Running and Writing for ME/CFS No.28

On 12/04/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, ME/CFS

Running: The programme for this week was a 10-minute easy run on Wednesday, and 15-minute easy runs on Friday and Sunday. I managed Friday and Sunday with no problems, but Wednesday was a different matter. On Tuesday, as part of our on-going conversion of the slope at the end of our garden from briar and …

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IndieReCon – It’s Coming! It’s Coming

On 11/04/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book

There’s a free, online self-publishing conference taking place next week. It’s the third year of IndieReCon, and they have an action-packed schedule filled with all sorts of great stuff – a mixture of posts, vlogs, webinars, as well as the opportunity to drill deeper into the various topics with a series of online and Twitter …

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Running and Writing for ME/CFS No.27

On 06/04/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS2 Comments

Running: This week, we travelled back up north to our native Yorkshire and collected our daughter, Kate, from her digs with a friend. She’s finished her temporary waitressing job in the area is staying with us in our new home in the Forest of Dean until the middle of the month. Then she flies out …

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The Paintings, by Linda Acaster, Reviewed.

On 23/03/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

Linda Acaster’s, The Paintings, is not a book to read before bed, unless, of course, you prefer nightmares to sweet dreams. This short chiller is subtly sinister, as it builds a story of the apparent ordinary into something with supernatural hints and underlying threats to reach a climax that is as satisfying as it is …

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Mantle of Malice, by April Taylor, Reviewed.

On 16/03/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

Mantle of Malice is the third book in the Tudor Enigma series, and, having read them all, I’d say it’s the best so far. In this alternative fantasy history, the main protagonist, Luke Ballard, has matured and grown in wisdom and experience. That’s not to say he no longer makes mistakes or has somehow overcome …

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Tips on Word Choice No. 24: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion?

On 24/02/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Use2 Comments

Certain words/phrases can induce fairly specific responses in readers. As writers, we all know this, but do we use the power of emotion in our work? For these few weeks, I’m looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect. You won’t always agree with me, of course; you’re writers. …

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Running and Writing for ME/CFS No.21

On 22/02/201513/05/2017 By stuartakenIn Book, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS3 Comments

Running; I was due to run for 15 Minutes on Wednesday, 20 minutes on Friday and 10 minutes today. Wednesday was fine. Good run through the forest and I enjoyed it. Friday I was away in Yorkshire: my bother died a few days ago and I was up in the home county to take my …

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Tips on Word Choice No. 22: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion?

On 12/02/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Use

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Running and Writing for ME/CFS No.19

On 08/02/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, charity

Writing: At last! I’ve started the actual writing of the book. 2,000 words so far, which constitutes the opening chapter. Of course, the way I write means I’ll have to edit when I’ve finished the whole book, but that’s all part of my creative process. I’m aiming to have the book finished and ready to …

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Tips on Word Choice No.20: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion?

On 28/01/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Use

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Wrong! A Themed Anthology 2014, Edited by Deborah Owen; Reviewed.

On 25/01/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer

This collection of short fiction from many different authors is based on the following theme: ‘I have a list and a map. What can possibly go wrong?’ And, of course, these creative authors show the reader just what can go wrong. I confess at this point that I’m a guest author for this anthology, but …

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Tips on Word Choice No.19: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion?

On 13/01/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Use

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Tips on Word Choice: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? No18

On 06/01/201504/01/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Use

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The Cunning Man, by John Yeoman, Reviewed.

On 02/01/201530/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

This ‘fictorial’ as the author calls it, should start a trend amongst authors with a desire to help other writers improve their craft. That is precisely what John Yeoman does in this collection of historical mystery stories. He tells a tale and inserts footnote links in the text, these lead to the footnotes, which explain …

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