KRIS ASHTON

It’s been very much a case of ‘life, interrupted’ these past few months. Day job turmoil and the arrival of my second child (among other...

The thought of a whiteboard covered in character notes and plot points curdles my blood – but not as much as it once did. In writing...

Last week I finished reading the grandfather of the small-town horror novel, The Body Snatchers. Enough has been written about Jack...

Last week, I was browsing potential markets for a story (that will probably never find a home because it is too long and too Australian)...

Due to their visual (or in the case of horror, graphic) nature, collections of SF fiction often include illustrations. Whenever a story...

Digital downloads have revolutionised my life. For years I was reluctant to give up DVDs because I saw them as part of my identity, but...

It seems like an age since my story 'Teething Problems' was accepted for Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine – but today is publication...

Back in 2010, I published a story which began with a single-word paragraph: FUCK. ‘Mere Symptoms of Living’ is about a man trapped in a...

Just got word the latest edition of the venerable Andromeda Spaceways is now available – and if you have a spare $4.95, I urge you to buy...

The latest historical context essay from the excellent ‘Stephen King Revisited’ website showed up in my inbox this week. If you’re a King...

Ostensibly a roman à clef based on Elvis Presley’s childhood and rise to stardom, Tender is in fact about the hero’s intense relationship...

Lately I’ve been living through one of those lean patches; my last story acceptance came months ago, while rejections have been arriving...

Right now I’m working on a story about a teacher whose life is upended by World War Two. It was going well until I came to the part where...

In one of my earliest attempts at a novel – this would have been around 1997 – the hero was named Zack Freebody. I don’t recall the...

The introduction to The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is made entirely from recycled parts and isn’t the most auspicious welcome to King’s sixth...

Trawl through my blog posts and you’ll see I’m very much in favour of editors and the criticism they offer. Because my life is almost...

Most writing advice comes in for criticism now and again, but remarks directed at ‘write what you know’ in recent times have been...

Recently, I have been in discussions with the editor of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #63, Terry Wood, regarding my story...

The first proper review of Creepy Campfire Stories (for Grownups) has appeared here. I'm pleased to say my story 'Night Feeds' is...

A few weeks ago I sent a manuscript to a publisher which, for obvious reasons, I won’t name. A couple of days later, I got an email from...