There are few debates in writing that have survived the centuries with quite the same stubbornness as the Oxford comma, the eternal "said" versus "exclaimed" argument, or whether prologues are literary appetizers or the narrative equivalent of making your guests stand in the hallway for twenty minutes. Yet somehow, tucked quietly among these battlegrounds, lives another question that has consumed more coffee, more notebooks, and more collective brainpower than it probably des

Now streaming on Apple TV+, Pluribus is a sci-fi series that demands your full attention. Written and created by Vince Gilligan, the mind behind Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul, Pluribus carries his trademark ability to turn extraordinary situations into deeply human character studies. Unfortunately, I first watched it while travelling, meaning much of my experience was on a smaller screen than the show deserves. Even so, it didn't take long to realise this is

"Exit 8" (Japanese: 8番出口, Hepburn: Hachiban Deguchi) is directed by Genki Kawamura, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kentaro Hirase, adapting the 2023 indie video game developed by Kotake. Kawamura's Exit 8, starring Kazunari Ninomiya, is the kind of film that gets under your skin by refusing to do very much at all. There's no frantic editing, and no desperate need to explain itself. Just the slow, creeping suspicion that something is not as it seems—and that you might not be

Jack Reilly is a man trying to keep his head above water when an unexpected inheritance sends him on a treasure hunt that stretches far beyond anything he imagined. What begins as a mystery surrounding a long-lost family fortune quickly becomes a globe-trotting adventure filled with clues, secrets, dangerous rivals, and enough twists to keep the pages turning. As Jack follows the trail left behind by previous generations, he discovers that finding the treasure may be the easy

Vampires II (Classic Monsters #4) by Kevin J. Kennedy Vampires II is a sprawling anthology that reimagines vampire mythology in a wide range of settings and styles. From war-torn battlefields and isolated outposts to modern survival horror and surreal, atmospheric pieces, the collection refuses to stick to a single interpretation of the vampire legend. Instead, it embraces variety, showing just how flexible—and how dangerous—the myth can still be. What makes this anthology es

Living in New Zealand has given me the chance to experience traditions that weren't part of my childhood. One of those is Matariki. For anyone reading from elsewhere in the world, Matariki marks the rising of the Matariki star cluster (known internationally as the Pleiades) and signals the beginning of the Māori New Year. It's a time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the people around you, and look forward to the year ahead with intention. Reflection, gratitude, h

I had a plan. It was a good plan. For one glorious month, I was going to travel through Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. I was going to eat food I couldn't pronounce properly, pronounce words I could barely say, while drinking local wine, wandering ancient streets, getting pleasantly lost, meeting up with family I haven't seen in years while slowly roasting in 36 degree heat, and, for once, not spend every waking hour thinking about fictional people trying to kill each other. Th

People often ask where characters come from. The honest answer? Everywhere. A stranger's smile across a café. A conversation overheard in the supermarket. Someone's nervous habit of tapping their fingers. A childhood memory that refuses to fade. A scar. A laugh. A fear you've carried for years. They all become ingredients, mixed together until someone entirely new walks onto the page. That's the magic of writing. You don't copy people. You collect fragments of humanity and br

Shit... writing a second book is hard. Before I published my debut novel Road Trip Z in 2019, I had a fairly neat set of publishing plans worked out. I mapped out release windows years in advance like I was running a very small, very fragile publishing empire of one. Book two would land in 2023, book three not long after, momentum would carry me forward neatly in a straight line. And, if I’m honest, I was a bit overconfident about it. I’d cracked the big time—at least that’s

There should be a medical term for the phenomenon where your brain refuses to solve a plot problem for three weeks... only to yell the answer at you at 3:00 a.m. Not 2:47. Not a civilized 7:30. Three. In. The. Morning. Yip, you heard me! Your brain waits until you're unconscious, barges into your dream like an over-caffeinated intern looking to step up, and screams: "I FIGURED OUT WHO KILLED THE MAYOR!" And now you have a choice. Option A: Ignore it and gamble that you'll rem

Dreams of Decay by S. Alessandro Martinez (Goodreads Author) Look in the closet and check under the bed; lay down to sleep and pull the...

PLOT: A small New Jersey town is rocked by a disastrous phenomenon. Mara Carlyle’s senior year is just beginning when Katelyn Ogden...

Piranha 3D director Alexandre Aja returns to the water for a lean, suspenseful tale of a father and daughter trapped in a flooding,...

THE PLOT: Maj. Michael Crooke, USMC-R, takes leave from combat and heads to the white sand beaches of a remote Caribbean island. While...

#Alive (#살아있다 in Korean, pronounced “Salaissda,” meaning “live”) is a 2020 Korean movie following a laid back gamer is homebound with no...

Being set in the same universe as Gene Roddenberry’s landmark series and its myriad film and television offshoots, Star Trek: Lower...

Arriving right around one year after Parasite won big at the Academy Awards, director Jo Sung-hee’s Space Sweepers is a breakthrough of...

2021 is barely recovering from 2020, but Netflix keeps on churning out those kid-friendly movies. ‘Finding ‘Ohana,’ takes you on...

If you enjoy a well-executed and acted broad comedy, then this will be just the tonic you need to put you in the post-holiday spirit. For...