Thursday 14 August 2014

Half my life is an act of revision.

Half my life is an act of revision.
- John Irving

I hope you liked DB Martin's press release about Patchwork man. I've read the book and cant wait for the second in the series! I recently read that you should blog little and often - actually I re-read this but conveniently it slipped my mind. As an author, keeping up with Social Media is hard work! I've not excelled myself this year, but I have nearly hit my target for twitter followers (admittedly it was a low target). 

So what have I been doing? Well I am noticing that as I get older I have less energy. I don't write as quick or as much as I used to and I get tired easily. All this in just a year - what else does age have in store for me? Do other people out tehre feel the same? I have also become addicted to Scandal. I'm only on series two, but it really is addictive. And...wait for it...I have nearly finished my grammar course. Can you tell the difference in this blog post? 

Well I am still to complete the punctuation section, but I think my writing has improved. Not bad for £60! Next is a course I found on line about FGM and honour killing! I think it'll come in handy for Chupplejeep. I have also nearly finished reading a book on Criminology and the first draft of Poison in The water is almost ready for review by Abingdon Writers! Yay! and my publishers!  This is good news because it means I can get stuck in to my next Chupplejeep Mystery: The Body in the Bath. 

So there you have it - a short and sweet blog post! Until next time, people. 

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Guest blog post for Patchwork Man by D. B Martin!



Introducing D. B Martin and her new novel: Patchwork Man! Todays guest blog post on the Coffee Stained Manuscript is a press release for DB Martin's new novel, Patchwork man. I have read this book so I can personally recommend it. Its complex, fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked! It is now available on Amazon.

 

This is Mockingbird for a new generation.

When Michael Gove championed the outlawing of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from the English GCSE curriculum, he claimed to be intent on ensuring ‘a more nationally centred syllabus’ of ‘works originally written in English’. But the message of the book still inspired novelist D.B. Martin to make Atticus Finch the idol of her fallen hero, English barrister Lawrence Juste, in the first of a pithy and compelling mystery trilogy dealing with deception, murder and blackmail masked by respectability and privilege.

With ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ being released as an e-book for the first time, the novel, ‘Patchwork Man’, now released by Martin follows in the wake of Harper Lee's classic by celebrating the principles of Atticus Finch in this very English contemporary fiction.

Patchwork Man is a psychological thriller as fast-paced as any of Dan Brown's, whilst evocatively recreating the chaotic and poignant childhood that has led Juste, the patchwork man himself, to chaos. Lawrence Juste is the QC with a conscience - privileged, reputable; perfect. But Lawrence hasn't always been who he is now. When he is glaringly in the public eye after his enigmatic wife is killed in an apparently random hit and run, he could do with his hidden past surfacing like a hole in the head. Unfortunately the past has a way of finding its way back to you, just like betrayal, and his dead wife has helpfully left him a sinister resume of his... 

Martin writes adult and YA fiction with a specific intent in mind. She says, ‘We learn through what we read. It explains the world to us, and helps us come to terms with the more difficult parts of it that we don’t know how to deal with. That’s particularly important for young people, struggling with issues of conscience versus peer pressure, but without the experience to base choices on.’

With Patchwork Man now released and its sequel Patchwork People following in September 2014, Martin obviously has a lot more to say in Harper Lee terms. And Lee's comment (headlined) about the eBook release of To Kill a Mockingbird equally applies to Martin's book.

Martin adds, ‘Harper Lee’s message was as much about prejudice versus principles as about finding the right way to deal with that. It was – and is – inspired.’

Martin's websites are www.debrahmartin.co.uk for adult fiction and www.lily-stuart.co.uk for YA fiction. If you'd like more information, to schedule an interview with D.B. Martin, or receive a review copy of the book, please e-mail info@debrahmartin.co.uk

Friday 1 August 2014

A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily...

A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. - Junot Diaz.

I came across the above post on Pinterest and it really struck a cord with me. I thought  I would share this with my fellow writers out there. I think it sums us up perfectly. And I say this as sales for Goa Traffic plummet. Was it something I said? I can't really see a reason for the steady drop in sales over the last couple of months. GT has been selling well for some time now so why the sudden drop? It could be because I'm not really doing much marketing and when I am I'm concentrating on The Bittersweet Vine. It could be because I have sold over 3000 copies and perhaps those who were gonna buy it bought it. Although that doesn't really make sense. Surely there is a stat somewhere saying there is a new Kindle reader every second. I should look into this. I should increase my time marketing. I really have done zilch this year. I should be doing a lot of things.

The good news is that I am nearly at the punctuation module of my grammar course! Hurrah! Perhaps hits on my blog will go up as well. The second good bit of news is that I completed my tax return. That is always a mission. This year it was surprisingly okay. The third bit of news (I'm not going to say good because it's so-so) is that I am more than half way in editing Poison in the Water. I have about 30,000 words to go and then it can be submitted to my publisher. I can't wait to get it done. Im hoping by the end of August it will be ready. A bit behind my original deadline but it will do.  I think Im getting better at the editing process as well. I am not finding it too much of a slog. Perhaps its because I'm setting myself more realistic deadlines and taking my time with it.

Care to share any editing tips?! Do so here or tweet me @marissadeluna