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On being a publisher

20/4/2014

The CreativeWritingMatters Catalogue

Today we are celebrating at HQ. After a lot of work, consultation and yet more work, we have published our textbook, The Creative Writing Student's Handbook on Kindle.

Cat Walks has been out in the world for a few weeks and we were thrilled that it reached No 5 in the best seller list - in the Cats category. It's worth remembering that there are 2,711,905 titles on Kindle as of two minutes ago, so to be in the top hundred of anything is fantastic.

Now we have all fingers and toes crossed for The Creative Writing Student's Handbook. Obviously, we would like to sell well, but what we really want is for all students of creative writing to find it helpful. For a teacher, the greatest validation of his or her work, is when a student gets in touch to tell you of their competition or publishing success.

You do not need to own a Kindle in order to download our books. If you have a desktop, laptop, iPad or smart phone of almost any sort, you can download the Kindle app free from Amazon. It's very straightforward and will open the door of a huge virtual library that weighs the same as your device.

The Creative Writing Student's Handbook is £1.95. To purchase please click on the cover or go HERE
Cat Walks is priced at £1.02. Please click on the cover or go HERE to purchase.

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Historical v Contemporary?

9/4/2014

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Tree peonies at the Cleary Garden

In London yesterday we passed this beautiful display of Japanese tree peonies. The display is on a busy road near Mansion House station and fronts the Cleary Garden. What a surprise on an overcast day. So many different colours and full of rosy scent!
We were on our way to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse which is the new indoor theatre next to the Globe. I knew I was going to like it, but I didn't know just how much. I think enchanting might be my adjective of choice, although endearing is a close runner. It is stunningly beautiful. Especially as it's candlelit. Real flames! A biff in the eye for Health and Safety. Take a look at the pics on the website HERE.
I'd bought the tickets more than six months ago because I Fagiolini, the vocal ensemble I wanted to see, have a very dedicated following. Even all that time ago, there were only a handful of tickets left.
You are allowed to tell me that an evening of semi-staged sixteenth century Italian madrigals is a bit too niche for most people and I can't begin to tell you how glad I am about that. If everyone knew how funny, moving, exciting and thrillingly virtuosic they are, I'd never get tickets.
Last night I Fagiolini sang only one madrigal by Gesualdo, the anti-hero of my latest novel, Madrigal. In my book, the heroine is rather rude about his music and certainly, there's not a whistle-able tune in his entire oeuvre, yet still it manages to exert a strange power all these years later...
After the concert, we walked back over the Millennium Bridge. The lights and fantastical shapes of the skyline bursting with contemporary enchantment. While chugging round the Circle Line, I fell to thinking about where to set my next novel . Contemporary or historical? It's a hard choice.

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Truly, Madly, Deeply Revisited

1/4/2014

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First this:

And now this:

Nope, it isn't a Spot The Difference quiz. The Kindle version of Truly Madly Deeply is now available in 10 parts. Hooray!
I am rubbing shoulders with two fabulous novelists Jenny Harper and Maureen Lee. I couldn't be more proud and pleased. Our three stories are about love, of course. Jenny and I have written about how love can make us brave, how it can change lives. Maureen's touching story has a different slant that you'd best find out for yourself.
Of course, it is thrilling to see my name on the cover. I like the way the image mirrors the complete anthology. It's turquoise too - my favourite. The other nine parts are in different colours and I'm sorry they aren't in hard copy because altogether they'd look fab on my shelf!
If you click on either cover, you'll get taken to Amazon. Reviews are coming in now and they're looking very starry. Excellent!

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On being a publisher

Historical v Contemporary?

Truly, Madly, Deeply Revisited

First this:

And now this:

What they did next...

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