Thursday 30 September 2021
Kindred: 100,000 copies sold!
Wednesday 15 September 2021
Another published author in the family - Mrs R's Poem.
Sunday 30 May 2021
Inauspicious beginnings for an author!
Oh dear! Looking back at this I wonder why I ever wanted to write for a living.
I couldn't even fill in the details on the cover of my English language school book without a capitalisation error and a spelling mistake! |
I've been clearing out my loft these past few weeks. I'm a total hoarder. I found my old Atari and Spektrum home computers from the 1980s, the skateboard I had as a child the decade before, even my battered old collection of marbles from my junior school days, still in the same denim pencil case I used to keep them in. I could go on and on. Needless to say, after much toil and deliberation (it's not easy for a hoarder to part with things) my loft has now been liberated, and I could almost feel the house sigh with relief after taking all that weight off its shoulders.
Somewhere amidst the decades of dust and memories, I came across a few of my old school books. Among them I found one for English literature, and two for English language. Naturally, I pulled them out of the pile to have a look, wondering if there might be some clue within the pages that would help me to understand why I've always wanted to write books. Apart from a keen interest in electronics, I don't recall being very good at anything in particular, or even interested in much other than the more practical studies such as pottery, woodwork and metalwork. Sadly my English grades bear this out with a D average for English literature, and a slightly more promising B- for English language during my third-form year. The literature grades came as no real surprise as even to this day I'm not a great reader, preferring to create my own stories instead, which flies in the face of the popular belief that all writers love to read.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share a few pages from my school books with you. I suppose I must have been about fourteen years old when I wrote in them. If they've shown me one thing, it's that they've compounded my belief that we can achieve just about anything if we try hard enough and keep going until we get there, no matter how inauspicious our beginnings.
It's a D for English literature... |
I still throw in random capital letters when I'm writing by hand. I have to concentrate and try really hard not to for some reason. |
I guess that told me! |
Sound advice for any writer. What's wrong with bear mats anyway? |
A good story, well told... Words I have held very dear, and which I always keep in mind when plotting and writing my books. |
Things are looking up on the English language front. Hurrah! I think I'll become an author! :o) |
Monday 22 March 2021
NEW Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery Out Now!
The Girl in the Painting, my brand new Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery, is now available for Kindle and in paperback.
Whether you're discovering for the first time just how exciting genealogical crime mysteries can be, or are a die-hard fan of the sub-genre and have read all the other JT books so far, I hope you enjoy the story I've created for you. And if you have read the main series and have been patiently waiting for a new JT book to be released, I very much hope you enjoy catching up with JT again as much as I have.
You can discover more and order your copy from Amazon here.
From the back cover:
Sunday 31 January 2021
Editing my new JT book.
Wednesday 13 January 2021
Jefferson Tayte is Back!
New Jefferson Tayte novella coming 23 March
If you've been missing JT these past couple of years, you'll be pleased to know that the man in the tan suit is set to return this March in a brand new genealogical mystery called The Girl in the Painting. It's about half the size of the books in the main series, and I've written it both as a stand-alone introduction to Jefferson Tayte for new readers, and as a continuation for existing readers, although this book does stand apart from the main series, so there are no repeat characters apart from JT.It's been a challenge writing a story that would appeal to both new and existing readers, and to fit a full JT story into half as many words as I usually do, with a present-day genealogical investigation, and a past mystery. This time it's about a young girl living in the slums of Victorian London, and what became of her.
You can pre-order your Kindle copy from Amazon HERE, where you can also read the description and discover more about the book. The paperback edition will be available in April.