What do professional writers get in their Christmas stockings? Simon Whaley unwraps a few ideas from Christmas past to sneak onto your list this year.
Business of Writing – Christmas Gifts
Lakeland’s Autumnal Colours
“I know New England is famous for it’s autumnal colour,” drawls the American tourist standing next to me in the grounds of Rydal’s St Mary’s Church, “but your Old England display is pretty spectacular too.”
One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human – Icelandic Cover
I’ve just been sent a copy of the Icelandic version of One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human. It’s always exciting to see a foreign version of …
BoW – Coping With A Crisis In Confidence
Dark nights and negative demons can quash a writer’s confidence. Simon Whaley finds two writers who’ve trained their demons into submission.
(Published in Writing Magazine – November 2015 Issue)
252,381 Thank yous
And so the royalty statements are in, and lifetime sales for One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human now stands at 252,381 copies. That’s truly an amazing …
The Spectre of Kington
Follow in the footsteps of the mysterious Black Vaughan, a shape-shifting spectre who may have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, says Simon Whaley…
Keeping It Local
Simon Whaley explores the benefit of authors getting involved with their local literary festivals …
Keeping It Local was published in the Autumn 2015 issue of The Author, the Journal of the Society of Authors
Keeping it local
Phyllis Blakemore will always remember her appearance at the Wellington Literary Festival’s ‘Meet the Local Author’ event, in 2014. She sold three copies of her book, Gentlemen of the River: The Last Coraclemen of the Severn Gorge, to the same reader who’d bought a signed copy from her at the 2013 local author event. The reader wanted signed copies to give as gifts and, knowing Phyllis was local, had searched specifically for her in the new festival brochure.
Interviewed in The Voice Newsletter
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Robin Dynes of The Voice newsletter, produced by Wessex Writers. Primarily aimed at other writers, they sought my views of being a multi-tasking writer. I just like being busy!
Here’s the interview, but click here to read the whole newsletter (well, worth it!).
Free Chapter Samples – That’s No Bluff!
Fancy a couple of freebies? Well, you can download a free sample chapter from my Bluffer’s Guide to Dogs and my Bluffer’s Guide to Hiking, but clicking on the links …
Blogging about Surprises
Click over to the Writers Bureau’s blog, where I discuss one of the many perks of being a writer – the surprises this wonderful writing world can give us. Read …