Graham Edwards's Blog, page 23

Ghostwriter Diaries – Advance Copy

I just received my first advance copy of the fantasy novelfor midde grade readers that I started writing back in December 2013. Apologies for the enigmatic photograph – becauseI wrote the bookunder pseudonym, I had to remove the gorgeously illustrated dust jacket in order to conceal my identity. I also wore dark glasses and a fake moustache, but you can’t see that in the picture.

Trust me, when the jacket’s on, itlooks beautiful.

The bookwill be published in a few weeks – an exciting prospect...

Another Interview with the Ghostwriter

I’ve finished another edit. I’ve submitted another manuscript. That means I’m two-thirds of the way through my current ghostwriting odyssey, with two novels ofa middle-grade fantasy trilogy completed and one to go. Book One is due to be publishedthis summer, with the sequels rolling out in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

When I finished Book One, I subjected myself to an interview with, er, myself, in an attempt to dig under the skin of a ghostwriter (do ghosts have skin?) and see what makes them...

Ghostwriter Diaries – Pitched

Hurrah! New ghostwriting pitch submitted, with 3,500 more words than were asked for in the brief. My client tells me they’re cool with the extra length, so at least I haven’t fallen at the first fence. Now Iwait for three or four weeks while they read all the submissions and decide who getsthe gig.

With the pitch out of the way, at least I can sit back and …

… carry on wrangling the other ghostwriting project into editorial shape. One deadline down, one to go. At this rate, I might just make...

Birotech – “Strange Cargo”

It’s a while since I’ve inflicted a new piece of birotech on you, dear reader. This latest drawing took me an hour, using the cheapest, nastiest ballpoint pen I could find, and appears to show some kind of strange containment apparatus disgorging an even stranger item of cargo.

I’ve no idea what that thing with the tentacles is but, fotunatelyfor all concerned, they appear tohave it under control.

Here’s a gallery of the work in progress:

Click to view slideshow.

Ghostwriter Diaries – A Whole New Pitch

Picture the scene. I’m up to my neck in the final edits on a novel, with just three weeks to go until the deadline. All systems are go. All cylinders are firing. The inside of my head resembles the Somme.

In the middle of the carnage, I get an email inviting me to pitch for a new ghostwriting assignment. The catch is, the deadline for the pitch submission is the same as the one I’m already working to. That’s bad enough but, deadline aside, the idea of committing to a whole new trilogy of nov...

Ghostwriter Diaries – Final Edit – 1

I’m two chapters into the final edit of the novel. That’s three hours work–that’s simultaneously backbreaking and meticulous, like trying to balance a house on your back while performing ballet.

Why so tricky? Because, while every note I’ve received from the editorial team is right on the money, what each onerequires me to do is unravel a tangledpiece of yarn from the blanket I’ve just spent months weaving, and stitch in a newone with a smooth, sure hand. And you know yarn. Pull out one thread...

Mike Batt’s “The Hunting of the Snark”

Rummaging through a forgotten drawer the other day, I dug out a dusty collection of ancient audio cassettes that hadn’t seen the light of day for years. Among them was a real oddment: a musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark, which tells the story of a motley ship’s crew who come ashore in a strange land, in search of a mysterious creature called – you guessed it – the Snark.

The true nature of the Snark is never revealed. At various stages we learn that t...

Ghostwriter Diaries – Another Final Edit

During the past few weeksI’ve enjoyeda welcome breakfrom my ghostwriting duties. The editorial team at the London office of my book packager client have been swarming over the final section of my first draft, peppering it with comments, suggestions and revisions. Now it’s landed back in my inbox, which means the time has come for me to dive into this particular manuscript for the final time.

And to realise that the “welcome break” was nothing more than the lull before the storm.

The final edit...

Taxing Dragons

You may recall, dear reader, my plans to create an e-book edition of my 1995 debutnovel, Dragoncharm. Sad to say thoseplans are notprogressing.No sooner do I find myself between ghostwriting assignemnts – and therefore with a window of opportunity during which I can turn my attention to less, er, ghostly things – than I’mfind myself face to face with the tax man.

Generally speaking, my relationship with the tax man is good. However, from 1 January 2015, new EU VAT rules mean that any business,...

On Cloud Atlas

The Cloud Atlas Journal of Graham Edwards

Having unfortunately missed the opportunity to view the kinematographic entertainment appellated Cloud Atlas at my local magic lantern house upon its initial theatrical release, I was most gratified when my dear spouse, Mrs E, graciously presented me with a DVD edition of said motion picture as a Yuletide gift.

It was with considerable anticipation that I reclined in the comfort of my drawing room to watch Cloud Atlas, and indeed the viewing experience...