Virtually Public

June 19th. 2017 This week I am a guest on the Karen Ingall’s website, blogging about my latest book Where the Wicked Dwell. I will be sending a free link for the book to anyone who leaves a comment after my article. You can see it here: http://www.kareningalls.blogspot.com. It’s a big week here in Chichester as the Arts & Literary festival begins. Our writers group, Chindi, will be doing their bit, beginning with a Crime panel seminar tomorrow evening where I, along with Helen Christmas and Christine Hammacott, will be doing a talk on writing crime novels. We are all pleased for Helen because her London gangland thriller, Beginnings, has climbed into the top ten (paid) rankings on Amazon. (ASIN: B0078L8858). It’s always good to see a fellow indie author make a success of their work — makes you a little envious too, particularly when your own books are struggling. Later this week I will be guesting for Malcolm Richard on his blog, so what with virtual and actual appearances in public, I might find my book sales rising a little. I’ve been busy revising some of my book jackets. Well, having a look at them and seeing how and if I can improve them. I enjoy doing it, even though my artistic skills are not at the level of professional designers. I have looked through the Amazon best sellers for inspiration, but quite frankly, I just don’t seem to find it there. Have they all been professionally designed I wonder? I am also tackling the knotty problem of margins. There are recommendations on line, but there’s nothing like holding the book in your hand and seeing how close, or not, you are to getting it right. My plan to write a fast paced thriller by the end of this summer has been put on hold. Prevarication is the reason why: the bane of most writers I believe. I keep promising myself I will do it, but other things get in the way. I can’t blame anyone. I could try blaming the dog, or my wife. Or maybe the hot weather even? No, I thought not. I can’t let this week’s blog go by without mentioning the Tower Block fire in London. Towering Inferno is the only way to describe it. I can only imagine the horror that the victims went through before the flames engulfed them. But now we are about to be engulfed by the extreme left wing activists who are calling for “action” against the Tory government, and are planning to take to the streets. No doubt they will be smashing property, looting shops and setting places on fire without seeing the irony in their actions. At church yesterday, we prayed for the families of those who died and also prayed that those who govern us will come up with the right decisions. No doubt those activists would mock us for not taking decisive action. Sad people indeed. On a brighter note; one of my favourite sports is on TV tonight: Speedway. It’s the British Final, contested by twenty brave men (boys really) who do what a lot of us older ones would love to do, but probably never had the time not the courage to race around a small track at sixty miles an hour on bikes with no gears and no brakes. But back to the gentler art of writing. Fingers crossed I will see more book sales this week. Wish me luck!