Friday, January 21, 2011
Catch Up Time
It's been a long time since anything has been posted but I haven't been idle. I have had a new book - Life-Writes - accepted by O-Books for publication later thing year and am now commissioning editor for O-Books' new imprint Compass Books, which will be developed into a writers' resource site.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Signposts For Country Living came out and 200 advance copies have been sold to the US, so busy trying to find freelance outlets over there. With all the cut-backs we've also had to reduce the number of issues of The New Writer to four a year, although we've double the number of pages for each issue. Frantically busy but not too busy to enjoy the glorious summer we've had. Plenty of ideas in the pipeline for the autumn ... not to mention new puppies in for training.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Here is the news ...
Just completed a series of fiction workshops for a local writers' group and it was good to get back into the swing of things again. If I miss anything about being in the UK, it's my regular trip to Caerleon for the Writers' Summer School but who knows, with four books under contract in the past twelve months, I may get another invitation!
Delay on the publication of Signposts For Country Living, which was due out in May. The problem with not being in control of the production is that it becoms awfully freustrating when things go wrong. However, been promised they'll be ready in a couple of weeks ... so will have to keep the champagne on ice until then.
Delay on the publication of Signposts For Country Living, which was due out in May. The problem with not being in control of the production is that it becoms awfully freustrating when things go wrong. However, been promised they'll be ready in a couple of weeks ... so will have to keep the champagne on ice until then.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Signposts For Country Living
We've been working on this book through the winter months and it will shortly be available from the Good Life Press from May. It was an idea we'd been kicking around for a couple of years - combining our joint experiences of integrating into rural communities in England, Wales and Ireland. It had been 'sitting in a draw' for quite a while and was scheduled for the recycle bin when we came across the submission guidelines for a rural publisher. They liked the practical advice tempered with humour and snapped it up. The moral behind this story is: Never junk anything because you never know when it will become a saleable item!
Friday, February 5, 2010
2010 Update: better late than never
Since September I've been working on a variety of projects, one of the most important being the 100th issue of The New Writer, that came out in January. I've also given my first talk to a writers' group since moving to Ireland. It must have gone down well because I've been invited to host a workshop in a couple of months time. I must admit I miss my trips to Caerleon but I'm still recommending it as the best event available to both newcomers and old hands at the writing game.
I've also been working on two new titles in the MB&S genre, which will be published later this year by O-Books, under a pseudonym. The proofs and the book cover for the first have been approved and it's been an interesting excise to see how much the new publisher's working system differs from the old. O-Books conducts all its business on-line and I must admit that it's taken quiet a bit of getting used to. By the time the second book is due for proofing, I'll have become used to it.
Because the greyhound business has slowed down during the last year, Garrett and I have kept ourselves busy by writing Signposts For Country Living for the Good Life Press, which is scheduled for publication in May. The idea had been kicking around for some time but as soon as the contract was signed, we managed to complete the text in about three months. My Daddy always said that when one door closes, another opens, and although we're not doing the work with the greyhounds, completing and selling three full-length books in a year isn't bad going!
I've also been working on two new titles in the MB&S genre, which will be published later this year by O-Books, under a pseudonym. The proofs and the book cover for the first have been approved and it's been an interesting excise to see how much the new publisher's working system differs from the old. O-Books conducts all its business on-line and I must admit that it's taken quiet a bit of getting used to. By the time the second book is due for proofing, I'll have become used to it.
Because the greyhound business has slowed down during the last year, Garrett and I have kept ourselves busy by writing Signposts For Country Living for the Good Life Press, which is scheduled for publication in May. The idea had been kicking around for some time but as soon as the contract was signed, we managed to complete the text in about three months. My Daddy always said that when one door closes, another opens, and although we're not doing the work with the greyhounds, completing and selling three full-length books in a year isn't bad going!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Point of View
With such a diverse writing career what is your most satisfying achievement?
As a result of a successful series of writers’ workshops for The Welsh Academy, I was invited to become a full member of the Academi in recognition of my contribution to literature in Wales. Being invited to run a workshop at Cheltenham Literature Festival comes a close second.
Which part have you enjoyed most?
Undoubtedly all the times I’ve tutored at the Summer School at Caerleon (University of Wales). As well as being good fun and expertly managed by Gerry and Anne Hobbs, it’s useful for writers at all levels when it comes to stimulating the creative mind. I go to teach … but I also come home brimming with new ideas. It should be on every writer’s calendar.
What is the most important thing you’ve published?
Following the publication of my first investigative title, Malleus Satani (1994), my paper on ‘Satan’s Disciples: Media myth-making’ was included in the forum on Child Exploitation & the Media at a conference in London in March 1997, and as part of an official government report launched in the House of Commons later that year.
Do you find it difficult writing under a pseudonym?
On the contrary, it makes it easier to have two very distinct ‘personalities’ for writing in different genres. Often people who read books by 'both' have told me that they don’t like my other persona, not having a clue that it’s one and the same person!
What was the most difficult thing you’ve written?
Ghost-writing an autobiography. It was extremely challenging to write in someone else’s ‘voice’ and to keep myself completely out of the frame. The book was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2005, so I must have done something right.
How much has publishing changed in the past 20 years?
When ignotus press published its first title (Malleus Satani, 1994) anyone with even a casual interest in ‘alternative’ subjects was considered socially suspect, if not downright evil! Believe it or not, any moderate New Age leanings, such as aromatherapy, astrology, tarot, divination, herbalism, etc., fell under the banner of satanic behavior in the eyes of a large sector of the establishment, public and media.
Today, some 15 years later, the popularity of light-hearted television programmes like Charmed, Sabrina: Teenage Witch and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; the literary and cinematic successes of Harry Potter; not to mention the revivalist interest in The Lord of the Rings, has completely reversed the way people view magical belief and lifestyle.
Most mainstream publishers now have a wide selection of ‘mind, body & spirit’ titles on their book list, and are becoming more and more adventurous in accepting what was once labelled ‘occult’. The whole MB&S concept has also grown up and moved on. What was once considered an alternative belief or lifestyle has become integrated into mainstream society and now viewed as normal and acceptable.
Was it difficult to stop being a publisher?
I decided to gradually wind down ignotus press and not take on any new titles, because I’ve spent 10 years publishing other people and want some time to develop my own interests. I found this quote recently and it feels quite appropriate: “To know when to go – that was one of the great necessities of life. To go before one’s powers began to fail, one’s sure grip to loosen, before one felt the faint staleness, the unwillingness to envisage continuing effort.” I’ve reached retirement age and there’s lots more I want to write; I can’t do that when I’ve got the responsibility of publishing and marketing books for other authors.
What are you currently working on?
Work in progress includes three MB&S non-fiction titles (in addition to a completed book for O-Books, due for publication in October 2010); plus a thriller in the Dick Francis style, set in the world of greyhound racing.
As a result of a successful series of writers’ workshops for The Welsh Academy, I was invited to become a full member of the Academi in recognition of my contribution to literature in Wales. Being invited to run a workshop at Cheltenham Literature Festival comes a close second.
Which part have you enjoyed most?
Undoubtedly all the times I’ve tutored at the Summer School at Caerleon (University of Wales). As well as being good fun and expertly managed by Gerry and Anne Hobbs, it’s useful for writers at all levels when it comes to stimulating the creative mind. I go to teach … but I also come home brimming with new ideas. It should be on every writer’s calendar.
What is the most important thing you’ve published?
Following the publication of my first investigative title, Malleus Satani (1994), my paper on ‘Satan’s Disciples: Media myth-making’ was included in the forum on Child Exploitation & the Media at a conference in London in March 1997, and as part of an official government report launched in the House of Commons later that year.
Do you find it difficult writing under a pseudonym?
On the contrary, it makes it easier to have two very distinct ‘personalities’ for writing in different genres. Often people who read books by 'both' have told me that they don’t like my other persona, not having a clue that it’s one and the same person!
What was the most difficult thing you’ve written?
Ghost-writing an autobiography. It was extremely challenging to write in someone else’s ‘voice’ and to keep myself completely out of the frame. The book was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2005, so I must have done something right.
How much has publishing changed in the past 20 years?
When ignotus press published its first title (Malleus Satani, 1994) anyone with even a casual interest in ‘alternative’ subjects was considered socially suspect, if not downright evil! Believe it or not, any moderate New Age leanings, such as aromatherapy, astrology, tarot, divination, herbalism, etc., fell under the banner of satanic behavior in the eyes of a large sector of the establishment, public and media.
Today, some 15 years later, the popularity of light-hearted television programmes like Charmed, Sabrina: Teenage Witch and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; the literary and cinematic successes of Harry Potter; not to mention the revivalist interest in The Lord of the Rings, has completely reversed the way people view magical belief and lifestyle.
Most mainstream publishers now have a wide selection of ‘mind, body & spirit’ titles on their book list, and are becoming more and more adventurous in accepting what was once labelled ‘occult’. The whole MB&S concept has also grown up and moved on. What was once considered an alternative belief or lifestyle has become integrated into mainstream society and now viewed as normal and acceptable.
Was it difficult to stop being a publisher?
I decided to gradually wind down ignotus press and not take on any new titles, because I’ve spent 10 years publishing other people and want some time to develop my own interests. I found this quote recently and it feels quite appropriate: “To know when to go – that was one of the great necessities of life. To go before one’s powers began to fail, one’s sure grip to loosen, before one felt the faint staleness, the unwillingness to envisage continuing effort.” I’ve reached retirement age and there’s lots more I want to write; I can’t do that when I’ve got the responsibility of publishing and marketing books for other authors.
What are you currently working on?
Work in progress includes three MB&S non-fiction titles (in addition to a completed book for O-Books, due for publication in October 2010); plus a thriller in the Dick Francis style, set in the world of greyhound racing.
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