For every book that gets published, there are books that didn't make it. For whatever reason, they just didn't make it. An agent couldn't sell it. A publisher went cold on it. Bad timing. Bad luck. Sometimes the author decides to bin the book. I have four YA novels published and an adult novel soon… Continue reading The books that didn’t make it
Last year I was at a launch of a new book when I had a conversation with a blogger, someone I like quite well. We were chatting about books we read when we were kids. If the early nineties belonged to Point Horror, then the late eighties were owned by Roald Dahl. However, as soon… Continue reading When authors disappoint: a personal story
It was only when I realised I'd forgotten my PIN number for the bank that I realised what was happening. When was the last time I actually went to the bank? The keypad made me stay away, fearing what might happen if I touched it after all those other fingers. I assumed the threat of… Continue reading Lost In Space (A Diary)
Originally serialised in Playboy Magazine (in Japan) between May to October of 1968, Life For Sale wasn’t available to read in The UK for decades. Thankfully Penguin Classics decided to turn Yukio Mishima’s stories into a novel and, with the help of Stephen Dodd’s translation which makes the story accelerate along, this classic by is… Continue reading Life For Sale by Yukio Mishima
Nancy Drew is many things to many people, yet across the decades there have been several consistent elements in her characterisation. For one thing, she's deceptively resourceful. A brilliant brain. A crime busting teen queen. And she owns a wardrobe full of fierce fashions that she's not shy about showcasing. Basically, Nancy Drew likes to… Continue reading Nancy Drew: Sleuth of Style
A few weeks ago Trump was telling people that Coronavirus was a Democrat hoax. That man perpetuates blatant fraud and gets away with it because his Twitter distracts everybody, including the press. If this virus doesn't make Trump's supporters understand how wholly ineffective he is as a leader, then nothing will. I wish Britain would… Continue reading Coronavirus? F* *k Off!
Just incase you don't know I have a new book to plug (it's in the contract that I promote it), then here's a quick recap: My first novel for adults is now available for pre-order. You can buy it in lots of places. Waterstones I use a lot of bookshops. Waterstones is one of them.… Continue reading Ways of pre-ordering Happiness is Wasted on Me
My book needed a cover and once I'd persuaded Clare at Fledgling Press to put out HAPPINESS IS WASTED ON ME, I thought about the sort of artwork I wanted for my dream cult novel. Andrew Forteath was my choice and we got him, which is wonderful for both my book and my ego. He's… Continue reading The Cover!
Hello. I'm glad you're here. Alright, let me set the scene. It's cold outside. Really cold. From where I'm seated, middle-cushion on the couch with the window facing me, it looks like the biggest bag of icing sugar in the world has been sprinkled over my garden. My living room is warm. I'm drinking hot… Continue reading My New Book
Tracks was a British teen fiction imprint from the 80s/90s. An entire generation grew up with these books. So what happened to them?
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