I’m Back and with Book News Galore

Image: JT Lindroos

Hello again an welcome back to Freedom from the Mundane, the daily writing blog I have been keeping up since sometime in 2004.

My blogging record since 2012 began has been dismal. In fact, I’ve not blogged once since my monthly work plan post on the 4th of January. My only excuse is that I’ve been terribly busy with the release of my new book, my first full length thriller novel, SLICK, on 2nd January.

The reviews I’ve had so far have been remarkable. So far, SLICK has received nothing but 5-star reviews with some rather flattering comments being made. Check them out at SLICK’s feedback page.

If you’re reading this and have already read and enjoyed SLICK, please consider leaving a review on Amazon – you would really be helping me out!

Find out more and purchase for your Kindle or other e-reader here: Website for SLICK

Ronnie Glover has it all: pots of cash, a penthouse high above London, and a gorgeous girlfriend on his arm. But when his business is burned to the ground and his girl is stabbed to death, he knows his past has caught up with him. There’s only one thing he can do, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t hide…

Elsewhere, I announced the date for the release of my summer crime fiction novella, GREENER IS THE GRASS. You’ll be able to buy this action packed crime thriller from May 4th for under a quid.

The website has been updated with all the information you’ll need: Website for GREENER IS THE GRASS

When Jamie Tosh takes a summer job as a holiday rep on the Greek island of Rhodes, he has high hopes of changing his life for good. But paradise turns to hell, when days before his fiancee is due to fly out to meet him, a young girl is murdered in the hotel grounds – and he’s the top suspect! With no way off the island and almost nobody to turn to, Jamie discovers that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

On the actual business of writing, I have a lot of changes I need to make to BACCARA BURNING. I’m still not happy with it and my trusted readers were as honest as I needed them to be – totally and brutally – it’s the only way to improve.

BACCARA was never the easiest book to write, and the first draft was frankly awful, which is I think it’s taking so long to get right. One more recent book that I’ve been working on, GATECRASH, did get a great first draft down and so has been much easier to revise. I’ve been working on GATECRASH since the new year, and I hope to be able I send it to my trusted readers some time in February. I’m sure keeping those guys busy this year 🙂

On the poetry front through my alter ego, Chas Stramash, I’ve signed up to perform in Penicuik later this year. I’ll be doing a reading for their Arts Society as well as another reading and children’s poetry workshop at the Penicuik Arts Festival in September.

As far as this blog goes, however, I’m making some changes. My workload moving into spring and summer is such that I’m not going to be able to post daily. Instead, I’m going to post more meaty and more relevant posts to the actual subject in hand, as well as widening my commentary on some of the social and political aspects that affect my writing and my life.

As a result, I’ll be posting fewer entries, probably around two or three per week. I’ll still be doing author spots and guest posts, and the Friday Vid is safe too, but I’m cutting out all the shite I used to post when content ideas were low.

To be sure you don’t miss any posts, the best thing is to sign up to receive them in your email when they are posted, that way you’ll always know. Click here to subscribe.

I think that’s all for today, other than I feel I should apologise for taking so long to get to my first post of 2012 published. February is almost here, and while January has not been my most productive of months, I should really have got back into the swing well before now.

Ciao for now!