Lockdown Stories: The Spaghetti Incident
Lockdown Stories: The Spaghetti Incident The Netherlands has gone into another full lockdown in the past week because of a resurgence of the virus. At first I was frustrated by this. For one thing it means going back to homeschooling my kids. However, out of the dark...
Around the World: Escape From Hong Kong
Around the World: Escape From Hong Kong In my previous post I detailed some of my experiences during my short stay in Hong Kong in October 2019. I mentioned that my timing for going there had perhaps not been wise. Even before I flew out from Amsterdam the news had...
Around the World: The Riots of Hong Kong
Around the World: The Riots of Hong Kong As a writer, the journeys I take are usually in my head. However, towards the end of 2019, I embarked on a physical journey. I went around the world one and a half times between October 2019 and March 2020. After which, the...
Going Postal: Why Delivering Mail Is Like Writing A Novel
Several months ago I took a part-time job to supplement my author activities. I am at the relative beginning of my publishing career and have not yet generated a stable income. Therefore, I became a postman. Apart from the financial aspect, it has also has proven to...
How (Not) To Write A Debut Novel
A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a writer slaved over a mechanical typewriter… He didn’t know it at the time but he was writing what would one day become his debut novel. The typewriter had been procured at the local market for the princely sum of...
How To Gain The Attention Of An Award-Winning Director
I’ll cut to the chase. Pitching to a director is relatively easy. You just walk up to them and introduce yourself. Having said that, preparing to act on your intentions is where the real trial lies. It is not dissimilar to the act of writing itself. You must swallow a...
How To Demolish A Community
At present I am an artist-in-residence in Bajesdorp, a small community in Amsterdam. However, perhaps not for very much longer. The community is facing a difficult future. The Dutch government has sold the land it stands on to a developer. In a few short months they...
How To Write A Witch’s Backstory
The City of Shades, the next novel in the Anaïs Blue series, has hit the bookshelves. Anaïs Blue is a teenage witch trapped in the body of a five-year-old. I have now written two full-length novels about her with a third gestating in first draft mode. The new story is...
Loreless Revisited: A Debut Novel One Year On
I published my debut novel, Loreless, just over a year ago. So much has happened since then. I have published two more books in the past year. The most recent release, the second novel in my series about a teenage witch trapped in the body of a five-year-old, is...
Did Marilyn Monroe Have Unfinished Business?
I recently published my third novel, the second in a series about a witch with a twist. In The Promptuary I introduce a gone, but not forgotten, twentieth century icon. I’m sure you have heard of Marilyn Monroe. Early on in the writing process I established a sort of...
How To Commemorate A Published Author’s First Anniversary
I have an anniversary. I have officially been a author/publisher for one year. A lot has changed in a year and I decided it’s time to take stock of it all. I have two books on the market. A third, closely followed by a fourth, are going to the presses in a...
How Transforming Into A Refugee Drives Creativity
I have spend just over two weeks as an artist in residence in Bajesdorp and the village keeps throwing up surprises. Not everyone here is an artist, but that does not mean they don’t do other inspiring things. I have learned that several members of the community are...
Celebrating Becoming An Artist In Residence
I’m not entirely certain becoming is the right word. In the case of the artist part, I am already one. I reside in a world of creativity. There you go. A statement I never thought I’d proclaim. I reside in artistry. A World on its End I have had a tumultuous time over...
A Change Is Better Than A Holiday
I’ve had a mammoth week of change. I moved house three times, went to a writers’ conference in Dublin and started a new life as an artist in residence. I’m exhausted, but happy. Some weeks are much better than others. Change beats holidays hands down. Ireland It was...
Going In Search Of Wonder Woman
For Father’s Day I wanted to do something with my kids. I decided to go to a movie. I wanted to see a specific movie which I had heard had touched people. We went to see Wonder Woman. The Cinema We went to what I consider Amsterdam’s best cinema. It is a masterpiece...
Pantsing Your Way To A Plot
To pants or to plot? That is the question. It does not really matter now. The main thing is I made it to the end of my third novel. I don’t know what it was, but getting to the end seemed like climbing Everest. Not that I have climbed Everest, but writing the novel...
Author Aloud: Chatting With Richard White And Stephen Pearl
I recently took part in a live author chat with writers Richard White and Stephen Pearl on Authors Write Aloud. It is the first time I have done a live streaming as an author. The entire experience was a lot of fun It also helped me gain further insight into how...
Mr. Lee And Tuk-tuk Number 3
Angkor Wat is one of many temples around Siem Reap—one of very many temples. We were tourists for a day. Mr. Lee was our tuk-tuk driver. He said he lived 10kms out of town and was trying constantly to get us to book him for more trips. I understand completely, it is...
The Trials Of Independent Author Time Management
I kind of lost the plot for a while (slight pun intended). I forgot to manage my time. I got caught up in the business of publishing. I have been obsessed with watching my sales rankings and trying to optimise my book’s descriptions, categories and...
Stream Of Consciousness And Writing At The Speed Of Light
I’m doing an experiment. I am trying to put as much down on the page as possible in the shortest amount of time. I am hoping it will also make sense and not be mindless dribble. A lot of the blogs I write use a technique called stream of consciousness. They are...
The Importance of Reader Opinion
As an independent author, where the online realm is my bread and butter, a reader’s opinion is crucial. Reviews on online stores are extremely important. They give other consumers a better impression of the books they are interested in. It’s called social proof. The...
First Live Author Interview: Chatting With Lisa White
This week I was interviewed by fellow independent author Lisa White. It is the first time I have put myself out there on film as an author. Not only do I think filming interviews like this helps an author to get more exposure to readers, it can also assist other...
The Promptuary: The Good Witch Anaïs Blue Volume 2
The Extraordinary Adventures Of The Good Witch Anaïs Blue. The Promptuary: The Good Witch Anaïs Blue Book 2 Starting Over Hi, it’s me again. Did you miss me? If you’re new to this tale you may want to go back and look at what happened earlier. For those...
Attempting to Dissect a Bad Review
I recently received a rather confronting review on Amazon about my novel Loreless. Some of it was positive, some bordering on an insult and, in part, outright scathing. At least that was how I read it and I feel compelled to react. As an author, I have been advised...
9 Great Flicks at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2017
Every year I travel to Rotterdam for their international film festival. There is always something inspiring to see. Writing is my passion and so is cinema. Nothing really beats images when you wish to convey a story. I was quite satisfied with my choices this year and... Is There A Secret Weapon For Writing Great Stories?
Recently I attended a free online writing course. It proposed to solve the common problems which most writers encounter. It also promised to increase writing productivity. It sounded like getting the keys to a secret weapon. Naturally, as a writer, I was inquisitive...
How To Make An Old Year New Again: Part 2
In part one of this post I looked back on my independent author experience up to now. My journey is not influenced by the ringing in of a so-called new year. Just as with the old year, in the new year I will be celebrating a growth and not a rebirth. I am aware my...
How To Make An Old Year New Again: Part 1
It’s the wrong way around. Old is not new. Every year we celebrate the so-called new year. It is not new at all, it is a year older. We should be celebrating a growth and not a rebirth. The commonly held idea is that we can make a new start with the beginning of...
Should Patti Smith have won the Nobel Prize?
A few months ago, in March of 2016, I saw Patti Smith perform for the first time. Before seeing her live show I knew her music but nothing about her background, nor anything about her real personality. I was both impressed and moved by her performance. At the Nobel...
How To Write A Really Big Story
I find myself in unknown territory. A year ago I started writing a story about a witch. It almost grew by itself. At some stage I decided the story had the potential to be bigger than just one book. This is when I realised I should write a series. I put the idea aside...
Taking Stock Of Where You Are As An Authorpreneur
Not that long ago I began writing in earnest. I plunged into it and along the way discovered I have a talent which had laid buried for most of my life. I made a change. I decided to pursue my creativity. It has opened doors for me. It has introduced me to a whole new...
The Real Life And Death Of A Fictional Character
Creating great fictional characters draws on all of a writer’s knowledge of mankind. Quite often a character is a conglomeration of people they have met in real life. Some people have a greater influence on the development of a character than others. Some leave a...
A Witching We Will Go: Time To Celebrate A New Novel
Very soon my second book, about a whole other witching world, will hit the stores. Even though I have been through the process once, it still feels like the first time. My writers journey started in earnest in July this year. At that stage I set up my own publishing...
Creating A New Kind Of Witch In An Alternative World
When I started writing Complicated Blue, a story about a witch, I focussed on creating an alternative version of the usual witching world. I didn’t want to write a story based on a medieval version of witchcraft. This may disappoint many readers who usually read this...
The Seed Which Grew Into A Novel
It all started about a year ago. The seed which grew into a novel. It fell in my lap, out of the sky. The idea came and I just went with it. Don’t think, write. Let it come. It seems to work best. Before I knew it, there it was. I had created an alternative world. A...
Dear Amazon: Exclusive versus Independent
Dear Amazon, It’s been a hoot, but I’ve done some soul searching and decided that I am doing my readers a disservice by abiding by your exclusivity agreement. A few months ago I started my first independent publishing venture with my book Loreless. At the time...
And Then What Happened to Billy?
Many of the readers of Loreless want more. They expect a sequel. They want to know what happens to Billy. My intention with the book was to encourage people to find out more about indigenous culture. However, readers seem to be more interested in the characters and...
Writing From An Indigenous Perspective: Part 2
The feeling that I didn’t have the right to write from an indigenous perspective was a major obstacle for me for a long time. It prevented me from finishing a musical around the original idea for Loreless. It held me back with writing the novel. No matter how many...
The Hell Ride To Get Books On The Shelves
I got there! Probably one of the hardest parts of distributing my book has been achieved. It was a hell of a ride, but well worth it. Last week I felt like I crossed yet another finishing line. There seem to be so many of them on the publishing journey. This time...
A Croatian, An Australian, And A Dutchman Walk Into A Studio
Locked together for a weekend in Sing Sing Studio, they discussed the state of world affairs, exchanged life experiences and shared personal insights. They listened intently to a songwriter screaming his lungs out and tried to formulate a cunning plan. After three...
Is Writers Block A Figment Of Your Imagination?
What is writers block? What is any form of creative block? Is it real or is it invented? I don’t know whether what I’m experiencing is a block. I only realised it when I wrote the title to this post. I gave it that name, but is it really what I think it is?...
The Self-Help Guide to Self-Help Gurus
Learning the ropes as an author and independent publisher involves gleaning information from all kinds of sources. Inevitably you are drawn into what the internet has to offer. There are thousands of experts and gurus out there who are more than willing to share their...
Perseverance Is Everything
I have been struggling. Perseverance is getting me down. Writing itself and being a dedicated author is not a problem. It’s more about coming to terms with finding an audience. Creating a novel is only part of my job as an author. I have to make sure others can...
Kakadu: Boating With Sharks, Crocodiles and Wisdom
Going on a river cruise in Australia’s Kakadu National Park is quite unlike any other cruise you are likely to undertake. You won’t come across many places in the world where you find yourself sitting in a boot which is floating on waters teeming with crocodiles...
A Publishing Aftermath and a New Beginning
A couple of weeks ago I published my first book. I sent Loreless out into the world. To use a well-worn cliche, it was a baptism of fire. Now in the aftermath I realise I am at the beginning once again. For months and months I had no fear. I was convinced of what I...
Adventures Of A Writer In The Wild
I’m sitting here alone. A writer in the wild. On a Wednesday morning I share a big wooden table with a group of writers. It is located in a yoga centre in a small side street in the old part of Amsterdam. Usually there are several of us scribbling on block pads or...
Fairies and Tantrums: What Happened The Day Before The Launch
About a week ago everything changed, again. I sent my book Loreless out into the world. To use a well-worn cliché, it was a baptism of fire. On the morning preceding publishing day I wrote down my thoughts. Now they make interesting reading. Escaping with words I...
A Book Begins Its Journey
Twenty years of garnering knowledge, and four years of writing and learning to become a publisher, have led me to this point. A book on the market. I know it’s not the done thing, but if you need something to entertain your eyes, go buy a book. Preferably...
Being Unemployed Is Hard Work
I’m not unemployed. It’s not true. In fact I’m constantly employed. I write. I make music. I run two bands. I do historical research and take courses in marketing. I maintain a website. I blog. I soak up every snippet of information on writing that I can find. I am a...Discover a part of Australia you never imagined existed.
Read Loreless
Do you like stories about witches? Ghosts? Powerful entities? You must meet Anaïs Blue.
