Win my guide to writing a novel

HTWABI6M_New_Twitter_CoverDo you want a signed copy of HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL IN 6 MONTHS, my guide to finishing a 50,000 word book in just 24 weeks? I have four to give away.

Read on for a chance to win one.

But first, what’s the book about? Well, I write two, full-length novels a year, and a few years back developed a system that helped me hit my deadlines. I outline that very system in this book. It includes examples from my novels, and tips on how to to reach “The End”. Continue reading “Win my guide to writing a novel”

Get writing

WaNI6M_coversmall2If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, my eBook How To Write A Novel In 6 Months can help you. It’s 20,000 words and includes the system I have used to write two novels a year since Maneater was published. When I started writing I was reading a lot of How To books, and some were useful, some were not. It was really only half way through Skarlet that my system finally evolved into the workable one I present in the book. Well, it takes time to develop these things; to find out what works for you. I’m sure this will, because not only can it help you write your novel, it will also make sure you have a life while doing so. The eBook is available for Kindle, here in the UK, and here for US/North American readers.

The Rules of Writing

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Somerset Maugham

On November 14 I’ll be taking part in a discussion at Whitstable Library in Kent. The event is a fund-raiser for a fantastic new literary festival  called WhitLit, to be held May 9-11, 2014. I’m very excited.

However, on November 14 at the fund-raiser, it’ll be me, Peggy Riley (author of the wonderful Amity & Sorrow), and Linda M. James (A Fatal Facade) and we will be discussing author Somerset Maugham’s famous declaration that “there are three rules for writing a novel but nobody knows what they are”.

Maugham, who died in 1965, was a playwright, novelist and short story writer. After his parents died, he was sent to be cared for by his uncle, who was Vicar of Whitstable. His best known work is probably Of Human Bondage.

Anyway, the three of us will be discussing Maugham’s assertion. Tickets are £5. They are available here, at the WhitLit website. Perhaps see you there.

 

Just joined Goodreads

goodreadsI have signed up to Goodreads this week. I’d not really been aware of its potential, but I have been reading Goodreads For Authors: How To Use Goodreads To Promote Your Books by Michelle Campbell-Scott. Very interesting, and quite eye-opening. I thought I’d give it a go. All my books are already there, so I assume someone put them up. Someone had also written a profile of me, which was sort of right but a bit dated; but I’ve now updated it.

Books on Kindle and Smashwords

thetreescoverMy eBook collection The Trees And Other Stories is now available on both Kindle and Smashwords. It features eight stories, including When Moth And Rust Destroy, the sequel to Zombie Britannica. On the left is the original cover. You’ll find a different on on Smashwords and Amazon, now. Still the same stories, though

Also available on Kindle, finally, is Kardinal, the last part of my Vampire Trinity. It has taken a while. There has been a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with the publishers, Snowbooks, but they kindly gave me the rights to the book and allowed me to make it available as an ebook. Thanks to them for that gesture.

Website

frankandtipSo my website is starting to take shape. I did have one, but I was a bit careless and the domain name was nabbed. This is as good a time as any to start anew, especially now that I’m well into my latest novel The Prophet Wars. I’m almost done with a first draft, and after that I should have something readable in 8-10 weeks. Meanwhile, I thought I’d post a photo, taken by my wife Marnie, of our two dogs Tippi and Frank taking a break from napping earlier today. It was really nice in Kent. Warm and sunny. So the dogs loved a bit of a sunbathe. Some of us had to work to keep them in Iams.