Freedom From The Mundane

Image: Unknown

Deary me, yesterday was long and tiring. If you haven’t already heard my new book, SILLY POEMS FOR WEE PEOPLE VOL.2 was made available to the public at large, which for me involved much PR work and marketing-related tasks. I’m still trying to gather up some interviews and hot spots, but the bulk of [...]

April 3rd, 2010 | Tags: book, book launch, daughter, Easter Friday, Family, Fiction, marketing, plotting, PR, Publishing and Marketing, school holidays, Silly Poems for Wee People Vol.2, teenager, Writing | Category: Animals, Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Fiction, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a comment

Image: Eternal Press

OFFICIAL NOTICE: STELLA is now an officially released book!!
Wayhey! It’s been a few years in the coming but at last, finally, I have another major fiction publication to add to my literary C.V. Here’s hoping STELLA sells well and leads me onto bigger and better things. When I think how this book [...]

June 7th, 2009 | Tags: 5k run, book, book launch, book now available, buy Stella, Cancer Research, CDs, death, e-book, Eternal Press, friends, funeral, Glasgow Green, launch party, marketing, Music, new ideas, promotion, published, Stella | Category: Books, Music, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: Life.com

One of the managers in another department has been giving us hassle over getting some software installed and configured quick-sharp. It’s led to much debate and juggling of people’s already hectic schedules. So today I took a look. It took me a good couple of hours but I discovered the software was already installed [...]

May 29th, 2009 | Tags: blog tour, book, book reviews, city girls, Day Job, e-book, feather in cap, guest author, marketing, Michelle Miles, promotion, Publishing and Marketing, romance author, Stella, summer, Weather, Website | Category: Books, Day Job, Internet, Publishing and Marketing | Comments (1)

Image: Sage Cohen

As promised, I’m proud to welcome Sage Cohen to Freedom from the Mundane in what is the first special event of its kind I’ve had on this blog.
Sage is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009) and the poetry collection Like the [...]

April 8th, 2009 | Tags: book, Interview, Poetry, Sage Cohen, Writing the Life Poetic | Category: Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading | Comments (7)

Image: foundphotoslj

When I got up this morning I was a happy chappy; cheerful, enjoying life, and with everything to look forward to. By the time I made it into the day job I was severely pissed off with life, in a bad mood, and not looking forward to much of anything.
And all because of Lothian [...]

February 12th, 2009 | Tags: book, Canonmills, Day Job, Disappearing London, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Editing, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Leith, Lothian Buses, Madness, policy, Publishing and Marketing, Ranfurly Review, snow, Submissions, Suggs, Travel, Weather | Category: Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Editorial Comment, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Travel, Writing Process | Leave a comment

Image: Foxypar4

I’ve been thinking about my NaNoWriMo effort last month, and the reasons why I never managed it. Compared to previous years I didn’t enjoy the experience this time – not because I never made 50k – I never made the 50k was because I wasn’t enjoying it.
This morning I feel able to continue work [...]

December 1st, 2008 | Tags: book, deadlines, Fiction, GDR, NaNoWriMo, novel, Scotland, St Andrew's Day, Writing | Category: Editorial Comment, Fiction, Scotland, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

I read the first four chapters of Rankin’s new novel last night, and I’ve got to say it’s brilliant – even before all the juicy stuff begins. For all those critics that say Rankin is a one-character man, they should get themselves a copy of Doors Open because it’s thoroughly engaging.
I met Gail at lunchtime [...]

October 1st, 2008 | Tags: and Bevvy, book, clothes, Danny De Vito, drink, education, Fiona Hyslop, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Garden Lobby, Gurjit Singh, Holyrood, Ian Rankin, Jack McConnell, novel, NUS, Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, Shopping | Category: Editorial Comment, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Music, Politics, Scotland, Writing | Comments (4)