Despite indications to the contrary, it is actually summer here in the UK. Spring saw summer heatwaves, then a quick trip into winter with absolutely torrential rain before reverting back to autumn with strong winds, sunshine and everything in between. What has this to do with books? When my first book ‘Changes’ was released, I …
Tag: books
Spirit of Technology background
The original idea of this page was to provide information and background relating to my published books, and there is quite an interesting story behind this one. During an amicable conversation with my first publisher, I confirmed I hadn’t received an email which she was sure her assistant had sent me, and her comment ‘It …
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 …
New release ‘Alderslay.’
Trumpet blowing time. Finally my latest book has been released after years of trials and tribulations and is now available on Amazon. You can place an order now and it will be delivered to your Kindle on the release date 3rd March. If you prefer to read paperbacks, this option should be available around the …
Authors and Valentines
I often rabbit on about my books and my YouTube site but marketing has always been my weakness. How will readers know you exist if you don’t yell ‘Buy my book,’ at every opportunity? Browsing a local site where people were asking for recommendations for plumbers, electricians and similar providers, it struck me how I …
If anyone asks and Listen to Love
This week's story on our YouTube channel is on the serious subject of bullying.It can take many forms, and doesn’t always include a black eye or a broken arm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNjbB60QIc You might wonder why the person being bullied doesn’t go to the police, or simply leave. Chip away at someone’s confidence for long enough and …
Val’s Tales Follow Me
It actually happened! On Tuesday the 15th December at 1 p.m. the first storycast for Val’s Tales hit the big wide world. The story is called ‘Follow Me’ and is a rather sad Christmas story inspired by a 60s song which is also on YouTube. To listen to the story, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-jBVGs6UYQ To celebrate …
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 …
Val’s Tales and Murder
Sometime last Spring, I was chatting to my niece discussing the logistics of producing shows and outdoor events. She worked in theatre and described some of the additional restraints caused by the newly announced virus, as well as the traditional problems with egos and impossible demands from others with no understanding of logistics. As regular …
Writing and Publishing
‘You should write a book.’ How many times has someone been told that by a friend and thought ‘It seemed a good idea at the time?’ There are two routes to becoming a published author (or possibly three.) Write a book, perhaps find an agent, submit it to a publisher and do the happy dance …
