Did you guys know that printed books should always be odd-numbered on the right page? Or that text should be right and left justified? Or, for a matter of fact, that when you shorten the front of a word with an apostrophe (ex. ‘leave ’em alone’) that the apostrophe must face the same way as one that shortens the […]
When I first decided that I was going to go with self-publishing rather than traditional publishing, there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to be a long, hard slog. I knew that I’d have to work very hard for potentially very little reward, and that success – if it came – would
All The Lovely Stuff Read More »
Let the games begin! The book blog tour for Masque has kicked off at The Indy Book Fairy, where you can read an excerpt and enter to win a paperback copy of Masque. Come on along and say Hi! Further stops will be: 15th- I Heart Reading (Starter Party) 17th- Nat’s Book Nook (Promo Post)
Let The Games Begin! (Aka, Masque Is On Tour, And So Am I) Read More »
There’s this feeling you get after finishing a story. It’s something like: “Yes! I’m done now! It’s finished!” It’s completely wrong. Your brain is lying to you because it knows just how much work there is still to go. In comparison to what you’ve still got to do, writing the MS was the easiest thing
Last Edits And Other Means Of Torture Read More »
I’m coming to the end of my 2 weeks of holidays. It’s been a great time, I’ve been amazingly productive (writing-wise, anyway), and I’ve managed to keep the house (relatively) clean. I’ve gone out, stayed in, read books, written lots; vacuumed, washed-up, polished, dusted, and consumed an immense amount of tea, pinapple lollies and muffins (English
Fun Stuff Around The House: Chest Of Drawers Read More »
I don’t say this enough, but I love writing. It’s sometimes excruciating, often frustrating, and frequently exhausting. And it’s always satisfying. There are days when I have to scrabble and scratch for every flamin’ word, glaring into the middle distance for inspiration. There are days when my fingers can’t fly across the keyboard fast enough to keep up with the flow
10 Things I Love About Writing Read More »
I’m lazy. That’s one of the first things I learned about myself as I was growing up. You know the kid that goes to the toilet before it’s supposed to do the washing up and just never comes out? Yeah, that was me. (It’s still me, except I’ve figured out better ways to skive off
Laziness And Self-Publishing, And Stuff Read More »
Yanno, like Sense and Sensibility, cos it’s . . . oh, never mind. At some stage in your writing career (well, in almost any career), you’re certain to run into a scammer. Where there are writers desperately hoping and trying for a breakthrough, there are always going to be schemes like PublishAmerica and the like, ready to
Scams And Gullibility Read More »
I don’t wear a Christmas shirt to work (a long story where I got kicked out for wearing a shirt that had Christmas Scripture verses on it) but I do wear a nice, tiny, red hat with green ribbons. It’s my pride and joy this Christmas. It’s perky and fun and jingly. I was wearing
Adventures In Retail: ‘Tis The Season (Or, The Fight Before Christmas) Read More »
We’re writers. We’re meant to be at least slightly neurotic. But there’s that day, every so often, when we’ll be reading a good book. I mean a really good book: solid to fantastic plot, fascinating characters we fall in love with and weep for, and the absolute perfect pacing; all wrapped in a superbly crafted structure. You take a
Inferiority Complex Read More »
