Tiger Blood, by Penny Grubb, Reviewed.

We were introduced to D.S. Martyn Webber in Buried Deep (an excellent read) but in Tiger Blood he takes centre stage. His home life is complicated by an event he’d rather not remember, but the woman involved won’t let him off that easily. The results of his indiscretion haunt him throughout this superb crime novel. …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #20

This series aims at helping writers find the right words to express their meaning. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. Do you want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love, overwhelm them with horror? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for …

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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

This week’s progress report reveals I’m now 19799 words into the second rewrite. It’s been a bit of a bitty week with various appointments here and there as well as necessary work in the garden, so the writing has not been the only draw on my time. I’m still enjoying the process, and hope to …

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A Gentle Post About Book Reviews.

Tempted to invite me to review your book? I receive a good number of ‘pitch’ letters sent via the contact page on this website. Let me point out to all authors, their agents, and publishers, eager to do the same for their books that I’ve signed the True Review Pledge. That means I write honest …

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Inevitable Ascension, by V.K. McAllister, Reviewed.

First, a gentle warning for authors tempted to invite me to review their books: I read this book as the result of a particularly effective ‘pitch’ letter sent via the contact page on this website. Let me remind others eager to do the same for their books that I’ve signed the True Review Pledge. That …

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Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.

This week’s progress report reveals I’m now 71847 words into the first rewrite, which takes me 8302 words further than last week, most of this is new work, as the story needed revision due to research. In fact, I’m now writing the final chapter of the current version. However, I was struck by an idea …

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Progress on the WIP. SciFi in the Making.

This week’s progress report reveals that I’m now 63545 words into the first rewrite, which takes me 17762 words further than last week at this time. I’ve had to take out some of the original story as a result of additional information I’ve gathered from the last lot of research. It’s actually given the story …

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How Did the Author Do That?, by Dr. John Yeoman PhD, Reviewed.

This historical novel, set at the very end of the 16th century in London, is more than merely a damned good novel. It’s purpose is to help other authors improve their writing through example. John Yeoman is a well-respected writing tutor, amongst other things. He displays a wicked, sardonic, sense of humour in the story, …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #14

This series aims at helping writers find the right words to express their meaning. Your thoughts and comments are welcome here. Do you want to inspire readers with joy, stoke their terrors, romance them with love? Or, maybe you need your reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks …

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Progress on the WIP

Another week has passed and I've been prodding those keys with vigour. The WIP is now up to 45783, with 4865 of those words new to the story. Several developments are emerging following my research, and the story is twisting and turning with a life of its own. This is the first rewrite, so there …

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Naked News for Indie Authors: How NOT to Invest Your Marketing $$$, by Gisela Hausmann, Reviewed.

This is not the first book I’ve read by this author, which is why I bought it! She has a knack of stating the relevant facts without offending but without wasting words. If you’re looking to market your book(s), read this short piece of advice before you start to spend cash on the process. It …

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Progress on the WIP

12 days since I last gave you an update on the scifi novel I’m currently writing. I’ve been quite busy on a number of things, both domestic and in the writing arena since. Suffice it to say that progress hasn’t been as rapid as I’d hoped. But I’m not beating myself up over that: life …

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Ideas and Inspiration for Fantasy and Science fiction Writers, by James Hutchings, Reviewed.

This resource is remarkably extensive and varied. There are articles on strange human behaviours, odd customs and traditions, peculiar animal behaviour, secret societies and events, curses, unusual illnesses, myths, fakes, religious peculiarities, odd individuals and many other topics. This isn’t a book to sit and read, but a research and inspiration tool to use for …

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Searching for the Right Words? Tip #9

Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “We went to the second hand bookshop in …

Continue reading Searching for the Right Words? Tip #9

How to Win the Lottery (And Other Stories), by Iain Parke, Reviewed.

An unusual and intriguing anthology, this. The author introduces each piece of fiction with an account of his route to the story and some of his writing methods. It makes for an interesting read for both readers and writers. The collection is varied in both topics and style, but each tale is well structured and …

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