Back in March, I opened up my DMs/ email to my Grimoire subscribers for a round of ‘ask me anything’ and you guys did not disappoint. This post is a lot later than I planned for various reasons, but here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions. Enjoy! When is ‘Crossing Places’ coming…
Category: Uncategorized
You Have More Power than You Think – Authors Behaving Badly.
I’ve learned to really enjoy Twitter. I’ll admit I was completely non-plussed initially but having discovered the thriving and supportive reading and writing communities, it’s now one of my favourite places to engage. Besides, where else would I go to get my fix of ranty historical fact threads or cat videos? That said, there are…
Æthelflæd – ‘The Warrior Queen of Mercia’
I took a walk on the outskirts of Gloucester today – mostly so I could grab a couple of photos for one of the sections of my Newsletter. During my walk, I visited St Oswald’s Priory, which has some interesting history attached to it – as, indeed, does all of Gloucester – especially with reference…
Book Review: The Power – Naomi Alderman
One of the best and most hard hitting books I’ve read this year is Naomi Alderman’s unflinching look at human nature and equality in ‘The Power’. Be warned, it’s a very difficult read in places. It’s also extremely thought provoking and this is what it provoked me to think; ‘One of them said, “why…
Thomas the Rhymer and the Accidental Novel
Thomas the Rhymer is a popular Scottish folk ballad. The hero of the song, Thomas, is out one fine morning when a lady on a milk white steed comes riding over the moor towards him. Recognising that the beautiful woman is no mere mortal and no doubt recalling that it’s always best to be polite to…
Dissecting Dragons – the first Guest Episode
I’ve talked about Dissecting Dragons, the speculative fiction podcast that M.E.Vaughan and I produce a bit before. However on Friday the first episode featuring a guest author was released and I feel it’s worth looking at the process in a bit more detail – not least of which because that episode has probably been our…
Throw back Thursday: Wearing the Editor’s Hat
(Originally posted on my old blog 29th July 2014) So what have I been working on recently? Well it’s a bit of a step away from my forthcoming book and its sequels, but I’m really proud of the result. Here is a bit about this anthology of reflected tales, which will be available from amazon,…
Throwback Thursday: First Choose your Victim
(First Published on my old blog 4th July 2013) As an avid reader of …well pretty much anything, I often find myself thinking certain, repeated thoughts about a variety of Main Characters. ‘Why did you make that obviously foolish decision?’; ‘what are you doing that for?’; ‘You realize that you’ve brought all of this…
Throw back Thursday: Announcing the First Novel
(Originally posted on my old blog 29th July 2014 – how time flies. I can now look back on this with nostalgia and affection rather than terror 😉 ) Since the good folks at illusio and baqer have given the signal, I can now talk about my debut novel, I Belong to the Earth, which…
Evolution Point: An Author interview with Vanessa Wester
(Originally posted on my old blog 25th August 2014) This week I am pleased to welcome indie writer, multi-tasker and fellow red-head, Vanessa Wester as my guest. Vanessa and I met through the charity anthologies which she has produced in aid of such causes as NSPCC and Food Bank. Vanessa graciously allowed me to be…