Featured in a New Anthology.

A short while ago, I entered a short story into a contest. As usual, I then forgot all about it. A few days ago, I received an email to tell me my story, whilst not a winner, had been shortlisted and was to feature along with 25 others. It’s a collection of humorous stories written …

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Fantastic Fantasticon 2015:

What is it? It's a different kind of fantasy/scifi/gaming convention open to anyone and everyone with an interest in these popular topics. A place to take part, rather than simply a market place (though there are things to buy for those who want them, of course). And if you're a Dr Who fan, you'll find …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 10.

It's been a while: my apologies. I've been rethinking certain aspects of my writing life and deciding what changes I need to make, and when and where. And domestics have been a little unsettled recently with some slightly changed priorities that have made it temporarily more difficult to get on with my writing. Next Saturday, I'll be at …

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Question For the Week: Do Cheap and Free Books Devalue Books?

I was inspired to ask this by a short blog post I came across on ANewDomain, via Book2Book, a daily email from BookTrade. It set me to wondering whether we, as writers, are our own worst enemies. And it was reinforced by another short piece I read a little while ago at Digital Book World …

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#Tips for Sharing Posts Online

Time and again, I read a post on a writer's site (or some other interesting blog) and want to share the information with my own readers and/or friends. And, time and again, I discover the blogger hasn't provided any sharing facilities. That makes it awkward to share, so I often don't bother. And, yet, it …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 50 and #Free Books

Raising money for  Action for M.E. Charity Registration No. 1036419 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is a disabling and chronic illness, devastating the lives of 250,000 people in the UK. Action for M.E. provides support and information for those touched by M.E., and campaigns for better services and invests in research to ultimately find a cure. I'm …

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Today’s the Day!

From today, you can read my latest book. M.E. and me: Chronic Fatigue, My Recovery After 10 Years is now available as an eBook through Smashwords by clicking here, or in digital and print forms through Amazon by clicking here. ME/CFS is a debilitating condition that’s still not properly understood. It deprives victims of their …

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The Evolution of a Book Cover.

Book covers, we all need them, and most indie authors try to design these themselves. Sometimes, though not often, it works. Many of the results are pretty grotty. I have some small experience of illustration and graphics, fonts and typography, from a spell working at a local art college as a graphics technician. I also …

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Running and Writing for ME/CFS no. 33

Running: Completed all three runs this week. The first on Wednesday was a fifteen-minute easy run, which found me trotting along the usual disused railway track through the forest. The sun shone, dappling the ground, and the spring birds were full of song. A lovely run, covering a little more distance than previously. Friday saw …

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Running and Writing for ME/CFS No.27

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

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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The Cunning Man, by John Yeoman, Reviewed.

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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Tips on Word Choice: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? No17

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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EU Ereader? Beware VAT Rise in 2015

This is just a brief heads up for those of you who have an Ereader, or were bought one for Xmas. Many of you will be unaware that a change in EU law means that from 1st January 2015 VAT will be added to cost of all digital books, set at the rate applying in …

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Tips on Word Choice: Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? No.16

Sorry about the delay, this should have been posted Tuesday, but I was somewhat occupied. Some 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 …

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