De-blog

Well, my writing is not going well even though I’m on a writing holiday (at home). So far, there’s nothing in Alumni that is a) right for Bi Awareness Week, and b) suitable for a blog that can be accessed by people of all ages. Brief Story Info: For WIPpet Wednesday, I’m posting from one of my longest-standing works in progress (I wrote it in 2011) in the hopes it might inspire me to do some more work on it. The story is titled Meredith’s Dagger , and it’s contemporary fiction with historical interludes (based on real local history), a bit of romance thrown in and some feminist commentary on mental health, witch hunts and modern psychiatry. (Yes, I’m that  good at sticking to a genre). The setting is a university town house shared by Julian and Richie, both students, Anneka (she and Richie are long-term buddies) and Tamara (Tam), who is Julian’s older sister and bisexual. There’s a long history between Richie and Tam— much  longer than either is aware of. This novel...

First up, sorry if you're feeling a bit like "Yeah, yeah, Deb, I know! You've got a book out today." With so many authors, so many books and the velocity of social networks, I have to send out the message on as many channels as possible. Hence, the overkill some of you might experience. Conversely, you might be thinking "Oh, I'm glad I saw this blog post or I wouldn't have known you had a new book out." In which case, my work here is done. :) Sooo... Tabula Rasa is out today! (June 21st, 2018) Tabula Rasa  is book two of the Gray Fisher trilogy (you can get book one - The WAG and The Scoundrel - for 99c if you're quick - links on the Beaten Track page ). This series is a spin-off from Hiding Behind The Couch - you don't need to have read any of the main series to make sense of the Gray Fisher books. The stories feature Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone, who were in the police together. The series is contemporary fiction with ...

To celebrate the release of Tabula Rasa (Gray Fisher #2) on June 21st, The WAG and The Scoundrel (Gray Fisher #1) ebook is available for 99c (or thereabouts. Amazon, you know... Usual price is $3.99). Buy The WAG and The Scoundrel (Gray Fisher #1) : Beaten Track • Amazon • Barnes and Noble Smashwords • Kobo • iBooks • GooglePlay Preorder Tabula Rasa (Gray Fisher #2 ): Beaten Track • Amazon • Barnes and Noble Kobo • iBooks

All of the news! I've been so busy this past couple of weeks, I didn't blog at all last week, and my house is wall-to-wall dog hair, but... Goth of Christmas Past is written, and alpha-read! Thank you, lovely husband :) Nige is a sound/lighting tech, which is very  helpful when it comes to feeding back on a story that extensively features a recording studio ('you mean haze, not smoke, never tell them it's smoke or they cough and complain', and 'why is he up a tower when they've got programmable lights?' and 'try re-patching cables instead...' and so on and so forth), except that now he wants a job there, LOL. It's also with the first beta-reader, who tells me it's got a good start. Cheers, Al. x That's...a good start! :) My next mission— aside from 'hinting' that I need more beta-readers —is to come up with a series title. Why? Well, this is part of Hiding Behind The Couch , but it's kind of a spin-off too...HBTC...

I’m delighted that C H Cleppitt has joined me for a festive sherry and a mince pie this Christmas Eve. C H’s brilliant, hilarious novella I Wore Heels to the Apocalypse is FREE this Christmas. What a wonderful gift! So, tell me…erm, is it safe for badgers to eat mince pies—oh, never mind. Deb: Do you have any writing quirks? C H: I don't know that I have any quirks. In terms of writing I just have to sit down and do it when the mood takes me, which isn't always.  Working collaboratively is good because there's always someone pushing you forward.  My stories are very character driven, so I spend a lot of time just getting to know the characters, then I let them run wild and see where they take me. Usually it's all sorts of strange places! Deb:  Jaffa cakes: cakes or biscuits? C H:  Biscuits! I am particularly fond of a ginger nut... Jaffa Cakes are a weird hybrid creature that is not quite a biscuit and not quite a cake, far too confusing on the palate! ...

WIPpet numbers for 1st November, 2017: 11 paragraphs from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). I'm into the final quarter of the novel, and I’m still not entirely convinced I’ve nailed the ‘crime’ element. Hey-ho. This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). This WIPpet snippet is from a bit further into the novel, which is a bit of a shambles at present. In this scene, Rob is having dinner with his mum and Harvey—his mum’s partner. * * * * * Rob watched on, hawk-like, vaguely aware of his phone vibrating in his pocket and with no intention of answering. Right at that moment, all he cared about was his mum’s curry chicken. “Most of ...

WIPpet numbers for 25th October, 2017: 25 sentences from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). I'm into the final quarter of the novel, and I’m still not entirely convinced I’ve nailed the ‘crime’ element. Hey-ho. This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). This WIPpet snippet follows on from previous snippets . Rob is with his grown-up niece, Lois; they’re spending the afternoon together, at the park. Amber is Lois’s younger sister. * * * * * “D’you remember the last time we did this?” Lois asked. Rob nodded. He remembered it vividly, but he stayed quiet, hoping she’d tell the tale. “You were home on leave… I used to loved that—s...

WIPpet numbers for 18th October, 2017: (18x10)/17=11(rounded to a whole number) paragraphs from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). I'm into the final quarter of the novel, and I’m still not entirely convinced I’ve nailed the ‘crime’ element. Hey-ho. This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). This WIPpet snippet follows on from previous snippets . Rob’s with his grown-up niece, Lois; they’re spending the afternoon together. Lu (Lucas) is Rob’s son; Amber is Lois’s younger sister. * * * * * While they hadn’t consciously made the decision to go to the park, they ended up there anyway, bypassing the playground, which was teeming wi...

WIPpet numbers for 11th October, 2017: 11 paragraphs for the 11th :) from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). This WIPpet snippet follows on from the previous snippet . Rob’s with his grown-up niece, Lois; they’re spending the afternoon together. * * * * * “I’m gonna take you out somewhere special while I’m here,” he said. “Belated birthday treat—” “You don’t have to,” Lois interjected. “I want to. Not tonight, though.” “Why? What are you up to tonight?” “Only the pub. You can tag along if you like.” “On one of your lads’ nights out? Think I’ll give it a miss, thanks.” “Your...

WIPpet numbers for 4th October, 2017: Pfft. Clutching… Four emdashes. :D from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). In my mission to procrastinate to the max this week, I designed the cover for the third book…even though I haven’t finished writing the second one and have loads  of other stuff to do. It’s about as close to a holiday as I’m getting this year. This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). I’m switching back to Rob this week. In this snippet, he’s meeting up with his niece, Lois, who is in her twenties and lives ‘up north’ (Rob lives in London). * * * * * “I’m not sure how I feel, coming second to my sister.” Loi...

WIPpet numbers for 27th September, 2017: 2017 / 9 - 27 = 197 (rounded to a whole number) words from Tabula Rasa WIPpet Context: Another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). The snippet is from Gray’s point of view: he’s on his way to Will’s house, via the woods, when he meets up with Will and his dogs. Kenny is a dog who uses wheels to get around. (P.S. I’m really sorry I didn't get over to everyone’s blogs last Wednesday. The time got away from me. I’ll do better.) * * * * * Gray winced as Kenny hit a raised root and flipped upside down, wheels spinning in the air. Without a second thought, Gray dashed to his aid and go...

So…I had a different post planned for Bi Visibility Day , but you know what? There’s been a distinct shortage of bi women (or just ‘not men’, really) in most of the stuff I’ve seen, including my own posts—I’ll hold my hands up to that. Therefore, I’m rounding off the week with Charlie (aka Charlotte Davenport) from the Hiding Behind The Couch series . But first… A.M. Leibowitz  (author/reviewer/blogger/BiCast presenter and more) has compiled an excellent (and ongoing) list of bi authors, bloggers, books and resources, which you can find here:  amleibowitz.com/2017/09/22/the-big-bilist-awesome-bi-writers-books-and-resources/ . They also wrote some awesome #BiWeek flash fiction (and it includes non-male characters, yay!). You can (and definitely should) read it on their blog (five stories in all), plus there's a giveaway. And you can still buy my bi books at half-price/enter a giveaway here:  beatentrackpublishing.com/bivisibility  (last day today). Link bac...

When my dearest husband read the very first draft of Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One), he must’ve misread ‘Kris’ as ‘Kenny’, because in the ten years since—during which he’s read the first draft of every single story—he’s come up with at least a hundred ways to kill Kris. My favourites include the morning Kris woke up and found all the bodies of his friends downstairs and realised he was completely and utterly alone (not sure how he died that time, to be honest, probably not murder), the multiple occasions he’s been run over by buses, and when he fell off a cliff for no reason whatsoever…there are times I wonder if I should just open a document and let Nige write the next instalment. I permit this indulgence, of course. Nige is my alpha reader (sometimes he pushes it and asks, “Don’t you mean alpha male?” Ha. ) He tells me he’s joking (about killing Kris, not the alpha male thing) and he’d have nothing left to do if I did follow through and send Kris off to Valhalla or wher...

WIPpet numbers for 20th September, 2017: (20 + 9) / 17 = 2 (rounded to whole numbers, yeah, yeah, I know…) paragraphs from Tabula Rasa It’s  #BiWeek ! Awesomely, Will is bisexual, so no need for a change of story to snip from, which is one cool thing. Another cool thing is that my books with bi main characters (including  The WAG and The Scoundrel ) are half price this week. For this and other bi books, and a giveaway, visit  beatentrackpublishing.com/bivisibility . So, here’s another snippet from Tabula Rasa  (Gray Fisher #2). WIPpet Context: This novel follows on from The WAG and The Scoundrel , featuring two former undercover police officers, Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone. Their investigations relate to white-collar crimes (fraud, embezzlement, etc.), and there are also romantic relationship story arcs (however, not between Gray—who is gay, and Rob—who is straight). This snippet follows  last week’s (last two lines included ...

It's Bisexual Awareness Week , so what better time to give you all a bit more info on the bisexual characters in my books? Before I go any further, I'll warn you this is an obscenely long post. At the end, I've listed the books that can be bought this week at discount price (50% – two of them are free) as part of Beaten Track Publishing's #biweek celebration . On we go... In case clarification is needed, the definition of 'bisexual' at work here is this: an identity marker that refers to the capacity to be attracted to people of more than one gender. It doesn't require someone to have had relationships with more than one gender, and if someone identifies as bisexual, it is not up for question or discussion. On a day-to-day basis, this causes lots of difficulties for bisexual people because their current relationship status is used as snapshot evidence to argue that they're really gay (if it's a same-gender relationship) or really straigh...