• Writing the Future

    I have an essay in the Writing the Future anthology, edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst, which is forthcoming from Dead Ink Books in September 2023.

  • GRRM Visits the IFI in Dublin during Worldcon

    George R.R. Martin will be attending a screening of the classic sf film, Forbidden Planet, at the IFI in Dublin in association with Dublin 2019: An Irish WorldCon. I'll be in conversation with him about the film after the screening.

  • Discussing The Quatermass Xperiment

      The inaugural episode of the Hammered podcast is now available for listening. The host of the series JG Byrne and I talk about The Quatermass Xperiment (1955). It was a fun and nerdy deep dive into the film. Perfect for fans of Hammer films, science fiction, and Nigel Kneale (though of course he didn’t write the movie, but it’s based on his original BBC TV series. I give a lot of love to Kneale in this episode.) You can listen to it online. There will be a different guest with John in the next episode, and I should be returning for more Hammer exegesis with The Mummy (1959). Make…

  • Story in The Grim Future

    I’m extremely pleased to announce that my story ‘Zel and Grets’ will appear in the forthcoming anthology The Grimm Future, edited by Erin Underwood. The beautiful cover is by Richard Anderson. It’s being published by NESFA Press, and will launch at Boskone 53, Boston as a special limited hardback edition. The Grimm Future is a new science fiction anthology of reimagined Grimm fairy tales. I’m not as well known for my science fiction, but I love writing it. This was a chance to combine my deep regard for fairy tales with a far-flung futuristic setting. I can only thank Erin for asking me to be involved, which provoked the story.…

  • brains on your tie

    I’ve been a fan of Fringe since season 1. It had a shaky start, but I gave it leeway because there is nothing I like better than a television program showcasing capable women, mad scientists and weird events. From the beginning it was clear the show rotated around the character of Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), and what I liked most about her was her drive, ambition and her ability to emphatise with those who have been preyed upon by stronger forces. This is a woman with a mission to save people, and women in particular. She also had her heart broken quite badly in the first season, with a long…

  • role reversal

    The above photograph of a sea horse was taken in July, when I visited the Galway Aquarium with a good friend who was staying with me on vacation. I’d been to the Aquarium once before and had been surprised at how much I’d enjoyed the excursion. The Galway Aquarium is tiny by international standards, but there are plenty of cool creatures to oogle. The Aquarium even has a very large tank where you can touch the Rays as they zip by. One of them seemed to be quite keen to be petted, and kept doing chin lifts out of the water as it glided past. Perhaps it was showing off…

  • cresting the big wave

    I’ve been working on the web site redevelopment of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild for a long time. I do a lot of web-related work for the Guild, including managing all of its social media outlets, which every organisation needs to maintain these days. A big job like a web site overhaul requires large periods of allocated concentration, and that’s been problematic in regards to divvying up my few resources. Working with advocacy organisations means you’re always scraping the pan for those last scraps of funding, and this year the Guild absorbed several funding cuts: there is nothing lurking at the bottom of that pot now. Still, I’m glad…