www.johnaferguson.co.uk

I'm excited to share an update on my novel edit. I've now edited 101 pages of the original 170-page manuscript, which means I'm well over halfway through. It's been a rewarding process, and I'm starting to see the fruits of my labour. Star Fantasy is taking a much better shape than its original incarnation. I've made significant changes, including rearranging chapters and moving away from the restrictive chapter length expectations. A chapter should be as long or as short as it needs to be. If a chapter is short and to the point, then that's perfectly fine. I still have about 70 pages to go, but I'm confident that I can bring this novel to a satisfying conclusion. I'm excited to see how the story unfolds as I continue to refine and polish it. As I near the end of this editing process, my thoughts are already turning to the next book in the series. Revisiting this story, which was originally conceived over two decades ago, has been a delightful journ

Hey there, spacefarers and fantasy fanatics! Those of you who've been following along know I've been neck-deep in revisions for my epic Star Fantasy novel. It's a world I'm pouring my heart into, and I want to make sure it's the absolute best it can be. But sometimes, even the most dedicated writer needs a bit of a breather from the vastness of space! That's where these little gems come in. While on a revision break, I decided to revisit some short stories I wrote years ago.  These tales, tucked away in dusty notebooks, whispered of forgotten adventures and intriguing characters.  I couldn't resist giving them a second chance to shine! So, I'm thrilled to announce that two of these short stories are now available on Amazon! Echoes in the Machine: In the cold embrace of a dying spaceship, a desperate pact is forged. A lone sacrifice sparks a race against a terrifying unknown. Echoes in the Machine is a sci-fi short story that explores the cost of survival

Last year I made the decision to pull my first novel "Star Fantasy: The Voice of Darkness" from sale on all of the digital platforms. The reason for this was fairly simple. It needed a bit of work.  I've loved this wee world I have created....it was my first full novel that I completed.  However, there were bits that I felted needed to be looked at again and improved upon. So...that is what 2024 will being. I will re-edit it, get it back up for sale with a new cover and start the journey into the second part of the story...which has had the working title "The Son of the Tribe" for some time now.  Happy reading my friends and I will keep you posted all what is happening.  Jafwords

As we approach the end of 2023, I thought it was time to finally update and clean up my author's website. Over the years, it has started to feel a bit cluttered an messy. Probably a good way to describe my writing approach, so it was time to fix it and make it look a bit more straightforward. The old site has now gone, and all that remains of it is the blog. I have retained the blog to allow me to make these latest announcements and updates. However, everything is gone and now we have this new look. Over this last year, I have become more and more focused on using the tools available through Google. In my other line of work, I have gained my level 1 & 2 Google Educator and currently working on gaining my Google Trainer. So, why not use the skills I have and make them work for my website as well? I am hoping that this fresh look for 2024 will get me moving with some more writing projects and, to be honest, with a lot of the old writing project

It's probably not the best move to complain about social media on a social media website. However, I am still going to do it. I find Twitter to be a bit more complicated now. I enjoyed having a direct feed on this website, here on the BLOG side, as it was my go-to place for comments and posts - so it made sense to me to have it here on the BLOG.  However, it seems that you can no longer view Twitter posts unless logged into Twitter.  I have also created a Threads account for my writing and creative work. However, as I had used "jafwords" before for a personal account on Instagram, I couldn't transfer the account name over. I started with Jafwords2 on Threads, but I really didn't like that. So, I have decided that I will use "jafwords" in reverse and have "sdrowfaj".  So, as both names Jafwords & Sdrowfaj will refer to my writing and creative work.  TOO MANY NOW - I found it challenging just dealing with Twitter but think I will need to expa

 As you can probably guess, when it comes to my writing work, I have a hard time focussing on just one project. I find a number of things to completely distract myself with.  The re-edit of the Star Fantasy novel is going slowly - but it still moves forward (even if it is at a snail's pace). I am also working on a short story - something very spacey and sci-fi(ish).  I still fancy myself as a comic book writer/creator. So, you guessed it, I am still trying to create some comics using a combination of midjourney and vroid. I am guessing the use of midjourney would not go down well with the artistic community - but when I know I can actually write some decent stuff, I can seek and pay real artists! As for reading - I have decided this summer to get back into some old classics. I recently finished Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I am about 80% through Frankenstein and when I am done with that I am moving on to Dracula.  Happy Reading folks. (I should really try and update this

So, as I had mentioned, I had pulled the sale of my first book from the internet stores. Not because I was unhappy with it or went in a huff. I just thought I could do better with it after all those years, and I wanted to give it a bit of TLC.  I've worked on the first couple of chapters, and thanks to my cousin John, it has had a read through and I think he seems happy with it.  This isn't going to be a quick fix approach. We will definitely be looking at a 2023 release. But that is okay. I'd rather I was totally happy than it being rushed. I'm hoping this week I can get another few chapters done.  On other news, I've still not seen the new Black Panther film, and now Matilda the musical is also released. I really need to get to the cinema.  Happy reading folks...oh and this week, I am reading more Star Trek. Purgatory's Key, the third book in the Legacies series. This one is written by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore.