Nicky Bond's Blog, page 38

Festive Viewing, Part One...

Well done, folks, We've made it to November! Memories of the oppressive Summer heat have finally faded and now not an evening goes by without my thighs being insulated by an IKEA blanket. Let's crack on with some cheery festive fun for the next couple of months, ensuring the Christmas glow remains high. Obviously the Christmas glow is significantly dimmed once the stress kicks in. Presents, food, airbeds, siblings, shops, queues, no money, and pressure. All that will come. That's why it's imp...

Calculating My Entreatments AKA Book Pricing Headaches...

Polonius' wisdom is rarely out of my head, and this week is no exception. As I tell myself to 'set my entreatments at a higher rate', I'm reminded this doesn't only apply to being firm in my dealings with Hamlet, but could also determine the price at which I set my new book. I should keep my stock high! I should value my worth! But like Ophelia - with an overbearing father and a boyfriend with his own daddy-issues - it's all a bit much to deal with. Yes, that Shakespearian literary...

To Be (veggie) Or Not To Be (veggie)...

According to one of my early readers, my new book Leeza McAuliffe Has Something To Say (coming soon!) is a great advert for vegetarianism. This wasn’t my intention. I made the McAuliffe family vegetarian to show how ten year old Leeza lives with rules imposed by her parents. These are rules that she's started to question and rebel against. This could have taken the form of any ideology, I just happened to make it about meat. 
Even though I'm not a big meat eater, I don’t see mys...

Doctor...Who?

I know. It only took me 
fifty-five years to want to watch.The big news for all Whovians, is that two episodes into series eleven, I am now one of you. I am a Doctor Who fan. Thank you for welcoming me to your gang. The phrase, 'better late than never,' springs to mind. Obviously the thrill of a whiff of equality got me on board. But aside from ideology, the BBC trailers that teased the build up to Jodie Whittaker's Doctor debut, made the whole shebang look jolly and fun. It was...

Deadline, Schmeadline...

A couple of years ago, I read an article about publishing. It explained there were strategic times in the year that specific genres of book were released. (Self-Help comes out in January. Beach reads are July/August. That kind of thing.) I've searched the internet long and hard to find the article, but to no avail. Instead, let me rehash what my vague memory can cobble together. Sorry for pissing all over the Harvard referencing system. As cited words go, this isn't ideal. 

SpongeBob's s...

Creative Juices and Last Night's Pasta...

It's ten past nine in the morning. I got out of bed thirty minutes ago, and I'm sitting in my kitchen. I'm wearing the pyjamas I slept in, and I can see remnants of last night's tea dried on the leg. I'll be spending the next six hours in here. Me and my laptop, with regular cups of tea. By this afternoon, I'll have done writing, editing, and preparation for the book that is due soon. I'll also have looked into space a lot, done the Guardian crossword, and forced myself away from Twitter at r...

Dear Universe...

I've been thinking a lot about cosmic ordering this week. You? No? Fair enough.


Actual satellite footage.
(Not really.)I only know the phrase because of Noel Edmonds. A few years ago, he wrote a book called  Positively Happy about how - and I'm massively paraphrasing here - the secret of happiness is to ask the universe for the things you want, and then stand back and wait for them to be given to you. And they will, because the universe will respond to your energy. In this article, N...

Echo Chamber Angst...

I'm trying to make peace with my echo chamber. This is not, as you might think, a reference to my lady-bits, but to the online influences that fill my life. Basically, it's Twitter, folks.*

The first three people I followed in 2009. When I joined Twitter, I loved that I could follow famous people that I liked. I could get their take on all sorts of things, whether that be the news of the day, or the food they were eating that very moment. Back then, in 2009, the most prolific tweeters I f...

Back to School With an Oomph...

A big fat sorry to teachers everywhere but LORDY I'm glad it's September. 

On second thoughts, apologies to school-attendees of all ages who've dreaded the start of this, the ninth month; watching their freedom dwindle as the days have passed by. Basic skills such as waking before ten or holding a borrowed ballpoint, have been lost. A dead writing arm from the shock of re-use is a real condition. The giddy thrill of the last day of term is a distant memory. The party is over.

He doesn't fe...

A Week in the Life...

Exciting things have happened since last I wrote. No, not Coca Cola buying Costa - although I'm intrigued to see whether it'll have an adverse effect on my high street office and the work I do there - but other exciting, marvellous things. In the past week...

A teaser...My Newsletter Came Out
Now, steady yourselves. If your inbox did not receive my end-of-month missive, it's because you're not a subscriber to this blog. If you were, you'll have caught up on all my official August engagements an...