Andrew Ferguson
Children's/YA Author
Archives
Horror Clichés and How To Avoid Them
Posted on May 8, 2021 Leave a Comment
Well, we’re getting near the end of our series on genre clichés and how to avoid them. Today it’s all about horror.
5 Sci-Fi Tropes I Could Live Without
Posted on March 4, 2021 1 Comment
For some reason, sci-fi is just chock full of certain clichéd tropes, some of which are so very ridiculous that it frankly beggars belief that they ever became clichés. The others are just plain done to death. What follows are some of my (least) favourites.
100 Word Story: The Monster
Posted on February 23, 2021 Leave a Comment
I recently entered a couple of stories into the National Association of Writers’ Groups 100 Word Mini-Tales competition. Suffice it to say I didn’t win, but since I believed in the potential of every one of the stories I entered, it seemed only fitting to try and publish them elsewhere. I selected this one to publish here on Penstricken after the winners of the competition were announced. The rest, I’ve submitted to other places.
As ever, what follows here is entirely my own work and has not been published anywhere else in the world, whether on print or online. And so, without further ado, I give you…
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (vol. 2)
Posted on February 19, 2021 Leave a Comment
It’s that time again! We’ve already had super snappy speed reviews for books, TV shows and films now it’s time to return for a second helping of super snappy book reviews. As before, the books I have reviewed here have been selected entirely at random from my ever-growing book collection and do not necessarily have anything in common apart from the fact that they are all books. They are not necessarily films that I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.
As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, sliced and diced into a few short sentences. So without further ado…
Author Interview: Jasyn T. Turley
Posted on November 15, 2020 Leave a Comment
Jasyn T. Turley is the author behind the zombie thriller series, Weeks. I caught up with Jasyn about Weeks, his writing routine and plans for the future.
Throwback Thursday: The Monster
Posted on August 20, 2020 Leave a Comment
I recently entered a couple of stories into the National Association of Writers’ Groups 100 Word Mini-Tales competition. Suffice it to say I didn’t win, but since I believed in the potential of every one of the stories I entered, it seemed only fitting to try and publish them elsewhere. I selected this one to publish here on Penstricken after the winners of the competition were announced. The rest, I’ve submitted to other places.
As ever, what follows here is entirely my own work and has not been published anywhere else in the world, whether on print or online. And so, without further ado, I give you…
TV Review: Stranger Things
Posted on July 26, 2020 Leave a Comment
If you’re thinking this sounds like a bit of a kitchen sink show, you’re absolutely right. The Duffer brothers who created the show seem to have painstakingly pieced together every single last light-hearted ’80s American sci-fi/horror trope they could think of and mashed them together to create this show. But you know… it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.
TV Review: Another Life
Posted on May 24, 2020 Leave a Comment
My wife and I were very much in the market for another space opera. And so we did the only thing we could: dipped our hand into the televisual basket of snakes that is Netflix, only to get bitten by Another Life.
Throwback Thursday: 5 Sci-Fi Tropes I Could Live Without
Posted on October 31, 2019 Leave a Comment
For some reason, sci-fi is just chock full of certain clichéd tropes, some of which are so very ridiculous that it frankly beggars belief that they ever became clichés. The others are just plain done to death. What follows are some of my (least) favourites.
Author Interview: Jacob Klop
Posted on September 15, 2019 Leave a Comment
Jacob Klop, husband, father, accountant and author of The Community, has just released an excellent new collection of short horror stories, collectively entitled Crooked Souls. I had the pleasure of chatting with Jacob about his new book, the writing process, and what he feels makes for a great story.
Andrew Ferguson 