It’s a very profound statement to declare that we live life with no regrets. It sounds good, bold, clean. But is it actually possible? Regret means to “feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that one has done or failed to do).” So saying that we’ve lived our life without regrets is actually a very […]
Every author knows, or should know, that word of mouth is crucial to book sales. It’s crucial in all areas of sales, for any product or service, but it’s not easy to encourage. You can’t make it happen. Most readers would assess the activity as a hobby. Very few readers would consider reading a […]
I studied business at college. A large part of business is marketing, so is economics. Here it is. Books, in most varieties, would be classified as an “elastic” product. What this means, in its simplest form, is that as the price goes up demand will go down. Books are a “luxury” item, you don’t have […]
No one keeps a diary anymore, do they? I don’t mean a calendar of appointments and things to do, I mean a journal of their day’s activities and their feelings about them. I started this blog because I published my novel. It’s as simple as that. I thought it would be helpful to me, […]
It’s a declaration, not an apology. But it suddenly hit me yesterday evening as I was driving: I am batsh*t crazy! We all have our quirks. At least, I think we do. But when I was driving along thinking about a particularly interesting plot idea my son spoke. Which is fine, but I have a […]
Yes, you heard me right, I said sex. I feel a bit like a pinball at the moment, bouncing about all over the place, only to hit one wall and fire off into another. I don’t know what to do. I’m completely torn. As I’ve told you guys before I’ve had contradicting opinions on the […]
First, and quite randomly, I found out today that Explicit Instruction is being illegally pirated through torrent sites. After an initial panic and a Google search I learned that I should take this as a compliment. Hmm. Since there is nothing I can do about it, I suppose I’ll have to look at it that […]
It has been said that writers must have the tendency to doubt and the capacity to believe in equal measure. Perhaps that is why I find myself dwelling on this peculiar, I mean particular, issue. I’ve been writing for years, right? Along the way I’ve learned a few dos and don’ts. I have masses of […]
So the next Explicit novel, have you heard? Yes, there’s a sequel. At this stage in the process the story is there. The novel has a beginning, it has a middle, and it has an end… which I always find helps :p The trouble comes now… writing is a solitary pursuit. Publishing is not. I […]
It’s crap. It’s all a big steaming pile of garbage. Yes, I’m going slightly mad. I couldn’t sleep last night. I tossed and I turned picking it all apart and trying to put it together again. The trouble is that when you start to force it the whole thing becomes contrived and it ends […]