The axis of Rome and Constantinople in the late Roman period and later Byzantine are key influences for my work in progress.

I've already managed to visit Istanbul for research, but for the city featured in my first WIP, I've wanted to use Rome as a significant influence.

Luckily both myself and my girlfriend celebrated our 40th's this year, so for her turn I figured a research trip to Rome would be a good idea.

Anyway, I've come back with a whole ream of...

In which I lament the SF online community's dependence on received web-witticisms and neologisms: ie, good old fashioned stale cliches.

As far as LOL cats go, I give no goddam mercy and expect none in return...

It's tough out there...

Okay, I admit it. I do find, female violinists very attractive. Watching This Week tonight on the BBC has reminded me of this.

Am I being a bit silly I wonder. I've often requested the wife to take up the fiddle but she said, "I'm not accounting for everything I spend you idiot."

Bum bum.

Ha, I love her the way she keeps me in check. Anyway, her housekeeping accounts read like Robert Maxwell's book on accountancy. So, back to my point....

The Yilanè are small, extremely intelligent dinosaurs (yes, I know everybody thinks of dinosaurs as universally huge, That's like thinking of mammals as enormous because there are blue whales and elephants. There are also shrews and marmosets. There were more small species than large.) They specialised in biotech, which meant they never had to develop mass production, because lifeforms (as any stock breeder will tell you) are willing, even eager, to see to their own production.

Biotech...

There comes a time when you have back off and let destiny take its course. The promotion and marketing efforts for at least two of my books have not really produced fruit. I'm up to eight copies sold on the self-published title, The War Gate. And it's taken a week just to make that additional sale. The Wolfen Strain has sold two copies and still ranks very high at Fictionwise, but not on Amazon. I haven't changed anything in my plan, hitting the same spots and sites that I normally do, plus...