Links

Writing

The Google search engine is an extremely nifty reference tool.

The SFWA website is aimed at sf and fantasy writers, but has much useful general advice.

The Erotica Readers & Writers Association has useful advice for erotica writers.

Charles Petit, Author's Lawyer, specialises in intellectual property law from the author's side. His website offers basic legal advice for authors, and is well worth a read. So is his blog Scrivener's Error, a witty running commentary on various legal issues.

Speculations is a subscription magazine offering advice and market listings for speculative fiction writers. The website also hosts the Rumor Mill, which offers more of the same in an online chat format. Check out publishers and agents here. Preferably before handing over money to same. Remember: money flows towards the author.

Ralan's SpecFic & Humor Webstravaganza hosts a very useful market listing for speculative fiction writers.

Reading

The White List, a list of authors, editors, agents, publishers etc on Livejournal.

Manloveauthors' list of gay romance authors' websites. Lots of free excerpts and sample stories.

Fannish

Worldcon is an annual orgy of sf and fantasy

Redemption is a Blakes 7 and Babylon 5 con run by some of my friends. This is the sort of con you get when a media con is run by litfen. Plenty to do even if you never go near the headline guests.

Baycon is The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention.

BAScon is a slash con in the San Francisco Bay area. Not enough SF for my tastes, but one can't have everything.

Lspace is your one-stop-shop for information on the works of Terry Pratchett, a gentleman who writes astonishingly good social satire thinly disguised as fantasy.

Judith Proctor's website is not only the biggest Blake's 7 site on the web, it hosts a major fanzine shop. Zines from over 80 fandoms (and several different countries), plus merchandise for many fandoms, and original gay fiction. Credit cards in a variety of currencies, US and UK cash, UK cheques.

Other things

Turnpike is a Windows mail/newsreader coded by people who worship the RFCs. It costs fifteen quid plus VAT. It's worth it.

Spamcop is a tool to help in tracking down spammers and sending terse notes to those who supply them with bandwidth.

BBC Radio 4, for those who like the spoken word. News, current affairs, documentaries, plays...

Some of my friends

Alex Woolgrave is my writing partner. Sometimes we co-author, sometimes we beta each other.

Waveney Web Services Website design and hosting. Don't blame them for flaws in my site, I just get the hosting from them.

Interstellar Master Traders is "the North-West's Premier Fantasy, SF & Horror Book & RPG Shop", and purveyor of UK editions of Discworld novels (and other things) to the colonies. The esteemed ppint has been supplying my UK editions since I moved to Silicon Valley. I prefer my British sf to not have been dumbed down, sorry, edited for the US market. So do my merkin friends, funnily enough. Apparently the US publishers don't agree, so ppint continues to do a thriving trans-Atlantic trade...