I was always an Elvis fan but remember sitting up with my dad to watch the Tom Jones programmes after Mum had gone to bed. I know he has a reputation as a womaniser, but being with the same woman for such a long time I believe he truly loved his wife and she was …
Category: Story of A Country Boy
Book locations
A book blogger mentioned recently about running a series on books set in specific locations. It started me thinking about my own books, and the times and places where they were set. ABC Destiny The date is indeterminate but it follows the story of Delphine, the illegitimate daughter of an English member of the aristocracy, …
Book signings, genres and covers
With Spring hopefully not too far away, and restrictions easing, I’m looking forward to the resurrection of local book fairs. The one I attended shortly before Christmas brought to mind my first book signing many years ago. I had no idea what to expect, but my publishers told me everything had been organised with the …
Country Boy synopsis
Who remembers the song 'Kentucky Rain' by 'Elvis' when the old men say ‘Was it yesterday, no wait, the day before?’ ‘Story of a Country Boy’ was actually released on my birthday and the intention was the follow-up ‘Son of a Country Boy’ would be done and dusted by now. It’s my birthday next month …
Book Fairs and Book Covers
Have you ever heard the expression ‘I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like?’ I think it was originally intended as a mickey-take for someone who didn’t understand the Hoi Polloi snobbishness of ‘good art’ and was intended to make them feel foolish. Research showed that surprisingly the quote was published …
Interview with TJ from ‘Story of a County Boy.’
As I mentioned the other week, an author friend sent me some questions to interview one of my characters. It was a great idea and inspired me to carry on with the sequel for the first book in the series which was called ‘Story of a Country Boy.’ The first book describes the adventures of …
Continue reading Interview with TJ from ‘Story of a County Boy.’
The Story behind ‘Country Boy.’
Last week I posted the background to how my latest release 'Alderslay' came into being. It struck me each of my books has a story behind the story so today is the turn of ‘Story of a Country Boy.’ Although ‘Story of a Country Boy’ is a work of fiction, it does contain many elements …
Character Christmas Presents
Fellow author, Sue Moorcroft raised the question of Christmas presents but in a slightly unusual way. As she so rightly says, it’s bad enough trying to think of what to buy friends and family but how about the characters in your books? Great inspiration for a blog post. Thanks, Sue. Initial thoughts are the narrator …

Character Interview – TJ. Story of a Country Boy
Characters are a very important part of any book. Once you’ve seen the cover, read the blurb and decided to buy, they, along with the plot, are what make you decide if it’s a 5* read. Whether you love them or hate them, they need to stir some emotion and make you feel a connection. …
Continue reading Character Interview – TJ. Story of a Country Boy
Book blurbs
A recent challenge on a Writers’ group made me think about the importance of book blurbs. Once the cover has attracted a reader’s interest, it’s normally the blurb which is the make or break for whether they move on or press the buy button. A synopsis is a summary of the story, including the ending, …