Authors for Japan
As the horrifying events in Japan become ever more incomprehensible, it’s easy to feel that we are powerless to do anything. The Red Cross, however, is in desperate need of funds to support its mobile emergency teams providing medical care and temporary shelter for the thousands of people affected by the disaster.Family History Monthly
I’ve been interviewed for the January issue of Family History Monthly, which is out now. It’s a really interesting magazine with lots of advice that could prove useful for historical novelists as well as genealogists and other historians.
The interview is about how I got started with the idea for Kill-Grief and went about researching it, plus how I’ve done a bit of investigation into my own family tree.
Family History Monthly’s website is also worth a visit for lots of useful links and tips about researching your ancestry.
Brighton Festival Fringe – Grit Lit
My Brighton Festival Fringe event, Grit Lit, on 13 May was great fun. The Red Roaster Coffee House was packed and had a really friendly atmosphere.
I don’t get that nervous about events these days (jaded old author!) so when I arrived in Brighton at lunchtime, I could look forward to a whole afternoon of pretending to be on holiday. I had an omelette and chips at Buddies then sat on the beach working on revision notes for my next book, For the Love of Freaks. A stroll up and down the pier, and then I went back to my freezing B&B room (whose shared toilet sported a Yale lock for some reason) to have a quick practice of my reading and make myself look as presentable as can be expected.
The other writers on the bill were Jake Kennedy, Tim Lay, Dave Swann, Amy Riley, Neil Ansell and Ross Sutherland, so it was an ecletic mixture of flash fiction, short stories, novel extracts, memoir and poetry. I was lucky enough to be second to read, which meant I’d be able to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. Disconcertingly, I got on stage to discover there was a huge mirror opposite, but I ignored it and concentrated on the text and the audience.
Although the order of the day was unromantic realism, the venue had a warm and happy ambiance. You get to know whether an audience is there to enjoy itself or to find something to dislike, and it’s easy to get a confidence-knock from the rare event that gives cold vibes. This audience, however, was one of the best I’ve ever read to.
I read Kill-Grief‘s most gruesome scene and while it’s rather disturbing, I was delighted to get a good response to the dark humour offered by my surgeon-apprentice character. Humour, in fact, was in abundance throughout the evening – despite the premise, this was far from being a bleak, depressing event.
There’s a great review of the evening by Mathilde Madden at Fringe Guru, and Grit Lit has a new Facebook page. On there are a couple of videos of me reading – I haven’t dared watch them though!
UPDATE! Grit Lit won the Latest 7 Award for Best Literature Event at the Brighton Festival and Fringe! Congratulations and thank you to organisers Tim Lay and Amy Riley.
Grit Lit Poster
Just received this brilliant poster for the event I’m doing at Brighton Festival Fringe!
Grit Lit
I’ll be reading from Kill-Grief at Grit Lit, an evening of dark fiction at Brighton’s Red Roaster Coffee House on 13 May. The event starts at 8pm (doors open 7.45) and tickets are available for £5 from Eventbrite. The evening is part of the Brighton Festival Fringe 2010. Hope to see you there!
Strictly Writing competition
I’m excited to be one of the judges for The Strictly Writing Award. It’s for short stories up to 2000 words in length and is free to enter. We’ll be choosing one story each month for the next 10 months and then the public will get the chance to vote on the winner – there’s a cash prize of £300!
For full details, visit Strictly Writing.
New website
I thought it was about time I set up a new website, so here it is – thanks for visiting!
