Coming soon: Tome of an Obscure Scribbler
Introducing SFF author, Mark Cantrell's new blogging platform and newsletter
WELCOME to the Tome of an Obscure Scribbler.
That would be me, then.
Excuse the self-deprecating humour (please don't hold it against me), but I have to call this Substack something, and this title is as good as any. It kind of fits, too. Well, I can always change it later, if the mood strikes.
My name is Mark Cantrell, a journalist by trade and a creative writer by inclination. So far I've got two novels to my name, both published by independent small press, Inspired Quill.
Citizen Zero (2017) and Silas Morlock (2013) broadly fit into the dystopian fold, but other than that they're as alike as salt and pepper.
The first is a near-future sci-fi tale with deep contemporary resonance and biting social satire. The second is a dark urban fantasy set in a macabre world of shadows, in what serves as a powerful homage to literature.
Maybe you've read one or both; maybe you'd like to? Well, you can find all the relevant info over on my 'official' author website, Mark Cantrell, Author (or Tykewriter, as I tend to call it). Please do take a look sometime.
Anyway, that's enough of the gratuitous plugs; on to the point.
The Tome of an Obscure Scribbler is my latest venture. The way I see it, this Substack is set to become my primary blogging platform and the basis of an author newsletter.
Common advice says it's a good idea for an author to have a newsletter; so too must they blog on a regular basis. For a while, I've puzzled over the best way to achieve these disparate ends. That's where Substack comes in.
If you've ever browsed Tykewriter, then you'll already have a taste of what's to come, but I'm aiming to take it up a notch.
One of the advantages of Substack is the opportunity to earn money from my writing. No, don't fret, there'll be plenty of free stuff on Tome of an Obscure Scribbler, but I do intend to introduce a paid subscription level sooner rather than later.
It's kind of strange, but now I've said that, I feel like I should apologise. But I shouldn't and I mustn't, so I won't.
Writing is part of my livelihood, as much as my passion. Attention is great, it brightens the soul, but doesn't in itself nourish the gut. Much as I crave it, it doesn't pay the bills. So, if there's an opportunity – however slight – of earning a little income from my craft, then I really ought to embrace it.
Hopefully, my writing will persuade you it's worth a little coin. So, if you're inclined to subscribe (paid or free), then what can you expect?
As I said, I am a writer and a journalist. That's the brand, as it were, so my online activities tend to reflect that. My interests are quite broad too, so I'll be offering a fair bit of editorial material far removed from my own literary activities.
One thing about Tykewriter, I never wanted it to be entirely about me me me (which, of course, given its nature as an author site, it kind of has to be). The same applies to Tome of an Obscure Scribbler.
As an author, I tend to write to the story and worry about genre later. That said, my work does most often fall within the science fiction, fantasy and horror realms. There's an unseemly thread of dystopia in the fabric, it must also be said.
As a jobbing hack, I have no particular expertise. The closest I have to a specialism – gained from years spent working on industry-focused B2B titles – is England's social housing sector. Believe me, I am no expert. You just tend to pick things up after a while.
Trust me when I add, social housing is no regular fit for either Tykewriter, or this venture (although it certainly fits the dystopian theme), but here I can indulge my interests as well as wax lyrical about the writing life.
Over the years, my author site has given home to a variety of more journalistic material: themes have included literature and publishing; arts and culture; science and technology; society and politics. The odd quirky piece has cropped up, too. Expect more of the same with this humble Tome.
Alongside these stories, I've published plenty of – shall we say more conventional – blogs, exploring my life as a writer, my published works, and the world in general, along with the odd update on my activities and achievements. Examples of my fiction have cropped up too.
Like I said, Tome of an Obscure Scribbler is set to become my primary platform, so the kinds of work I published on Tykewriter will continue here.
For now, it's free to subscribe – and so it shall remain. Once the paid level goes live, however, I'll be offering those subscribers even more of my writing. As a quickfire menu, expect a mix of short stories, novel extracts, first looks at works in progress, more in-depth blogs about my books, essays, articles, and more. What's this space if not a place to evolve?
For now, I'll be publishing material on an intermittent basis, just while I find my feet. There's a lot still to work out, but subscribing means you'll never miss a post.
As for Tykewriter, that's far from dead. It remains my 'official' author website, a one-stop source of information about my published works, and I'll still be posting there too; albeit less frequently.
So, make yourself a Tome and let's become acquainted.
MC