Relaunch, coming soon.

It’s been a week of head
scratching for me as I try to build my new website. It isn’t available to the
reading public yet simply because I lack the necessary skills to update the
pages with confidence. But I am making progress and owe much to my son, Terry’s
ability and patience. The whole point about building a new site when I already
have one is that I can’t update my site because I’m not the administrator; my
son is. Consequently when I want changes, I have to ask him. We decided last
year it would benefit me if I took control of things, bearing in mind that I
intend to bring my current Amazon titles under my own wing. This will take some
time, but I hope to have achieved something before summer. Once the site is
ready, I will have it linked to my main site and can begin to add my titles. My
first will be THE EAGLE’S COVENANT, which should have a new jacket by the time
I have it ready. I need to check the files that I will have to upload to Amazon
first, just to ensure they are the edited versions that appeared on Kindle and
CreateSpace.

 I have also started on my
latest novel again (for the umpteenth time). Having come through the unpleasant
experience of chemotherapy, and losing the desire to complicate my flagging
brain cells, I and now feeling so much better that I decided it was time to
knuckle down and get creative again. Plus the fact that we are now living in
rented accommodation and I will find myself with more time on my hands. No
swimming pool or large garden to maintain of course, plus other sundry
maintenance that occurs in your own property. I will probably get into the
swing of things properly once we have returned from a short break in England
next month. Hopefully we will have a far better idea too of how much progress
I’ve made with my cancer. I will be having a blood test and seeing my
specialist on Tuesday, so with God on my side I should hear some heartening
news. Wish me luck!

In absentia

Since my last post, almost four weeks ago, I have done
very little in respect of writing, promotion & blogging etc., simply
because there was so much going on in my life that I couldn’t give my full
attention to what is mainly a hobby. My cancer treatment was drawing to a close
but still leaving me washed out; we were getting close to the date when we
handed over our house at the notary to the new owners, and we moved into our
rented accommodation and picked up a second-hand car which we plan to take back
to England when we return later this year. All in all it has been a kind of
tiring period for me and applying my creative juices to writing etc. became a non-starter.
Having successfully negotiated that period, I decided it was time to get back
on the hobby horse and begin writing again. It all means that I will attempt to
establish my new web-site, revamp and re-publish one of my flagging titles
(only one?), and look to get some promotion going.

So how will I do all this? Well, the writing will be the
standard plod through writer’s block until inspiration comes flooding into me.
The web-site will get done, but not without the help of my son, Terry, and once
that has been achieved I’ll try a ‘re-launch’. As for the flagging title; it is
THE EAGLE’S COVENANT, probably one of my best books, but probably not appealing
to the American reader because it is set in Germany. Sales have been abysmal.
Well; non- existent really. So the plan is to redesign the jacket, which is
already in hand, and to publish it myself on Amazon. At the moment it is
available as an Acclaimed Books publication, but it has been my intention for quite
a while now to take all my Acclaimed Books under my own wing. It’s more about
managing my own affairs once we have settled in UK again.

I learned from my publisher, Robert Hale Ltd., that my
novel, PAST IMPERFECT, is not due for release until January 2015. I was a
little disappointed that it would take so long, but it gives me a chance to get
stuck into my latest book and have it ready before the end of the year. I won’t
be offering it to Hale, but plan to publish it myself. Considering the time gap
between completion and publication; self-publishing wins hands down. I can have
my book available within two weeks of completion. Makes sense to me.

Another piece of good news is that Kindle will be
including my book, THE BOY FROM BERLIN in their Spring sale. Hale still hold
the rights to that, but at least it will help to expand my readership. Wish me
luck!