Perhaps it's working in film all these years but the prospect of having a trailer for my book was too delicious a notion, not to consider. I love movie trailers. I've always been fascinated with how they're put together, what elements they decide to highlight - how to condense two hours of a film into a... Continue Reading →
5 Things I learned about writing from Joe Hill
One of the best things I’ve done as a writer in terms of learning, is to listen to other writer’s talk. Dan Brown, Patrick Ness (twice), Cecelia Ahern, Sarah Crossan, Ali Land, Sam Blake, Catherine Ryan Howard, Hazel Gaynor. The list goes on. Not only is it valuable to take a peek inside their heads but it’s also the... Continue Reading →
Read The First Chapter of OUR DESTINY IS BLOOD
1 Far Eastern Siberia, 1827 CALEB TAMERSK WAS GOING to die. He had long accepted that fact. He’d even got quite comfortable with the notion, living precariously close to it as he did. Throughout his life he had taunted death, sent countless men into its open arms knowing that when it came for him, he would... Continue Reading →
Publication Day is here! Our Destiny Is Blood is finally unleashed – so why am I so terrified?
The day has arrived! After a mid October jostle of release dates and mild panic, my book has arrived a few days earlier than I imagined, which is a good thing in so many ways. Firstly, there's no hiding from it anymore. The book is out. The people will decide with a click of their... Continue Reading →
The Advice You Didn’t Want To Hear From An Agent & How It Can Change Everything…
For the past three months, I haven’t given my little drawer in the internet much attention. It’s grown dusty and well that smell is not going to take care of itself, so I feel I should explain my obvious neglect. I have written a new book. For those of you who’ve read my previous writing posts,... Continue Reading →
Three things you need to STOP DOING RIGHT NOW if you’re writing your first draft
I should preface this post with the fact that no, I'm not yet a published author but I have learned some stuff along the way and as I rocket through the first draft of my new book, I realise what a completely different experience it is to the first. So, here we go. Here's the things... Continue Reading →
So my Date With An Agent at the London Book Fair 2017 went like this…
In January I decided, as an unpublished and unagented writer to go to the London Book Fair. I wanted to find out what made it so special, see it for myself - peak at the wizard behind the curtain. To dispense with the far away allure and come away with a proper picture of how things... Continue Reading →
Can a writer’s anxiety suffocate their chance of success? How learning to back yourself is crucial…
So you've written a book. When do you decide to tell not just agents and publishers but stand up and shout proudly from the nearest mountain top that you have written a book in all its glory for anyone and everyone to hear? Whether we recognise it or not, the moment we decide to send it out... Continue Reading →
Why Rejection Is An Essential Lesson For Every Writer
Rejection is the bane of every writer's life - that soul destroying moment when you see the agent/publisher's email in your inbox and a brief moment of hope flickers before you open it and your eyes quickly scan through the words....'after careful consideration'...'unfortunately'...'not right for my list'...'another agent may feel differently'...'good luck'. Instantly you wonder if... Continue Reading →