KRIS ASHTON

Few movies have had such a profound and long-lasting impact on me as George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978). For a kid already revved...

Books that try to teach writing often run into trouble, because writing is not a one-size-fits-all occupation. What works for one writer...

Getting fiction published is hard enough. Don’t disqualify yourself before the editor even starts reading your story. Novice authors...

In his book On Writing (now a modern non-fiction classic), Stephen King delivers a simple ultimatum to wannabe authors: If you don’t have...

The most painful rejection found on the rejection spectrum is the shortlist rejection. This is where a story is ‘recommended for a second...

In 1979, children’s author Dr Seuss published a book called Oh Say Can You Say?. This collection of tongue-twisters is not his best known...

Fair warning, Drood is not an approachable novel. A reader that doesn’t meet two or more of the following criteria likely won’t enjoy it:...

I’ve never subscribed to the image of the anguished author slumped at his desk with his head in his arms as he contemplates the human...

In May 2005, I sent my first story to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. The slush readers had mixed reactions to ‘The Beauty...

As I write this blog post I’m 70 pages into Dan Simmons’ epic novel Drood and enjoying it immensely. But I have a confession to make. I...

There are books you love, and then there are books that change who you are. Sometimes, one book can fulfil both roles. This blog post...

This probably sounds impossibly nerdy, but during my teenage years I used to read the dictionary for fun. Sometimes I would look up a...

I majored in creative writing at university and it was the one time in my life when I was part of a ‘writers’ circle’. Gareth, Gavin and...

I took acid for the first time in 1996, when I was 19. It was the one drug I had always been curious about, due to its reputation for...

While nosing around for short fiction markets recently, I came across an Australian literary journal called The Canary Press. I liked the...

While nosing around for short fiction markets recently, I came across an Australian literary journal called The Canary Press. I liked the...

The thought is as old as reasoned thought itself: the older one becomes, the more contemplative and deliberate one becomes. It’s both a...

The thought is as old as reasoned thought itself: the older one becomes, the more contemplative and deliberate one becomes. It’s both a...

Back in 2006, I reviewed a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil that changed the way I looked at paedophilia. Anyone with a...

Back in 2006, I reviewed a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil that changed the way I looked at paedophilia. Anyone with a...