One of the nuggets of advice sometimes given out to Indie authors, focuses on the number of books we write each year. The consensus seems to be that less is not more, and rather, the greater number of new books we put out, the better chance we have of attracting new readers. With this in…
Category: Writing
‘Arsenic at Ascot’ by Kelly Oliver
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book four in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery series, and the first I’ve read by this author. Well-known mistress of disguise and wartime spy, Fiona Figg, finds herself shunted around the war office dealing with mundane tasks, rather than getting to grips with espionage…
‘Out of Sight’ by Anna Legat
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book six in the DI Gillian Marsh series, and the first I’ve read by this author. The story concerns a murder investigation where the list of suspects gives the police plenty to think about. Detective Marsh is out of the picture for some of the tale…
‘Mister Slaughter’ by Robert McCammon
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In 1700s New York, apprentice problem solver and former magistrates clerk Matthew Corbett, is tasked with transporting murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from a Philadelphia asylum back to the New York City waterfront. Along with his companion Greathouse, Matthew manages the initial part of the journey well, but when Slaughter…
‘From Potter’s Field’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) It’s Christmas in New York, and Dr Kay Scarpetta and her cop pal Captain Marino are dishing out blankets to those in need when they’re thrown into a murder investigation. The body of a woman is found by a fountain in Central Park, bearing all the hallmarks of…
‘Three Sisters’ by O J Mullen
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Businessman Lewis Stone has a few issues with his business partner, but the firm’s Christmas party isn’t the place to thrash them out. Desperate to escape and try to enjoy the festive break, he jumps into his car and sets off for home. Having turned down the offer…
‘Masquerade: The Lives of Noel Coward’ by Oliver Soden
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) As a playwright, Noel Coward is best known for his most popular stage plays ‘Private Lives’, ‘Hay Fever’ and ‘Blithe Spirit’, though he wrote many works that are largely unfamiliar to the theatre-going public. He also wrote novels, screenplays and serious and comic songs, such as ‘Mad…
Writing Routines and Other Challenges
One of the things a lot of writers will press upon would-be authors, is the necessity of writing every day. As I often remind myself, Stephen King says, If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. However, for those of us…
Book Titles vs Synopses
As a reader, I’ve never liked knowing what’s going to happen in a book before it happens. Those troubled individuals who have to read the last page before reading the rest make my head spin. With writing, it’s exactly the same. Way back in the summer of 2013, when I began to write novels seriously,…
Book Reviews and the Coming of Wisdom
Having always been an avid reader, it wasn’t until I started publishing my own books that I realised the importance of having them reviewed on sites like Amazon and Smashwords. When I started writing reviews of the books I read, the early ones were either books I’d wanted to read for a while, or those…
Colin Garrow 