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 …
Listening to audiobook auditions
This is not an easy task. Some of these guys are good so there's added pressure to pick the right one. And I have a bias for theatrical reads. Partly because many moons ago I studied acting, and partly because my last audiobook was presented by a trained British actor. All of this is being …
What reading one of my earlier books taught me about myself
I finished reading my second novel. I didn't think I'd finish it because I never read my own books once they are published. I'm working on a novel where for the first time I'm writing in Third Person Limited and, as Drama Queens and Adult Themes was written in First Person from the perspective of …
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The horror of reading your own book.
I don't read my own books once they are published. I might read a chapter randomly as an antidote to Impostor Syndrome, but that's about it. Until the other day. I read the five opening chapters of my second novel, Drama Queens and Adult Themes, as I thought it might help me out with my …
Recycling characters
Many authors do it. They place their characters in several unrelated books. I've been doing it for a while although I'm planning to stop after my current release, The Midnight Man. And while the major characters in this novel are brand new, a whole range of characters from my novellas Nate and the New Yorker …
Writing about a dream lover
I was listening to Kate Bush. The track was 'Man With the Child In His Eyes' - a song about a mystical lover that waits for the songwriter at bedtime. It has been one of my favourite songs since its release in 1978. Natalie Cole does a beautiful cover version. Its haunting melody was the …
I wrote a sex scene without realising it.
The Midnight Man started with a nightclub scene. At least it did in earlier drafts. In the scene we meet middle aged gay couple, Stanley and Francesco, as they pick up a guy to share their bed for the night. After that opener was an erotic sex scene in which we discover Stanley isn't happy …
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Trying to encapsulate my novel in 100 words
I tried to court an agent. As regular readers of my blog know, I've been working on a manuscript titled The Midnight Man for four years. It's quite polished, so I thought I'd use it as my calling card to seek representation. Many authors hate creating the blurb for their book. It's even harder to …
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Getting a manuscript ready for submission
A father and daughter team were on the radio the other morning. Like me, dad obviously enjoyed the house party days of the nineties. He told his daughter (and us) about the Primal Scream track, 'Loaded'. Hearing people still affectionate about that decade is why one of my WiP's is set in that era. I'm …
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That Problematic Chapter
One chapter in one of my works in progress has bothered me. It's a dramatic chapter where a character ends his affair. Every time I've read it in context with the rest of the manuscript, it hasn't made sense. It started with two men thrashing it out realising there was no room for bullshit anymore. …
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