Lee J. Russell

Hav you ever wondered how the planets formed? …

Have you ever wondered how the planets formed? Now you can see for yourself with the updates that are starting to come through from the New Horizons probe’s flyby of Ultima Thule… “We’re looking at one of the first building blocks that came together to form the planets and moons,” says Jeffrey Moore, a researchContinue reading “Hav you ever wondered how the planets formed? …”

Using a digital voice recorder and YouTube to automatically convert your spoken word into text…

My latest author vlog is now up on my YouTube channel – today I explain how you can use a digital voice recorder and YouTube to automatically convert your spoken word into text – take a look at https://youtu.be/DZnVoV3Qt0c The DVR I’m using is a Sony ICD PX370. The lavalier lapel mic is an unbrandedContinue reading “Using a digital voice recorder and YouTube to automatically convert your spoken word into text…”

I’ve now printed the first 4 alpha copies of ‘Evil Eye – A Lissa Blackwood Thriller’…

Back in August I announced that I had finished the first draft of ‘Evil Eye’, and like all writers I immediately started work on improving that copy. ‘Evil Eye’ is my third novel and I’m getting used to that process of polishing and embellishing my work, but this time around I was thrown by someContinue reading “I’ve now printed the first 4 alpha copies of ‘Evil Eye – A Lissa Blackwood Thriller’…”

“Hospital Station” by James White – first published in 1967…

Just finished reading “Hospital Station” by James White – first published in 1967, an auspicious year! I had a strong sense of déjà vu from the first short story in this collection, but the others were new to me. What stands out in this sci fi book is that although it is set in space,Continue reading ““Hospital Station” by James White – first published in 1967…”

“… if you’re stupid enough to be biased against SF you will read SF stupidly…”

An insightful quote from Chris Gavaler on theguardian.com : “… when readers who are biased against SF read the word ‘airlock’, their negative assumptions kick in – ‘Oh, it’s that kind of story’ – and they begin reading poorly. So, no, SF doesn’t really make you stupid. It’s more that if you’re stupid enoughContinue reading ““… if you’re stupid enough to be biased against SF you will read SF stupidly…””

the international diversification of sci-fi…

I enjoyed this interesting article from the BBC about the international diversification of sci-fi: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20181203-what-our-science-fiction-says-about-us Nothing ever stays the same and it is very good for the genre to bring in new ideas and new voices. On the other hand we are seeing an increasingly aggressive China and Russia exerting themselves militarily in several regionsContinue reading “the international diversification of sci-fi…”

The 10 Rules of Writing Large Casts of Characters…

I’ve just read a good article about “The 10 Rules of Writing Large Casts of Characters” by K.M. Weiland on https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/large-casts-of-characters/ This always seems to trip me up and I found this to be a helpful summary of some things to think about – it’s worth taking a look at… #authorlee #amwriting

Latest vlog about “Evil Eye – A Lissa Blackwood Thriller”…

I’ve just shared a new vlog about ‘Evil Eye – A Lissa Blackwood Thriller’ on YouTube – take a look at https://youtu.be/JnADVherxXg In the vlog I talk about 2 large changes that I’m making to the story. Firstly I’m removing the references to Brexit – the plot of this book isn’t driven by that andContinue reading “Latest vlog about “Evil Eye – A Lissa Blackwood Thriller”…”

“Day Four” – Sarah Lotz – book review…

I don’t often take the time to simply read a book, mostly because I’m usually after working at my day job or writing my own stories. I’m even less likely to be reading a ‘ghost story’ because they tend to lodge uncomfortably in my imagination. So it has been very pleasing to pass a coupleContinue reading ““Day Four” – Sarah Lotz – book review…”

Which Star Trek movie starring the Original Crew is the best?

Well, that’s a divisive question! I enjoy all aspects of the Star Trek universe from The Original Series (TOS), The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9 – this features one of my favourite episodes of all time, from any series of any program – “Duet” from series 1), Enterprise, The Animated Series, Voyager. TodayContinue reading “Which Star Trek movie starring the Original Crew is the best?”