I have a conundrum. There's a lovely scene in a current work in progress which takes place at a Marriage Equality rally which actually took place during the 90s. Me and my husband were there, never believing for a minute this proposal would be even seriously considered in our lifetime. In this chapter, a former …
Book Review – Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
I could tell you the whole plot in one paragraph. Yet instead of a light tale stretched over the length of a novel, Revolutionary Road is a deep study of its characters. The story revolves around Frank and April Wheeler, a young married couple who believe they are more clever than they actually are. Frank …
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Books that changed me
There was a recent challenge on BlueSky. Over twenty days we had to post covers of books which stayed with us, or influenced us, without saying why. I completed the challenge then thought, why not blog about the reasons why. So, I've picked three from that list. 1. Tilda Is Visable by Jane Tara This …
When reviewers have sex issues.
Something odd happened. A review came out for The Midnight Man which complained about the graphic sexual content. I was confused as the opening chapter has the only sex scene. It's not a scene which titillates because its purpose is to show the reader how unhappy the main character is in his relationship. There are …
Are you sure your novel is ready?
A couple of books I've read lately inspired this blog. And what's interesting about their flaws is it made me reflect on advice I received when my first novel was published. This was way before self publishing was a thing. Back then the first thing I was told was to have my manuscript assessed. My …
Changing my writing process
I was selling my books at a local author event. On the table next to me was science fiction writer, H.G. Ahedi. It was a very rainy Friday night so not many potential readers showed up, leaving me and H.G. with plenty of time to talk. After chatting about cover artists, the difference between being …
Random thoughts which improve my plot
I'm at an interesting stage with my WiP. I revised around two-thirds of the story after creating an excel spreadsheet with details of the changes needed to each scene. Then I read the revised chapters and realised before I continued, the characters needed to be deeper. They were already demanding extra plot twists, telling me …
Book Review – Poof by J.M. Tolcher
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. When I first began reading this I was reminded of Alanis Morissette's brilliant song, 'You Oughta Know'. The author takes us back to when he was bullied in school, spitting venom at his tormentors in the same manner as Morissette attacked her ex. As a homosexual, I …
Book Review – Dublin Bay by John Patrick
This novel would make an excellent film. It has all the elements of a box office smash or a highly streamed miniseries. Period drama. Likeable characters. Sneaky dealings. A love story. Two teenage boys meet one evening just before the second world war. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the …
To hell with my outline!
Apologies for not posting for a while. My time has been dominated by listening to, and preparing promotional materials for, a new audiobook. But today's blog is a follow on from my last where I mentioned I've been panstering for a while, rather than sticking to my refreshed outline. And on the days I haven't …
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