Freedom From The Mundane

Image: popsci.com

Many thanks to Diane Parkin for having me over at her blog yesterday. If you missed it, head on over for what was an in-depth look at the development of STELLA.
Today I am feeling rather polarised. On one hand I am excited about my impending trip to Blackpool with my best mate, a trip [...]

June 24th, 2009 | Tags: blog tour, Blogging, bookings, Books, death, Diane Parkin, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, gardening, hot, Interview, marketing, promotion, Rabbits, Reading, Weather, Writing | Category: Animals, Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Interviews, Publishing and Marketing, Writing | Comments (2)

Image: FMD

Check me out today over at the blog of freelance writer, photo journalist, and long-time cyber buddy, Diane Parkin!!! I’ll be answering questions all day after what was a very different and interesting interview to do, so please check it out.
I seemed to be running late by at least 90 minutes to the rest [...]

June 23rd, 2009 | Tags: Amazon, author events, author page, blog tour, Blogging, Books, Cate Masters, competition, Day Job, Diane Parkin, e-book, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh Zoo, free stuf, Interview, marketing, penguins, promotion, Reading, sales, Stella, ticket sales, tickets, web cam | Category: Animals, Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Internet, Interviews, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing Process | Comments (2)

Image: BorisWatch.com

Yesterday’s blog tour stop over at Cate Master’s was a great success. Cate gave me a special interview plus the spot came with a free giveaway of a copy of STELLA. It’s open until Sunday so you can still be in with a chance of winning, you only have to point your browser to [...]

June 19th, 2009 | Tags: 2-Tone, 30th anniversary, blog tour, Blogging, Boris Johnson, Cate Masters, computers, Day Job, debate, discussion, drinks, Edinburgh Book Festival, Family, friends, I.T., in the groove, Interview, macaroni and cheese, marriage, Open University, psyched, Publishing and Marketing, ska, skanking, The Beat, writers, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, I.T., Interviews, Publishing and Marketing, Writing | Comments (2)

Image: Unknown

I’m a guest of the rather wonderful Cate Master’s today. This is a special interview with lots of new information and a giveaway, so go check her blog out at: http://catemasters.blogspot.com.
We have new neighbours. They’ve moved into the adjoining house and have made their presence felt. As a result, I’m not their biggest fan.
Thankfully [...]

June 18th, 2009 | Tags: anti-social, blog tour, Blogging, book promotion, bookmarks, Books, Cate Masters, Day Job, dinner, drinks, friends, marketing, neighbours from hell, Pakistani, promotion, Stella | Category: Books, Day Job, Editorial Comment, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Publishing and Marketing, Writing | Comments (2)

Image: Gothessa

Some of the more eagle eyed among you may have noticed I have changed the spelling of Marc Palombo’s name in yesterday’s obituary. I mentioned all the pranks he played over the years – this was another – he got the last laugh after all.
For years I always wrote ‘Mark’ in correspondence, and when [...]

June 12th, 2009 | Tags: blog tour, Blogging, Bridge of Weir, burial, CAtholic, Family, friends, funeral, guest blog, Houston, Lara Stauffer, Marc Palombo, Mass, Renfrewshire, Royal British Legion, St Fillan's, Stella | Category: Editorial Comment, Family | Comments (3)

Image: laffy4k

Long day yesterday.
The alarm on my new phone isn’t shrill enough to yank me out of my sleep, and so invariably I find myself flopping back and lying for longer as I wait for another, stronger spur to get out of bed. Yesterday morning it was the sound of my wife’s alarm clock, indicating [...]

June 10th, 2009 | Tags: alarm clock, blog tour, Blogging, Books, Day Job, death, Freelance, friends, funeral, GNHosting, Internet, living, marketing, Obituary, promotion, Reading, Website, world tour, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Fiction, Freelance, Internet, Interviews, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: ChelseaMclean.com

I spent most of yesterday trying to lift myself out of a lag. My back was sore, my eyes tired, and I just felt like lying down and never looking at another computer screen ever again. But, STELLA won’t sell itself so it’s on with the show and on with the promotion wagon!
The weather [...]

June 9th, 2009 | Tags: Appolo Con, biography, blog tour, Books, e-books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, funeral, Interview, marketing, Michelle Miles, Music, promotion, Publishing and Marketing, Rubina Ali, Sage Cohen, Slumdog Millionaire, Stella, The Specials, tired, Weather, websites | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Editorial Comment, Fiction, Interviews, Music, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing Process | Comments (2)

Image: Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic

I had a great time over at Lori Widmer’s blog, Words on the Page, yesterday. Lori hosted the first stop of my STELLA Blog Tour, and it was a whole lot of fun! Why not pop back and have a read if you missed it?
One downside to immersing myself in the promotion cycle [...]

June 6th, 2009 | Tags: beer, blog tour, Books, Clark's Bar, Day Job, death, e-book, family and friends, Fiction, Lori Widmer, marketing, promotion, Publishing and Marketing, Words on the Page, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Editorial Comment, Family, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Publishing and Marketing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: johndavis.co.uk

The blog tour for STELLA kicks off loud and proud today, with my first stop over at Words on the Page. My host today is the fantastic Lori Widmer, so please pop over to her site and have a good scout about (after you’ve read my article!)
I did the first of two presentations to [...]

June 5th, 2009 | Tags: ballot paper, blog tour, Books, Boris Johnson, Day Job, e-books, elections, Lori Widmer, marketing, Mayor of London, podcasts, Politics, promotion, voting, Words on the Page | Category: Day Job, Politics, Publishing and Marketing, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (2)

Image: Hitchster

When I typed the words, “I have a book coming out this week” in yesterday’s blog post, something happened inside me – I got my first blast of nerves. It’s gone away now that the promo merry-go-round has begun, but I find I get excited about it in waves instead. I suspect when the [...]

June 2nd, 2009 | Tags: blog tour, book marketing, computers, friends, GDR, I.T., media, Netbook, photographer, Photography, press, promotion, Samsung NC10, Stella, writers | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, I.T., Internet, Photography, Publishing and Marketing, Writing Process | Comments (2)

Image: Me

Anyone who lives or was visiting any part of the British Isles over the past two days, will know it is no understatement when I say the weather has been nothing short of Mediterranean. Even today as I sit in my squalid office, I look outside and once again the skies are blue and [...]

June 1st, 2009 | Tags: Baccara Burning, back garden, blog tour, Books, e-books, Edinburgh Marathon, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, gardening, GDR's, hot weather, Leith, marketing, newsletter, promotion, Rabbits, Reading, relaxing, Stella, sun, sun bathing, Walking, Writing | Category: Animals, Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Fiction, Publishing and Marketing, Writing | Comments (3)