Matthew Sylvester
Musings
Combat – Why I like writing about it so much
Combat. There’s nothing I like more – aside from coffee – than reading or writing about combat. I’m not talking about mental-based combat such as psionics or magic, I’m talking about the physical, the visceral, weapons-based and empty-handed combat. I’ve always enjoyed writing about such things, often to the consternation of my primary school teachers. … Continue reading
Submission, Rejection, Redemption
Recently, Abaddon Publishers had an open submissions window. The last one that I entered was about two years ago, and I put forward a sci-fi, futuristic steampunk Hornblower story. The idea and the world were sound, the character was suitably flawed, and the ship’s chaplain was a right bastard. In a good way. Unfortunately they … Continue reading
Eat local, drink local: A pledge I hope to keep
I, Matthew Sylvester, do hereby make a pledge. I pledge that, when eating out with friends and family, where ever possible I shall do so in places that are owned and run by people local to Exeter, and/or which create meals and serve drinks that have been made from local produce or by local … Continue reading
I might have actually won the Euromillions
No, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke. What I’m writing about is the state of mind I experience the day after a draw. It’s a Schrodinger’s Cat way of thinking. At the point of waking, I can’t confirm whether I have or haven’t won. Therefore I have both own and not won at the … Continue reading
The item of clothing-wear that every steampunk gentleman needs
Forget top hats, goggles and pith helmets. No truly sartorial man should ever wear shirts with buttons on the cuff, especially if he claims to be a steampunk. A true steampunk, or Victorian gent (God Bless Her), should wear shirts with double cuffs so that he can place upon them cufflinks that not only show … Continue reading
Matthew Sylvester 