Monday 29 September 2008

HarperCollins editorial review

'...very strong struff, but it’s an immensely powerful hook with which to kick off the book.'

... is what HarperCollins had to say about my psychological thriller novel Hamelin's Child, which was one of the top 5 most popular books on the Authonomy site in August, as voted by other members.

'Hamelin’s Child is well written and very engaging. You paint a clear and harrowing picture of the world of narcotics and its terrible consequences both on individuals and society at large. From the outset the reader sympathises with Mikey, and I was truly intrigued to discover what challenge he would face next - whether his sister Kate would ever be able to bring him back home.'

Great comments! All I need now is a publisher prepared to take a chance on a 'marmite' novel.

Sunday 21 September 2008

FantasyCon 2008

Just got back from this year's FantasyCon in Nottingham. A great weekend with other fantasy, sf & horror writers and fans - plus a smattering of editors, publishers and book-sellers. Talks, drinks, panels, interviews, a demon-themed banquet (yours truly spent an hour inflating helium ballooons and running round decorating tables), drinks, the Raffle (capital R intentional - you have to be there) in which I actually won some prizes for a change, and drinks. Met up with all those people I only see once a year and generally had a fantastic weekend.

News - I'm back in control-freak mode as I've just volunteered to be on next year's committee! After 2 years off, I just couldn't stay away and 2009 will therefore be my 11th convention as a committee member (including at least 3 as organiser/co-organiser). So watch this space as I will be bullying everyone I know to register and/or donate goodies. Trust me - I have no shame ...

Monday 1 September 2008

Made the top 5 on Authonomy!

Yes, another Authonomy post, but hey - my sex-and-drugs thriller Hamelin's Child was voted as one of the top 5 best books on Authonomy for the first month! I'm thrilled to bits. It doesn't guarantee publication, but it does get me a proper reading and critique by a HarperCollins editor. Getting real live editors of the big publishing houses to read things these days is pretty rare as most of them no longer accept unsolicited submissions. So it's a step in the right direction. The book is now at number 3 in the all-time-favourites list, so go on over and have a read ...