NOTE: This blog was written during our first year of Covid lockdowns. Yesterday I logged into 'Gay Fiction, Gay Lives,' a forum hosted by Jerry L. Wheeler for Bold Stroke Books. It's an interesting time for publishers. I applaud this initiative by Bold Stroke Books as there is a large audience sitting at home looking …
Authors and algorithms
A Twitter post popped up recently about how interactions have diminished. I responded saying that I've noticed this too. Recently I asked #WritingCommunity if they've noted Twitter is behaving like Facebook (i.e. the same small number of regulars reacting to what you've posted). One person responded. For an author, this is not good. I already …
Book Review – The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
Many reviewers consider this novel a meditation on art. This is true as it's really not a story driven piece. Several times I put this book down for a while to consider what I'd read. But it was never going to be a 'did not finish' book. I had to take it in stages as …
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Resurrecting an abandoned manuscript
Sequels never sell as well as the first in a series. It's something I've learnt through time. The final of the Actors and Angels trilogy has had lower sales than the first, even though it's won a Rainbow Award. More people have read Nate and the New Yorker than its follow up. So, quite some …
Never read your reviews!
New book. Time to check for reviews. Because at time of writing this I was addicted to Google, searching said book title plus my name. All authors do it. We need the quotes for marketing while the novel is still fresh. No reviews on Amazon several weeks after release, but a few on Goodreads. But, …
When Romance Rules! (Guest blog by Hans M Hirschi)
My husband told me I can use any part of our own relationship in my books. While all my books do include a love story, they are not traditional Romance novels. But somehow, if you write about romantic themes as a gay author, this is how you are often caterogarised. At a recent forum, I …
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You’re invited to the Winter Masquerade
The enchantment has begun. You're invited to the masquerade ball where you'll discover yourself, and possibly, get to know someone else. That's what Ferris does in my eBook novella, Winter Masquerade. This fantasy ball is held on the Sea Queen, a cruise liner that isn't heading anywhere. It just sails to nowhere with its eccentric …
Book Review -The Moth and Moon by Glenn Quigley
It's hard to write a review that encapsulates how charming this book is. Yes, there's a love story, but that's only part of what this tale explores. The world building is excellent, especially as the entire first chapter sets the scene of a small town from centuries ago about to brave a horrendous storm. All …
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Book Review – Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard
I normally don't read YA books or gay stories where the main theme is about coming out and self-acceptance. The reason for the latter is because that part of my life is ancient history and there are so many great books in all genres where gay characters simply exist. But Invisible Boys has become a …
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Book Review – Into? by North Morgan
I wanted to read something good after finishing the brilliant page turner Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard. Someone on Twitter recommended Into? by North Morgan. So was it as good? Yes and no. This is a book with no story. It's a series of what I describe as diary entries where Konrad, the narrator, tells …
