Last Friday, as part of the Church Stretton Arts Festival, I went to a talk by Phil Rickman, author of the Merrily Watkins series of novels. As writers we’re frequently told to write for a specific genre, such as crime, romance, horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy, sci fi etc. But Phil’s Merrily Watkins novels don’t quite fit into one genre. Although Merrily is the Diocesan Exorcist for the Diocese of Hereford, and the books clearly draw on the Church of England…
Woof, woof! Following the recent acquisition of the Bluffers Guide series by Haynes Publishing, I’m delighted to say that the Bluffer’s Guide to Dogs has been re-released with a new cover (and a small amount of additional material). For more information, click here: http://www.simonwhaley.co.uk/the-bluffers-guide-to-dogs/
Further to my open letter to the directors of Ti Media, publishers of Woman’s Weekly, the other week, I was a little surprised, but delighted, to see that it had been brought to fellow Society of Author’s member Joanna Harris’ attention, and she too agrees with me. Let’s hope with ehr support, and that of the Society of Authors, that we can encourage the publishers at Woman’s Weekly to change their minds and be a little bit more flexible with…
I did one of my usual walking routes this evening, and there’s a spot on the local lane where there’s really nice viewpoint of the Gaer Stone on Hope Bowdler Hill. It’s an iconic outcrop, here in Church Stretton. The cloud formation, and colouring, was interesting tonight – there’s hint of rain, which would be lovely. And this is what Rebecca Wood commented on when she began the forecast – the chance of rain. (I spotted my photo as soon…
Dear Marcus Rich, Sam Rich, Andrea Davies and Angela O’Farrell, I used to hold Woman’s Weekly in high esteem. Not many men read women’s magazines, but as someone who always dreamed of having a short story published in the Woman’s Weekly Fiction Special, I knew that in order to achieve my dream, I had to buy every issue and read them from cover to cover. As a prolifically published article writer, and a bestselling author, I know how…
Went for a walk this evening, up onto Ragleth Hill. The setting sun was glorious as the clouds gathered. (Still no rain, though.) Glad I snapped the photo though … as the regional news programme selected it for the weather slot!
Many congratulations to my agent, Kate Nash, who’s been selected as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2018. To be recognised in this way by the publishing world’s trade journal is an amazing accolade, and just shows the efforts she goes to for her authors. Many think agents are there to negotiate publishing contracts, but it’s a lot more than that. From helping me choose better names for my characters and sending me YouTube clips (in the name of…
A day trip to Witley Court in Worcestershire led to Snapper Simon’s latest WeatherWatcher photo … of the fountain at this English Heritage property in full spout .. or flow!
At the end of Ragleth Hill, the vista across South Shropshire is absolutely glorious. Not an electricity pylon in sight, or much in the way of man-made objects. It’s an amazing view, it was summary, and I had it all to myself. Well, not quite. Because if you click on this link it’ll take you to my YouTube channel, where you’ll then see a brief video that I captured. And if you listen carefully, you can hear the skylark singing…
The forecast for today wasn’t great. I had to go to Shrewsbury (to drop my tax paperwork off at my accountant’s) and so I thought I’d do my daily walk somewhere round there. I suddenly remembered Haughmond Hill, a Forestry Commission site with great parking, and lots of trees … ie: shelter! Nope. There were lots of trees, but the rain was so heavy the leaf canopy was no protection whatsoever. I got drenched! Right through to my skin (which…