My Favourite Season for Writing Inspiration

There is something very magical about October. I can only put it down to the fact that we celebrate Halloween at the very end of the month. Here in the UK there has never been much of an emphasis on celebrating this festival, but of course we have absorbed some of the American influences in popular media over the years. For me, Halloween has always been special, but as a child I never really understood why. I just knew that I wanted to meet the ghosts and spectres that everyone was so afraid of!

Well, my dreams were realized when I became a ghost hunter several years ago, and now my curiosity has been satisfied. But I don't think Halloween (or Samhain for my pagan friends) is the only reason I enjoy October. This is the time of year when summer gives way to autumn, Mother Nature displays a riot of colours and textures, and the weather takes on a refreshing chill of an evening. Yes, I admit, the dark mornings and early nights are a bit difficult to get used to, but even those increase the excitement, as I am reminded that we are creeping closer to Christmas and all the upcoming festivities we have planned.

All in all, it makes a perfect recipe for writing paranormal stories, and discovering the adventures of my vampires, witches and werewolves in Cornwall and beyond... Is this your favourite time of year? Why do you prefer to write, create or otherwise rejoice in the autumn/fall season?

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Live Author Interview for Halloween

Exciting news! I have been invited to do a live radio interview on a special Halloween show at 6 Towns Radio. The station is  based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and covers the Potteries area of the UK. This is my home city, a place where I grew up, fell in love, got my first jobs and lots of other life experiences.

Listen live at 11:00am GMT (6:00am EST) and you can hear about my paranormal romance Redcliffe novels, my experiences as a ghost hunter, and all sorts of weird and wonderful, spooky and supernatural tales and titbits...

http://www.6towns.co.uk/

Halloween Book Review - Whitby Vampyrrhic by Simon Clark

This book is a good old fashioned British horror story, and a brilliant Halloween read!

I cannot believe I didn’t know about this book before. I came across it by chance in my local library, and I really enjoyed it. The story is set during World War 2, and I love the contrast between the horrific vampire creatures that terrorize Whitby, and the armies who fight in the skies above. It is an interesting version of social commentary, and has echoes of classic vampire stories from the late 19th century. There is no romance in this book, and the creatures are gruesome, but I recommend it to everyone.

We Approach the Witching Hour!

Wow, when did it turn into October? I say this every year, but this one really is flying by! October is a popular month for book promotions, especially by Indie authors. That is why I will be flogging my novels for all they are worth in the run up to Halloween. Well, they are paranormal after all! With a dash of horror, a fair bit of romance, and some good old fashioned conflict to sink your fangs into...

 

Aside from selling books, we are now in the run-up to National Novel Writing Month. If you are not familiar with NaNoWriMo (as we regulars fondly call it), this is an opportunity for authors old and new to crack on with their manuscripts. Perhaps you have a new story underway but are just not getting very far with it. Maybe you have one in your head but don't know where to start when it comes to writing it down. Fear not! The crew at NaNoWriMo are on hand to offer help and support, guidance and motivation when you need it.

The whole thing is voluntary, but they will try and sell you merchandise or get you to donate towards running costs. I quite understand why they do this, and I will contribute what I can, as I'm sure everybody else does. You basically register on the website, set your profile details, and start writing. There are lots of forums and you can meet fellow authors, both within your genre and without. NaNoWriMo also arrange regular weekly meetings in person around the UK and US. You simply have to join the relevant forum to your local area, in my case Chester, UK.

I wasn't sure whether to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. It was my first attempt in 2011 and I did succeed, and you can read the finished result in my novel Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). See, had to get some promotion in there! It was very useful for me because I have a young daughter and struggled to find time to sit down and write. Using NaNoWriMo gives you the oppportunity to dedicate proper time to your writing, without all that fiddly editing nonsense in the middle of your manuscript.

Oh, and incase you were wondering, NaNoWriMo starts in November. The basic task is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Enjoy, and see you there!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!)