Issue 2 - A Little About me and What to Expect in This Newsletter
Before I begin I want to thank you for joining me on this journey. There is so much content on the internet, so much to consume, that it is a miracle that you are even reading this. The internet is noisy, both visually and audibly, with videos, and advertisements, everything is a distraction designed to keep you constantly scrolling, flicking or even tiktokin’… Substack is the opposite of that. It is a haven. A slow space, where you can relax and read deeply. There is just you and me, in communication and co-creation.
Who am I?
When I was a young child I grew up in a place that sold collective dreams on magnetic tape. Amongst celluloid heroes I swung through hidden jungles, delved deep down ancient ruins, and fought valiant sword battles along the empty aisles. (From VHS Movie Memories - A Poem)
My love then, as now, is the fantasy genre in all of its forms. I am equally happy writing pulp Sword and Sorcery as I am more literary variants, such as Magic Realism, and although my stories often tend to be dark, they are more Gothic than full Horror. If I write Science Fiction, it would be more Space Opera, or Sword and Planet, then be a scientifically accurate extrapolation. You can probably see a pattern here. I write across many genres, but there will nearly always be some fantastical elements to the story.
If this appeals to you as a reader then you are going to be a good match for this newsletter.
Why now?
I have been writing off and on for about 20 years. My first story was published the same year I graduated university with a degree in Media Studies. Since then I have had a few more stories published online and in small press magazines, and completed writing a Middle-Grade Fantasy novel.
I used to be very critical of self-publishing. I thought there was only one correct way to become an author. I spent years believing this, but slowly, my views changed. The publishing landscape has changed dramatically particularly due to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Self Publishers are no longer looked down upon, and dare I say it, they might have been right all along.
I dipped my toe in water in 2021 by publishing short stories and poetry to Medium. Even though I quickly gained the 100 followers required to start earning, it ended up not being the platform for me. I did, however, enjoy having an audience for my work, one that I could write for directly, and hopefully grow over time. Having researched various alternatives I decided upon Substack, if it was OK for Salmon Rushdie and David Michie (writer of The Dalai Lama’s Cat Series) then it was OK for me!
Important Details:
I expect to send a newsletter every two weeks. Issues will vary in content, but will include short stories, poetry and essays. I will keep this newsletter completely free for at least one year, and if I ever offer a paid version, that will be for an extra newsletter on top of the original one. I would rather have a greater number of free subscribers who are actually interested readers of my work, than a smaller number of paid subscribers.