies

Hi all,

With the third book in the Curse of Anubis series coming out soon, I wanted to discuss the zombies in my books and how they differ from more traditional zombies that you might be used to.

The main draw that I think is different is that my zombies are sentient. They can see what they're doing from the world of the dead but they can't control their bodies. They can feel what their body feels, but all of this disappears when they're in the land of the dead. There's no pain, but it's more like a pressure. A sensation that doesn't go away until the wound is healed.

They can be controlled to an extent by certain gods, though this is extremely limited. Anubis, as the god of the dead, is the main one who can do this. As the creator of the plague, he is responsible for everything that happens to every person, turned or not.

I also like the fact that they're called mummies, rather than zombies. It ties them into the Egyptian mythology aspect of the books, which is a huge part of the book.

The mummies have no choice but to wait for their hearts to be consumed by Anubis in order to pass on fully. But when Anubis decides to become the ruler of the gods instead, no hearts are eaten. That means that mummies are left wandering in the real world while the person tries not to look at their real life.

I also loved the idea of the zombies being controlled by someone who was previously zombified. That was one of the first concepts that popped out to me and one that I went along with to the end!

I love reading zombie books but I have found that there are some that don't make their zombies different. While a traditional approach can be good, it can also be boring. When I decided to write about zombies, I didn't want to fall into that category. Hence why my zombies still have a state of awareness and can be controlled by Tahira, the only who has been cured of the virus.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next favourite author!

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Silver Winged September