More than Writers

  Confused by self publishing options? You're not the only one. How many of you have written a book but left it sitting somewhere in a file buried deep in your computer, or even in a dusty drawer somewhere? Hands up! (I’m joining you on that one.) Sometimes there are good reasons for not pursuing publishing. Sometimes we’ve written it for fun, for joy, just to scratch our own itch . Sometimes we’ve written for practice and we know we’ve improved a whole load since so dusting it off probably isn’t the best idea. But what about when we really want to get it out there? For so many people the world of self publishing is confusing and even overwhelming. As I work freelance in this area, I see people who feel they cannot get their head around the possibilities and the technology – and that’s absolutely fine. We’re not all built to embrace tech, and sometimes we just need a little help. So I thought today I’d list some of the main self publishing options that are out there. When you Goo...

Beyond the Hills - image created by The 3D Book Creator & Canva.com Today I'm chatting with the lovely Maressa Mortimer, who has just published her new book, Beyond the Hills - the second in her Elabi Chronicles series, a follow up to Walled City . Over on my blog I've reviewed the book and asked Maressa some more questions about the story and herself, so do join me over there as part of Maressa's blog tour! I've watched Maressa's writing career with interest and admiration over the past year or so - she's a one woman writing machine, and has published two books and a novella within a year. I really wanted to ask Maressa about how she writes, and reflect a little on the differences she's found between traditional and self publishing, and how those experiences chime with my own experiences.  L: Maressa, I'm in awe of how you've published one book after the other over the past year or so. Can you tell us a little bit about the writing process fo...

 I came away from my first Scargill ACW residential with a bad case of imposter syndrome, although I didn't have a name for it then. So many published authors and folks who seemed to know everyone and everybody. Was I a writer or not? I had been anxious to decide. Not, I concluded. But some perverse streak made me fire a sample of writing at the ACW Lent book competition. Result! I was invited to contribute. Joining the ACW led to finding you all. What a supportive bunch! So much help and encouragement. Now, it's not so much whether I can write after a fashion, more about 'how', 'why' and 'what'. In February I blogged about how mojo had deserted me in lockdown. Three of you have helped recently, for which many thanks. The first was Livi (Karen Rosario Ingerslev) on the ACW selfpublishing zoom with a quote that impacted her at a crucial point: 'You are not a writer because those who have the power to publish you choose to publish your words. You are a...

This month, in the Member Showcase spot, is our own Blog- and Webmaster extraordinaire, Wendy H Jones, who always astounds me with her boundless energy and enthusiasm. For some reason she didn’t feel she could conduct her own interview … I know you’ve travelled to many places around the world. Which has been your favourite place to visit? This is a hard one as I have loved them all. They are all unique and I love the adventure of finding out more about the country and the people. If I had to choose just one then I would have to say Nepal. The people there are lovely and it is so different to anywhere else in the world where my travels have taken me. I also worked with the Ghurka families in Hong Kong so that was an added level of interest for me. Which your least favourite place? I don’t think I have a least favourite place. Everywhere has its charm and is different. I have found something to enjoy, and love, in every single country I have visited. Who is you...

It was at our writers meeting that we had been discussing the idea of self-publishing. One of the members had been to an event as it seems to be a popular option these days. The book industry is changing, but as another lady pointed out one has to be cautious, there is a lot of red tape that goes with some of the publishing deals these days.  Thinking back, deciding to get ‘ On Earth as it is in Heaven ’ published myself had seemed the obvious option for me as our church had held a conference and we had volunteered to host two guests. Ours turned out to be publishers so it was a done deal. But was it worth it, was it the right decision? Budding writers continued to probe. Well it has been quite a journey.   I remember Westminster, the young lady looking quite shocked when I told her I felt I should give her a copy. ‘Bless you,’ she eventually replied. Well she most certainly did, later she wrote to me saying she found it encouraging, she knew it had been a divine ...