Tag: writing
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Write what you know – The Curious Case of Yesterday’s Shadow
It has been two years since my last confession – that confession being the publication of my third novel, Yesterday’s Shadow. It’s a work of autofiction, written at a time when I didn’t know that genre was defined with its own word. Its genesis, for better or worse, was in a slavish adherence to that old…
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The Delights of the Not-Quite-So-Bad Second Draft
In a previous post, I shared the first part of my method for drafting and editing a novel. In short, the secret is to embrace the idea that your first draft will be rubbish and just concentrate on getting the ideas down. That’s what I’ve been doing with my new novel, Beach of Spies, and about two…
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Being ill and writing – the perfect combo??
I finished my second novel, Dead Letters, after 15 years during a week in 2022 spent in isolation due to Covid. I’m writing this blog whilst suffering the effects of Covid for the third time. Is getting ill good for writing? Read on to find out the answer to the question on everyone’s mind! I’ve been…
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A Warty Post (aka “Stop Pestering Me, Bots!”)
I started this blog with the intention of sharing my self-publication journey, warts and all. So far, it has been fairly upbeat. Today’s post will contain a few more warts. When I published my latest novel, Six Steps to Salvation, I was overwhelmed by people getting in touch. It was surprising, as it’s a satirical…
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The Pleasures of the Bad First Draft
I’m halfway through the first draft of my next novel, Beach of Spies, and I’m pleased to report that it’s not very good. The plot meanders, the jokes miss (yes, even more than usual), and one of the characters changes her name partway through, but I’m very happy with it. This is because I cut…
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Hear ye, hear ye!
After a flurry of activity around April and May around the launch of Six Steps, I’ve been a bit quiet. The truth is, I needed a break. The combined roles of writing, publishing and marketing a book are demanding, and that’s before taking into account my family responsibilities and, oh yes, my paid job! Besides,…
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Audiobook-tastic
The audiobook version of Six Steps to Salvation was released today on Audible UK, US, Amazon and Apple Books. You can listen to a sample here: ‘Better late than never!’ you might say, and I would agree with you. I had intended for the audiobook version to come out on the same day as the novel, but for various reasons too…
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The Indie Author Book Fair Odyssey
On 3rd May, I joined over 40 authors in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, for the annual Indie Author Book Fair. I had intended to take part in 2023, but left booking until too late. Places are competitive! Not living in the UK, attendance became an odyssey. But was it worth it? The Prep The first part…
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The Making of Six Steps to Salvation
Today marks the release of my fourth novel, Six Steps to Salvation, and already I’m preparing material for the limited Director’s Cut edition, with this ‘Making of’ article.* As a side note, did anyone ever watch those DVD extras that we paid extra for? I have a backlog of DVDs from at least ten years ago…
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Countdown to launch day…
As I write this, just over a week remains before my fourth novel, Six Steps to Salvation, is released. I’ll be posting on the big day (22nd April) about writing the book itself, but today, I want to share a little about the preparation for publication. Those of you who’ve followed this blog for a few…
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