To Con, or not to Con…

To Con, or not to Con… So, there’s been a global pandemic these last 545 days (as declared by the WHO on 11th March 2020 – not that we’re counting). Undoubtedly it has been a planet-wide disaster, costing the lives of some 4.5M people, which is horrendous. Hopefully humanity (or rather more of humanity’s members)…

2019: The year I discovered the ‘world’

2019: The year I discovered the ‘world’ In 2019, the World Science Fiction convention came to Dublin, and it was outstanding. Not only my first Worldcon, but my first convention of any kind. (Little did I (or any of us) know what was coming, and that conventions would be going online for a considerable time…

Robin’s thing

Robin’s thing My thing, arguably, is that I have too many things — figuratively and literally — and could be accused of hoarding hobbies. I have collections of stamps; beer caps, and beer mats; concert tickets; records/tapes/CD’s (1,500+); DVD’s (a wall’s worth). I love Lego*, and have done for 50 years (all those sets…), and…

How important is music in your writing process?

How important is music in your writing process? This is something that writers vary on significantly, but I don’t think any would deny that music is a powerful influence on mood, and mood is a critical element of any writer’s process. For me, music is not essential, but can be valuable in drowning out external…