What’s in a name?
One of the hardest tasks with writing a book is coming up with a title. The title sticks with the book through thick and thin. It is the first draw for any potential reader. It defines the essence of...
View ArticleMemories
What is a memoir? Memoir comes – unsurprisingly – from the French memoire, which ultimately has its roots in Latin words for memory and mindful. It is the telling of one’s own story, the recounting of...
View ArticleBeware the Falling Avocados: frustrated writer update
The book is nearly finished. No, honestly, it nearly is. I’ve just got to write this chapter, and then a couple more, and then an epilogue, and then it’s done. Oh, and I need to go back and re-write...
View ArticleThe road to hell…
Paved with good intentions: pretty much sums up my life. It is over a week into January and the post I was going to put up as dawn broke on the new year is yet to written. Or is being written, perhaps....
View ArticleThe proof is…
*Gulp* Beware the Falling Avocados has gone to my proofreader. We had a lovely chat over a cup of tea (about most things other than my book) and then I came home, buoyed up by having achieved a goal:...
View ArticleDrum roll please!
As promised last week, here is the first reveal of the book cover for Beware the Falling Avocados. Observant readers of this blog will know that this will be my second book: a sequel to In the Shade of...
View ArticleThe bits that make a book
So, I’ve written Beware the Falling Avocados, and sent it to the proofreader; and I’ve got the cover designed: I’m all set to publish, right? Wrong. A book is more than just the story. What else goes...
View ArticleMoney matters
One of the most frequent question for self-publishers is: How much does it cost? Well, how long is a piece of string? It depends where you cut it. Let’s be honest, writing is not a way to become rich,...
View ArticleA bit of an update
Apologies for the recent silence: Easter, holidays and general chaos have slowed me down. Not that I’ve been idle. Beware the Falling Avocados has now reached the stage of waiting for a proof copy to...
View ArticleLook what arrived in the post!
The proof. Now all I’ve got to do is read it again to spot all the errors I’ve missed…
View ArticleThe root cause of all my problems
I’ve hit a small crisis with my book: inertia. The paperback version of Beware the Falling Avocados is all but complete. The observant will have seen Wednesday’s post. I have the proof copy back. It...
View ArticleWrong order
Sometimes I don’t engage all the bits of my brain in quite the right order. Take this week. I went to the pub to organise my book launch. The lovely lady in charge remembered me from when I called in a...
View ArticlePreparing to publish an ebook
There is nothing difficult about publishing an ebook. (Other than writing it in the first place, of course. And editing it.) Once you have your perfect copy – and assuming you have no pictures or...
View ArticleYou are invited…
You are all warmly invited to come to the official launch of my book, Beware the Falling Avocados, at The Kingfisher, Poynton from 3.30pm on Saturday 18 June. So if you’re in the vicinity and haven’t...
View ArticleMemory lane
In a rash moment yesterday, I decided to tidy up some paperwork in my study. Were you to walk in right now, you probably couldn’t tell that it looked much better (though it does!) I have slimmed down...
View ArticleI am a writer
I am ready for a rest at the end of a rather hectic week. The book launch was one thing; a charity I’m treasurer for had an important meeting about funding, the children made big decisions which...
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