Virtual FantasyCon 2014: How to write sword fights, and authors that keep attacking each other

Writers who also happen to be swordfighters discuss the myths and realities of the sword in fiction – and demonstrate their skills with the blade!
Marc Aplin (m), Fran Terminiello, Juliet E McKenna, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Clifford Beale [with Megan's interjections - here, obviously, not just yelling out during the panel]

A long overdue update, in pictures, & a super writing exercise

The blog's been quiet for so long, while behind the scenes I've been doing ALL THE THINGS and my blog-posts-to-write notebook is bursting its spine with lovely things to come, plus NaNoWriMo is already sending its unearthly shimmer over the horizon, so here's a quick rundown of the (mostly) writerly things I've been up to and a glimpse of all the blog-posts-to-come that I've foraged. Plus A BONUS KITTEN. And at the end, a super writing exercise.

Women wielding swords - the ultimate reading list: Virtual WFC 2013

Is it a "new thing" that women write martial fantasy? Can you tell if something was written by a man or a woman? And how has martial fantasy shifted recently? Trudi Cavanan, Robin Hobb, Laura Ann Gilman (moderator), Gaie Sebold, and Juliet E McKenna discuss - and then collaborate with the audience to create a seriously kick-ass reading list of authors. (Scroll down for the treasure trove.)