22 December 2020

I’ve been a game reviewer and curator for some time now and often find myself mentoring budding game developers as they release their first games into the world. I know finding reviewers can be hard, cold contacting can be very uncomfortable and confronting, and there are a few other traps for young players. So I thought I’d do my part by writing this article, in which you’ll find a compilation of the advice I find myself giving time and time again, to make it more readily accessible for indie devs. I hope it helps!

31 October 2020

Fantastic memoir writing workshop by Ian Frazer today, held at the Thuringowa Library.

October 2020

Thanks to the amazing generosity of some incredible indie game devs, I've had the great fortune to host a series of giveaways. The purpose of the giveaways were simply to spread some indie love and help some of the better indie devs shine in a flooded market. Thanks to Ategig (Brimstone Brawlers), Sati Bros. (Astral Gunners), Cydonian Games (Voidship), 16 Bit Nights (Tauronos & Flesh Eaters), Hammer&Ravens (Empires in Ruins), SnoutUp (Card Hog), Pug Fugly Games (Destructivator 2), Land Patricion (Sol 705), & Liquid Bit, LLC (Killer Queen Black) for donating their games to make this possible.

20 August 2020

Hosted TWPC's inaugural Secret Rendezvous writing event. Was a quiet night with reasonable attendance given the COVID situation, but an enjoyable and productive night nonetheless. The event was held at the scenic lookout atop Mount Stuart.

15 August 2020

Alersteam is one of the most promising, ambitous, and under-rated indie game developers around at the moment. They’re working on Exoplanet: First Contact, a first-person roleplaying game with similar gameplay to Fallout 3, et al., but with a Space Western setting which is reminiscent of Firefly but very much its own beast. Joining me today is Alex, the team leader, to have a chat about the influences behind the game, his experiences with Kickstarter and Early Access, and the current state of the game.

06 August 2020

There must be countless grognards out there like myself who grew up during the “golden age” of strategy games and have been enjoying watching the genre grow and evolve over the last couple of decades. Joining me today are three of what I consider to be among some of the greatest up-and-coming pioneers of the field from all around the world. Developers whose games cover a range of design choices including 4X, tactical, kingdom-builder, turn-based and real-time, as well as a variety of themes. With such talent in the room, I decided to skip most of the usual fluffy questions so we could delve right into some nitty-gritty design discussion, making this interview a small but quality trove of game design wisdom.

01 June 2020

Last year, a "wet weather event," this year a pandemic. I've been fortunate enough to have been basically unaffected. TWPC events and cadets have been suspended until further notice and we've made the move online with the rest of the world, but otherwise I've been going to work every day and it's been business as usual. I've been busy writing still but nothing I can share publicly for the time being.

22 May 2020

Took four years to hit this milestone! 2,000 followers on Twitter.

01 March 2020

400 word flash fiction.

23 February 2020

Meet the new board for the Townsville Writers & Publishers Centre!

Chris Picone back in the chair, Helene Kotzas the Stalwart joins us again, and two new faces: Terry Mullins, our Spec. Fic. facilitator and Anita Berry, new member.

Not pictured: Ernie Bunt, our elusive treasurer.

Thanks to Tumbetin Tea Rooms for having us, and for everyone who turned up. It was great to meet some of you for the first time.

15 January 2020

Another fantastic workshop with another amazing group of budding authors. Workshop focused on turning ideas into stories and getting them out there. Select sessions included: Plotting & planning, structure, creating believable characters, world building, tropes, scene writing, editing, and pitching, as well as the usual assortment of writing games and activities.

Thanks so much to headspace Townsville for providing us with such a perfect venue. It's great to be able to offer Townsville kids such a great opportunity (I wish it was around when I was a kid - not everyone's into sports!) and we couldn't do it without you.