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Recent headlines have suggested that 60% of independent publishers in the UK may be out of business by autumn as a result of the pandemic. I believe that these publishers, who put their love of literature before commercial considerations, are critical to the health of the UK publishing industry, nurturing talent and producing novels that…
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Two independently published novels and a substantial work of non-fiction. Here’s what I read last month… The Empty Vessel by Vaughan Mason What drew you to it? This book, written under a pseudonym, was a complete departure for crime writer JJ Marsh, whose Beatrice Stubbs series I have greatly enjoyed. Genre/Themes: Post-war era, Capital punishment,…
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It’s not every day that one of your favourite authors agrees to an interview, so I was more than a little giddy when John Ironmonger said yes!    For those of you who have yet to discover John’s fiction, let me introduce you. John is the author of The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder, The…
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Well, it’s been a while. It’s February already (how did that happen?) and this really is my first post of the year… I thought I’d kick off by taking part in a fun challenge to give you an idea about some of the books I enjoyed in 2019. Davida Chazan, aka, The Chocolate Lady kindly…
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It’s been a while (working for real money, caring for Dementia Dad, trying to carve out some writing time) but today I’m delighted to welcome Caroline Miley to Virtual Book Club, my author interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their books to your book club, be it virtual or real.   Caroline Miley…
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I’m delighted to welcome Emma Baird to Virtual Book Club, my author interview series which gives authors the opportunity to pitch their books to your book club, be it virtual or real.   Emma Baird is a freelance writer and the author of The Girl Who Swapped, Artists Town, Highland Fling and Ten Little Stars, as…
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As a self-published author, I get to blow my own trumpet. (After all, I have no-one to do that for me.) And so with a small introductory fanfare, I can confirm that Smash all the Windows has been shortlisted for the first Selfies Award, produced by BookBrunch in association with the London Book Fair.  “The shortlist we’ve come…
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This week, I thought I’d take a break from the usual Virtual Book Club format. Instead, I put the same question to a number of authors.  “A novel requires stamina and grit,” says author Oyinkan Braithwaite. “You need a certain kind of faith in yourself and in what you are doing to bang out 40,000-plus…
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This week, I thought I’d take a break from the usual Virtual Book Club format. Instead, I put the same question to a number of authors.  “A novel requires stamina and grit,” says author Oyinkan Braithwaite. “You need a certain kind of faith in yourself and in what you are doing to bang out 40,000-plus…
» Continue Reading

Last October 1st, I was fortunate enough to be among the audience at Waterstones, Tottenham Court Road, for the Northern Fiction Alliance’s first London Roadshow. I say ‘fortunate’ because sometimes – whether by fluke, luck or some divine intervention – you find yourself witness to the beginning of something special. Something that has the power…
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