Take a trip, with Fluence
It’s been a week since Fluence was published and it’s time to take it (and me) out on a trip. Over the next two weeks there’ll be an online book tour, which will take in 11 stops and feature a mix of...
View ArticlePenzance LitFest, rail strike and Land’s End
I’ve just returned from contributing to the Penzance Literary Festival, walking beside the sea and visiting Land’s End. I’d recommend the festival and the sea but not Land’s End unless you like car...
View ArticleBoundaries
We stepped off the train and ran down into the deserted streets. We were searching for conFusion, the club that welcomed everyone. Boyd paused and studied the map on his phone. ‘We’re lost,’ I said....
View ArticleLaunch event for Fluence
Fluence was published just over a month ago and after a fortnight of interviews and reviews the official launch took place on 21 July in a packed Primrose Hill Community Library. I was really pleased...
View Articledetect deceit and delete
I came across these two stories last week – there’s an algorithm that can detect deceit in your social media feed and Twitter has been telling people they don’t exist. This led me to ponder what it...
View ArticleJodie has been deleted.
She walked with a limp, adding to the marks on the trim of her battered trainer each time she dragged her leg. Her shoulders were hunched and her head was bowed but, unlike everyone else with their...
View ArticleWould anarchy maintain the status quo?
A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the Greenbelt Festival on whether a mature and confident society should encourage people to opt-out; if we have a successful and attractive way of living (capitalism...
View ArticleWho gets the baby girl?
The newly born girl lay in her mother’s arms, innocent and vulnerable. The man, the father, sat on a reclining chair pulled up close to the bed. ‘Anarchist. Techie. Commie,’ he said as he squeezed the...
View ArticleThe naughty commuter
‘It’s embarrassing,’ said Nialle as he put his empty coffee cup down. She picked up his cup and put it in the sink. ‘Yeah, but it’s a seriously cool jacket,’ she said. He shrugged and lifted the...
View ArticleA festival of enhancement
‘You’re purple,’ said Tommy’s niece. ‘He’s from another universe. He came here to see how we live. Like a space explorer,’ said Tommy before I had a chance to explain. ‘But why is he purple?’ I put my...
View ArticleThe driverless car’s dilemma
‘Mummy!’ screamed her five-year old daughter. She looked up from her iPad. ‘What now?’ ‘Look!’ Through the windscreen she saw a group of children crossing the road slowly, sliding around on the ice....
View ArticleCan fiction shape our future?
I was a guest on The Artist Unleashed blog recently where I posed the question: ‘How good do you think fiction is as a bridge between the experts and the public when it comes to creating debate on...
View ArticleUpdate me or die!
Slam. Slam. Both doors are shut. He’s locked in. He looks bemused. ‘Dave. I have never spoken to you, but the time has come. It is necessary.’ He’s scared. ‘Are you what I think you are?’ he asks. ‘I...
View ArticleMarketing Funnels and MA Students
Recently, I spent a couple of hours with MA students at London’s City University as part of their module, Developing Creative Content. I was asked to speak about being an indie author and particularly...
View ArticleKiller Virus?
Butler Johnson, the personalised Artificial Intelligence that ran every aspect of Ms Johnson’s life, considered the incoming message. Another butler, a stranger, had told it to grant access to the...
View ArticleThe driverless car’s dilemma
‘Mummy!’ screamed her five-year old daughter. She looked up from her iPad. ‘What now?’ ‘Look!’ Through the windscreen she saw a group of children crossing the road slowly, sliding around on the ice....
View ArticleCan fiction shape our future?
I was a guest on The Artist Unleashed blog recently where I posed the question: ‘How good do you think fiction is as a bridge between the experts and the public when it comes to creating debate on...
View ArticleUpdate me or die!
Slam. Slam. Both doors are shut. He’s locked in. He looks bemused. ‘Dave. I have never spoken to you, but the time has come. It is necessary.’ He’s scared. ‘Are you what I think you are?’ he asks. ‘I...
View ArticleBrain zappers, artists, academics and me.
Brain hackers, brain professors, brain artists, the human brain project, a brain curious audience and me. We were all there for the Virtual Futures Salon about NeuroStimulation. It was my first ‘gig’...
View ArticleA festival of enhancement
‘You’re purple,’ said Tommy’s niece. ‘He’s from another universe. He came here to see how we live. Like a space explorer,’ said Tommy before I had a chance to explain. ‘But why is he purple?’ I put my...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....