Just a quick reminder that I’ll be in Melbourne this weekend, joining in with a group signing at Dymocks in Southland. I’ll be sharing the signing table with some truly notable dark fiction writers – Bob Franklin, Kirstyn McDermott, Jason Nahrung and Bruce Kaplan. So come along, buy great books, get them signed, have...
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Books By Alan
Click on book covers for reviews, previews and purchase options.
RealmShift
A race against time and the Devil
"RealmShift is phenomenal. If it’s not already on your bookshelf it should be."
MageSign
Believe in the blood 
"a gritty tale of blood rituals, mystery, and mysticism… grabs hold of the reader and doesn’t let go"
The Darkest Shade Of Grey
You can tell the story.
"...stunning supernatural noir..."
Ghost Of The Black
"Everything about it is bang on"
Write The Fight Right
“The best way for a writer to learn what’s really involved in brawling, short of going down the pub and starting something.”
Monthly Archives: October 2010
Halloween HorrorCon reminder
Dark Places – a Halloween anthology
The publisher of my novels, Gryphonwood Press, has put together a Halloween special. They’re offering an ebook anthology of short fiction from all the Gryphonwood authors, and it’s free. This weekend only, you can get it for free at Smashwords, by entering the following code at checkout: AD94N The anthology contains two reprinted stories...
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Ironic index
Driving home this evening I passed a fancy convertible driven by a young blonde lady in an expensive looking dress. The number plate read: BLOOND Oh, how I laughed. .
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ThrillerCast Episode 3
Just a quick heads up that ThrillerCast episode 3 is now up and ready for your ears. In this latest podcast Dave and I talk about novellas, the nature of publishing big fat fantasy and lots of other stuff. There’s also a Jackie Chan style out-take after the end credits if you stick it...
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I love a bit of hippy kak
It’s true, I can’t deny it. I love markets with stalls selling all kinds of old kak. I love festivals where you get the inevitable stalls of tie-dye and incense and models of elves nursing tiny dragons. And I love towns like Berry, not far from where I live, that has shops full of...
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The physical brutality of being a writer
For some months now I’ve had a patch of sore skin on my left elbow. It’s sort of rough and tender and gets a bit scaly from time to time. My wife suggested that maybe it was a part of me that got extra dry and that I should start moisturising it. Of course,...
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Book Depository – free shipping worldwide
I want to make sure that everyone knows about this latest online book store called Book Depository. Why is it so special? How does great prices and free worldwide shipping grab you? Online bookstores are fast becoming the preferred shopping venue for book buyers, especially here in Australia. We’re very lucky to live in...
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Video interview with Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn
I was recently interviewed by Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn about all things dark fantasy, genre fiction and thrillers. We chat about my books, about writing thrillers and what defines a genre. We also discuss violence, mythology, research and travel, podcast and my new ThrillerCast with David Wood. There’s also an exclusive mention...
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Is fantasy really escapism?
Of course it is, but is it the most escapist? A recent blog post by Anne Hamilton (which was part of Helen Lowe’s blog tour for the launch of The Heir Of Night) got me thinking about this subject again. In that post, Anne says: When I was growing up, SFF was generally derided...
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Writing the good fight- Guest post with Lorna Suzuki
A few times now I’ve run a workshop at conventions which is all about writing realistic fight scenes. Writers are constantly told to “write what you know” and good writers will research things they don’t know very well. More accurately, writers should “write what you know, or have gone and found out about”. I’m...
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Grabbed by the throat or gently teased?
I’ve been thinking about the generally accepted premise that you need to grab readers in the first few lines of a story. I think for short fiction this is certainly true. You’re usually trying to get noticed in a slush pile several feet deep and an editor needs to be interested right from the...
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Realms Of Fantasy bows out
Another great magazine has been destroyed by a vicious economic climate and a lack of reader support. And it’s really not the readers fault; it’s just the times, they are a-changin’. It’s such a shame that so many great magazines are sinking – but it’s at least partly the cost of our new digital...
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Reading several books at once
I don’t mean simultaneously reading several books, maybe two at a time, one with each eye. That would be awesome in some ways, as I’d get to read a lot more, but I can also imagine it would just melt my brain. But, quite obviously, I mean having several different books on the go...
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ThrillerCast episode 2 now available
The second episode of the new podcast I’m presenting with David Wood is up now. We discuss ebooks and how the publishing industry is changing, and a little bit about building an online profile as a writer. I’m going out today to get a new mic as it’s becoming quickly apparent that the one...
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ThrillerCast – a new weekly podcast with me in it
I always say that the best description of my novels is dark fantasy thriller. They’re urban fantasy books, they’re full of magic and demons and gods and all that good stuff, but they’re also thrillers. I love the pace and urgency of a thriller, the page turning qualities of a book that you just...
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The Word
Welcome to the website of author Alan Baxter.
I write dark fantasy, sci fi and horror, ride a motorcycle and love my dog. I also teach Kung Fu, hence the Warrior Scribe tag above. A friend once referred to me that way and I liked it, so it stuck. Learn all about me and my work by clicking About Alan just below the header.
Our world is built on language and storytelling. Without stories, we are nothing.
The Word is a place to learn more about me, my stories and the words of others. Click the links along the top for all kinds of stuff, search the sidebars for loads of other stuff, click on book covers for reviews and previews, enjoy the blog and don't be shy to share your words, in comments or send me an email:
alan [at]alanbaxteronline[dot]com
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