Who’s in the Fantasy Author Lounge this month? It’s Rob J. Hayes! Aka The Hat, and fellow indie author of over a dozen fantasy books. Watch this latest Lounge interview to find out more about Rob and his books as we put the world to rights.
The Fiction Factory Blog
How NOT to Self-Publish – Self-Publishing Companies to Avoid
If you’re an indie author, here’s how to avoid being conned by so-called self-publishing companies. Time to dive into the subject of self-publishing, and we’re going straight in at the deep-end with how NOT to self-publish. In this episode, I show you how to dodge a mistake a lot of authors have made: trusting in […]
How to Come Up with Fantasy Character Names
Time for another How To. This time, I’m sharing some tips for stimulating that imagination when it comes to fantasy character names. In this episode I go through a few methods for generating ideas for names, and a few rules I try to follow to get the right name for the right fantasy character. Things […]
August Update – Forever King Book Reveal
How is it August already?! The calendar is almighty. Perhaps it was another whirlwind month of busyness and activity. I thought things would calm down after working 200 hours in June, but they ended up being just as busy. You know what, though? It means I’ve got a shit-tonne of things to tell you about. Prepare thyself. Here’s everything that went down in July.
Fantasy Author Lounge #12 – Interview With T.L. Greylock
Who’s in this month’s Fantasy Author Lounge? It’s amazing epic and nordic fantasy author T.L. Greylock! I’ve been a fan of Taya’s Song of The Ash Tree trilogy, so when I heard about her new book Shadows of Ivory, launching TOMORROW, I had to invite her to the Lounge. We chatted about: – a unique […]
The Last BenCast – #95
It’s time. The LAST episode of the BenCast is here. This final episode is all about The Forever King, the new Emaneska book, and this week’s excursion to Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island to finish it. (and possibly the best writing spot I’ve found yet. A fine excuse to fly my drone). Watch me and […]
July Update
What’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It’s an inordinately tired author! Damn, June was crazy for me. After averaging 50 hours a week last month, with at least half that time dedicated to writing, I managed to get a hell of a lot of things done.
How to Build a Fantasy World
Building an entire fantasy world? Is that crazy? Not at all. Every author builds a world for a book, no matter how small, and for fantasy authors, it’s a great excuse to dream big. In this How To Write video, find out about my Funhouse Mirror approach, which makes fantasy worlds rich and detailed, and […]
Fantasy Author Lounge #11 – Interview with Nicholas Eames
It’s that time again. A little late this month as I’ve had videos piling up, but we are back in the lounge, and this time, I got the chance to interview NICHOLAS EAMES, Gemmell Award-winning Canadian author of Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose. It was a true pleasure chatting to Nick, he was […]
How to Write a Fantasy Novel – Part Three
I’m back with some more tips for writing a fantasy novel. In the last vid we looked at what makes a great fantasy novel. This week, we’re all about that Unfinished Syndrome: dropping a book or running out of steam 3-4 chapters in, and then abandoning it. Here’s how I defeat the dreaded unfinished nonsense […]
June Update
Greetings to all! I hope you’re doing well? Hows it all going? Firstly, suffice it to say that North America is full of hate and horror at the moment. Matters of race and discrimination are on everyone’s lips and streets. Personally, I stand with anyone who is being oppressed or treated unjustly in these so-called […]
How To Write a Fantasy Novel – Part Two
Part Two of How to Write a Fantasy Novel is UP! In this second episode, I dig into what I believe makes a great fantasy novel, how you can learn to write by reading, and that sometimes, the best way to start writing your novel is just to start bloody writing it! Look out for […]
How To Write a Fantasy Novel: Part 1
So you wanna be an author, do ya? Well, here’s the first in a new series of rapidfire videos all about how to write and self-publish the simplest way. Here’s the very first instalment: HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY NOVEL – Part 1. In this video, I look at how to go from an inkling […]
The Fantasy Author Lounge #10 – ML Wang
Here’s a new Fantasy Author Lounge! This month I had the pleasure of chatting to #SPFBO winner ML WANG and her amazing Asian-inspired fantasy Sword of Kaigen. We wag our chins about: – self-doubt and writing– writing since childhood – badass martial arts and how they influence ML’s stories Thanks to ML Wang for joining […]
May Update
WHAAAT. Yes. Welcome, friend. This is indeed a post about a new Emaneska book and its cover. You will have either a) known about this sequel for a while and just gasped at this cover, or b) you had no idea about a new Emaneska book, and this cover is your first news of it. […]
The Fantasy Author Lounge #9 – David Estes
It’s Fantasy Author Lounge, Quarantine Edition! This month, bestselling fantasy author of over 40 BOOKS David Estes joins me in the Lounge. David is the author of the Dwellers, Country and Fatemarked Sagas, and has sold a verified tonne of books. In this Lounge, we talk about: – Designing characters, and then putting them through […]
Tips For Staying Indoors For An Annoyingly Long Time
I’ve spent the last 5 years working from home, and I thought I’d collect all my suggestions in one place for you.
The Fantasy Author Lounge #8 – Derek Alan Siddoway
I’m back with another Fantasy Author Lounge! It’s the first one of 2020, and I’ve been tinkering with the format to make the Lounge interviews snappier and I’ve also lined a great load of guests for the rest of the year. First up is author/co-author of the Teutevar Saga, the Gryphon Riders Trilogy, and Djinn […]
March Update
Greetings all. Somehow we’re already into March. 2020 year, for me at least, seems to be flying by as if somebody’s been toying with the clocks and calendar. However it could be something to do with spending most of the month with my head buried in a laptop 🙃 February was a damn productive month, […]
BenCast #94 – A Guide To Puerto Vallarta
The latest BenCast is up, and it’s all about my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, and the second half of my winter/summer adventure.
BenCast #93 – A Guide To Yellowknife
FINALLY put together my first BenCast of 2020! This vlog is about my recent adventure to the freezing winter wonderland that is YELLOWKNIFE in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Here’s my guide to what experiences you can enjoy there, such as: dog-sledding witnessing the Aurora Borealis snowmobiling exploring the fascinating culture and braving the arctic temperatures […]
The Fantasy Author Lounge #7 – AC Cobble
The Fantasy Author Lounge #7 – AC Cobble
I’m back with another instalment of the Fantasy Author Lounge, and hey look – friendly fellow author Andrew Cobble has joined me in this month’s Lounge! AC is the author of the hugely popular Benjamin Ashwood series, and the new swashbuckling Cartographer series. We had a fun chat about: – Moving from a writing hobby […]
BenCast #92 – Chasing Graves & Warhammer
Here’s a brand new vlog for you. I head down to one of my favourite writing spots to tell you all about how you can get the whole of my Chasing Graves Trilogy for 99¢ / 99 (get it at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RLWJ5TT), and I provide more info on my short story for Warhammer and Black Library. […]
