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Massive attack of butterflies at the moment. It could be the combination of caffeine and sugar overload – mmmm, lemon drizzle cake – or the fact that I have just ordered the first printed copy of ‘These Fragile Things’ for final proofing (there was yet another warning that the automated process may have altered the…
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The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook has often been described as the bible for authors. And it has been – up until now. You see, the one major set-back of the Yearbook and other similar publications is that a directory has its limitations. It only allows you to search for the Literary Agency, when, ideally, you would…
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Continuing with the theme of the whys and wherefores of belief, I thought I would share with you some of the music that I think does it justice: Counting Crows, Mr Jones and Me  Beatles, Eleanor Rigby REM, Losing my Religion K D Lang, Constant Craving  Divine Comedy, Tonight We Fly Annie Lennox, Why? Kate…
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Did you know that you don’t need a Kindle to read a Kindle e-book? Well, you don’t! Here is a link to everything you need to know. (They put it so much better than I could.)   

So, I have returned from a walking holiday and we have a new pope. I say ‘we.’ I am a lapsed Catholic (a long and difficult process with a few set-backs along the way). That is not to say I am not interested in religion. As Counting Crows so aptly put it: ‘Believe in me…
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We often hear about the hardest-working bands. Well, if you haven’t already had the pleasure of meeting her, let me introduce you to the world’s hardest-working author, Morgen Bailey, who performs the miracle of squeezing an extra hour into every day. Morgen is a prolific blogger, a creative writing tutor, the author of four and a half novels,…
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As requested, I have collated a few questions received from book clubs. I have also thrown in a few of my own to help kick-start your discussions (trying my hardest to steer clear of my  tendancy to put the answer in the question!) What do you think the central themes of this book are? Why…
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I have just arrived at the end of the international best-seller, The Hundred-Year old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared and am still trying to decide what I think of it. What strikes me the most as I read the interview with the author are the parallels with what I was trying…
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The Book Lovers, The Divine Comedy: Neil Hannon & Co. introduce literary greats in their own unique style. Singing along with the chorus is compulsory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPzS91gGzLM Books from Boxes, Maximo Park: There is genuine poetry here. Night falls and towns become circuit boards… And the packing of books in boxes symbolises the end of a…
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While reading the final proofs of These Fragile Things, I am reminded of the process of writing the book and the may sources of inspiration I drew on. To me, the devil is always in the detail. One of the reasons that I love Peter Jackson’s film-making is that he will build an intricate set…
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