Tag Archives: update

Out Now: Issue 18 of Once Upon A Crocodile

The online humour magazine I have been running, editing and doing artwork for since 2017/2018 had its 18th issue out on Christmas 2025.

Who and What is Wonda?

Wonda is a somewhat vague, nebulous, and free spirit* with a subtle current of mystery and hidden wisdom about what lies behind the veneer of reality. (*When this author says “spirit” he means personality — Wonda is a human, not a Ghost.) This young woman lives in a secluded tower on a piece of landContinue reading “Who and What is Wonda?”

Who was Saint Eridmus?

In the present day, not many people know who Saint Eridmus was and what he did to become revered, let alone why the Church of St Eridmus bears his name. During the time in which the second book of the Nighthunter is set, there are no such things as wizards. They were all wiped outContinue reading “Who was Saint Eridmus?”

Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone

Part XIV of Amulets & Talismans Babylon had special boundary stones (or “kudurru” stones in Akkadian, a language used in ancient Mesopotamia). These stones were seen as sacred and magical. Kudurrus were a stone record of gifts (kind of like a receipt) especially for such things as land grants given to someone by the King.Continue reading “Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone”

Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)

Similar to witch bottles, witch balls were hollow vessels, usually fashioned out of glass, that were filled with things to ward off evil spirits, evil spells, bad luck, and of course witches. They were hung in cottage windows in the 1600s and 1700s, especially in East and South Sussex in England, though the custom ofContinue reading “Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)”

Who and What is Elka Wyverg?

Elka is an eleven-year-old ghostbait child living in Corvin, a village or small town in Dal-Riatah, with her younger brother (Toby) and her parents. Dal-Riatah is a continent in the North-West of the Dal-Riatan Empire and its environs, and this country has a curse on it: every child is born either ghostbait (they “Bring” GhostsContinue reading “Who and What is Elka Wyverg?”

Once Upon A Crocodile and ruminations on birthdays

Issue 15 of Once Upon A Crocodile (a free humour e-zine which I run, edit, and do illustrations / photography for) has been out since mid-March. We’ve got funny stories and flash fiction from: Carl Papa Palmer (Poached Egg) Michael Fowler (Slithy Toves) Bill Kitcher (The Night of the Pickles) Douglas Young (The Elevator Ride)Continue reading “Once Upon A Crocodile and ruminations on birthdays”

The Dark Rider part 18 and a note about disrespectful writers

“Warren leaned against the wall and scowled. It wasn’t fair. It was as if there was some hidden conspiracy to keep him from meeting Arthur, as if he wasn’t good enough, or as if the King was too dangerous. It rankled. Lyons showed no signs of coming back. Nobody had come to relieve the guard.Continue reading “The Dark Rider part 18 and a note about disrespectful writers”

The Dark Rider part 14 (excerpt)

They paused on a landing with three doors leading from it. Merlyn smiled. “Victory is almost here.” “Who are the people besieging Arthur?” Warren asked. “There were loads of people out there, all putting up tents. Some of them sounded Scottish.” “Many. King Lot of Orkney, Arthur’s half-brother Carados of Cornwall, Clarion from Northumberland, Eskand,Continue reading “The Dark Rider part 14 (excerpt)”

The Dark Rider part 13 (excerpt) & other whatnots

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, rigid, staring every now and then into the patient, amber eyes of his dog. There were no clocks, and he hadn’t put his watch on before going through Merlyn’s door. The temperature crept lower, enough to make the hair on his arms stand up, and the lightContinue reading “The Dark Rider part 13 (excerpt) & other whatnots”

The Dark Rider Part 12 (excerpt) and “Terminal”

George stayed in bed all the next morning. Warren rolled out of his blankets and tugged one of his brother’s legs, which was dangling over the side of the top bunk. “Off,” George mumbled into his pillow. “About what happened last night–” “Eh?” “About the Land Laid Waste–” “There isn’t such a thing as aContinue reading “The Dark Rider Part 12 (excerpt) and “Terminal””

Part 10 of the Dark Rider (excerpt)

“The night was warm, though not as warm as it had been in Warren’s bedroom. The way they followed narrowed, more sand and dust and debris encroaching on the track, until suddenly the dunes fell away to reveal a dried-out moat. On the other side of it, a couple of lights shone in a dark,Continue reading “Part 10 of the Dark Rider (excerpt)”

The Dark Rider part 7 (excerpt) and some good news…

“The storm rumbled on throughout the night until it was directly over the farm, coughing and bellowing and sending vibrations through the furniture. It had pelted with rain hard enough to sound like lead pellets being shot at a tin roof and hail fell in the early hours. All the family were heavy-eyed and irritable,Continue reading “The Dark Rider part 7 (excerpt) and some good news…”

A new story begins: The Dark Rider (on Wattpad)

I have joined the community of writers and readers on Wattpad, serialising a YA fantasy novel that retells some old Arthurian myths and tales through the time-travels of a thirteen-year-old boy and his eccentric twin-lifed grandmother. An excerpt from The Dark Rider: Warren slept until the early stretches of morning. He opened his eyes, suddenlyContinue reading “A new story begins: The Dark Rider (on Wattpad)”

All About the Plentyn-Aderyn

  One of the oldest and most mysterious of the tribes of wandering, outlawed mages roaming Thosea’s Northern wastes, especially in the region of Karak (or World’s End), their favourite haunt being the shimmering, nebulous Hiraeth mountains, which tend to flicker between worlds in response to loud noises. The mages take this odd existence inContinue reading “All About the Plentyn-Aderyn”

I am still alive… I think.

I am recovering — slowly — from abdominal surgery, which happened at the end of December. Having a connective tissue disorder, this caused problems with having retention and needing to be catheterised, but as I am resistant to local anaesthetics it took them over an hour to get it in and I was screaming. PrettyContinue reading “I am still alive… I think.”

Update: Reading, Reviews, and the Ethics of AI

What has been going on over the past few weeks? In my capacity as main editor (and sole editor, though it hasn’t anything to do with flatfish) of Once Upon A Crocodile e-zine, I have been reading and writing reviews of people’s books (usually anthologies, though I am open to novels / novellas too). UnlikeContinue reading “Update: Reading, Reviews, and the Ethics of AI”

WHO AND WHAT ARE THE HIGH MADRE?

These three prophetesses are the leaders and main teachers of the Kendra, a convent of egoless prophetesses who revere Saint Agrimond, along with the ancient benevolent magic that their world was created with – Foundational magic. Somewhat inspired by the Fates from Greek myth or the three witches from Macbeth, these three women are aContinue reading “WHO AND WHAT ARE THE HIGH MADRE?”

WHO AND WHAT IS ULFRYD SPIRN?

A minor character in “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” who goes on an almost fairytale-style quest and meets an unfortunate end. An apprentice to a travelling merchant, Ulfryd is fourteen years old and having an affair with a girl at an inn when an old song people are singing in the marketplace enters his head,Continue reading “WHO AND WHAT IS ULFRYD SPIRN?”

A Dark Heritage: The Documentary

Many of the characters from “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” have been (ahem…) “interviewed” alongside the author (um, me) in a series of little videos. The first five are on this playlist on YouTube: Here’s one as a taster: Other than the frequent forays into social media (which can be a distraction from writing, IContinue reading “A Dark Heritage: The Documentary”

All About The Kendra

On the continent of Thosea, where magic and the use / teaching of it is still legal, there stands an old, ruined abbey on the banks of the river Eridan. This river is a mysterious remnant of something that poured out of the constellations, and its waters burn like acid, possibly because of its trueContinue reading “All About The Kendra”

August Update

Still grinding away on social media promoting “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” by reading out excerpts and doing short “character spotlights” using the Face Dance app, as well as spreading it around through word-of-mouth and flyers. What else do you do to promote your work if you have a disabling health condition and you’re aContinue reading “August Update”

Book Update

Since being published as an ebook on Amazon, “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” briefly shot down to 8000 in the listings for Dark fantasy books, but in the space of a couple of days, it’s shot up to 1000. I’m choosing to think of this as a positive sign. On other writing-related topics, I’m currentlyContinue reading “Book Update”

A proposition for you

“A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter” has been available as an ebook on Amazon for a few weeks now. It would be a dream come true if it sold well enough to maybe get into physical print, but in order for that to happen it needs to be seen. Which is where some reviews left onContinue reading “A proposition for you”

So, it begins…

The first slew of videos and social media posts has begun, promoting “A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter.” So far there aren’t any reviews on the book’s Amazon page, so if you can leave a review for it that would be enormously great. In fact, for every review that is posted I will film myself readingContinue reading “So, it begins…”

Cover Story

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what went into the cover design of A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter. One of my hobbies is making digital collages from photographs (either my own or from websites such as pixabay.com and pexels.com, where photos are free to use and not copyrighted). I started doing this when producing illustrations forContinue reading “Cover Story”

IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE, IT’S FINALLY HERE!

A Dark Heritage: The Nighthunter was published by Golden Storyline Books today on Amazon. UK Amazon link here. A little bit of blurbage: “A Dark Heritage is a dark fantasy novel set in a magical world where prehistoric animals coexist with humans and the Dead return as different species of Ghost. Logan Bartholom, Nighthunter toContinue reading “IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE, IT’S FINALLY HERE!”

THE HANGED NUN

This is the inn Logan Bartholom, Nighthunter, stays in at the start of the first book (A Dark Heritage). Before the onset of his Ghost-initiated amnesia, he journeyed into Little Beddin and decided to rent room five in the upper floor of the Hanged Nun, because he sensed something extra-natural Haunting that room. He meetsContinue reading “THE HANGED NUN”

Yet Another Update

The second round of edits for A Dark Heritage have just been completed. It involved downloading Kindle Previewer and opening the manuscript on that, which shows you what the ebook will look like on Kindle readers, tablets, and phones, which was all very interesting. The recent freebie for email subscribers was sent out on JulyContinue reading “Yet Another Update”

Pages From The Book of Nighthunting: The Mnemon

… Just in case you haven’t been updated about the changes to the original story post here. We are now going through the second round of edits / formatting for A Dark Heritage. I am not certain of the release date yet, but it might be towards the end of this year. Over at onceuponacrocodile.weebly.com,Continue reading “Pages From The Book of Nighthunting: The Mnemon”

Another Book Update

Things are progressing well. The publisher sent me a galley proof of what A Dark Heritage will look like (it will be an e-book) and I combed through that to check for typos. Meanwhile, I am still adding “pages” to the Book of Nighthunting story post here, doing digital collages with photos from Pixabay andContinue reading “Another Book Update”

What is The Scryfennu?

(Pronounced Scrih – fenn — ee) (BREAKING NEWS: A Dark Heritage, the first book in the Nighthunter series, is going to be published as an ebook. The publisher is currently editing and formatting the story, and I sent them a mock-up of what the cover could look like a couple of weeks ago.) Back toContinue reading “What is The Scryfennu?”

Update: Writing Stuff

The latest issue of OUAC (Once Upon A Crocodile) ezine, which I run and edit, is coming out VERY SOON — May the 30th, to be precise. It will feature old favourites such as Lynn White and rp Verlaine, as well as some new faces: Sara Corris, DJ Tyrer, LN Hunter, Daniel Tarker, and MattContinue reading “Update: Writing Stuff”