Sometimes a book can make you cry with laughter so much that you have to stop reading it in public for fear of appearing unwell and in need of intervention. Other times a book can make you sob with sadness to a point where you feel numb from the overwhelming distress. Occasionally, a book can …
Subbing, writing yips, and into PhD-land
Submitting: "Welcome to the Desert of the Real" In the highly influential film The Matrix, the first time Neo is taken beyond his fabricated world he is theatrically welcomed to 'The Desert of the Real'. This it turns out, is the reality which greets most writers when they enter the harsh wastelands of agent submissions. …
A decade ago, in a world far, far away…
Warning: Blog contains personal views, graphic descriptions and graphic images that might not be your thing. Before the Beginning (ten years ago, Tralee, Ireland) The brooding clouds of Co. Kerry She woke between sleeps. We were all there, beside her. As she had been there for us since the moment we were born. The word …
Why I won’t be trying to sell you my next book
My dear friends, It's blog time. A very rare event, I know. Firstly, an apology Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy as you all have, I suspect. I won't dwell too much on the strangeness of recent times, other than to say it's hard for lots of people, I've found it hard too, …
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VSS365 Anthology One: Update
The first #vss365 anthology has been an incredible success and this is a message of thanks to you.
VSS365 Anthology: Release Date
Greetings friends, As you may have seen, I've been working day and night to get the anthology ready. Thank you to all those that responded while we were performing author checks. Reading the stories, communicating with the authors (and those that contribute each day) has reaffirmed what an incredible pool of talent we have and …
#VSS365 Anthology
Want to know more about the history of #vss365 ? Click here to find out more. Why have an anthology? As the original creator of #vss365, many people have proposed an anthology to me over the last few years. Why? In short, because it's something to celebrate. Many people have found a supportive, encouraging and …
The process of editing a novel (a.k.a the hardest yet most rewarding thing you can do as a writer)
The draft novel is finished. What now? Almost two years ago, I wrote a post explaining how I took zero words and managed to produce the first draft of a novel. I spent my entire life aspiring to do this almost impossible thing. Life is busy, hectic, full of responsibilities and serious stuff going on--but …
Metropolitan Dreams 