Sir Isaac Newton stated that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For authors that gets translated into ‘for everyone who likes your work, someone else will hate it’. There doesn’t have to be any rhyme or reason about it; it’s just a thing. This state of affairs was brought back to …
Now you see me. When it comes to books, the word ‘ownership’ can mean different things at different times. Who owns an idea? Nobody. Try copyrighting an idea and be prepared for laughter and disdain. Who owns a completed manuscript? Unless you’ve been paid to ghostwrite a novel, ownership rests with the author. The laws …
Well, it’s that time of the year again – a cross between the End Times and that moment when you’re waiting for your train / plane to be announced for a trip you’ve been looking forward to. Or else it’s another day before you have to remember to change the year when you date anything.I …
It’s time for Thomas Bladen to go through the looking glass. A well-known author (Richard Bach, I’m fairly confident) once referred to his books as his literary children. When it comes to my Thomas Bladen Spy Chaser novels, I have tried to do something subtle different with each one. Consequently, I love all my literary children …
Even if you don’t believe in destiny you probably accept the word of Sir Isaac Newton. His ‘three laws’, unlike Isaac Asimov’s (now that’s what I call a literary reference), underpin not only our understanding of physics, but also of daily life and writing.The First Law states that:a) An object at rest remains at rest …
Even before I became an emerging author (that middle ground between no longer debut and nowhere near established!) I thought it sensible to turn a well-worn adage, ‘write about what you know’, on its head. Far better, in my opinion, to say: ‘know what you’re writing about’. That usually means one of two things: 1. …
Only writers know how it feels…– To submit a piece to a magazine, have it summarily rejected and then find that said magazine has added you to its email list. And then proceeds to email you every week about its other content.– To get feedback from an editor, pointing out all the plot holes and …
Light at the end of a celestial tunnel. I know; why a ‘new’ novel and not simply a novel? Well…it’s different. Not better or worse, just a changed experience – like my parents must have felt with a second child. You feel you know the ropes a bit more and you swear that you won’t make the …
My debut thriller, Standpoint, is currently 99p on Amazon. Of course you can buy lots of other things for the same price – although not in pound shops. You could buy chocolate (and lord knows I’ve roadtested that idea), but it’ll make you fat – or hungry. You could buy a proportion of a coffee …
Even though the year has barely started and my previous post is already a distant memory some writers have been in touch about how they want to approach 2016 differently. Kath Morgan is opted for the challenge of 52 Artist Dates this year. Others have talked in general terms about being more focused, or committing to deadlines.Here’s …
