-
Recent Posts
- A book to beguile the tedious hours June 29, 2022
- What I did on my (not quite) holiday May 24, 2022
- Behind the scenes – or – Why I did not write two new books during lockdown. May 18, 2022
- Happy Endings or Not? April 29, 2022
- What I’m reading (March 2022) March 15, 2022
Archives
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
Follow me on Twitter @jaceybedford
My TweetsGoodreads
Tags
- 2015
- agent
- Amber Crown
- anthologies
- Artisan
- authors
- Baltic
- ben benjamin
- blogging
- book
- book cover
- book deal
- books
- book two
- Cara Carlinni
- characterisation
- characters
- cons
- conventions
- Corwen
- Corwen Silverwolf
- cover
- critique
- crossways
- DAW
- eastercon
- editing
- empire of dust
- fantasy
- fantasy books
- For your reading pleasure
- gail z martin
- guest blog
- guest post
- historical fantasy
- historical fiction
- history
- inspiration
- jacey bedford
- literary agents
- Lois McMaster Bujold
- Magic
- milford
- Milford SF Writers
- music
- Nimbus
- novel number one
- novels
- other blog
- panels
- psi-tech
- psi-tech trilogy
- publication
- publisher
- publishing
- reading
- research
- review
- reviews
- Rossalinde Tremayne
- Ross Tremayne
- rowankind
- Rowankind trilogy
- sci-fi
- science fiction
- short stories
- Silverwolf
- space opera
- The Amber Crown
- trigonos
- Winterwood
- worldbuilding
- writing
- writing advice
- Zombies Need Brains Press
Meta
Tag Archives: jacey bedford
A book to beguile the tedious hours
If you follow my blog you might recall I extolled the virtues of Captain Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811) which has a glorious rundown of Georgian/Regency slang which is invaluable for those of us writing in that period. … Continue reading
What I did on my (not quite) holiday
In May I took a week off from real life and went to the Milford Writing Retreat in North Wales. It’s held at Trigonos, a centre for conferences, courses and retreats on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. We … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing, writing
Tagged fantasy, jacey bedford, milford, Milford retreat, reading, trigonos, writing, writing retreat
Leave a comment
Behind the scenes – or – Why I did not write two new books during lockdown.
During lockdown I had the time/opportunity to write two novels. Did I do it? Of course not. Why not? I guess the reason is multi-layered and complex culminating in writerly inactivity. I didn’t exactly stop writing, but I ceased to … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged Amber Crown, behind the scenes, books, fantasy, jacey bedford, reading, science fiction, The Amber Crown, writing, writing during lockdown
1 Comment
Happy Endings or Not?
Do stories really have happy endings? They do if we choose to stop the tale at the point where the prince slips a golden ring on Cinderella’s finger, or where Beauty kisses the beast, or the princess kisses the frog … Continue reading
What I’m reading (March 2022)
You absolutely can’t write science fiction and fantasy without knowing what’s being published. It’s always better not to reinvent the wheel unless you can make your wheel very different. Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education begins a new trilogy about the … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading, science fiction
Tagged fantasy, jacey bedford, reading, science fiction, writing
Leave a comment
Viewpoint
I’m in a Facebook writers’ group for writers of all levels. Someone asked what the POV (point of view) limit was on a traditionally published debut novel. The answer, of course is: there isn’t one. Sometimes you find prescriptive pieces … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction
Tagged books, crossways, empire of dust, fantasy, jacey bedford, Nimbus, POV, psi-tech, psi-tech trilogy, reading, rowankind, silverwold, viewpoint, Winterwood, writing, writing advice
Leave a comment
Do You Need an Editor?
Yes, you absolutely do need an editor, but when? There’s a thread on one of the writers’ groups on Facebook as to whether you need to pay for a professional editor before you start punting your book to agents and … Continue reading
Giving it a Shove.
Word of mouth and the need for reviews. I was commiserating with an author published by a small press who said, “Small press books without a lot of push behind them don’t get noticed.” I replied: “If it’s any consolation, … Continue reading
Does it Need a Map?
I should have asked this question earlier in the process of publishing, but I left it until the last minute. The answer from the office was, ‘No. If Sheila had thought it needed a map she would have said so.’ … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading
Tagged Amber Crown, Baltic, books, fantasy, Fantasy maps, jacey bedford, Maps, political fantasy, reading, The Amber Crown, writing
Leave a comment
The Amber Crown is published today – 11th January 2022
After what seems like an age, the Amber Crown is out today. I’d already written a first draft before I sold my first book to DAW in 2013. That sale led to six books (two trilogies), so I didn’t have … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading, writing, writing
Tagged Amber Crown, Baltic Fantasy, books, fantasy, historical fantasy, jacey bedford, reading, The Amber Crown, writing
4 Comments
Countdown to The Amber Crown – One Week to Go
Only one week to go to publication of The Amber Crown, and there’s still so much to do. I’ve been writing blog posts for John Scalzi’s Big Idea, and Chuck Wendig’s blog, plus a piece for Jean Book Nerd, Paul … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading
Tagged Baltic Fantasy, books, fantasy, historical fantasy, jacey bedford, reading, The Amber Crown, writing
Leave a comment
Countdown to The Amber Crown – (less than) 2 Weeks to Go
Happy New Year to all. This is my last post for 2021 and the penultimate post leading up to The Amber Crown. If you already have it on pre-order, thank you very much. If not, you can pre-order it now … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, writing
Tagged books, fantasy, fantasy books, jacey bedford, reading, The Amber Crown, writing
Leave a comment
Countdown to The Amber Crown – Three Weeks to Go!
The Amber Crown is out on 11th January and TODAY my author copies arrived. Whoo-hoo. I have so many people to thank for this book. I only wrote it. Luckily I get the opportunity to name names in the book’s … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading
Tagged amber, Amber Crown, Baltic, fantasy, jacey bedford, The Amber Crown, writing
Leave a comment
Countdown to The Amber Crown
It’s here is just four weeks! Published by DAW on 11th January 2022 my seventh book is already getting some good reviews/previews, and I’m revving up to do a blog tour. It’s available in Trade Paperback or e-edition, with the … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading
Tagged Baltic, DAW, fantasy, fantasy books, historical fantasy, jacey bedford, jaceybedford, The Amber Crown, writing fantasy
Leave a comment
The Amber Crown’s First Review
Though it’s not due out until 11th January 2022, ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) are going out now, and the first review of The Amber Crown is here on Nimue Brown’s blog. It’s a very considered and thoughtful review without giving … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading
Tagged Amber Crown, Baltic, books, dark fantasy, historical fantasy, jacey bedford, new book, The Amber Crown, writing
Leave a comment
First Person Narrative – a guest post by Juliet E McKenna
Thoughts on writing a first person narrative when that person isn’t you. Early reviews for The Green Man’s Challenge are coming in, and readers are commenting favourably on the way Dan Mackmain’s character comes vividly off the page. This isn’t … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, writing
Tagged jacey bedford, Juliet E McKenna, Juliet McKenna, reading, writing
Leave a comment
Random Pics from Milford 2021 to Give You a Flavour of the Week
Can’t wait to go back there. We still have places for the writing retreat in May 2022. All places for the Milford critique week in September 2022 are booked up but we operate a waiting list system. We are now … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged critique, jacey bedford, milford, Milford 2021, Milford SF Writers, writers drinking wine, writing
2 Comments
At Milford 2021
It finally happened. After last year’s Covid cancellation, Milford 2021 is finally happening. I drove across to North Wales on Saturday morning with Georgina Kamsika. We picked up Terry Jackman on the way (at Lymm Services) and had an uneventful … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged critiquing, jacey bedford, Milford SF Writers, North Wales, trigonos
4 Comments
The Subtle (and Unsubtle) Art of Critiquing
At the end of August I did a post about the run up to Milford. It starts next Saturday so I’m deep into reading and critiquing the 23 pieces submitted by the fifteen attendees. I’m obviously not going to comment … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged constructive criticism, critique, jacey bedford, milford, Milford method, Milford SF Writers, Northwrite, NorthwriteSF, reading, writing
Leave a comment
How to Write a Speculative Fiction Book
I’m not going to be able to teach you how to write a book in the twelve hundred or so words in this blog post – even presuming I have the skills. Yes I’ve written books, seven published so far … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged books, characterisation, crossways, empire of dust, fantasy, jacey bedford, plot, plotting, reading, rowankind, Silverwolf, Winterwood, worldbuilding, writing, writing advice
2 Comments
Space Opera
I write science fiction. I’m pretty sure my sub-genre is (so far) space opera. I’m happy with that definition. I grew up reading my dad’s Lensman books and the distinctive Gollancz yellow jacketed SF which (sadly) I only have a … Continue reading
Posted in reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged books, crossways, empire of dust, jacey bedford, Nimbus, psi-tech, science fiction, space opera, writing
2 Comments
What Am I Working On?
C-19 Lockdown hasn’t been a very productive time for me, writing wise. When self-isolating should have given me loads more time to write, for some reason I simply couldn’t get started on anything. I’m not alone in this. Talking to … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading
Tagged C-19, jacey bedford, lockdown, writing, Your Horse Sees Dead People
Leave a comment
Sorry I missed…
I missed last week’s blog post – mainly because I was engrossed in editing, so engrossed that Tuesday came and went without me really noticing what day it was. I’ve worked from home since 1980, so you’d think I’d have … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, music, reading, science fiction
Tagged Artisan, Artisan harmony, day jobs, jacey bedford, Warrior Princesses, writing
2 Comments
Back, Just, and Other Superfluous Words
I’ve recently finished a structural edit on a YA manuscript, involving swapping some scenes around, making changes that needed to be worked through from beginning to end. In other words a proper structural edit, not a copy edit (which will … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction
Tagged editing, jacey bedford, superfluous words, writing, writing advice
4 Comments
Cover Reveal: The Amber Crown
At last I’m allowed to show you the cover of my upcoming book, The Amber Crown. It’s not out until 11th January 2022, but that will be here before you know it. It’s available to pre-order from Amazon and other … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading
Tagged Amber Crown, Cover reveal, jacey bedford, The Amber Crown
10 Comments
Flashing Back
It’s generally easier to start writing a book at the beginning, keep on going until you reach the end, and then stop. A story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Sequential storytelling mirrors the world we experience on … Continue reading
Posted in writing
Tagged empire of dust, flashbacks, jacey bedford, prologues, writing, writing advice
2 Comments
Researching Historical Fantasy
The first scene of Winterwood came to me almost fully formed. I knew there was a young woman paying a deathbed visit to her estranged mother and finding that there was still no forgiveness between them. I knew the young … Continue reading
What have I learned about writing?
Writing is a funny old business. Writers probably learn most by reading. You are what you read. Reading develops your ear for tight prose and snappy dialogue. Without even thinking about it, you learn about character and plot. The difficulty … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading, science fiction
Tagged donald maass, jacey bedford, misc.writing, usenet, writing, writing advice
2 Comments
Building a Universe – Law and Order in The Psi-Tech Novels
More about the universe in which the Psi-Tech books are set. The Monitors – Galactic PolicingFormed in 2391, the Monitors are an interstellar policing force largely concerned with providing law in the space-lanes and for those newly established colonies that … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged crossways, empire of dust, jacey bedford, Nimbus, psi-tech, psi-tech trilogy, stephan martiniere, worldbuilding
1 Comment
Building a Universe – Power Structures and Personal Stories.
When I started to write Empire of Dust I didn’t really know much about my setting. I didn’t build my universe first and then people is and dream up stories. The people came first, and along with them a predicament. … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction
Tagged crossways, empire of dust, jacey bedford, Nimbus, psi-tech, psi-tech trilogy, space opera, SpaceX, trilogies, trilogy, worldbuilding
Leave a comment
Looking Both Ways – 2020 and 2021
As a year, 2020 sucked bigtime. It was not fit for purpose. If I’d paid good money for it I’d want a refund. Sure, it wasn’t too bad in January and February. The weather was miserable so I mostly stayed … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged 2020, 2021, Amber Crown, Covid-19, jacey bedford, The Amber Crown, writing
2 Comments
Scene 1 of Winterwood – author analysis
This was first written for Tiffani Angus’ blog. Tiff teaches creative writing and publishing. Story interspersed with my comments in bold italic. This first scene pretty much sprang into my mind fully formed. When I started to write I didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading, writing
Tagged analysis, jacey bedford, Rowankind trilogy, Winterwood, writing
Leave a comment
Books etc. for Christmas
2020 has not been the year it was supposed to be. (Not fit for purpose. Can I get a refund?) I didn’t get anywhere as much writing done as I could have, but I read, and re-read an awful lot. … Continue reading
Space Opera
I write science fiction. I’m pretty sure my sub-genre is space opera. I’m happy with that definition. I grew up reading my dad’s Lensman books and the distinctive Gollancz yellow jacketed SF, however I wasn’t aware of any distinction between … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged jacey bedford, science fiction, space opera, stephan martiniere, writing
Leave a comment
Book Blogs
I’ve been posting writing-related blogs every other Tuesday, and I’ll continue to do that, but from now on I’m also going to do reading-related blogs on the intermediate Tuesdays. Yes, that’s right, this blog is going weekly. I blog everything … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged book blog, book reviews, jacey bedford, psi-tech trilogy, Rowankind trilogy, shelfies
Leave a comment
The Belgian Refugees of World War One
In 2017, when Alma Alexander asked if I’d be interested in writing a story for her refugees anthology, Children of A Different Sky, I jumped at the chance. There are so many refugee crises in the world that a writer … Continue reading
The Geography of Words
Writing science fiction and fantasy involves worldbuilding. Sometimes we take a concept, strip it right down to basics and invent a planet where the sea is pink, the sky is upside down and the dominant life form has seven tentacles … Continue reading
How Long is a Piece of String?
Chopping and Changing – Revisions, Cuts and Additions. How long should your story or novel be? A piece (story, novel or poem) should be as long as it needs to be – but that’s not always as long as you, … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged Ann Leckie, editing, fantasy, jacey bedford, revision, science fiction, Sheila Gilbert, word count, writing, writing advice
2 Comments
A Moment of Stuckness
Anyone who knows me will testify that I’m not usually stuck for words. It’s not that I don’t believe in writer’s block (obviously it is a thing) it’s that I’ve rarely experienced it. However, recently I had a period where … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged jacey bedford, music, writers' blosk, writing, writing exercises, writing idead
2 Comments
How I Got Here From There
First published on Gillian Polack’s blog in March 2020 for Women’s History Month It took me a long time to get here, possibly too long. If I’d known then, what I know now, it might not have taken so long… … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged book deals, DAW, jacey bedford, milford, Milford SF Writers, misc.writing, psi-tech trilogy, Rowankind trilogy, Sheila Gilbert, writing
Leave a comment
Reading Writing and Rewriting
I was a voracious reader as a child, working my way steadily through the stock of my local public library children’s department. My literature of choice was anything with horses or ponies in it. Some of the books in my … Continue reading
Quantifying Success
A few years ago, Chuck Wendig posted to his Terrible Minds blog saying: ‘It Only Gets Harder Once You’re Published’. (http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/08/19/it-only-gets-harder-once-youre-published/) How true. That article really resonated with me. I wonder if authors ever get over the self-doubt thing. When … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged empire of dust, jacey bedford, psi-tech trilogy, Rowankind trilogy, shelfies
Leave a comment
Updated Blog Archive: 2013 to 2019
2013 Bated Breath Seven Short Men and a Waif Preparing for Milford Jumping in at the Shallow End Serendipitous Book Browsing Four days to go Three Book Deal Milford Writers Publishers Marketplace Announcement Editor Talk New Book Log on LJ: Karen Traviss: … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged Blog post index, jacey bedford
Leave a comment
Creativity and the laugh-track of my life
I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) at the beginning of November, a commitment to write 50,000 words in a month. It’s fewer than 2000 words a day, so it should be—if not easy—not all that difficult. I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
Tagged creativity, jacey bedford, making time to write, muse, writing, writing inspiration
2 Comments
Retro-Blog of a Pre-published Writer from Autumn 2008
With hindsight this is really interesting. This (edited) collection of blog posts is from the early days of writing The Amber Crown, which then had the working title of Spider on the Web. (Sometimes the working title became That Bloody … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, writing
Tagged Baltic, Baltic novel, jacey bedford, milford, Retro-blog, retrospective, The Amber Crown, writing
3 Comments
Writers Injuring Characters
I went to visit my dentist for a particularly difficult tooth extraction today, so as I write this I’m sitting nursing a sore jaw as the anaesthetic is wearing off. I can’t deny that I felt a bit wobbly after … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing
Tagged head injuries, jacey bedford, Peaky Blinders, Promethius movie, psi-tech, psi-tech trilogy, PTSD, writing, writing injuries
5 Comments
Home from Milford – Tired but Happy
I’ve just arrived home from Milford SF Writers’ Conference in North Wales, and I could sleep for a week. I’m not ready for the real world yet. After a week of intense writing critique punctuated by meals taken with fourteen … Continue reading
Science for Fiction 2019
Science For Fiction is an annual event organised by Dr. David Clements at Imperial College, London. It’s a series of lectures by scientists at the cutting edge of their field, specifically aimed at writers. (Unsurprisingly a load of Science Fiction … Continue reading
Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing
Tagged David Clements, Imperial College, jacey bedford, science, science fiction, Science for fiction, writing
Leave a comment