Recent Entries

Novel vs novel-length story

Bringing this from writer Joseph Malik over from Bluesky. I think it's spot on.

"Subtext separates a novel from a novel-length story. Subtext is the part that AI can't--and never will--generate. It can't read for subtext. It can read Cliff's Notes to determine an existing novel's subtext, but there is no mathematical or logical process to create it. Subtext is uniquely human."

It's the conclusion to a 3-post thread. You can find that via my mentions over there if you're so inclined.

Genre creators for trans rights - an online auction

At Reconnect - Eastercon2025, Lauren Beukes and Jeanette Ng organised a pretty much spontaneous online auction of donations by the SFF community to raise money in support of Trans rights.

A second auction is now under way, and this time I'm offering the chance to see your name used for a character in my 8th Green Man book, to be published October 2025. The winning bidder can choose from one of three options to be discussed in strictest confidence – no spoilers! - and will be thanked in Acknowledgements.

Do check out all the lots. If you have something to offer, contact details are here too.

https://www.32auctions.com/genrefortrans

So much I never knew about wine barrels!

Have a doomscrolling break with this article about wine barrels. Though there is a bit of gloom inevitably, on account of the interconnectedness of things which long predates the Internet, of which the tech bros and money men seem entirely and persistently ignorant.

"Wood barrels circle the world and can be used for more than a century. They tell a story, but they’re imperilled by tariffs"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/12/global-sustainable-wine-barrels

What's in a name, when it's initials?

My wide range of interests is certainly reflected in the people I follow on various social media. On any given day, I can have to check if a mention of VC means venture capitalist, vulture capitalist, Vice Chancellor, or Victoria Cross.

A note on the English local elections.

I am not surprised to see the Conservative vote collapse. I spent my teens in true blue Tory Dorset and soon realised that while not every Conservative voter was a sexist racist by any means, the sexist racists most definitely voted Tory because they didn't have any other option.

Now they do. They can vote for the people who are on the telly openly saying the hateful things they used to have to say quietly to each other in a corner of the Conservative Club bar.

It's Independent Press Day?

Let me introduce you to Wizard's Tower Press, esteemed publisher of my Green Man series, and I heartily recommend their wealth of other titles available.

https://wizardstowerpress.com/

A thought about tomorrow's UK local elections, for those who will be voting.

What political commentators rather dismissively call 'no overall control' at district and county level here has seen cooperation between Labour, Lib Dems and Greens which has been noticeably better for local services and democracy than previous Tory rule which can be summed up as 'you'll take what we give you and like it, peasants'.

Pushing back against generative-AI

"...generative AI models are imitation engines – and they do not celebrate their sources, they conceal them. Writers carry forward ideas and techniques..." Timothy X Atack

"I buy the books I need to read, or borrow them from a proper library, so that the authors get their fair library payment and their intellectual property is respected." Abi Longstaff

Do read these letters in full!

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/09/ai-doesnt-care-about-authors-but-meta-should

Current state of play

A weekend of resolutely reading books, watching entertaining telly and playing board games - rather than doomscrolling or following the news - has been very good for the equilibrium.

Where do they/we go from here?

Watching clips of Senator Booker's speech, and fervently hoping the USA can find its way back from this administration led by wreckers whose first three months have seen so many heinous and despicable actions that he has had enough pertinent material to challenge them for twenty five hours straight.

If this can be done, the next even greater challenge will be convincing the rest of the world to ever trust the USA again. If the American political system can see this corrupt and incompetent regime seize and abuse power to such an extent, we cannot rely on this chaos not recurring in the future. Many countries are already planning accordingly.

John Garth's thoughts on creativity and AI by way of Tolkien

Excellent article from John Garth on AI and creativity, from his standpoint as a Tolkien scholar and widely applicable.

"I’m willing to accept that its vast data-crunching capacities may benefit science and medicine (though I’ll bet that for every miracle cure it produces there’ll also be a murderous new weapon). But AI is a cuckoo in the human nest, and like a cuckoo it will progressively outgrow and destroy everything that competes for its food."

https://steadyhq.com/en/john-garth-on-tolkiens-life-and-works/posts/5049d9fd-1897-4152-ae88-8c51f2d9137a

This writing life.

And third time's the charm. Specifically, this rewrite has fixed the chapter that just wasn't working. Three days and a net loss of 200 words, but now I can move forward. Phew.

And I'm glad to have had enough experience of this sort of thing to know it will come right if I just stick at it.

The Green Man's War ebook offer ends today.

Today is your last day to take advantage of the 99p ebook offer price for The Green Man's War on
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Mans-War-Juliet-McKenna-ebook/dp/B0DKFT293X/
and Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-green-man-s-war

Protect authors’ livelihoods from the unlicensed use of their work in AI training

Help us convince the UK government to uphold the law on copyright which Meta has ignored in order to use the illegally shared work of thousands of writers, without asking permission and without payment, with the explicitly stated aim of making money for themselves.

https://www.change.org/p/protect-authors-livelihoods-from-the-unlicensed-use-of-their-work-in-ai-training

SoA report into authors’ views on AI and Copyright

For more on the Society of Authors' report into authors’ views on the government's AI and Copyright consultation, follow the link - https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/26/soa-report-into-authors-views-on-the-ai-and-copyright-consultation/

We can all push back against Meta to defend copyright,

If governments and corporations are going to listen to readers, gamers and writers objecting to Meta's illegal use of pirated work to programme their AI, we need as many voices raised as possible.

Along with other writers, I've shared some thoughts with the Warhammer community over at Goonhammer.
https://www.goonhammer.com/black-library-writers-respond-to-meta-scraping-their-work/

You don't have to be an author to write to your MP or relevant elected officials, to let them know this is unacceptable.

In a break from the inescapable doomscrolling, let's talk maps.

Elsewhere online, I have seen maps mentioned as an aid to accessibility, specifically in relation to computer games, but this also applies to books, especially fantasy.

The poster, speaking from experience, highlighted this an an issue for those with dyslexia/dyspraxia who frequently can’t do mental maps.

I'm familiar with the other questions that recur when this perennial debate rolls around.
The cost in time and cash.
Does following the story need it - Discworld is often cited as an example where maps are a 'nice to have' but not essential .
Is the geography suitable? The original UK editions of my Aldabreshin Compass books had no map on the grounds that the scale of the Archipelago would end up as a meaningless scatter of dots at an A-format paperback scale.

This is the first time I have seen accessibility mentioned. I'm interested in thoughts from those with dyslexia/dyspraxia and indeed other variations in information processing*.

*Is that the best way to put this? If not, please let me know.

Please and thank you.

(no subject)

What the SoA is doing about Meta and LibGen - from their updated news post

https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/the-libgen-data-set-what-authors-can-do/

"We are currently exploring all options available for collective action on behalf of our members.
We are liaising with industry partners including the Publishers Association and Association of Authors’ Agents.
We are raising this matter with Government through a series of letters and briefings to MPs.
We are continuing our campaign work on AI and Copyright; working with policy makers on the issue of the unremunerated use of copyrighted works in large language model (LLM) training.
The Data (access and use) Bill is currently going through Parliament. This Bill could provide a legislative framework for full transparency on AI training data – we are lobbying MPs as part of the Creative Rights in AI Coalition for clauses to be included as it progresses."

Green Man's War ebook offer reminder

Your reminder that you have until the end of the month, that's a week today, if you wish to take advantage of the 99p ebook offer price for The Green Man's War on
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Mans-War-Juliet-McKenna-ebook/dp/B0DKFT293X/
and Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-green-man-s-war

UK local politics

A would-be Conservative councillor flatly contradicting a potential voter about a provable matter of fact on her own doorstep is an interesting choice. One might call it 'brave*' in the Yes Minister sense, possibly even 'courageous*'.
*will lose you votes
*will lose you the election

I politely declined the gentleman's leaflet on the grounds that I was not interested, after living in West Oxfordshire for forty years and having seen Tory councillors at county and district level oppose and delay work on a vital bit of local infrastructure all that time. This is finally going ahead now county and district councils are Labour/Lib Dem/Greens working together.

Him: 'That's not true'

Me: 'If you're going to call me a liar, we're done.' (Closing door).

I have better things to do with my time than cite the copious evidence in the public domain including two public planning enquiries where the Inspector instructed the Tory-led county council to get this work done asap. They didn't.