Blog - Page 5 of 7 - Nick Marone

Drowned Earth Author — C. A. Clark

By Nick Marone 25 January 20Novella

Australian Speculative Fiction (ASF) is all about showcasing Australian and New Zealander authors. One of the many projects currently under way is the Drowned Earth Novella series—a series of eight novellas written by different authors all set in the same scenario—a flooded Australia. To get to know these amazing authors[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #14: “Thalassophile”

By Nick Marone 12 January 20A Word on Vocabulary

Do you sea what I sea? Do you love the sea? There is definitely something mesmerising about oceans. They're big, they're majestic, and they're a force to be reckoned with. Gone are the days when the majority of long-distance travellers would go by ship. In this day and age of[…]

Story Behind the Story: Pilgrimage to Earth

By Nick Marone 7 December 19Story Behind the Story

Here's a little account of the creation of my first published short story, "Pilgrimage to Earth". Please be aware that there are SPOILERS in this article. The Opportunity The folks at Aussie Speculative Fiction (ASF) are a great bunch. I love how they cultivate interest and creativity in the speculative[…]

NaNoWriMo 2019 Report

By Nick Marone 30 November 19News

Preparation, self-discipline, and flexibility were my keys to success for NaNoWriMo 2019. I decided a few months away from November 2019 that I wanted to try the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. This is an online-based creative writing project where writers are encouraged to produce at least 50,000 words[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #13: “Tarantism”

By Nick Marone 24 November 19A Word on Vocabulary

Dance until you can't dance anymore. Do you like dancing? I do, but I'm selective in who I dance with or in front of. For some people, dancing is their life. They may be professionals or weekend dance floor warriors. For others, however, tarantism goes a one-two-three step further (mind[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #12: “Anam Cara”

By Nick Marone 10 November 19A Word on Vocabulary

We all deserve that one special person with whom we can open our hearts. Throughout our lives, we experience a rollercoaster ride of joys and sadness. Sometimes, we need to free our hearts and minds of our innermost thoughts. Some turn to God, others to family or a marriage mate,[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #11: “Verisimilitude”

By Nick Marone 3 November 19A Word on Vocabulary

Do you see what I see? We live in a world where truth and falsity are now more intertwined than ever before. It seems people are getting better at disguising falsehoods as truths. It could be something fun, like using CGI or makeup in a movie. Alternatively, it could be[…]

Story Behind the Story: Fire Over Troubled Water

By Nick Marone 2 November 19Story Behind the Story

I was very pleased with this cover design. Here’s a little account of how Fire Over Troubled Water came into existence. I discovered the Drowned Earth novellas opportunity on Facebook in early 2019. The team at Aussie Speculative Fiction (ASF) had great plans for a series of novellas dealing with[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #10: “Supercilious”

By Nick Marone 27 October 19A Word on Vocabulary

Whoever sits atop a high horse has further to fall. Isn't it great how different we all are? It's nice when we get along. Unfortunately, there are some who love to sit on high horses and look down on everyone. Well, there's a word for those people, and we're going[…]

A Word on Vocabulary #9: “Shibboleth”

By Nick Marone 20 October 19A Word on Vocabulary

You may not use the word, but you definitely use its meaning. In today's world, there are so many groups, organisations, sects, subcultures, bodies, cliques, and so on. Each has their own unique vocabulary that means a lot to its members, but not much at all to outsiders. Meaning: a[…]