This week I gave my Kindle a rest because while on a family history mission to the local library, I had spotted Marika Cobbold’s Drowning Rose, a book I had seen lauded on Twitter and which I could somehow tell I would like just from reading the first page. I was most certainly not disappointed and found … Continue reading Books and backs of envelopes
The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White is the first book to be published under the new digital imprint announced last October by Harper Collins, purveyors of much fine publishing and the much vaunted ‘conquer the slushpile’ Authonomy site. As an erstwhile authonomite, I felt that this was a significant step. Up to now, … Continue reading The Qualities of Wood – more than one mystery
A big thank you to Kay Beer (aka @1_Lovelife) for passing on the Lucky 7 challenge, which I think is a great idea. Now, having looked up my own page 77, line 7 and the next 7 sentences of my recently completed novel (no WIP long enough, I’m afraid!) I don’t know that this is the extract I would … Continue reading #Lucky7 – or does every sentence do its work?
This week I entered a self-publisher’s competition which involved reading other people’s novels. As a marketing ploy I thought this wouldn’t work at all. I skim read like mad, searching for the answers to the relevant questions and paying little heed to the writing. The chance of my forking out for any of these books was … Continue reading What price the 70s?
Picture this. I’m reading a novel, an e-book, one of those that is advertised ‘free today.’ Well it may have been 99p, but either way, given the time and labour that writing a novel involves, this author has basically gifted the book to me and anyone else who might like to read it, a generous … Continue reading How I stubbed my toe on a sentence.
