Nick Alimonos's Blog

“The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid nearer and nearer the sill of the world. All at once they were aware of the evening as the end of light and warmth.” —William Golding, Lord of the Flies Great works of literature transcend time and place. They not only speak... Continue Reading →

I was turned on to Jeff VanderMeer by my friend and co-host, Heather, who described him as a modern-day Lovecraft. Since Howard tops my list of influential writers, I knew I had to check this guy out, despite my skepticism that anyone can follow in the Great Old One’s shadow. While you won’t be bombarded... Continue Reading →

I am 130k words into my fourth novel, The Magiq of Aenya, and should have a completed draft around August. But before then, I’ll be heading to my wife’s home country of Morocco, a real-world fantasy setting, to better realize the Arab-North African inspired City of Shemselinihar. This is a rough map of the area... Continue Reading →

Scott Lynch is a talented wordsmith. His writing is exceptionally vivid, which he uses to significant effect in his debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora. That being said, his characters lack depth, and the plot takes a while to get going, and when it does, it is relatively straightforward. The Lies of Lock Lamora... Continue Reading →

Are you thinking about becoming a writer? Well, don’t. That’s my advice. Don’t do it. Please. Too many of you think that after watching a few YouTube videos, you can become the next Tolkien, Sandersen, or whoever’s hitting the top of the shelf these days. But the real world doesn’t work that way. I get... Continue Reading →

In this podcast, I discuss my participation in the first annual Tarpon Springs Book Fair, changes I’ve made to my book covers and the art of cover design, the challenges posed to authors by the dreaded algorithm regarding nudity in fiction, and lastly, the progress I am making in my latest foray into the Aenya... Continue Reading →

It’s finally here!!! When I received this proof from Amazon, I was quite literally blown away. This new cover truly pops! The colors are vivid, the interior images are solid, and the overall feel of the binding is just oh-so-professional. If you’re a fan of Aenya or fine books in general, you’ll want to add... Continue Reading →

Today, I bring you not one, not two, but a whopping twenty+ story reviews! It’s my first critical look at an anthology series from my favorite comfort author, Stephen King. Skeleton Crew includes a lot of great shorts, a few mids (like the kids like to say these days), and a few duds. But the... Continue Reading →

In today’s double-whammy podcast, I discuss Stephen King’s novella, The Mist—one of King’s best and most gripping yarns, IMO—I then don my monocle to shift gears into high-brow territory as my special guest (my wife) and I delve into the equally terrifying (jk) tale that is Kazuo Ishiguro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Remains of the Day. My hormone-fueled... Continue Reading →