In Peng Shepherd’s fantastical thriller, a cartographer realizes the true power of maps.

‘By Force Alone’ is is a vicious, beautiful, profane and wickedly funny reimagining of the rise and fall of King Arthur without the chivalry, divine right or holy quests. 

Much has been written about the enormous importance of looking things up before you write about them so as to avoid ranking too high on the Dan Brown Scale of Did Not Do The Research—but there’s another side to this particular coin.

What it says on the tin. I'm a big proponent of transformative works in general, and I have learned a very great deal over the centuries from writing and reading fic.

An article on why McKinley’s fantasy protagonists work so remarkably well for me (because they’re people, rather than high-fantasy tropes), discussing the importance of contrast in fiction to maximize both interest and dynamic potential.