Author Archives: Site Editor
With a LOT of help from my friends
- Oct
- 11
Over the last few months I’ve been working on two new short story collections, the first of which came out just under a week ago as an ebook (paperback to follow later this month). Now, the thing with being an indie writer is you have to think about things that when traditionally published you don’t […]
Why I sometimes self-publish
- Aug
- 04
I was recently asked why I self-publish when being published by a ‘proper publisher’ (which I have) is obviously the better option. I thought about it and what follows are the reasons why I self publish some of my books. One – “It won’t sell” I’ve had several books turned down not because they were […]
Take One Picture Book And Add A Story Sack
- Dec
- 02
We all know (I hope) that reading stories is an invaluable experience for young children. It helps them develop a wide range of important skills including developing their listening and communication skills. But many people seem to stop there with picture books but introduce a story sack to the equation and the learning opportunities expand […]
My Top Ten Writing Tips
- Nov
- 02
I look back to when I was an aspiring author, smile and ask myself “how did I ever manage to get published?” Apart from being able to string a few words together I knew nothing about the business of becoming published. Yet somehow I managed to become a published picture book writer. However if I […]
Just Like Baking Bread
- Aug
- 28
A month or so ago I treated myself to a new bread making machine. The plan was and still is to make gluten free bread for him-in-doors and speciality breads for me. When my bread maker arrived I excitedly unwrapped it, washed it out and plugged it in. I then realised I didn’t have at […]
What’s the Benefit of Your Book?
- Jun
- 15
When I’m not being a writer I work in education, so I’m continually undertaking CPD (Continued Professional Development) and every once in a while I revisit old notes to try to rediscover something I’ve forgotten. Recently I came across some notes I’d made whilst reading a book by Paul McKenna entitled ‘I Can Make You […]
Taking Photographs For Social Media Marketing
- May
- 05
In my post last month I shared I was returning to social media marketing after a long break. I also shared that I’d learnt images are now ‘the’ thing to include in your Tweets and Facebook updates. The issue with having to find new images all the time is I worry about stealing a photographers […]
Social Media Marketing
- Apr
- 02
After a long time away from social media I’ve started to tweet and Facebook again. Since I last used social media as a marketing tool things have moved on and I discovered that images on twitter are ‘the’ thing, National and international celebration days allow you to plan ahead and use hashtag terms you know will be […]
App Reviews
- Feb
- 06
Last month I mentioned I’d treated myself to a Kindle Fire and had spent time not only playing games (well to be honest only the one Free Flow, which is very addictive) but I’d also explored a few writing apps. Over the last month I’ve been ‘playing’ with them and decided that I’d write couple […]
Inspiration from apps
- Jan
- 07
Just before Christmas I realised I had some store vouchers that needed to be spent. So I went online looking for something sensible to spend said vouchers on. To my surprise I discovered I could purchase a Kindle Fire for the grand total of £9.00 (once the vouchers had been redeemed). So I pushed the […]