REVIEW: A DEVON NIGHT’S DEATH by Stephanie Austin, published by Allison and Busby
ISBN: 978 0 7490 2892 3 This is one of those books that arrived without my expecting it. Usually, books I don’t expect have one thing in common – they aren’t the sort of books I’d ever think of buying. I am, after all, a crime writer. There is a strange thing about publicists in … Continue reading
Review: EMPIRES OF CRIME by Tim Newark, published by Pen And Sword History
ISBN: 1526713047 I have to admit, I picked this up with a degree of trepidation. There are so many books published which blame the British Empire for everything from famine, slavery, warfare and xenophobia, that I am forced to select my reading with care, just to avoid damage to my blood pressure. I need not have … Continue reading
2020 – A New year!
A new year is always a time to take stock, to think about things, and plan and scheme! This year is going to be one of change for me. I’ve finally taken back the rights to half my books from Simon and Schuster and will be working with a number of other publishers to market … Continue reading
Why Are Books Good?
We are blessed with another splendid day. It’s confusing, though, to be sitting indoors, huddled in warm clothes, and then, on wandering outdoors, to find that it’s too hot for anything other than shirtsleeves. Today started very well, thanks to a delightful teacher called Mark, who wrote to thank me for my notes on writing. … Continue reading
Students Help – Analysing Your Essay – Form and Transcript.
This is the transcript of the Youtube video which I put up here today. It is primarily aimed at students, but be aware that the same approach works for any writing. Whether you are an aspiring author, a journalist or a business manager trying to write a report, the same disciplines apply. At the bottom … Continue reading
Writing Lessons 9
Today I have been working on a new story, and I’ve got to the magical stage of about 90,000 words, which means that I’m on the easier, downhill slopes and almost at the end of the first draft. Perhaps this is a good time to think about how things are going. I’ve already spoken about … Continue reading
Writing Lessons 7
It is a very odd thing, that writers will often miss whole weeks of life. When you are writing from a specific point of view, you become so utterly immersed in that person’s life, that you cannot exist in the real world at the same time. Your partner will get used to grumbles and muttered … Continue reading
Writing Lessons 6
So you are sitting at your chosen location, your desk, your kitchen table, your spare bedroom – wherever it may be. You have your pen, pencil, paper pad, laptop or desktop computer, and you have some quiet music playing to tempt you into your best writing mood. You have been thinking about the next scene … Continue reading
Writing Lessons 5
Apologies for a silent Monday, but family life intruded into work life. The next issue that writers often seem to have is the most basic one: which tools to use. There is a belief that there is a magic series of tools to use, just as there is a magic set of instructions for new … Continue reading
Writing Lessons 4
So far this week I have written about how to get writing. I have suggested ways to invent characters, how to get ideas down and how to set them out. Today I’m going back to first principles for all those of you who don’t have the faintest idea how to start. The first, absolute … Continue reading
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