Planning Not To Plan!
I was talking this morning to my old friend Phillip Gooden, and he mentioned that he was writing a variation to his latest story. ‘You know how it is,’ he said, ‘so often you don’t know how the story will pan out until you actually start it.’ It’s very true. So often aspiring writers will … Continue reading
Writing – Six Faults
I was looking at a blog today, and it sparked an idea. The idea was, thinking of the worst advice ever given to aspiring authors. Where on earth would you start with a piece like that, I wondered. And then I started thinking … So here goes. My favourite bits of dreadful advice. 1. You … Continue reading
Critics – Be Kind
There are many critics in the world. And they have suffered some horrible comments in the past. Tynan said, “A critic is a man who knows the way but can’t drive the car.” Sadly, there are all too many critics around today. The advent of the internet has created an explosion of critical writing as … Continue reading
Thieves, ID and Piracy
OK, this is a blog post about the tedious side of publishing: money. Where does it come from and where does it go? The idea for this blog came from an email I had yesterday and another three this week. All were from friends of mine on holiday in the Philippines. Sadly, all of them … Continue reading
Persistent, Polite and Persuasive
This weekend I received a new book in the post. Actually I received three, but only one is relevant for this blog post. I regularly get books posted to me. Sometimes it’s a pain, especially when I’m in the middle of a book myself. Why? Because when I’m sitting at my desk trying to … Continue reading
End of the Series? Or Just a Pause?
This blog piece was prompted by an email I received this afternoon. The message was from someone who wanted to let me know how sad they were to hear the news that Baldwin and Simon’s series was to end. I know this has affected a lot of readers, so I thought it would be a … Continue reading
A Literary Heavyweight
It was about ten years ago we stretched ourselves and bought this house. And, I have to say, it’s been a good place for us. A hundred years ago it was put up as a purpose-built home and shop. The main building is rather like a pair of semis, because there are two front doors. … Continue reading
A Day in London – OR – A Travelling Author Muses
An excellent evening last night. In fact, a wonderful day. I was going up to see the guys at Goldsboro Books in Cecil Court, London. They always do a huge amount for new writers and for collectors. If you ever want a signed first edition of any title, they are, really, the only place … Continue reading
Authors and PLR
Authors and Money When a new book comes out, it’s not all wine and roses, sadly. Sometimes – I know this is hard to believe – people expect authors to go out and do some work. I’ve been pretty busy since TEMPLAR’S ACRE came out, because of signings and wandering the streets aimlessly, and also … Continue reading
TEMPLAR’S ACRE Out This Week
So, here we are, in the launch week of another Templar Series story. But this time it’s going back in time to the siege of Acre, my first prequel to explain why Baldwin became the man he did. It was huge fun to write this book. The main story was complicated to work through, but … Continue reading
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