Yesterday I attended the London Book Fair for the first time ever, thanks to BookBrunch, who provided free tickets to everyone on the Selfies Award shortlist. In the morning I spoke as part of a panel of four on the experience of self-publishing; then I met up with a friend and we went out along a very wet Kensington High Street to get some lunch and agree that the whole thing was very impressive but a bit overwhelming, and then I was back in time to wander around the fair a bit more before the awards ceremony.

The Selfies Award went to Jane Davis for Smash All The Windows (just under my arm in the picture), and it’s very well deserved. I can’t think of anyone who puts more work into making self-published books into a really high quality product, or, for that matter, anyone who does so much to…

(I’m attempting to produce this blog post using the new editor. I’ll let you know how it goes – ie: whether I give up and revert to the old one, as I did last time.)

12 poems in a year

I’ve joined a challenge to write twelve poems in twelve months on https://12shortstories.com/poetry/

This is an offshoot of the Twelve Short Stories challenge which has been running for some time, organised by Amanda Patterson of Writers Write website at https://writerswrite.co.za/
It’s free to join, and isn’t a competition. The challenge is to post a new poem of your own on a given theme on a specific day each month. Members are asked to comment on a minimum of four poems posted by other writers

As you will know if you’ve read any of my verse on here, I don’t have a poetic bone in my body, but I…

“It stood to reason that both life and death began with a spark of light”

The Center is a woman’s reproductive health services clinic that provides gynecological services to women, including abortions. It’s one of the last of its kind as the people of Mississippi do not take kindly to abortions mostly because of their religion. One fine morning we meet a whole bunch of characters who go to the center for different reasons.

15 year old Wren was there to get birth control with her aunt. We have Joy, who is there to get an abortion and Janine, who is a pro-lifer that was at The Center undercover to get ammunition. There are a host more others who are unfortunate to be in there when a gun man seeking revenge, walks in and holds them hostage. To make matters worse, the lead hostage negotiator turns out to be Wren’s…

Review

The Wolf and the Watchman

by Niklas Natt och Dag

Release date: March 5th, 2019

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Wolf and the Watchman
by Niklas Natt och Dag from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in order to read and give an honest review.

“Niklas Natt och Dag doesn’t hold back. Dark, gritty and brutally honest, the author doesn’t hesitate to show the bleakness of the times, the poverty…. “

When I came across this book I was intrigued and it didn’t disappoint. Well-written, clever, intricately plotted with well rounded, characters it kept me immersed in the story…. however, I issue a word of caution to sensitive readers… this book is graphic.  

For his debut novel, Niklas Natt och Dag doesn’t hold back. Dark, gritty and brutally honest, the author doesn’t hesitate to show the bleakness of the times, the poverty, the…

She’s the one you can’t tame

A fortress you can’t conquer

She’s fierce like fire

Always ready to unravel

Her voice makes you go nostalgic

Not many may know,

There’s a mild scent of mystery

Hidden in her cologne

She’s the captain of her own ship,

Sailing across the ocean of her mystical mind

She’s a mother, a daughter, a sister

The one you always find standing by your side

And when you look into her enamoring eyes

There’s a ray of hope on the verge of light

Who is she?

So alluring, so determined

What makes her so conspicuous?

What makes her to shine so bright?

I’ve seen people envy her

I’ve seen them grinding teeths

Those hideous conspiring eyes

Staring at her, are hard to deal with

And if they ever try to drag her down

She’ll find a way

As she’s so fixated on what she wants