Thursday 27 December 2012

No peace for the wicked!


 
Been up since 6:30 this morning editing my next novel, The Witness. My publisher wants to do the artwork for the cover in January and they want the text by the end of Jan or early in February. The book should be ready by end of March, so an Easter book launch party then!
 
I hope that everyone who received a copy of my book, The Belgae Torc for Christmas is enjoying the tale. The next book in the 'Torc Trilogy' is on the way, 50,000 words in first draft, so almost half done. Should be ready for publisher by about September.

 

Sunday 23 December 2012

Busy time of the year!


Christmas is almost here and with so much to do I’m wondering if it is a holiday at all.  Friday 21st was the day my works dinner had been arranged, it was also the day I traditionally lunch with a number of friends.  In the past these lunches have been extended drinking sessions where we end up well lubricated and in full Christmas spirit, but this year I had to moderate what I ate a drank as I was going out that evening.  The day went off smoothly enough with me spending a satisfactory amount of time and effort on each ‘jolly’.

Christmas Eve should be good this year.  There was a time when a few of us met up for Christmas Eve to have a meal and drink good wine.  We vowed to always meet up at this time of the year and for many years this came to pass, then one of the couples decided to emigrate to Australia and our Christmas jollies came to an end.  The others in our group, losing heart, just seemed to melt away and we never met up again.  This year however, my friends are back from Aus for a holiday and they are coming to our house for a meal and to keep the tradition going, even though seven years have passed since the last Christmas Eve meal.

Still managing to find time to edit The Witness, but hoping to progress with it apace once the next few days are behind us.  I always find the period between Christmas and The New Year a time when I can get down to business.  By then I’ve had enough time off work to be re- united with my creative side and writing or painting seems much easier to do.  I have loads that I want to get done, just hope I’m left to do it.  So, whatever you have planned make it a good one, enjoy yourselves and Happy Christmas.

Sunday 16 December 2012

General update

Have had a busy week this week, sold five more copies of the Belgae Torc and got sales figures for November from publisher. Sold three books on Amazon and one in Canada, also twelve direct sales, so November was a good month. Talked to publisher about setting The Belgae Torc up on Kindle, this will take place in January. Editing The Witness is going well, have almost completed the technical edit, once that is done I’ll go over it again for continuity and to ensure that my characters are strong enough, my readers have to have empathy for the characters or the story will be a failure. I’m quite pleased with the way its turned out, it’s a moving tale which focuses on emotions as well as adventure. I’m hoping to have the artwork for the cover finalised in January with the text going PDF sometime towards the end of January or beginning of February. That timescale fits in with the publishing date of March/April.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Editing The Witness

Last night I started the final edit for my next novel, The Witness. I wrote the disclaimer, the aknowledgements and the dedication, also tweaked up the back of book synopsis. The editing process will probably take 6 - 8 weeks then hopefully the polished manuscript will be ready for the publisher. There are usually changes that need to be made once the manuscript if turned into a PDF file, but by then things get a bit more complicated. Any changes that I want to make after that has to be done by the publisher, I have to send a report instructing them as to what I want done, so it's good practice to have all the changes made before it goes PDF. Loads of work to do then, but In addition to that I have to keep the plot moving for the next book in the Torc trilogy. I really need to give up the day job!

Monday 10 December 2012

Josie MacDonald

I know I've posted this picture of Josie before but these things seem to get lost in the posts, so to speak, so here she is again. This image is hopefully going to form the book cover of The Witness and in the negative space I want to graft in a picture of the bridge. Josie has just finished her painting and now the murder scene is unfolding before her eyes. This is just the begining of her adventure. I am currently doing the final edit of the manuscript and towards the end of January the publishing process can begin. Hopefully the book will be launched in March or April. I'll keep you posted.

The bridge at Spey Bay

This is the bridge at Spey Bay, Morayshire. Josie MacDonald, the main character in my book, was painting this scene when she witnessed Mr Mac committing murder, this is where the story begins. I was visiting my sister who lived in this area some years ago and when out walking in the bay I came across an artist painting. This was the inspiration for my novel The Witness. If it wasn't for that walk, seeing that artist painting the bridge, then The Witness would never have been written. It's strange how these things happen.

Sunday 9 December 2012

The Gordian Knot

I am thinking about using the cave Alepotrypa or one like it in my novel, The Gordian Knot, book two of the Torc Trilogy. It looks like a place where the druids in my story might live/use for religious ceremonies. The location in southern Greece fits in quite nicely as my book is set in and around Turkey and Istanbul.

The entrance to hell.

Is this a picture of Hades Cavern? Incredible cave which experts believe inspired the Greek legend of Hades. The cave named Alepotrypa, dates back to the Neolithic Age but has remained undiscovered in Southern Greece until the 1950's. Archaeologists have uncovered tools, pottery, obsidian, silver and copper artifacts. Findings suggest cave dwellers might have connected the cave with Hades. The name Alepotrypa means 'foxhole' is nearly the size of four football pitches with its own underwater lake. It remained undiscovered in Diros Bay, Mani, southern Greece, until a man walking his dog found a tiny entrance to the cave. Experts have spent the last few decades excavating the cave and believe that hundreds of people lived here, this makes the cave one of the oldest prehistoric villages in Europe, before the cave entrance collapsed burying everyone alive 5000 years ago.

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Writing update

Firstly I would like to welcome new visitors to my blog, notably those from Israel, Turkey, Poland and Korea. I hope you enjoy reading my pages and of course urge you to purchase a copy of my novel, The Belgae Torc! I have just completed the 50,000 word milestone for The Gordian Knot, the second book in The Torc Trilogy. The story is progressing nicely and the characters are developing. I guess it should be completed by the middle of 2013. In the meantime I have to do the final edit for my second novel, The Witness, as I aim to have it ready for publishing early in the spring. My deadline is Easter but with a bit of luck we could move that date forward. Will have to see how I get on.

Saturday 1 December 2012

Out of the Darkness

Another of my paintings. This one is on canvas, size approx 700x600 and using acrylics. I have tried to capture the melancholy nature of her mood. The darkness of the background represents some untold episode of her life and now that is behind her, she is emerging into the light.

More advertising

I have just had my advert published in World Archaeology Magazine, this is to advertise my novel, The Belgae Torc.  Although this magazine is sold worldwide, many of the subscribers live in the UK and other parts of Europe, I'm hoping to interest readers from the USA.  Amazon.com hasn't yet kicked off in America, also sales through Barnes and Noble would be welcome.
I have sold books recently in Canada through Chapters/Indigo, this was good news as now this outlet will recognise my novel.  Novels have sold through Waterstones in the UK but mainly sales come through Amazon.co.uk.  Direct sales continue to grow, I always keep a stock of books and I'm willing to post signed copies out within the UK at no extra cost.