All In The Details

Queering Peter Pan Peter Pan, the famous children's story about the young boy who never grew up, written by J.M. Barrie, is so ingrained in our collective fairy tale mythos that many adults choose to retell it in their own way, as easily as they would wish to retell Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. But there's something about Peter Pan and his story that inspires many queer retellings, and I wanted to delve into that part. One could argue that Peter Pan has always held a distinct queerness, largely down to the early casting decisions for the stage play. Yes, the original work written by Barrie was written as a stage play. Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, was a 1904 play. The same story was then written as a novel, Peter and Wendy, in 1911. I was fortunate enough to see stage plays of Peter Pan a couple of times growing up, which is an experience I would wish for anyone as it's such a magical, wonderful story. And, most importantly for baby queers, it was certai...

ATBOD Q&A with myself! Welcome! I'm doing a quick Q&A for ATBOD: At the Border of Destiny, my M/M Fantasy novel, coming this September! I asked the questions I thought you the readers would want to know. Let's dive in! Q: This book is a Historical Fantasy, so when is it set? A: It is set in the 1490s. So, late 15th Century. This is known as late Medieval and peak Renaissance period. The twist is, this is an Alternate Timeline of history, so while it takes place on our world and in places we recognise (Low Fantasy), my timeline branched off at a major event, which creates a "what if...?" difference to the world we might recognise. Most things in this world are the same! But some  things are a little different from what you might expect. To me, that makes it fun! I love speculating on "what if...?" for history. Q: Where is the book set? A: Mercia, in Britain! But wait! The Kingdom of Mercia wasn't around in the 15th Century, it had been absorbed by...

ATBOD Humour I know regular readers may be used to my brand of dry British humour by now, with my current three books that have a lot of banter and shenanigans... But upcoming new book baby ATBOD is set in Medieval Era, and you'd be correct in assuming it is a different tone and pace altogether. While our hero, Murad, is a no nonsense, straightforward type, he does make the occasional dry observation or remark, especially when the other characters lark about. For me personally, I love a slightly grumpy hero! Like Batman, right? Kind of like that. Someone very competent and focused on completing the task at hand, and isn't interested in joking around.  There's also a great deal of comedy to be had with a straightforward character who unwittingly stumbles into social dilemmas, because no matter how competent or skilled or analytical a character is, social dilemmas are another battle entirely, a battle that can be relatable and humorous, because who hasn't found themselves...

Cover Reveal! Blurb Reveal! All the Reveals!! I'm so happy to reveal the cover art to my upcoming Fantasy novel, At the Border of Destiny, coming this fall from Ninestar Press .  Are you ready??  Here is the cover art! Artist: Kalimpaszmadar This beautiful cover features MMC's Murad (in red) and Aaron (in silver and blue), fighting back to back.  I really love that pose, because it shows them having each other's backs, and that is an important part of the story. Murad and Aaron are very much an 'us against the world' power couple. If you enjoy heroic fantasy, classic fairy tale vibes, British folklore, witchcraft and epic magic battles, with a M/M Romance at the center, then you may enjoy this book! Blurb reveal : Murad is an Imperial Messenger, and he has a secret... He’s a witch. On a visit to the foreign court of Mercia in Britain, he has a vision of the crown prince, Aaron, in serious trouble. In his desire to save Aaron’s life, Murad becomes entangled in Mercia...

Map reveal! I'm pleased to reveal the map of the kingdoms in my upcoming Historical Fantasy novel, At the Border of Destiny. Line art by dexarts95 , colouring by me! What and Who are these Kingdoms? This is for the history buffs! Read on for a  brief backstory of Britain, specifically England, and how I adjusted history a lil' bit to create my own alt timeline: When the Romans eventually left Britain for good in 383 AD (a little over 1,600 years ago), it fractured into separate kingdoms for some time. They are known as the  Anglo Saxon Kingdoms of Britain . My map also shows  Wales  on the left (emerging from the Celtic Britons ). For simplicity, my map focuses on the major kingdoms and areas that are relevant to my story, but if you zoom in, three more Anglo Saxon kingdoms would appear: Sussex, Kent, and Essex. And if you zoom out you would see  Scotland and Ireland. Here is a full reference map of the whole of the British Isles: Yes, kingdoms, territorie...

If you're into Romance books like I am, you have probably come across the term 'Harem' or 'Reverse Harem' at some point. You may be surprised to learn that Harem being used in a Romantic context, usually for describing one person having several lovers at once, is actually an incorrect use of the word. Because a Harem doesn't mean lovers specifically. A Harem is an area, a place, designated for the women of a traditional Muslim household. For example, the royal Harem in the palace is for the sultan's wives, daughters, young children, and yes sometimes the concubines (slaves). The word Harem is derived from the Arabic word haram , meaning forbidden or sacred.  In modern English language terms, Harem often gets used to describe one individual having many romantic partners. Yeah, instead of using a more explanatory word like Polyamory , they'd rather take a non-English word, contort its meaning through an Orientalist lens, and run with that. Anyway,  I want...