Nov 6, 2016 | Writing
For my 25th birthday, our good friend Mike took Electra and me for hill-climbing to the McDonalds stronghold outside of Edinburgh. On our way there, we passed two streams, which Mike identified as Glen Doom and Glen Sorrow. Their charming names notwithstanding, I...
Nov 4, 2016 | Marketing
Last year, I shared with you the result of my Call to Arms, on my very popular post, Book Marketing Results 2015. I now have collected enough data to follow up with this year’s results. Like last time, I knew most of the media mentioned, although there a few...
Nov 2, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
In September, I mentioned the launch of Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, I will be posting the book on my blog. So, here is the next installment, listing beats you can use to convey: Interest Commonly used in a...
Oct 30, 2016 | Free Stuff, My Publications
Following this blog’s tradition, this is this year’s Halloween story. Enjoy! Never Better “Hey, Pat.” The sun in my eyes blinds me as I squint to see Anne approach. “Hey.” She throws her bag onto the grass and sits down beside me with a little hop. “So,...
Oct 28, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
Last month, I mentioned the launch of Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, here is the next installment from the book. It lists beats you can use to convey: Indifference Indifference can be hard to convey through a...
Oct 26, 2016 | Maps and Infographics, My friends' Guest Posts
This is a guest post by Lucy Adams of BuzzEssay, who prepared this fine infographic. Storytelling Quotes from Great Writers Books are much more than just means of communication. They are sources of knowledge that help to understand the surrounding world, to interpret...
Oct 25, 2016 | Events and Giveaways
October is closing with a bang, as author C.C. Ekeke has organized an amazing giveaway of 26 sci-fi books from different subgenres. I am participating with Pearseus: Rise of the Prince. Please note that this is an actual giveaway, not a one-winner-takes-all promo....
Oct 24, 2016 | My Publications
“Each story is like watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone” ~ C. Mackay Great news for those who love short stories of a science or speculative fiction nature, and who enjoy my writing. I have collected my Short SSF Stories series in a single bundle,...
Oct 22, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
Two lovely videos that explain first the traditional book-making process, then the modern one. I hope you find them as fascinating as I did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKsW-oVcHg The Art of Making a BookPowered By the Tweet This PluginTweet...
Oct 20, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
Born in 1623, Lady Margaret Cavendish was an outspoken aristocrat who traveled in circles of scientific thinkers and broke ground on proto-feminism, natural philosophy (the 17th-century term for science), and social politics. As far as I am concerned, however, she...
Oct 18, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
Last month, I mentioned the launch of Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, here is the next installment from the book. It lists beats you can use to convey: Fear and Nervousness (part 2) Physical symptoms These are...
Oct 16, 2016 | Writing
This is a guest post by Lucy Adams of BuzzEssay. What to Do if You Have Just Decided to Write a Book Every person has something to say. If you feel your “something” is worth a whole book, don’t hold yourself back. The gift of writing is invaluable, so sit...
Oct 14, 2016 | Events and Giveaways, My Publications
Earlier this week I received some wonderful news. Musiville was an award-winning finalist in the Book Excellence Awards, in the Children’s Fiction category. Check out the list of winners and my feature page on their site! Musiville A group of animals has evolved...
Oct 12, 2016 | Maps and Infographics
This is a guest post by Carmen Jacob of selfimprovement.org, who has produced an infographic titled 23 Keys to Success in Life. 23 Keys to Success in Life How you define success is a personal interpretation of happiness. However, no matter how you define it, the...
Oct 10, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
Last month, I mentioned the launch of Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, here is the next installment from the book. It lists beats you can use to convey: Fear and Nervousness (part 1) People in danger may...
Oct 8, 2016 | Maps and Infographics, Marketing
Mark Crosling of Strategic Content recently published the ultimate guide for all your free photo needs. Listing 56 websites, you can use it to download high-quality photos at no cost. All the listed free photo websites have been summarized to include information...
Oct 6, 2016 | Marketing
Yesterday, I received a deluge of emails from worried friends. The reason? This update on Amazon reviews, posted on Amazon’s blog by Chee Chew, VP of Customer Experience. It announced how so-called ‘incentivized reviews’ – i.e. reviews in...
Oct 4, 2016 | My Publications
Exciting times, indeed. You’re in for a Ride, my 4th collection of short science/speculative fiction stories is now live on Amazon! Those of you who have read one of my previous works will be familiar with my style. For everyone else, here is the blurb: A force...
Oct 3, 2016 | Random Musings
As some of you may remember, today is our anniversary, and I thought I’d share a special post. Some of you (yes, Debby, I’m looking at you) have been complaining it’s been a while since you saw our baby girl, so I’m happy to report that...
Oct 1, 2016 | My Publications, Writing
Last month, I mentioned the launch of Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, here is the first installment from the book. It lists beats you can use to convey desire. Desire Many of the reactions mentioned in surprise,...
