A Paean to Pubs
(I’m a writer, I’m allowed to use Big Words). Pubs will be one of the last things we get back, perhaps unsurprisingly – they are, after all, enclosed spaces where people mingle, and you can’t really sink a pint with … Continued
Author Archives: Zak Jane Keir
Writing, Ranting and Rage as the Days Go By
There are five or six unfinished rage-drenched blog posts sitting on the laptop right now. Some are just too incoherently furious to publish, others are about what was awful last week but has been diminished by the horrors of this … Continued
Lockdown Life: Learning to Vlog
It’s fairly crap, I know. (Whether I’m referring to the lockdown or my initial attempts at vlogging, I will leave up to you to decide.) But I promise no pious platitudes or fingerwagging: we all get through this as we … Continued
Thoughts on St George’s Day 2020
St George’s Day is a day I like to celebrate. To me, enjoying it, making it a party at which everyone is welcome, takes it away from deluded flag-shagging wingnuts (not least because the historical figure most likely to have … Continued
Names Have Power, Remember
The idea that names have power is one of those cross-cultural concepts that we are all aware of, on some level. It’s still the case that many celebrities – and aspiring celebrities – rename themselves at some point, though it’s … Continued
Writing the Pandemic: Should you? Could you?
Back in the 90s it tended to be the porn producers* who were quickest off the mark when it came to topical themes for new product, probably for the same reason that now it’s indie authors: low production costs and … Continued
Just FYI: Yes I’m #StillTrading
Yes FYI I am StillTrading Obviously everything is very strange at the moment. We’re all trying to make our own way through the chaos, and how hard it hits us depends very much on where we were before the pandemic … Continued
Sluts and Subs and Feminist Non-Fiction
Not that much of a meme participant, but I’m enjoying May More’s current series as it involves talking about books. I shared one of my favourite fiction recommendations last week, and now we’re moving on to non-fiction. I’ve picked three … Continued
Favourite Fiction: #Bookmatters
Picking a favourite book is something I always find impossible. I’d struggle to keep the shortlist down to ten and, as with trying to pick a favourite song, I doubt I’d be able to give the same answer on any … Continued
You Know When You’ve Been Joplinned
OK, it’s a phrase I’ve been trying to get into circulation for years without success, but it seems even more appropriate now. To be joplinned is to have had plans for some sort of publicity or promotion, especially something you … Continued