Bernard’s non biopsy
March 12, 2020
More red herrings, and writing again, yay! … More Bernard’s non biopsy
Category: Earning a living
A lesser-known Bionicle anniversary
December 5, 2019
As has been said many times elsewhere, and by me here, September this year marks 20 years since Bob Thompson and I started developing my reworking of Lego’s original three and a half pages of Boneheads of Voodoo Island into what would soon become Bionicle. But it was also 1999, and the Millennium Eve was … More A lesser-known Bionicle anniversary
To Whom It May Concern…
February 18, 2019
Originally posted on Cristian Mihai:
I’m twenty eight years old, and in that short time frame I’ve learned that life is rarely fair. But it goes on. Whether we like it or not, life goes on. Maybe we live in a dangerous world. Maybe this world has always been “unsafe” for those who weren’t sure…
What Really Sells a Book?
January 25, 2019
Originally posted on irevuo:
Some might say the trickiest part is actually selling the book. Or writing it? Opinions differ. But what really sells a book? What marketing tool? What recipe to follow? Is there a recipe? Well, let’s analyze one of my favorite novels, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, and hope that I’ll…
Feel Like Giving Up? Read this.
January 24, 2019
Originally posted on The Art of Blogging:
I launched my first blog in January 2011. I had released my first self-published novel on Amazon. I was very excited, and I was sure that I’d soon conquer the world… I quit after three posts, no views, no comments, no nothing. Five days into my career as…
Decluttering, Part One
January 22, 2019
Light bulb moment. Put everything in one place. … More Decluttering, Part One
An enviable lifestyle, apparently…
April 15, 2016
I recently had someone connect with me on LinkedIn who turned out to be a huge Bionicle fan. It’s not the first time, and it is quite satisfying to hear from these guys who grew up with the toys ten, fifteen years ago, although not as satisfying as royalties would have been of course… 😉 However, in his post-connection … More An enviable lifestyle, apparently…
Getting back out there
February 3, 2016
It’s not been the best month. The death of anyone close to you is always a blow, but that of your oldest and best friend is more like being repeatedly hammered by Mohammed Ali. But life must eventually restart, and my book ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ needs attention. The sequel needs starting of course, but before … More Getting back out there
Bionicle redux, in a way…
October 26, 2015
I am once again immersed in alien worlds, creating whole civilisations and their histories, which as ever involves a lot of staring out of the window, and the odd beer here and there. My Lego Bionicle credentials seem to have reached a German games company, and for the last few weeks I have been back and … More Bionicle redux, in a way…
Bionicle – my actual part in its origins
September 7, 2015
The Wikipedia page about me says that I’m known mostly for my involvement with Lego Bionicle. Obviously I hope one day that will change to ‘author of ‘The Flying Monk’ and ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey‘, but for now, Bionicle is arguably my biggest ‘claim to fame’. Not that you’d know it if you looked on Lego’s … More Bionicle – my actual part in its origins
Publication day
August 31, 2015
So, the day finally came. After twenty five years of being distracted from book writing by the animation industry, my first novel ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ is actually released. It’s a strange feeling. Obviously every novelist dreams of being sat in a book shop at this point with eager purchasers queuing around the block, but not all of … More Publication day
The things you do for writing
August 4, 2015
Writers are traditionally supposed to starve in garrets for their art. I did it in gas stations. And pubs, and restaurants, and anywhere else that would pay the rent and give me enough time in the day, or more usually at night, to pursue the mad dream of being a professional writer. The gas station job was … More The things you do for writing
Up and running
July 2, 2015
Well, it’s official, I am now a .com and an @. Ahead of the publication of my first children’s/young adult fantasy novel ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’, I now have not only an author site, but I have also joined the Twitterati – I am @alswinn. Not quite sure what to do with it yet, … More Up and running
