De-blog

It's been a really busy day. That's what I've been telling everyone, along with mumbled explanations about uploading books, putting together covers, writing reviews and blog posts and so on and so forth. What I've really been doing - spent an inordinate amount of time doing, in fact, is... Finding somewhere to hang my bunting. I kid you not. I probably don't strike you as a bunting kind of person, but this is no ordinary bunting. Oh no. This is homemade, meticulously stitched and ironed(!) bunting. Don't believe me? Well, feast your eyes on these splendiferous triangular beasties! Good, eh? :D The bunting is a lovely release day gift from Dawn Sister - one of my fellow authors in  Seasons of Love   anthology, which is released 31st July (officially - it's already out). Thank you, Dawn. I intend to keep it up for at least a month. Then I'll carefully fold it away into its bag and bring it out again same time next year, and the year afte...

I had a tough time at school - for lots of reasons, but the one that's relevant here is competitiveness, and not my own. By the time I figured out what the problem was, I was in my mid-twenties and studying for a degree. For brevity: I was fairly clever but shy, not good at sports, lousy at socialising, average height, average looking, an average musician - in general a bit of a wall flower. With adolescence, I put on weight, and that was so not  the attention I wanted to bring to myself. In fact, I didn't want attention at all. I just wanted to get on with being me, doing what I was good at, which is also what I enjoy: People watching. Writing. Reading. Listening to music. Discovering new things I'm good at. Thinking round corners. Being the best I can be. So, all those competitive team sports? Pure torture. Being ranked on exam results? Much the same. Eventually, I realised that my position relative to my peers was of no consequence. I knew  if I'd do...

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 ...

He’s a fast-talking, dishevelled inventor trapped in a world he never made. She’s a transdimensional renegade magician’s assistant trying to make a difference in a man’s world. Together, they fight crime! (inspiration: http://theyfightcrime.org ) (Flash Fiction, written for the Sparkly Badgers.) *** The audience oooh’d as Pretendo circled the wooden crate, his final sword raised. Bend, flick, recoil… The blade flashed under the spotlights and plunged, piercing the lid, dead centre. As one, the audience gasped and held their breath. Beneath the crate’s false floor, Shula waited out the seconds, knowing she’d be stuck a good while yet. Pretendo loved to drag out the sword removal part of his act even though the audience was only interested in seeing his ‘assistant’ emerge unscathed. He was a fake. All magicians were, but that was beside the point. Pretendo wasn’t actually a magician. He was a thief on the run, and he shouldn’t have made it this far. Shula had flagged his pas...

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

A Hiding Behind The Couch flash fiction, written for the Sparkly Badgers. Theme: extreme weather (British style ;)). *** A pink straw sunhat dropped onto the patio table. Iris glanced up from her magazine as Pauline passed between her and the sun—not that it mattered when she was under an umbrella. Pauline gingerly lowered herself onto the other recliner and lifted the hat, revealing a bottle of sun lotion—no, make that oil. “Bloomin’ hot, in’t it?” she said. She flipped the lid and upended the bottle, generously greasing her left arm, then her right. “Here we go. Back in 1976, we was frying eggs on’t car bonnets… ” “Well, we was!” “Aye. You told me last time we had a heat wave.” About ten years ago, if memory served. Pauline squinted with one eye shut, checking her arms were well coated before she squeezed dollops onto both thighs. “Nowt wrong with making the most of it.” “You could’ve just had a barbecue, love.” “I don’t think they was invented then, but that wer...

Blurb: C H Clepitt has a knack for creating real, relatable characters, who face adversity with humour and humanity, and Curtain Call is no exception. “Possibly the best thing I’ve read by C H Clepitt so far.” - Murray McLean When an assistant to the director role turns into P.A. to her favourite film star, Jen can’t believe her luck. Eleanor Francis is charming, kind and funny, but she has a secret, and when tragedy strikes, things threaten to unravel at an uncontrollable pace. Despite being out of her depth Jen has to adapt to her new role quickly, to protect Eleanor, with whom she is rapidly falling in love. This is a sweet, understated story that will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. If you’ve enjoyed C H Clepitt’s other books then this is not to be missed. Release Date: 6th May 2018 Reviews: “The story is very well written and flows nicely... I would love to read more about the two main characters in future books.” - Simon Leonard - Black Books Blog ...

I haven't had time to blog properly on a Monday for a few weeks, so my apologies if you're a regular reader. I'm doing my best to get back in the swing of it. This is just a quickie to announce the release of Box Set Two of Hiding Behind The Couch, which is available on Kindle only (and Kindle Unlimited). BOX SET ONE Beginnings Ruminations Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One) No Time Like The Present (Season Two) The Harder They Fall (Season Three) Crying in the Rain First Christmas BOX SET TWO In The Stars Part I (Season Four) Breaking Waves Chain of Secrets In The Stars Part II (Season Five) A Midnight Clear Red Hot Christmas BOX SET THREE (sometime in 2018/9) Two by Two (Season Six) Hiding Out Class-A Those Jeffries Boys Breakfast at Cordelia’s Aquarium The WAG and The Scoundrel NOVELLAS/SHORT STORIES BOX SET Beginnings Class-A First Christmas Breaking Waves Chain of Secrets A Midnight Clear Red Hot Christmas Hiding O...

But I have news! I submitted a story for Upstaged —the upcoming anthology from Supposed Crimes —and it was accepted! Woohoo! :) It was nerve-racking, I won’t lie. It’s the first time I’ve submitted a story anywhere since my first novel. This writing malarkey never gets any easier. I’ll post more about the anthology nearer publication time. Anyway, it’s WIPpet Wednesday. I’m allegedly writing  No Filter  for CampNaNoWriMo . I haven’t managed much writing, but it’s coming along slowly. Brief story info: No Filter  is a crossover novella of the Hiding Behind The Couch and Checking Him Out series(es), featuring Libby (and others) from HBTC, and Matty (and others) from CHO. This week’s snippet is from Libby’s point of view; it follows from last week’s snippet , where Libby was scheming. Note (and also a spoiler for anyone reading HBTC who hasn’t got as far as Season Six): Josh and George are Libby’s foster/adoptive parents. Highlight to read. WIPpet maths fo...

I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks because of workload, which hasn’t lessened any, if I’m honest. Uni work, publishing…there are not enough hours in the day/days in the week! Still, it’s WIPpet Wednesday. :) Brief story info: No Filter  is a crossover novella of the Hiding Behind The Couch and Checking Him Out series(es), featuring Libby (and others) from HBTC, and Matty (and others) from CHO. This week’s snippet is from Libby’s point of view; this is the start of chapter two (the previous snippets were from chapter one). WIPpet maths for 4th April: 4x4=16 paragraphs. And the WIPpet Snippet: Libby jiggled her leg impatiently to the FaceTime bleeps. It never took Poppy this long to pick up. In fact, Libby was quite sure if she added up all the seconds of waiting from all of their calls in the two years since they’d become friends, it wouldn’t come close to the hours she’d been waiting this time. She gave up. And called again. On and on it rang. “Come on…come...

Title:  In The Present Tense Author:  Carrie Pack Publisher:  Interlude Press Published:  19th May, 2016 ISBN:  9781941530788 Blurb: Miles Lawson goes to sleep dreaming of a future with his boyfriend Adam, but wakes to find he is married to Ana, an acquaintance from high school. When he learns he has been time traveling, Miles is consumed with finding a cure for his rare condition—and finding his first love. Traveling more frequently, Miles assembles the puzzle pieces of his life and, in doing so, alienates his wife. As he loses control, Miles must realize that sometimes fixing your past mistakes means changing your future. But will he be able to convince Adam he is telling the truth before it’s too late? Review: In The Present Tense isn’t literary fiction. I appreciate this is a curious way to start a review – what the book is not – but most novels I’ve come across that take on topics of an intellectual/political nature in the way Carrie Pack doe...

Join in the Sparkly Badgers Easter Egg Hunt! Find the eggs, solve the puzzle, win books! Find/follow the Sparkly Badgers on Twitter Angelique Anderson C M Clepitt J Crawford Steel Nicole DragonBeck Chloe Hammond Joyce Hertzoff Margena Holmes AM Leibowitz Leo McBride Debbie McGowan Terry Poole Maria Riegger Lyra Shanti Joanne Van Leerdam

BATTLE FATIGUE ©2005 Debbie McGowan God loves a trier, But I tire of healing cerebral hamstrings Torn by leaping without training over hurdles That simply were not there yesterday. Of backs chewed through to fronts, Remains spat in the sawdust with disgust And downtrodden through the years Into a pithy pile of organisational waste. Of promises that never saw the light of day… Of honoured guests who outstayed their welcome upon their invited arrival… Of great oak trees that were grafted on the graft of Another lowly acorn’s shoot… Of spine-blunted daggers drooling with the blood of comrades While they feast on the sinewy shavings Of lost ambitions, Spanish moss draped in avenues leading to nowhere… Of paper and pens and boxes to fill, Of statistical accusations, Of schemes. Of pretty girls, words, rooms, hours to kill, Of breeding germs feeding on failing thoughts, Of careers perused on the crest of a doubt, Of axes unground and festering dreams, Of wishi...

It’s been a funny old week so far. I have so much uni work to do, and I’m…not doing any of it. But I now have four stories on the go, including this one, which I haven’t written any more of since this time last week. :/ It’ll come to me, I’m sure. On the plus side, I’ve done quite a bit of work on Tabula Rasa , which is currently 78k, but it wasn’t quite going where I hoped. I think I’ve pulled it back on track. I also ‘accidentally’ made a start on the story after Goth of Christmas Past , all because of a comment about ‘mansplaining’.  Lastly (but not leastly), I’ve written the first few pages of a story for an anthology call , although whether I can write to the remit is another matter, as I’m not good at shorties (as in, I can’t keep to the word limit). I’m giving it my best shot, though—I’ve been mulling the idea for quite some time! That story is tentatively titled Oh No She Didn’t! So, on to the WIPpet… Brief story info: No Filter  is a crossover novella of the ...

Quickly flying in to post this (a day late). I’m mid-assignment, mid-editing, mid-grading, mid-everything except writing  No Filter , but I’m still snipping from it today. Brief story info: No Filter is a crossover novella of the Hiding Behind The Couch and Checking Him Out series(es), featuring Libby (and others) from HBTC, and Matty (and others) from CHO. This week’s snippet comes a few paragraphs after last week’s, where Matty had typed an email to Libby (whom he met in Hiding Out ) and is waiting for Noah (his other half) to proofread it before he sends it. WIPpet maths for 8th March: 8 question marks. I know, it’s pants, but my brain refuses to cooperate further. And the WIPpet Snippet: “Yeah, it’s [Matty’s email] OK,” Noah said, nodding and still looking at the screen. “Who’s Libby?” Matty stopped mid-stretch, with his left foot behind his head. “You’re kidding me.” Noah peered up through his eyebrows. “Nope. Oh, wait, is she the girl who…came to…that sho...

It’s so cold here!  Well, for England, at least. It’s been snowing and everything! Brrr. Anyway, there’s my very British opening. :D I haven’t had much time for anything beyond editing for the past couple of weeks, but I did get a bit more writing done on No Filter , which is what I’m snipping from today. Brief story info: No Filter is a crossover novella of the Hiding Behind The Couch and Checking Him Out series(es), featuring Libby (and others) from HBTC, and Matty (and others) from CHO. This week’s snippet continues from last week’s, where Matty had typed an email to Libby (whom he met in Hiding Out ) and is waiting for Noah (his other half) to proofread it before he sends it. WIPpet maths for 28th February: 2 paragraphs for this last day of the second month (not very complex, I know). And the WIPpet Snippet: They’d done the whole ‘don’t be a stranger’ thing and made promises to write or call, and Matty had thought about doing it lots of times, but between thi...

Another crazy-busy week, but not in a bad way. :) It does mean I missed my Monday blog post yet again, although the way I’ve been ranting, it’s probably for the best. Anyway, I’ve finally re-opened No Filter today, and the first thing I did was change it from first- to third-person. Why? Well, a couple of days ago, I put up a FB status about omniscient narration, which a few people responded to (including some, erm, helpful explanations of what omniscient narration is and is not). I’m OK with any kind of narration—even head-hopping—if it suits the story. But readers generally have their favourites, and there will always be someone who isn’t happy with how the story is told. Well, they can always write their own story if they so wish. Thanks to Bonita for reminding me that, in the end, “we need to satisfy that voice inside that tells us our choice is the right one!” So, third-person it is. :) Brief story info: No Filter is a crossover novella of the Hiding Behind The Couc...

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...

Not new material, or even a work in progress. It's Valentine's Day, which is also Josh's birthday, and it's been a busy couple of weeks. So here's an excerpt that's kind of a story in itself. Bloody Valentine’s 14th February Josh smiled, trying to disguise his unease with his current client—a man in his late fifties who, after twenty minutes of waffling about deaths in suspicious circumstances and violent gangland killings, had declared that he could see ghosts. But not any old ghosts. Oh no. Obviously, these were the ghosts of the victims, and in Josh’s head, he could hear them calling ‘Avenge my death!’ although these words had yet to pass the lips of his newest client. And he’d said he wasn’t going to take on any more. His phone vibrated against his leg for about the twentieth time in the past hour, and he shifted position. Ghosts. Good grief. “When you say ‘see’, can you explain what you mean by that?” “I don’t understand the question,” t...