Category Archives: Writing fiction

Chapter 5 of Prophecies and Penalties

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Brian Bixby

So it’s time for Police Chief Bonnie Knowles and newly hired private investigator Emily Fisher to get down to the business of finding the person who murdered High Council member Stephen Nash. Emily’s trying to figure out what’s going on. … Continue reading →

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Chapter 4 of Prophecies and Penalties, and charismatic Instruments

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Ethan Knowles may be married to Emily’s former babysitter, but he’s got a history, a history that makes Emily not sure she can trust him. Still, for the moment, he’s the best source she has for what’s going on with … Continue reading →

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Chapter 3 of Prophecies and Penalties is up

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Emily Fisher can relax about one point: she now knows who Bonnie Knowles is. But why did Bonnie marry Ethan Knowles, center of one of the biggest scandals in Quasopon’s recent history? And just what did he do? The answers are … Continue reading →

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Chapter Two of Prophecies and Penalties, and Charlie on the MTA

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Brian Bixby

So Emily Fisher is going back to her home town, which she doesn’t want to do, to investigate a murder, something she doesn’t know how to do. Misery may love company, but Emily doesn’t have any on her flight to … Continue reading →

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An old birthday and a new story

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Brian Bixby

First, a new story kicks off today, Prophecies and Penalties. Meet data analyst Emily Fisher. She’s going home. Great? She doesn’t think so. She’s even less happy about the reason why. You can start with chapter one, “The Iron Lady.” And … Continue reading →

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Conflict: reviewing a year of writing

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Time for another review of writing techniques, based on the last year’s work. Let’s talk about conflict. Lesson #1: Personal conflict works. Some of the better parts of Martha’s Children, notably Nora’s tense interview with her parish priest, are driven … Continue reading →

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Abigail Lane begins her investigation of the Office, 1934

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Brian Bixby

An extract from the unpublished memoir of Abigail Lane, in response to a reader’s request. This memoir was found in a box in Miss Lane’s house in Connecticut when it was being demolished in 2008. Although I had offered him … Continue reading →

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Back to ARISIA

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Brian Bixby

So I’m off to ARISIA 2014, which bills itself as “New England’s largest and most diverse science fiction and fantasy convention.” As you might recall, I made up a Dragon Lady t-shirt before going last year. It got zero attention, which … Continue reading →

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Abigail Lane: a biography

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Brian Bixby

As she has appeared in two stories on this blog, here is a brief biography of Abigail Lane, Practicing Magician, Office of Occult Affairs. Abigail Lane was born on November 18, 1851, the only daughter of an impoverished Connecticut cooper, … Continue reading →

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The blog from now until February, 2014

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Brian Bixby

With the conclusion of my Christmastime ghost story Nightfeather: Ghosts yesterday, this blog is going off its regular schedule until February 1, 2014. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any posts, just that they won’t follow a regular schedule, let alone … Continue reading →

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