Posted by writerlywitterer on 20/04/2015 · 5 Comments
This is one of those blogs where I have a brief rant. And why not? I’m sitting here before a computer that is gleaming and lovely, when outside the birds are singing, the sun is shining and … yes, I’m sitting here indoors, in a Dartmoor granite house that is freezing. It’s so cold I’m wearing … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with author, blogger, book writing, Dartmoor, Devon, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, Templar series, writer, writing
Posted by writerlywitterer on 13/04/2015 · 15 Comments
One of the hardest aspects of writing is the fact that there are so many damnably attractive alternatives. You sit at the desk and try to focus on the day ahead. That involves thinking about the coming scenes, planning, plotting, getting the mind into the right frame for envisioning bloody murder or a battle scene, … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with author, blogger, book writing, Dartmoor, Devon, distractions, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, library, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, stories, story, Templar series, writer, writing
Posted by writerlywitterer on 01/04/2015 · 4 Comments
I was lucky enough to meet Karen Maitland some years ago at the Lincoln Festival, and we hit it off immediately. We had a great afternoon with a large audience, and at the end of it, I invited her to join Medieval Murderers. Since then, she’s been a hugely popular member of our group. However, … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, Reviews, social, Uncategorized, Writing Hints and Tips · Tagged with alchemy, crime, Karen Maitland, magic, medieval, superstition, The Company of Liars, The Owl Killers, The Raven's Head
Posted by writerlywitterer on 30/03/2015 · 9 Comments
Welcome to another Jecks wittering. There are times when I sit at my desk and type and think about all kinds of happy things. There are times when I happily wallow in blood and guts in my mind – which is why I, like most crime writers, am such a well-balanced, pleasant, amiable fellow. I … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with author, backups, blogger, book writing, computers, Dartmoor, Devon, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, library, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, stories, story, Templar series, Time Capsule, Time Machine, writer, writing
Posted by writerlywitterer on 23/03/2015 · 14 Comments
I was reading in a magazine an article by the excellent Simon Brett earlier today. It was an obituary for Phyllis James and mentioned that some time ago, while talking about writing, they discussed the worst questions authors are asked. My own favourite worst is, “Where do your books sell?” It’s a natural question. It’s … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with amazon, author, big data, blogger, book writing, creative, Dartmoor, Data, Devon, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, library, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, stories, story, Templar series, writer, writing
Posted by writerlywitterer on 18/03/2015 · 7 Comments
I first met Karen some ten years ago now, at a literary festival in Lincoln, and I was delighted to do so. Only a few weeks before I had read her stunning and evocative book THE COMPANY OF LIARS, and it had blown me away. I was fascinated by her depiction of a … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, Reviews, Uncategorized · Tagged with alchemy, author, blogger, book writing, Devon, Headline, hints and tips, historian, history, Karen Maitland, magic, medieval, medievalist, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, The Vanishing Witch, witch, writer, writing
Posted by writerlywitterer on 16/03/2015 · 39 Comments
This is a quick post to answer the question I have been asked several times recently, which is: how soon are authors paid for their work? Oh, boy, I remember the day Marion Donaldson called me to confirm that Headline wanted to buy my first book, and that she wanted another two titles in the … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized, Writing Hints and Tips · Tagged with author, blogger, book writing, Dartmoor, Devon, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, scribbler, Templar series, writer, writing
I have been a writer for over twenty years now. In that time I’ve been enormously fortunate to meet many great people who have become firm friends. Tom Harper is one of those. We don’t meet terribly often, sadly, but he is a lovely bloke. It was good to have a chance to chat to … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, Reviews, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with Arctic, author, Edwin Thomas, interview, review, Tom Harper, writing, Zodiac Station
Posted by writerlywitterer on 10/03/2015 · 4 Comments
I first met Tom Harper when he had a different name. Well, many of us do, don’t we? He was appallingly young, and had been a student actuary, like me, but had decided to leave that profession and take up an infinitely worse paid job as an author. Basically, he was not one of those … Continue reading →
Posted by writerlywitterer on 09/03/2015 · 2 Comments
I have some bright, intelligent men as brothers. And they may read this, so I won’t go into their foibles here. Well, not all of them. I am the youngest of four brothers. And I am inordinately lucky with my choice of family, since authors don’t always have smooth and easy lives. Having brothers who … Continue reading →
Category Books and Writing, social, Uncategorized · Tagged with author, blogger, book writing, creative, Dartmoor, Devon, fiction, fiction writing, hints and tips, historian, history, Knight Templar, knights templar, library, medieval, medievalist, Michael Jecks, novelist, Q&A, questions, questions and answers, Riehle, Rolex, scribbler, stories, story, Templar series, time, watches, writer, writing
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