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Technically, today’s review was the third review, but the first two, however balanced they were (and I think they were), were done by friends and family. Today I received my first review from a complete stranger. It wasn’t unsolicited though…
Continue readingI’m not sure if I really realised until recently how much I like re-imagining old stories, but I really do. I’m reading A.S. Byatt’s new book Ragnarok at the moment and loving her take on many of the same myths…
Continue readingIn hindsight today’s free promotion on amazon was not the best planned foray into the world of free marketing. Thursdays are apparently a good day to do it, but Thursday’s is also usually band night and so I would have…
Continue readingMy debut novel, The End Of All Worlds, will be available for free from midnight to midnight PST on Thursday 7 June 2012. It has been a fantastic three weeks since I published the book, with sales averaging out at…
Continue readingI’ve started reading Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt. Ragnarok is the final war of the gods, or the end of the world. I use it as the title for the final part of my own novel, The End Of All Worlds….
Continue readingThere were moments of dark, fairy terror in Michelle Harrison’s 13 Treasures trilogy, but nothing so dark and genuinely scary as Unrest. Really, truly, don’t read some of the early chapters just before bed – not unless you enjoy inducing…
Continue readingMy book has been published for two week’s now (one week as a paperback). I really didn’t know how many or how fast or slow it might sell. I think I may have become unhealthily obsessed with refreshing the KDP…
Continue readingI’ve always had that dream of receiving the first box of books delivered, hot off the press, and straight from the publishers, and imagined what it would feel like to open it up and suddenly have the books revealed inside….
Continue readingInspired by this article in today’s Observer on the pleasures of rereading, here are a few of my forever friends of the book world, and why. The list isn’t exhaustive, just the one’s that come to mind. Swallows & Amazons…
Continue readingMy productive and successful week has continued into the evening. Watched two brilliant programmes tonight on tele: Hugh Dennis’ brilliant new programme on the British Countryside and the wonderful Restoration Man – this week about a converted railway water tower….
Continue reading~ This weekend has been a weekend of birthdaying. Yesterday we went Ros’ open afternoon of birthday tea, and got to meet her and Nick’s gorgeous new daughter Sophie. We don’t see Ros and Nick (and James and Sophie) nearly…
Continue readingEver wondered what books get up to when left unattended in a bookshop after hours…? …and this, the video that inspired them to make the follow up. Love it!
Continue readingAs always, on this day I traditionally round up my reading for the year in the vague hope that I will have fulfilled my perennial resolution to read more. I think this year I seem to be up on last…
Continue readingFollowing on from an interesting article on the importance of of organising one’s bookshelves in today’s Guardian, apparently Alexander McCall Smith kicked up a storm on Twitter yesterday about it, it made me consider how I used to, and how…
Continue readingThis weekend, one of my favourite authors of all time, Diana Wynne Jones, died. I knew that she had been badly ill but it still came as a bit of a shock, after all she was still very much, actively,…
Continue readingI had a part review of the first eight chapter of Mr Tumnal from Sophie today. Whilst the first part of her critique filled me with horror: I’m enjoying your story, it’s quite a mystery. I still feel as if…
Continue readingI do love BBC4’s The Beauty of Books dearly, but in many ways there could have been just a bit more of this little series. Like in tonight’s one where you went from 1984, to Clockwork Orange, straight through to…
Continue readingOn this day, each year, I now traditionally round up my reading for the year in the vague hope that I will have fulfilled my perennial resolution to read more. Sadly, this year, by number of books alone, I have…
Continue readingI sent Jane the first 7 chapters of my new novel, Mr Tumnal, to have a read of. She loaded it onto her Kindle… …and it looks kind of neat… …I think I might be officially jealous. I want a…
Continue readingWe had a nce Shepherd family walk today down at Ogdens and the Latchmoor valley which was all frosty and frozen and beautiful in the sunshine. I might have gone a wee bit crazy with the photographs… This afternoon has…
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