De-blog

Today, I've been playing around with different video editing programmes, both on and offline, and in the process made a trailer for the audiobook of  Of The Bauble  even though we (the narrator and I) are still finalising the recordings. So I won't be sharing that trailer just yet. But! I figured it was time to announce the audiobooks. :) The Great Village Bun Fight is somewhere between ACX's file storage system and the retailers, so it should appear on Audible, Amazon and iTunes with the next couple of weeks. Of The Bauble (as mentioned) is undergoing a few final tweaks before we submit it to ACX for approval. My narrator for both books is Jack Hardman, who describes his accent as "[not] so northern that it is difficult to understand, but is common enough sounding that it isn't alienating to people outside of the London area." I'm inclined to agree, which is why he is the perfect narrator for both stories. I'll post again when ...

I should title this post ‘how not to release a story’… Yesterday (yep), I released A Snowy Ball —a short Christmas story featuring Arty and Jim from When Skies Have Fallen . I only decided to write it a couple of weeks ago, and given the date and everything, I decided to go ahead and get it out there. Why did I write  A Snowy Ball ? Quite a few readers have been kind enough to get in touch and tell me how much they loved  When Skies Have Fallen —and made my day in the process :)—some of whom mentioned they would have liked to read more of Arty and Jim’s day-to-day life. I’d have loved to include more of that in the novel, but the deadline didn’t allow it, and I was quite pragmatic in my storytelling (first time for everything). So that’s the first and most important reason. The second reason is that if I hadn’t written it, this year would have been the first since 2013 when I didn’t release a Christmas story, and I’m a fan of Christmas stories myself. Lastly, I...

Recently, I saw an online conversation that began with an author asking the question 'Why do you write?' As expected, there was a whole variety of responses , but one in particular caught my attention. It came from an author who claimed they wrote to make money, and if they weren't making money, they'd stop writing. I believe them, and I have nothing against people writing for that reason. However, in the comments that followed, there was a strong insinuation that any author who claimed they did not write for money was lying. I do not write for money. Not that I'm saying I wouldn't like to make some money along the way, but it doesn't even feature in the list of my motivations as a writer. My first novel - Champagne - I wrote because I could. I had no dreams of publishing deals, nor of being a best seller, nor of seeing my name up in lights. I wrote it because the ideas were in my head, and I wanted to explore them. My second novel - Hiding Behind T...

Every Monday, iCal nags me. De-Blog...De-Blog...De-Blog...every half an hour until I either dismiss it (which defeats the purpose of me having set it to nag me in the first place), or I write a blog post. Today. I have so much to say, and I don't know how to make the words. So. I'm going with factual, probably a little bit rambling, and heavily edited to leave out the ranting. Last Monday evening saw the 28th Lambda Literary Awards ceremony take place in NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Seeing as it was in NY and I am in the UK, for me, it was the early hours of Tuesday morning when the awards were announced. I watched them via the @LambdaLiterary Twitter feed. I actually shook Nige awake to tell him. I won! My historical romance, When Skies Have Fallen , won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance, which IS exciting. I'm still in a daze, but it's sinking in. I think. I added the medal to my cover, and my lovely author friends pestered me to ...

Typically, I was out of the house when the email came with a link to the announcement of the 28th Lambda Literary Award Finalists .  I am delighted and a tiny bit gobsmacked that my novel, When Skies Have Fallen , is a finalist in the Gay Romance category. Congratulations to all! And thank you to the Don't Read in the Closet team - this book was made possible because of you. Beyond that, I'm speechless, so I'm going to post an excerpt and leave it at that! (p.s. the ebook is free - paperback also available: Purchase/Download Links on Beaten Track ) * * * * * “Good evening to you, Corporal.” His voice, a slow, deep rumble, startled Arty from his remembering. His breath caught in his throat as he fought to reply. “A good evening to you also, Sergeant…Johnson, isn’t it?” “Sure is.” The man held out his hand for Arty to shake. “Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, at your service.” Arty reciprocated: “Corporal Robert Clarke.” The palm against his was big, rough ...

Rainbow Book Award Runner Up: When Skies Have Fallen When Skies Have Fallen - my historic romance - was fourth runner-up in the Rainbow Book Awards, which is a wonderful thing. It made me take stock and reflect on why I wrote the story. There is a history hidden behind the glamour and excitement of the swashbuckling heroes and flying aces whose exploits litter fictional accounts of the Second World War. To reach it took hour upon hour of research, reading first-person accounts of what it was like on the home front. This was the story I set out to tell. For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms - his best friend Jean - who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forbidden, by both the armed forces and the law, but w...

When Skies Have Fallen received an honourable mention in the 2015 Rainbow Awards! What the judges said: "Exceptional historical accuracy and sense of setting: the novel rings with authenticity. The characters are strong and the plot tension comes not just from the war but their own desires and the demand for secrecy. Pacing is sometimes a bit slow. Extremely strong historical romance overall." (http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4656033.html) When Skies Have Fallen is available as a free ebook - also available as a paperback (not free): beatentrackpublishing.com/whenskieshavefallen For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms-his best friend Jean-who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forb...

So there I was, in the midst of responding to Q&As for our* Where the Grass is Greener ** blog tour when my co-author just chucks in an answer that leads to this blog post. * 'our' being the delectable and awesomely talented Raine O'Tierney and my adequate self **  Out today! 28th September, 2015 - Where the Grass is Greener The short version of a very long (two months) journey... I wanted a cover for my novel, When Skies Have Fallen , which was appropriate to the era in which the story is based. The story begins in 1944, when RAF corporal Arty Clarke meets USAAF technical sergeant Jim Johnson at a local dance hall. The novel follows their romance from 1944 through to 1967, against the social backdrop of war, post-war, persecution of homosexuals and decriminalisation of homosexuals in 1967 (in England). Now, there are a lot of old black and white photos of men being affectionate with each other—some of whom are definitely men who love men—around the internet,...