Tag Archives: jacey bedford

First Person Narrative – a guest post by Juliet E McKenna

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

Random Pics from Milford 2021 to Give You a Flavour of the Week

Posted on September 28, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , | 2 Comments

At Milford 2021

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | 4 Comments

The Subtle (and Unsubtle) Art of Critiquing

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Write a Speculative Fiction Book

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Space Opera

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Am I Working On?

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

Sorry I missed…

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

Back, Just, and Other Superfluous Words

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | 4 Comments

Cover Reveal: The Amber Crown

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , | 10 Comments

Flashing Back

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

Researching Historical Fantasy

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What have I learned about writing?

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

Building a Universe – Law and Order in The Psi-Tech Novels

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Building a Universe – Power Structures and Personal Stories.

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking Both Ways – 2020 and 2021

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scene 1 of Winterwood – author analysis

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

Books etc. for Christmas

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Space Opera

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Blogs

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Belgian Refugees of World War One

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Geography of Words

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rejectomancy

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

I don’t write much short fiction these days unless I get an invitation to contribute to an anthology. Mostly it’s because I’m too busy writing long fiction. My novels are published by DAW in the USA. I’ve just signed a … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Long is a Piece of String?

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Moment of Stuckness

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

How I Got Here From There

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Writing and Rewriting

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quantifying Success

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

Updated Blog Archive: 2013 to 2019

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Jacey Bedford

  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 , | Leave a comment

Creativity and the laugh-track of my life

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , | 2 Comments

Retro-Blog of a Pre-published Writer from Autumn 2008

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Writers Injuring Characters

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Home from Milford – Tired but Happy

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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 →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Science for Fiction 2019

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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 , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Browsing

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

This is a revamp of a post from 2013, updated The tor.com blog had a feature on book browsing back in September 2013 and it prompted this original post, reminding me that I so very rarely got to browse real … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Submission, Rejection, and my Coping Strategies

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

I’ve always written. I started my first novel when I was fifteen. (It was dire, and I never finished, but I loved writing it.) It took me years to actually tell anyone I wrote, and even more years before I … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

NASA’s Free Photo Library

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

NASA has released its whole photo library, complete with a searchable database, and made all its images free for public use. Yes, their entire collection of images, sounds, and video is now available. I can’t begin to tell you how … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Read the first chapter of Silverwolf

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

You can read the first chapter of Winterwood (Book 1 of the Rowankind trilogy) here. Silverwolf Book 2 of the Rowankind Trilogy by Jacey Bedford (Published by DAW, USA) Chapter One Happy Ever Afters Deep in the Old Maizy Forest, … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milford Writers’ Retreat

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

So here I am, in the wilds of Welsh Wales on a writing retreat organised by Milford SF Writers (of which I am the secretary – so yes, theoretically I organised it myself). The venue is Trigonos, the village is … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Truth in Historical Fantasy

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

My Rowankind trilogy: Winterwood, Silverwolf and Rowankind (all out now, published by DAW) is a fantasy set (mostly) in Britain in 1800, 1801 and 1802 respectively. It tells the story of Ross (Rossalinde) Tremayne, cross dressing privateer captain and witch, … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What I Like to Read, and Why

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

Though I have a large collection of paper books, some of them from my childhood, I mostly read fiction on Kindle these days. It’s not that I prefer electronic to dead tree books, but books are books and it’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Updated Blog Archive: 2013 to 2018

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

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: Star … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2018 and 2019

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Jacey Bedford

It just so happens that my alternate Tuesday blog falls on 1st January 2019, so it’s a good time to assess 2018 and see if I can peep into the future to 2019. I’m not sure where 2018 went to. … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Book Day to Me

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

My new book, ROWANKIND, is out today. WHOO-HOO! It’s my sixth published book, and the third in my Rowankind trilogy, so it represents a milestone. It not only completes my second trilogy, but it means that my published words have … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jacey’s Quick Book Links

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

With the publication of Rowankind just a few days away (27th November), I thought I’d post links to all my books. Obviously the (not-so-hidden) subtext is, go out and buy them, but seriously folks, those advance orders for a new … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Winterwood Chapter One – Read it Here

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

In anticipation of the publication of Rowankind, due on 27th November, the third book in my Rowankind Trilogy, I offer for your delectation, the first chapter of Winterwood. It’s the beginning of the trilogy, Rowankind is the finale – with … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Reading Conundrum

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

When I got my first publishing deal back in 2013 I found that when I was writing to a deadline it was difficult to keep up with my reading. This reading conundrum is something many writers suffer from… When I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cover Reveal Rowankind

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

Cover reveal: Rowankind, the last book in the Rowankind trilogy is due in November from DAW. Need to read the first two? They are Winterwood and Silverwolf in that order.  The cover illustrates Ross (Rossalinde) with Corwen the wolf shapechanger … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Men in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

A comedy panel at Eastercon 2018 with Jaine Fenn (moderator), Juliet McKenna, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Jacey Bedford. Comedy panel on Youtube

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Pleasantly Pleasing Progress

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Jacey Bedford

I’m delighted to say that I’ve beaten my February 28th deadline and already delivered a draft of Rowankind to my publisher. OK, only 3 days ahead of schedule, but AHEAD is the important word here. Of course the book isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments