Occasionally scenes write themselves. Most don't. As authors, we know this, and in the 'most don't' category, there are many sub-categories. So, for this blog I'm sharing the different dilemmas we encounter while writing scenes. 1. The scene we thought was perfect, until continuity raised its head. I can think of two recent examples with …
Do not start writing unless you love it! – Guest blog by Christian Baines
Christian Baines is an author friend who recently posted the rant below on Facebook. Like me, he is on the indie side of the author scale, and what he wrote here is full of truth. He gave me permission to republish his words. Do not start writing unless you love it and are willing to …
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The most sophisticated Book Club scam I’ve received
Authors get them constantly. Those AI generated flattering emails asking you to give permission for a book club to discuss your book. But one I received a few weeks ago made me do my research. This email came from a gmail account, asking if I'd like to be interviewed online for The European Book Club. …
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Getting feedback
It's no secret I enjoy my writers' group. Last week, one of the members reminded me why this type of feedback is important. There are only four in our group which allows us to get a lot done during our three hour sessions. We read our scene out loud while our fellow scribes follow with …
Literary Speed Dating
Last week I did my second Literary Speed Dating event. This event was online unlike the previous one I did. Back then I joined a large number of eager authors waiting in line to impress representatives from publishing houses. We rehearsed our spiel, performed for an acquisitions editor, answered questions, then joined the next queue hoping …
In the hands of my beta readers
My first self published novel is being assessed. It's part of the Haunted Hearts series of books to be released leading up to Halloween. All have been written by a different gay male author and each is an Urban Fantasy MM Romance. This is also a project with a tight deadline so my initial draft …
Author News Update – 23 June, 2025
Welcome to another author update. I can now announce that I'm one of the gay writers who are collaborating on the second series of Haunted Hearts novels. Last year, a group of queer male authors released the first series, one by one, leading up to Halloween. You can find them HERE. Last year's books centred …
As an author, how are you perceived?
Several things happened recently which made me reevaluate. I had an email conversation with one of the staff of our local queer book store. In his last reply he encouraged me to submit manuscripts to certain publishers. But they were all Romance publishers. My books are rarely in their store while self published friend's novels …
How long does it take to write a novel?
This is a tale of two novels. One I started five years ago and is still a work in progress. It’s set in the 90s around the gay scene of Sydney’s Oxford Street. Eight drafts have been written, but after it failed to spark interest, I had it assessed. I found the State Library research …
Writing to a deadline
I have a deadline. A novel I'm writing needs to be published in five to six months. I usually take years on my manuscripts, working on a draft, then putting it aside for a few months. When I pick it up again, I'll see what needs work, fix, then put it aside for another few …
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