fiphillipsauthor

[fiphillipsauthor]

I thought I'd have a go at moodboards for the Haven Chronicles. What do you think? By the way, the image isn't a strip. You can click on each one for a bigger view.

[fiphillipsauthor]

My latest blog post is up: The One Question Every Fantasy Reader Should Ask. Find out how understanding your magic preferences can transform your reading experience.

Read it here:

https://fiphillipswriter.com/2025/07/06/the-one-question-every-fantasy-reader-should-ask/

P.S. It may include a reader quiz.

[fiphillipsauthor]

Hartley Keg was never meant to live in a high-tech, futuristic world. Thirty years ago, he was trudging through a very different fantasy landscape.

Find out more here:

https://fiphillipswriter.com/2025/06/15/how-hartley-keg-found-his-real-home/

[fiphillipsauthor]

Writing, that is. Find out exactly what I mean in this month's blog post: https://fiphillipswriter.com/2025/05/18/am-i-doing-too-much/

[fiphillipsauthor]

Here’s my 5* book review of witchy cozy mystery Milestones, Magic and Murder by Bella Colby:

*****

I was thrilled to find out that Bella Colby has released a brand new witchy cozy mystery series. From page one of Milestones, Magic and Murder, I warmed to Josie Appleton. Poor woman: menopause, bitchy ‘friends’, and financial problems. I was definitely here for the magical element but long before the witchiness turned up, this was an entertaining, well-written read.

The world building around Josie’s life at the start of the novel, her new inherited home, and the village of Briarvale is wonderfully rich. The sleuthing is believable and the cast of characters is just right.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

[fiphillipsauthor]

What does every fantasy author need on their desk? A dragon of course!

Now I may need to write a story about a dragon. Hm. What should I call them?

[fiphillipsauthor]

Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to kickstart the creative cogs.

Last weekend was spent at Hafan y Mor enjoying the beach, spending time with my family (including the pooch), and getting plenty of writing done.

I even found a dragon.

[fiphillipsauthor]

Hello Substack. Bye Bye X. Find out more in this month's blog post.

Here's the link:

[fiphillipsauthor]

Wherever I go, I manage to find the magic.

Seen in the Society of Alchemists shop in York, is this Falkor from The Never Ending Story or a close cousin? Finding him made my day. I even bought a lucky frog.

[fiphillipsauthor]

With a fair chunk of the fourth book in the Haven Chronicles written, I thought it was time to tell you about the type of topics I’ve been researching for this instalment.

Find out here: https://fiphillipswriter.com/2025/03/23/what-im-researching-for-book-four-of-the-haven-chronicles/

[fiphillipsauthor]

Here's my 5* book review of horror novel Minstrel's Bargain by Richard Ayre.

*****

Having read Richard Ayre books in other genres, I wondered if he’d be able to tackle horror just as well. The answer is yes. Minstrel’s Bargain is a full-on, heart-wrenching, and often gory scarefest.

The best horror tales always feature a cast that you care about and can relate to. Minstrel’s Bargain does just that. And talk about making your characters suffer! No one in this novel goes unscathed.

This was a brilliant, full-on horror novel that I just couldn’t put down.

*****

Here's the blurb: An ordinary man. An age old evil. A blood-soaked nightmare with no escape.

When reporter Phil Sturgess hears of a new rock band called Minstrel's Bargain, his life descends into horror. As the city he lives in succumbs to ever more violent and macabre episodes of shocking murders and barbarous acts of self-destruction, Sturgess begins to understand that there is something very wrong with Minstrel's Bargain. Something very wrong indeed.

With time running out for humanity, Sturgess is threatened with an ancient malevolence. And to stop it, he is forced to confront the terrifying stranger who has been dogging his footsteps for months.

The only question is; will Sturgess do what needs to be done? If not, the souls of millions will be destroyed.

[fiphillipsauthor]

New Blog Post

I'm not just a writer. I'm a reader too.

Find out about my 2025 reading challenge here:

[fiphillipsauthor]

Here's my 5* book review of Something Borrowed, Something Brew by Bella Colby.

*****

Witchy sleuth Skylar Blackwood is back with all the usual, well-loved faces. And Wolfie and his pack of course. This time round, there’s also a face from Skylar’s past. It isn’t long before there’s a murder but in Something Borrowed Something Brew, the police’s prime suspect is one of the gang. Solving this crime is personal for Skylar and co.  

I love the mixture of witchy fantasy and whodunnit in the Wedding Witch novels. The magic is entertaining, and the wealth of murder mystery clues are incredibly satisfying for armchair detectives.

There’s a brilliant ending too, with plenty of will they/won’t they, happy ever afters, and pointers to the next novel in this wonderful series.

*****

And here's the blurb: A bridegroom behind bars. Iron-clad evidence. Can our witchy sleuth brew up the truth and catch the real killer before the wedding bells toll?

Love is in the air as Skylar Blackwood prepares for her best friend’s wedding—until the bridegroom is arrested for a murder only he could have committed. Thrown into a whirlwind of trouble, Skylar’s life takes a swift detour on a broomstick.

Determined to prove the groom’s innocence, Skye must summon every sleuthing trick in her spellbook. But as the evidence builds and dark secrets bubble, she’ll need more than magic to crack this case and give her friends their happy-ever-after.

Will the groom spend his wedding day in the slammer, while the real killer gets away with murder?

[fiphillipsauthor]

Here's my 5* book review of this brilliant sci fi novel.

Five Percent Alien by Suzanna Williams

Having loved the first book in this series, I was keen to read Five Percent Alien. It’s sci fi and action (and romance) but the human characters in this novel feel like people we all know. The main character Joe has his doubts and fears but pushes through all of that to protect the people he loves, including his alien hybrid girlfriend.

Living in Wales, I’m a little biassed towards stories based here. A novel featuring aliens in Wales is always going to interest me. Add to that a brilliant cast of characters, a genuine threat to the planet, and the type of family conflict most of us are familiar with, and I’m a happy reader.

This is a brilliant sci fi read with a satisfying end.

*****

The blurb:

My girlfriend comes from America. WRONG

She is not a human/alien hybrid. WRONG AGAIN.

Aliens from a spaceship on the dark side of the moon just kidnapped my brother because they thought he was me. Uh oh! THAT’S TRUE.

Joe has lied so often about Sarah’s life before she came to the farm, he’s beginning to believe the stories himself. In fact, he thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of hiding her in plain sight.

But with our Earth at the top of every alien’s dream-planet wish-list, and Sarah’s DNA holding the key to their ability to survive here, it isn’t long before they come to track her down.

As more and more extra-terrestrial problems threaten to blow Sarah’s cover, Joe’s lies begin to unravel big time, putting their friends, family, and the entire human race in danger.

Together with Jake, the evolving AI with a love of bad jokes, Joe must scramble to keep Sarah safe and ward off another alien attack. How hard can it be?

[fiphillipsauthor]

Guess what I'll be doing in 2025. Find out in this month's blog post: https://fiphillipswriter.com/2025/01/22/what-you-can-expect-from-me-in-2025/

[fiphillipsauthor]

Here's my 5* review of Nicotine, Liquor, & Blasphemy by Richard Wall.

*****

Having enjoyed Richard Wall’s novel Near Death, I was interested to find out how well his writing transferred to short stories and poetry. I wasn’t disappointed. Nicotine, Liquor, & Blasphemy draws from a vast range of the author’s life experiences, musings, and conclusions. Much of it is inspired by Richard Wall’s fascination for the American culture.

My favourite short in this collection has to be Hank William’s Cadillac.

*****

The blurb:

In this collection of short stories and irreverent and provocative poetry, Richard Wall, the bestselling author of the novels Fat Man Blues and Near Death, takes readers on a journey through the underbelly of life to explore the darkest corners of the human experience.

Nicotine, Liquor, and Blasphemy delivers tales of revenge, obsession, and heartbreak, together with moments of levity and hope, each brought to life by a cast of unforgettable characters and situations.

[fiphillipsauthor]

Wow, wow, wow! Look at this wonderful book review for Haven's Deceit from fellow author, Richard Ayre.

Here's what he said over on Goodreads:

The third book in the fantastic Haven series continues where the 2nd book left off. We have all the characters from the first two books (well, almost all the characters), and another adventure beckons. What I really loved about this book is that it shows us so much more of the the world of the 'workadays'; ie the futuristic 'real' world that Steve Haven hails from. 'New Venice' is a wonderfully written piece of Science Fiction, but it's mixed in with the magic of the world of Hartley Keg and everything we've become used to in the first two books of the series. Brilliant. This book is funny, heart-breaking in places (there's a particular revalation that really tugs at the heart strings) and exciting. Hartley Keg has to be one of the best literary characters to appear in fiction (I really want to go and have a drink with him!) and Steve is just such a great character that you can't help hoping that his dreams come true (although I think I'll have to wait until at least the next book for this to happen.) Another amazing story from the amazing Fi Phillips. Do yourself a favour and read all three (so far) of these cracking books. You won't be sorry.