Hitting the wall: making the most of your half-finished fiction
If you are a writer, it is likely that this is something you will be familiar with: the half-finished project. Despite starting out with the best of intentions and full of plans for our ideas, it is...
View Article4 reasons independent publishing is not just a fad
There is no doubting the fact that independent publishing is becoming more mainstream. There are, however, those who try to dismiss it as something of a fad. I don’t think it’s something that can be...
View ArticleDIY versus professional support in independent publishing
One of the many things you need to consider when self-publishing a book is whether you are going to go for the DIY approach, or get someone in to help. There are merits to both options, but ultimately...
View ArticleThe power of normalcy in crime fiction
In the world of crime fiction, we spend a lot of time writing about extraordinary things. Extraordinary crimes, incredible leaps of logic that lead to the solving of those crimes, amazing strength of...
View ArticleThe perils of the first book
There comes a point when writing your first book when a sense of something starts to take hold. It’s the sense of a slow realisation of just how much work is involved when writing a book. I think it’s...
View ArticleIndependent publishing – the inclusive option
One of the criticisms often levelled at independent publishing is that it lets anyone who fancies it publish a book – the idea being that this has a negative impact on the quality of work published....
View ArticleWriting – should you put all your eggs in one basket?
Writing is an unpredictable business. There is often no telling where the next big success is going to come from. There’s often no telling whether that great book you’ve just self-published will sell...
View ArticleEverything you ever wanted or: the importance of desire in crime fiction
No, no that kind of desire. Sorry. So much of fiction – all fiction, really, not just crime fiction – is based around the desires of our characters. The things that they want or don’t want, the things...
View ArticleThe pros and cons of dashing through your first draft
There are, naturally, lots of ways to go about writing the first draft of a novel, but there do seem to be two distinct schools of thought on the matter. First there is the school of thought that says...
View ArticleThis is the article the Huffington Post refused to publish
Some of you might be aware that I have a column at The Huffington Post. On 28th March 2014, I wrote an article, which I have reproduced in its entirety below, in which I attacked certain sections of...
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My Publishing Predictions for 2015
I don’t pretend to be a visionary, nor do I believe I have any more insight than anyone else, but I must say that a lot of the rubbish being spouted from all corners of the internet with people gazing...
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What the Charlie Hebdo Incident Teaches Us about Freedom of Expression
A drawing — not, as has been claimed, by Banksy but by French artist Lucille Clerc. Yesterday’s attack on the offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo has been, as expected, very well covered in the...
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Is Writing a Real Job?
What is a ‘real job’ anyway? I often joke about what I do for a living when people ask me. I tend to say I’m a writer, actor and anything else which means I don’t have to get a real job. But how do you...
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