Loyalty, such a ubiquitous word. But what does it mean? To whom or to what are we loyal? We all, hopefully, understand the value and positivity involved in loyalty to our partner; that’s an essentially personal quality. And, equally hopefully, we recognise the worth of loyalty to a supportive family. But beyond these familial allegiances …
Continue reading An Excess of…Loyalty
The second review has come in for my latest novel. As you know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they arrive. This one is on Goodreads (some reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to make it easy, I’ll also …
Continue reading Another 5 Stars in Second Review for ‘An Excess Of…’
The first review has come in for my latest novel. As most readers and writers know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they start to arrive. This one is on Goodreads (many reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to …
Continue reading First review for ‘An Excess Of…’ Gives 5 Stars
An Excess Of... Last year, I spent most of lockdown researching and writing a new novel. ‘An Excess Of…’ is now available in paperback and digital form, published by Fantastic Books Publishing. Synopsis: Six random strangers escape drowning when their ship is wrecked, only to be dumped on a desert island, hundreds of miles from …
Continue reading ‘An Excess Of…’ Launched Today!
In just ten weeks millions of gifts will be exchanged around the world. Before that, in less than two weeks, much money will be spent on ephemeral trappings associated with Halloween. More money will be literally sent up in smoke as fireworks a few days later. And, all over the world, regardless of creed, chosen …
Continue reading An Excess Of…Gifts.
A crowd in Rome. One aspect of the modern world that contributed to my urge to write the latest novel was the issue of population. It doesn’t feature much in the story, more of an aside, but was definitely an underlying stimulus to the idea of the book. In common with many people, my major …
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When I was first struck by the idea for my latest novel ‘An Excess Of…’, I understood I’d need to do a good deal of research. Most topics touched on in the story were already familiar, but I felt I should deepen my knowledge in as many areas as possible. Underlying subjects explored in the …
Continue reading Researching for the Novel.
An Excess Of... The paperback is available now! Have you got your copy yet? Why not? This is the best book you’ll read this year – not that I’m biased, of course! Okay, I’ll try to calm my enthusiasm for my latest novel. But it’s exciting when you hold it for the first time in …
Continue reading It’s Out! Get it Here.
Too revealing? There’s a good solid reason; it’s based on the story. You’ll notice the guy is also revealed. In fact, all six characters who star in this new novel find themselves in a situation where clothing is a low priority, or certainly should be. After all, wearing the clothes they normally sleep in, they’re …
Continue reading Revealing the Cover.
I wrote it last year. Started the long, and somewhat convoluted, process of editing, both as self-editor initially and then with my publisher’s editors, early this year. We now have a launch date for my latest novel. So, I suppose I’d better let you all know what it’s called, especially now this information was released …
Continue reading The Time has Come!
Word cloud Via Wordart In writing science fiction, two areas of uncertainty arise before the start. Assuming it’s not Space Opera, the first barrier is the large number of readers who believe all sci-fi involves space wars, forgetting that at least two of the most brilliant works of literature were also science fiction: Aldous Huxley’s …
Continue reading Dealing with Difficult Themes in #Fiction
It’s been a long slog, but it’s finally done! My latest novel deals with contentious themes and these proved a source of much discussion between me and my publisher’s editors. Usually, editing of my work has consisted in minor grammatical, structural and vocabulary changes. Nothing substantial, as the characters have always been accepted as well-rounded …
Continue reading The Pleasures and Pains of #Editing.
Word cloud created through wordart.com Environment, Capitalism, and Religious Hypocrisy are major themes running through my WIP, a work my publisher’s team of editors recently returned with ‘edit notes’. This wasn’t the usual ‘line edit’ I’ve had in the past and, on reading the notes, I was initially taken aback. My first response was that …
Continue reading Edit Notes: How Do You Deal With Them?
In hope of giving you some entertainment in these peculiar times, here’s a short story. It’s a gentle romance, with a touch of humour, from a collection of such stories I published some time ago. A Perfect Solution Under the heat of a Mediterranean sun it seemed ludicrous to care about his worries back home. …
Continue reading A #Romantic Short Story for You.
This short story is from the collection in my anthology, Ten Tales for Tomorrow. I present it here for your enjoyment. (If it inspires you to read the rest of the collection, you’ll find links to that at the foot of this post. Enjoy!) Smoke A thin curl of greenish smoke rose from sand ahead, …
Continue reading A Short Story for You.
Stuart Aken 