The new book and writing about yourself

I haven’t blogged about this one at all yet. But it means a lot to me. I’ve been writing this one since October, with a few mini breaks in between to rethink, replan, rejig, and – the usual – fret. Why is this book different? This will be my third novel, but not my third…

Into the Imaginarium

And it was done! The Imaginarium issue of Stepaway Magazine is published and free to roam. It’s been an absolute delight to read everyone’s submissions. There wasn’t a single one that didn’t bring me joy. What is the Imaginarium? It is a place of peculiarities, of surprises, of worlds turned inside out. This is our…

Fantasycon 2022

The Fantasycon 2022 programme is out! Find out what I’ll do doing there…

How to write a first chapter

Wondering how to write a good first chapter of a novel? Writing an opening chapter is something that sets many new writers on edge. Where to start? How to start? Why to start?

Current poetry inspiration

Because I write both, I get asked a lot about the relationship between poetry and prose. How can you write both? Do you write them using the same methods? Does reading or writing one help me learn about the other? And basically, the answer to that last one is… YES! Whether I’m working on a…

Help required!

Lots of things grease the wheels of the publishing machine, not least of all – the words of readers. So I’m calling on a favour. Think what you will about Amazon (terrible capitalist machine or cost-cutting time-saver), reviews on their site make a huge difference to book sales and to future books being published. And…

Journal#20: Radio Silence Explained (grab a cuppa)

It’s been a while! But 2022 has already proved itself to be a year of new things. I think this is first time since starting this blog many many many moons ago that I haven’t stuck to my once a month schedule. But there’s been A LOT going on since New Year, and every moment…

Journal#19: That was 2021. But what about 2022?

What a year. Up and down. Left and right. Slow and quick. I’ve simultaneously stood with my head spinning while feeling like I’m made of stone. So much action, and all with the backdrop of a global pandemic, bristling away like white noise. Like many people, at times I’ve really struggled to balance it all…