Rob Keeley's Blog, page 4
April 5, 2023
Three Things for Easter
Hi everyone, hope you're all well, feeling loved and surrounded by lovely books.
Just three things to say...
1. My new collection of short stories for middle-grade, The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories, is now available from Matador Books (Troubador Publishing Ltd) and all the usual online retailers. If you've read and enjoyed it, please leave a rating/review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
2. Thanks to everyone who has followed/friended me back on Goodreads. I have free review copies available (e-copies outside the UK) of all of my books for middle-grade, young adult and adult! So please get in touch if you'd like to review. I'm especially keen to hear from BookTubers. You can message me on Goodreads or email wordsmithrk (at) hotmail.co.uk.
3. I hope you all have a Happy Easter!
Love and best
Rob :) x
Just three things to say...
1. My new collection of short stories for middle-grade, The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories, is now available from Matador Books (Troubador Publishing Ltd) and all the usual online retailers. If you've read and enjoyed it, please leave a rating/review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
2. Thanks to everyone who has followed/friended me back on Goodreads. I have free review copies available (e-copies outside the UK) of all of my books for middle-grade, young adult and adult! So please get in touch if you'd like to review. I'm especially keen to hear from BookTubers. You can message me on Goodreads or email wordsmithrk (at) hotmail.co.uk.
3. I hope you all have a Happy Easter!
Love and best
Rob :) x
January 16, 2023
Book Jive Live
Hi all, just to let you know I will be performing Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! LIVE at Book Jive Live on Friday 27 January on Zoom between 7.00 and 8.30pm (UK time). In aid of BookTrust. It would be lovely to see some of my Goodreads friends there. Especially suitable for those with young families.
Tickets here:
https://www.wegottickets.com/event/56...
Tickets here:
https://www.wegottickets.com/event/56...
November 14, 2022
Festive Friars and Tales for Tweens
Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Lovely to see so many new friends following me on Goodreads. Hello to you all.
A few things you might like to know...
1. There's a special pre-Christmas price drop on my first novel for adults, the murder mystery Death At Friar's Inn. Get the eBook for just £1.99 from 14 November to 12 December. An ideal Christmas gift! Details and order links here:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
2. My new collection of short stories for middle-grade, The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories, is still available for pre-order. Ten tall tales for tweens - plus a bonus Christmas story! Order here:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
Cover coming soon!
3. You can help BBC Children in Need by bidding for a signed, personalised and personally mailed copy of The Treasure in the Tower. Lot 176. Available to UK readers only. But hurry - only 4 days to go!
https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/childreni...
Thanks all, and happy reading!
Rob x
A few things you might like to know...
1. There's a special pre-Christmas price drop on my first novel for adults, the murder mystery Death At Friar's Inn. Get the eBook for just £1.99 from 14 November to 12 December. An ideal Christmas gift! Details and order links here:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
2. My new collection of short stories for middle-grade, The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories, is still available for pre-order. Ten tall tales for tweens - plus a bonus Christmas story! Order here:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
Cover coming soon!
3. You can help BBC Children in Need by bidding for a signed, personalised and personally mailed copy of The Treasure in the Tower. Lot 176. Available to UK readers only. But hurry - only 4 days to go!
https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/childreni...
Thanks all, and happy reading!
Rob x
October 11, 2022
New MG book coming soon!
My new short story collection for the 8-12s, The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories, will be published by Matador Books (Troubador Publishing Ltd) in March 2023! Ten new stories for middle-grade, plus a bonus Christmas story! Includes ‘Guess What?’ shortlisted at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards, and two new Liam and Justin stories.
Pre-order now:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
More info soon, here and on my Twitter.
Pre-order now:
https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/...
More info soon, here and on my Twitter.
June 20, 2022
Guess What? shortlisted for Searchlight Award!
Great news, everyone!
My new children's short story 'Guess What?' has been shortlisted for the Best Short Story for Children or Young Adults at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards! My thanks to the judges for their lovely comments and congrats to all. Hoping to share this story before long!
View the competition results here:
https://www.searchlightawards.co.uk/b...
Here are a few of the judges' comments:
"It was clever, funny and original"
"It was beautifully crafted with pacey
dialogue"
"It came to a very
satisfying full circle at the end".
More soon at www.robkeeley.co.uk.
My new children's short story 'Guess What?' has been shortlisted for the Best Short Story for Children or Young Adults at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards! My thanks to the judges for their lovely comments and congrats to all. Hoping to share this story before long!
View the competition results here:
https://www.searchlightawards.co.uk/b...
Here are a few of the judges' comments:
"It was clever, funny and original"
"It was beautifully crafted with pacey
dialogue"
"It came to a very
satisfying full circle at the end".
More soon at www.robkeeley.co.uk.
May 11, 2022
Death and Sunflowers
Hi everyone, hope you're all fine, well and reading! Just to let my Goodreads friends (all 349 of you) know that I have free downloads of my new murder mystery Death At Friar's Inn available for review, if anyone would like to solve the mystery of who killed the Porter...
The other news is that I'll be live on Facebook on Monday May 16 at 6.30pm (UK time), taking part in the launch of a children's anthology to which I've contributed, Sunflowers and Nightingales, which is being sold in aid of various charities supporting the people of Ukraine. Details of the book are below, and the launch will be on Storymakers' Facebook page at @storymakerswritingclub.
https://saronti.com/book4ukraine/
Love to you all
Rob :)
The other news is that I'll be live on Facebook on Monday May 16 at 6.30pm (UK time), taking part in the launch of a children's anthology to which I've contributed, Sunflowers and Nightingales, which is being sold in aid of various charities supporting the people of Ukraine. Details of the book are below, and the launch will be on Storymakers' Facebook page at @storymakerswritingclub.
https://saronti.com/book4ukraine/
Love to you all
Rob :)
March 10, 2022
Death at Friar's Inn - part 2...
Hi everyone
Just to let you all know that Death At Friar's Inn is now available in eBook from retailers including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books and Google Play. If you've read and enjoyed my first novel for adults, please leave your reviews and ratings here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
Hope you enjoy accompanying Tom and Becca as they go on the trail of the Friar's Inn killer...
Just to let you all know that Death At Friar's Inn is now available in eBook from retailers including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books and Google Play. If you've read and enjoyed my first novel for adults, please leave your reviews and ratings here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
Hope you enjoy accompanying Tom and Becca as they go on the trail of the Friar's Inn killer...
February 10, 2022
Death at Friar's Inn
Got some exciting book news to share with you all...
Following demand from my Twitter followers, my first novel for adults will be published by Matador Books (Troubador Publishing Ltd) in eBook on 11 March! It's a murder mystery called Death At Friar's Inn. Read about it here:
https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/crim...
I'm hoping a paperback will follow at a later date.
Readers: come and help solve the mystery of who killed the Porter...
If anyone would like to review this when it's published, message me and we'll see about some free review copies...
Following demand from my Twitter followers, my first novel for adults will be published by Matador Books (Troubador Publishing Ltd) in eBook on 11 March! It's a murder mystery called Death At Friar's Inn. Read about it here:
https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/crim...
I'm hoping a paperback will follow at a later date.
Readers: come and help solve the mystery of who killed the Porter...
If anyone would like to review this when it's published, message me and we'll see about some free review copies...
December 13, 2021
Christmas giveaway
A Happy Christmas to all my readers!
I'm running a Christmas giveaway on my Twitter for schools and libraries - win FIVE free signed copies of my books (a selection) plus ONE free one-hour Zoom author workshop! TBA in January 2022. Teachers and librarians, to enter, simply follow me and like and retweet my pinned tweet. UK only. Deadline 31 December 2021 at noon, when I'll be picking a random winner from the retweets list. Good luck!
twitter.com/RobKeeleyAuthor
While you're there, check out @storywhispers - they're tweeting about the Spirits series this week.
I'm running a Christmas giveaway on my Twitter for schools and libraries - win FIVE free signed copies of my books (a selection) plus ONE free one-hour Zoom author workshop! TBA in January 2022. Teachers and librarians, to enter, simply follow me and like and retweet my pinned tweet. UK only. Deadline 31 December 2021 at noon, when I'll be picking a random winner from the retweets list. Good luck!
twitter.com/RobKeeleyAuthor
While you're there, check out @storywhispers - they're tweeting about the Spirits series this week.
October 7, 2021
Exclusive interview with Norah Blakedon
Something a bit different on my blog today – an exclusive interview with Norah Blakedon! Norah is an up-and-coming author and a former Creative Writing student of mine, who has recently had her first short fiction published and is now working on various projects including a modern-Gothic manuscript. So, over to Norah to tell us more...
Norah, welcome to the blog. First, tell us... How long have you been interested in writing?
For as long as I can remember. As a very young child, I loved to read, then write my own versions of fairy tales. English was always my favourite subject at school and all my efforts pretty much went into that subject only!
What made you want to turn professional, and share your work with a wider audience?
There’s something about a pen flowing across paper, and the words borne from the ink, that I find incredibly cathartic. After years of writing privately, I reached a point in my late thirties where I felt ready to share my work, and also to connect with other like-minded people. I signed up to a local Creative Writing group (run by yourself!) and really learnt from that. Small exercises to help keep my mind active and creative, along with mingling with others who loved to write, spurred me on. For me, there’s nothing better than getting lost in a world of fiction, I’d love for other people to feel that way about my stories.
Tell us about your first piece of flash fiction, published in Glittery Literary.
I continued on with short writing exercises because I found it challenging to write something cohesive and interesting in such a small number of words. As time went on, I started to enjoy the little pieces of flash fiction. After sharing a few stories with a couple of critique partners, I plucked up the courage to submit ‘The Night I Died’ to Glittery Literary, and was thrilled to receive a highly commended spot and feature in their second printed anthology. That competition was especially important to me as their profits go to UK charities.
Tell us about your other short story, published this week.
Having my first flash fiction recognised in Glittery Literary gave me the confidence to keep writing and keep submitting. In the last couple of weeks, I have been longlisted in Cranked Anvil, received another highly commended place in Glittery Literary’s third anthology and been published in Ellipsis Zine. The short story featured in the e-zine is called ‘Crystal Seasons’. It’s a symbolic piece weaving in friendship, sorrow and the crystals that bond the two characters.
Where do you find inspiration? And what keeps you focused as a writer?
My writing tends to be slice-of-life pieces, that I hope people find relatable. Most of my inspiration comes from my past, people I’ve known, my environment. I live by the coast, and I’m drawn to the river and nature, so most of my stories are inspired by my surroundings; the water seems to feature quite heavily. I have found a group of critique partners who I value immensely. I beta read for them and they return the favour. Having writing buddies, being part of the writing community (even in a small way) helps me stay focused and encourages me to use my time wisely. Writing, like any form of art, is highly subjective and being part of a writing group, especially when just starting out, is grounding. It reminds me that not everybody has to like a story, but when you find people who do, it feels magical. Critique partners have helped me improve as a writer, remain focused, and build my confidence.
What's next for Norah Blakedon?
It’s fair to say I truly have the writing bug now! I finished a manuscript earlier this year (that I started writing a few years ago). It has been through several beta readers and I was pleased with the feedback. I shelved the book for a while with the intention of coming back to it with a fresh, detached perspective, so I hope to revisit it before the year is out. I’m also about two thirds of the way through writing a modern-Gothic manuscript. I’d love to get that finished and in a position to be ready for beta readers early next year. And of course, I will keep on with the short stories, which I thoroughly enjoy, and will keep submitting.
I wish you success with all of that, Norah... and thanks for your time!
Find out more about Norah’s work here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099C3GNMP/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HHMMRJD
https://www.ellipsiszine.com/crystal-...
and don’t forget to leave a review!
Follow her on Twitter @NBlakedon
Norah, welcome to the blog. First, tell us... How long have you been interested in writing?
For as long as I can remember. As a very young child, I loved to read, then write my own versions of fairy tales. English was always my favourite subject at school and all my efforts pretty much went into that subject only!
What made you want to turn professional, and share your work with a wider audience?
There’s something about a pen flowing across paper, and the words borne from the ink, that I find incredibly cathartic. After years of writing privately, I reached a point in my late thirties where I felt ready to share my work, and also to connect with other like-minded people. I signed up to a local Creative Writing group (run by yourself!) and really learnt from that. Small exercises to help keep my mind active and creative, along with mingling with others who loved to write, spurred me on. For me, there’s nothing better than getting lost in a world of fiction, I’d love for other people to feel that way about my stories.
Tell us about your first piece of flash fiction, published in Glittery Literary.
I continued on with short writing exercises because I found it challenging to write something cohesive and interesting in such a small number of words. As time went on, I started to enjoy the little pieces of flash fiction. After sharing a few stories with a couple of critique partners, I plucked up the courage to submit ‘The Night I Died’ to Glittery Literary, and was thrilled to receive a highly commended spot and feature in their second printed anthology. That competition was especially important to me as their profits go to UK charities.
Tell us about your other short story, published this week.
Having my first flash fiction recognised in Glittery Literary gave me the confidence to keep writing and keep submitting. In the last couple of weeks, I have been longlisted in Cranked Anvil, received another highly commended place in Glittery Literary’s third anthology and been published in Ellipsis Zine. The short story featured in the e-zine is called ‘Crystal Seasons’. It’s a symbolic piece weaving in friendship, sorrow and the crystals that bond the two characters.
Where do you find inspiration? And what keeps you focused as a writer?
My writing tends to be slice-of-life pieces, that I hope people find relatable. Most of my inspiration comes from my past, people I’ve known, my environment. I live by the coast, and I’m drawn to the river and nature, so most of my stories are inspired by my surroundings; the water seems to feature quite heavily. I have found a group of critique partners who I value immensely. I beta read for them and they return the favour. Having writing buddies, being part of the writing community (even in a small way) helps me stay focused and encourages me to use my time wisely. Writing, like any form of art, is highly subjective and being part of a writing group, especially when just starting out, is grounding. It reminds me that not everybody has to like a story, but when you find people who do, it feels magical. Critique partners have helped me improve as a writer, remain focused, and build my confidence.
What's next for Norah Blakedon?
It’s fair to say I truly have the writing bug now! I finished a manuscript earlier this year (that I started writing a few years ago). It has been through several beta readers and I was pleased with the feedback. I shelved the book for a while with the intention of coming back to it with a fresh, detached perspective, so I hope to revisit it before the year is out. I’m also about two thirds of the way through writing a modern-Gothic manuscript. I’d love to get that finished and in a position to be ready for beta readers early next year. And of course, I will keep on with the short stories, which I thoroughly enjoy, and will keep submitting.
I wish you success with all of that, Norah... and thanks for your time!
Find out more about Norah’s work here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099C3GNMP/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HHMMRJD
https://www.ellipsiszine.com/crystal-...
and don’t forget to leave a review!
Follow her on Twitter @NBlakedon
