I have just uploaded a new 'page'. It's a genealogy paper I wrote a couple of decades back on the FLAVELL (et var) surname.

It's quite a long paper, and I know it won't interest many people, but I'd like to make sure it's available for other FLAVELL researchers to access. In one incarnation or another, it is already up on a couple of different websites, but I thought it might be a good idea to have it here as a backup. It's OK to quote from it, but please do the right thing and list the source in your appendices.

I had an email this morning, as did all Satalyte authors, telling me that the enterprise is closing down. It was always a brave venture and maybe a forlorn hope. People are reading fewer books, it seems, and maybe some prefer to borrow from libraries rather than paying out for books they can keep.

Most books are ephemeral. Maybe a complete works of Charles Dickens shelf is a nice-looking addition to your lounge room, but most contemporary works will be read once then passed on to someone else or to the local op shop. Very few books come out as hardbacks these days: soft covers and even ebooks are the way modern publishing has gone. I think maybe I'll go down the e-book route. I have several friends who've done that and are doing quite well out of it. After all, the writer gets to keep the money if s/he does the work alone.

I'm still feeling confused, let down, and sad for Satalyte. They set out with such  great ideas three or four years ago, but they've gone the same way as many small press outfits - five years is the limit for many of them. By that time they are probably exhausted and possibly out of pocket.

I am still working on a novella that is a spin off from book two, and I might wind up serializing it on the blog. Watch this space - I'll keep you posted on developments.

British author Kevyn Howe has been writing fantasy novels for many years, ever since he suffered an illness that rendered him unable to work at his normal occupation as an electrical contractor. In 2014 he made a decision to begin writing stories professionally and he has never looked back. Kevyn enjoys writing in all genres, most particularly Sword and Sorcery. He's even moved into the publishing world - he has written three fantasy novels which are on Amazon Kindle.  At present he's actively writing the fourth fantasy novel, aiming to get it published in printed format.  Kevyn reports that he’s also currently writing a Fantasy political spy thriller and is enjoying every minute.