This was first posted in April 2016 In amongst all the poverty porn and shows designed to poke fun at people with mental health issues a certain type of person has been identified for us to laugh at or feel sorry for depending on our mood and our moral compass. The Hoarder. We can … More The hoarder’s guide to notebooks.
The final instalment from my old blog. I’ll look to start giving updated opinions on what I have learned in the past twelve months later. Your new novel is brilliant. You think so. Your family thinks so. All of your friends think so. All you need to do now is sit back and watch the … More This little book went to market
Liam hates his job working for Phonetix Mobile. Fighting for every second and battling with every customer, he is close to the edge. Bumper’s business is going under. His debts are rising, his drinking is getting worse and his wife has had enough. Jodie is unemployed and is desperate for work to give her son … More Idle Threats
Childhood in the eighties was fun for Peter Wood but nothing lasts forever. Running away seemed like his only option; as did his return fifteen years later. Will his old friends forgive him for going? Will his enemies forgive him for coming back? Will Pete win back the life he thought he had lost or … More Leg It
Take your time and consider what makes you buy a book or possibly more importantly, what makes you skip past and it and buy another one. … More Publish and be damned
Once I’ve finished my first draft and my first self review and re-write, its time to let the book grow wings and fly. But not too far. … More How I write Part 4 (The peer review)
The edit is one of the most crucial stages of writing a book and also the cruellest. Anybody who is hurt by criticism should look away now. … More How I write Part 3 (The self edit)
Like most writers I suffer from lack of motivation or dare I say it, writer’s block. I enjoy writing and I have loads of ideas so why do I find it so hard to sit down and write that bestseller? … More How I write Part 2 (Motivation)
I wouldn’t pretend to tell people how to write a book, all I can do is tell you how I write mine. … More How I write (Part one)
Alan Parkinson 