Charlie Gracie – Book Launch

The G2 Writers have another success on our hands, with the publication of Charlie Gracie’s first novel  To Live With What You Are.

If you want to find out more, head over to Charlie’s blog, and of course, buy the book.

Advertisements

Procrastination, Clutter and the Creative Process

A friend just won a de-cluttering voucher at a raffle, her husband commented, ‘I know what we need to get rid of, it’s doing it that’s the problem.’

Well, I am a fan of clutter, although I am also an ex-librarian and it has to be organised clutter. I tend to know where things are, even if things aren’t quite in Dewey Decimal order. I thought I’d share with you a photo of my very cluttered work space just before I have a bit of a tidy.

My mind can be on about three different projects at once, and this is reflected in the guddle that is my desk. I also know what needs to be read/attended to/filed, it’s just getting round to doing it that’s the problem.

 

My messy workspace.

Can you spot:

Inspiration quotes and Guardian cartoons hiding the front cover of All the Places I’ve Ever Been;

Dictionaries and grammar books being held straight by Lewis’ chess pieces;

My new business cards for Beech Editorial Services;

My lovely blue sand hour glass, which amazed my teenage daughter as it actually runs for an hour. (She’s more used to egg timers). It’s meant to help me stay focused on the task in hand;

Catalogues that I have browsed through, but need to actually buy from if anyone is going to get anything for Christmas;

Books on Mary Queen of Scots and a printout on the Scottish Enlightenment;

At least four notebooks;

A Bakewell slice;

Files full of information and inspiration for the two novels I am currently working on;

Lots of stationery;

A pile of half-read Writing Magazines?

Amazingly there is no coffee cup (surely some mistake), and I’ve saved you the boxes of magazines and newspapers that hide under the desk, to be plundered for ideas at a later date. And that, really, is the point of all the clutter, to inform, to entertain, to inspire – I sound like the BBC. Organised chaos, basically, a bit like my mind…

Right, on with the de-clutter, I might be here a while.

Two Kindle Countdown Deals

Yes, it’s true, you can buy the short story collection Five a Day and my first novel All the Places I’ve Ever Been 

at a reduced price. 99p for Five a Day until the 2nd of November, or you’ve a few more days to snap up All the Places for $3.92.

Hallowe’en Short Story

It’s Hallowe’en and a street party has a few unexpected guests. Buy Sexton Way here.

Sexton Way

 

Kindle Countdown Deal

Time for my next Kindle Countdown Deal – St Antony’s Tongue – a collection of short stories and flash fiction, is available for a short time at 99p (usual price £1.99). Get it now before it’s too late.

Kindle Countdown Deals

This week you can buy my first ebook collection of short stories for 99p. There’s a bargain if I’ve ever seen one. The Chocolate Refuge.

 

Reaping Rewards

Sometimes as a writer all you receive are knock-backs and it is difficult to keep going. Self doubt comes easy and motivation leaves just as easily. BUT, I’ve been putting on my resilience flack jacket and sending out lots and lots of writing recently – I don’t believe you should have unpublished pieces languishing when there is maybe a market out there for them – and have been reaping the rewards.

Hot on the heels of my Writing District win is a long leet, which will possibly the most stressful ever. Reflex Fiction will publish the non-winners, one per day in November and December, and then the prizewinners on the last three days on the year. The good news is, even if I don’t win one of the prizes, my flash fiction will still be published in their anthology in the Spring of next year.

Might need to start biting my nails.