I’ve been meaning to write this for ages. I’ve had a busy few weeks with the launch of Life In The Balance, the completion of my story for Putting Southwick On The Map and various other things. My blog has therefore become a bit neglected. I have a long list of topics still to cover, … More The Procrastrinator’s guide to productivity.
On Tuesday, almost two years on since I released Idle Threats, I launched my third novel, Life In The Balance. More accurately, I released it over a week ago but chose not to tell anybody. This may appear to be counterintuitive. Why wasn’t I shouting it from the rooftops? The answer is simple, I wanted … More Softly, softly. (The cautious approach to book launches.)
How far would you go to make amends? Manuel Frost is obsessed with right and wrong. Each day he logs good and bad deeds that he witnesses into a ledger that nobody is allowed to see. Each night, if the books don’t balance, he sets out to perform deeds of his own to even them … More Life In The Balance
You’ve decided on your cubicle and entered with the minimum of fuss. Now what? The advent of mobile phones has been a game changer in the world of on pot entertainment but some people are still old school and prefer traditional reading material. As an author I am all for people buying books to read … More Creating a stink (Toilet etiquette part two).
I’ve covered many subjects in my etiquette guides from how to behave on public transport, to common decency when ordering a pint and how to survive the supermarket without being murdered. I believe that I have guided you well and as yet, with the exception of the Full English Breakfast blog, I don’t think I’ve … More Trump before you dump? My guide to toilet etiquette.
Now that your car is packed and you’ve decided which children to leave behind, it’s time to set off on your well earned break. Anybody who has never left their own home will tell you the journey is all part of the fun. It is not, it is an endurance test worthy of any Japanese … More The puker and the service station. Going on holiday. (Part two).
We’ve discussed the disasters I’ve had and the improvements I made to my book covers but now I’ve decided to change again. ‘Why?’ you may ask. There are a number of reasons, some that I outlined in my previous blog but the driving force was that I wanted a consistent theme across all my book … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part three). The rebrand.
In my previous blog I discussed some of the awful mistakes I made with book covers in the early days so it is no surprise that when I came to publish my second novel, Idle Threats, I decided that I needed some help. The dilemma that every self-publisher will face is knowing when and where … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part two) Making improvements.
Those of you who have followed my writing career or have read my earlier self-publishing blogs will know that I have a love hate relationship with book covers. Being a self-published author means that you have to be responsible for every aspect of your book’s publication and it’s fair to say that designing book covers … More Judge a book by its cover. (Part one) Making mistakes.
With the Easter weekend fast approaching and a lot of families already embarking on a relaxing break away from home, it’s about time I tackled the thorny subject of holiday etiquette. Whilst some may be lucky enough to be jetting off to faraway lands, for now I’m going to concentrate on those who choose to … More The sacred art of squeezing. How to pack your car for a holiday trip.
Alan Parkinson 