Phil Rowlands's Blog, page 4

How Do You Climb Your Mountain?

Bernard Cornwall has described writing a book as akin to climbing a mountain. Apparently he gets so far, looks back, sees a better route, retraces his footsteps and begins again. I certainly identify with this analogy even if I never get to the summit anywhere near as many times as he has done. One of his preferred tactics is to throw his main character into a situation in the first chapter and see what happens. A bit like real life really
How do you approach writing a book? Are you methodical and organised or do you lean towards Bernard Cornwall's trial and error method? One thing I must mention about Bernard Cromwell's approach is that at least he knows where he wants to end up. In the case of his current novel a particularly significant historical event, the Battle of Poitiers. As Yogi Berra once memorably said,

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
 

I think I know what he was trying to say!
Ben Kane, another successful historical novelist takes the opposite view. It has to be said that this was the result of bitter experience when engaged on his second novel which required a major rewrite. Now he plans his work out chapter by chapter.

El Doctorow used this striking analogy.

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

 A meeting I had with that remarkable Welsh artist Nicholas Evans many years ago perhaps best illustrates my particular attitude to writing.

Nicholas Evans began painting when he was in his late sixties. In his obituary in The Guardian newspaper Peter Wakelin wrote:

The art world dreams of discovering the genuine original: the self-made, solitary visionary. In 1978 it found one in the railwayman and painter Nicholas Evans, who has died aged 97.
 

I was afforded the tremendous privilege of being invited by the artist to view a painting he was currently working on. Something, his daughter Rona told me, he had never done before.  We talked and I asked how he planned out his striking paintings. He told me he didn't. They were already there. He simply approached the blank canvas and began to paint and they appeared.

Now I understand what he meant. Although he was a painter bordering on genius and I am a simple storyteller our ideas flowed from within straight onto canvas or paper. In fact Nicholas Evans rarely painted on canvas. He order his material direct from the local hardware store! His wife, particularly unimpressed by his late brush with fame, told me, "I wouldn't mind so much if he'd paint the house!"

Each writer and artist must find his own way. In the end it doesn't really matter how you reach the summit. What really matters is that your writing flows from within. That the route you take is your own. That it is you and not what you believe others want you to be.

**************************** Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community
An experiment in creating a community of readers.

Last week our theme was school assemblies. Thanks to Eiry Rees Thomas for her contribution. I would love to know who the noted academic was but she won't tell me!

"It's an early memory actually and happened at our village junior school where we had a gathering twice weekly before lessons for prayers:
A male classmate, as it transpired, had been desperate to use the outside lavvies, but felt obliged to wait. The appropriate sound alerted us to the fact, wherby the teacher in charge of such things switched to sniff mode and made her way towards the row where I stood next to my embarrased classmate. She wore bangles on one arm from wrist to almost elbow level. These jangled in the silence and I felt rooted to the spot, lest she chose the wrong perpetrator.
The 'culprit' was ceremoniously directed to the lavvies, head bowed and blushing. Such a thing would never happen these days, thankfully.
I'm so pleased that my classmate rose through the ranks to become a prominent academic."
 

 This week our theme is Games.
Are there games you once played that seem to have been lost. We'd love to hear about them. Why not join our community and take part in the experiment that will hopefully provide us with a template we can all work from.

"It had been a sunny day in late September and the conker season was already in full swing. Billy and Ross Tudor, encircled by an expectant crowd of children, were eying each other warily. Hector and Achilles preparing for battle before the glistening walls of Troy could not have been studied with more eager anticipation. What Billy remembered most about that morning however was the communal gasp of astonishment that greeted one of the rarest events ever witnessed at Valleys County Primary School."

From Chapter 13: The Great Conker Conflict


 You can find our community on Google+

Click on the image to visit and join.
 

Next Week: Countdown To Launch.

What A Plonker!

In the immortal words of Del Boy "What a plonker!" If you are wondering who I'm talking about wonder no longer, to quote Miss Piggy, "It's moi!". By the middle of last week I was feeling really despondant. I thought my idea of exploring the possibility of using the Google+ Community feature to create a generic template all others can use to do the same thing (a la G.H.Gaines)was one that some of you might find worth considering. Apparently not. While my good friend Eiry and Mickey Peluso both supported the idea they didn't actually join the Community. What had I done wrong?

If you want people to come to your party you have to send them an invite right? For some reason my invites were not sent. I looked up Google+ Help, which I find a bit techie to be truthful, and eventually arrived at this solution. It may be the way you want to go also.

I discovered that if you have a Google+ Page that Page can create its own Community.
If you haven't got a Google+ Page it's easy enough to create one. I decided to opt for my Kindle Authors Page as it encompassed writers in general and not one specific genre.

Next I created a Community - all the links for creating communities and pages are on the left hand side. It's a very simple process. Just make sure when you are creating your Community you select whether you want it to be available to everyone or just a select group as this cannot be changed afterwards.

At the last count the Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community has 13 members. I am starting to feel better already!

There is little point in establishing a community if you do not engage with your members and encourage them to engage with each other. Keeping in mind our primary purpose is to promote our book. How do we start?

IDENTIFY POINTS OF CONTACT - As Billy and The Pit of Shadows has a child as its central character there are potentially many common themes we can explore from within the story.
School Assemblies. School TripsPlayground GamesBullyingSchools and Teachers.Relatives I loved.Childhood MythsSubjects I Hated etc.Friends I RememberThere is enough common ground there to hopefully inspire engagement and involvement. Although you are essentially promoting your book you are also helping to create a dynamic community that you will genuinely enjoy being part of for its own sake.

We have all suffered, endured or enjoyed school assemblies at one time or another. Chapter Two of Billy and The Pit of Shadows is entitled The Best Assembly Ever. This affords me the opportunity to showcase some of my work and get other members involved. First I post the chapter to the community and ask them to post an account of a particular memorable school assembly for whatever reason.

Eiry, bless her, has already emailed an account of what must have been an excruciatingly embarassing experience for one child. Once she has joined the Community Eiry can post it direct. Later I will also showcase some of the posts on this blog.

There are other ways we can engage and we shall consider and develop these over the coming weeks. So if you have not already joined Billy and The Pit of Shadows why not pop over to Kindle Authors and accept the invite? I look forward to welcoming you.

"Billy stooped down, picked up a handful of gravel and flung it at Nan's window. It clattered against the glass echoing down the narrow street. Billy half expected to see the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come charging wildly out of the night just like the Visiting Speaker had told them in assembly. Lots of children complained of nightmares for weeks after. Mr Meredith didn't ask him back, which disappointed Billy. It had been much better than normal assemblies, especially when Kayleigh Williams started to cry."

From Chapter Two: The Best Assembly Ever

The complete chapter is now available in the Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community.

Next Week we consider how we go about planning our novels. 

 

Create Your Own Community.

I know I keep banging on about it like a drummer from a punk band but independent authors simply have to promote their own work. How, is the problem. There are so many ways a writer can dissipate his/her time for very little reward that could have been spent on our primary function of writing. Some of the promotional activities can also be costly and largely ineffective. Time spent writing never is, as that is how we develop our craft.
 
Sadly, if you want to make a living and get yourself noticed you have to promote. Last week we took a look at teaser videos that don't have to be hi tech to be very effective. This week let's consider a new opportunity being afforded by Google+ that we can turn to our advantage - the Google+ Community. I believe this feature has enormous potential for the writer.
 
Ok, so what is a Google+ Community and what opportunities does it offer?
 
First let's look at Google's definition of a community:

"Google+ communities are places for people to get together and talk about the interests that they share."
 

  Joining a community is easy. Simply click on the community icon and a list of communities that have already been created will come up.  I have already joined several that are of interest to me. I also wanted to see how others organise the communities they have created and what they did to engage with members. For authors wanting to build a readership the key word is engagement.
 
If we can engage effectively with a potential readership while in the process of writing our book think how powerful a motivational force that can be. Dickens wrote his novels almost as 'soaps' with an engaged fan base just waiting for the next episode. He didn't simply sit down and decide to write a classic. So that's one possible way we have thought of already - what about offering our book to our community in instalments. First of course we have to create an engaged community!
We may be jumping ahead of ourselves a little. One of the communities I joined recently was Indie Readers and Writers. The trouble with these kind of communities and forums is that they  can often be overwhelmed by people who use them simply to promote their own work and not to engage in any sort of meaningful way with other members. "But", you may ask, "isn't that what you said we must do, promote our work?" TRUE! Unfortunately blatant self-promotion can often be a complete turn off. Following the example of W.H Gaines I decided to create a community for my book 'Billy and The Pit of Shadows'. Obviously creating a community for your book will not initially attract as many members as would a more generic title but it has the advantage of :Being up front about your intentions Forcing you to be more innovative in engaging your membership in a meaningful way.Is more manageable and enables your community to grow as you write your book.Creating a community is the easy part. Click on the communities icon and a page like this will appear giving you the opportunity to Join or Create a community.
You need to give some thought about how you will engage your community as this will be the key as to whether your community will thrive or shrivel.

Billy and The Pit of Shadows is a paranormal adventure for children of all ages set in the South Wales Valleys. The main character Billy is nine years old. One of the first things I did was identify points of contacts within the story that people might genuinely find interesting because they can relate to it themselves. You must genuinely seek and want interaction with your members.

For example one chapter is set around a school assembly. This affords me the opportunity to engage my community by asking if they can remember any assemblies that stand out in their memories for whatever reason. The most embarrassing, boring, funniest etc. The point is I genuinely want to hear about them so I can feature them on my blog. Hopefully I will be able to provide more ideas as I wrestle with the task of creating a vibrant and involved community.

IMHO there is no point in seeking members if you do not have a plan of engagement mapped out. Once you have it is time to start inviting members to the community. Invite friends form Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and, wait for it. . . your blog. This is where YOU get the invite to join. If I am going to conduct a meaningful exercise in assessing the potential of Google+ communities as a promotional tool for authors I need your involvement.

What does this entail:
Join the community.Interact and respond to initiatives. e.g the school assembly.Give feedback and suggestions.Together we can create a model that can become an effective promotional tool for everyone.
I will send you an invite to join Billy and The Pit of Shadows community and look forward to engaging with you. Sincere thanks in anticipation of your co-operation.One word of warning. The only danger in creating a community around your book is that if it's not that well written or it doesn't grab the reader then the exercise will be counter productive. But it's probably better to discover that sooner rather than later!
 

 
 

Be A Tease And Get Yourself Noticed

Let me be clear from the outset. I HAVE NOT wandered into the fifty shades of definitely grey areas populated by E L James wannabees. Nor is this blog adopting a Page 3 feature. But let me ask you one thing, "Did the picture attract your attention?" The honest answer is probably YES although the reactions will definitely embrace more than fifty shades. One very important technique every author can learn from the picture is  the art of being able to tease your potential readers into becoming fans. I am not suggesting we insert similar pictures of ourselves on the back cover. In my case that would be like trying to attract vegetarians to McDonalds. What we need to do is learn the art of teasing our potential audience in wanting to know more. We all know the critical importance of having a first paragraph that attracts attention. Something like, "Jack stood in the sparsely populated supermarket cafeteria contemplating the best way to kill his mother. He eventually settled on a stake through the heart swiftly followed by a generous sprinkling of holy water. Rose would happily minister the water, holy or otherwise. "  From 'The Lift' - You can read the full story in the first edition of ETO. Available March 1st (See what I did there?) There is also the art of using 'the snippet' to arouse interest just as Chris Keil did for his contribution to the first edition of ETO: 

It turned out Jack was a movie producer, semi-retired. We traded a few names. He thought he’d met Hugo, probably at an awards evening. Adrienne had moved over to the glass wall, leaning against it, staring out into the colonnaded terrace. She turned, aware that I was watching her, catching my eye and smiling.
“And Jimbo?” Jack said. “Jimbo Johnson?” I shook my head.
“I don’t think so.”
“A legend,” Jack said. “You should look him up, tell him I sent you.” He gestured at Adrienne and she refilled our glasses. “Come to that, I’ll be talking to him this week, I could ask him down, the two of you could meet.”
“I’m going to fuck your wife,” I said to Jack, breathing the words into the rim of my glass, the champagne effervescing under my nose like the onset of laughter.
© chris keil 2013

 When I read this I wanted to know what happened next. Then I wished I'd written it myself! I did ask Chris if I could use it the next time I went to my local pub. He graciously consented. I did explain I would have to substitute 'semi retired hobbler' for 'movie producer' and 'lager' for 'chamapagne' as well as make bloody sure the hobbler in question  didn't hear me! But there are other ways to entice readers to you book. What about a teaser trailer you see when you go to the movies? YouTube is a great social media tool for getting a simple video out there. It doesn't have to be all computer generated images as I learnt this week from G.H.Gaines. he has show that this type of teaser marketing is accessible to everyone who has something to offer. G.H. writes in the Science Fiction genre. His video really gripped me and made me want to read more. And you know what? There isn't a single picture in it. You can view it here.G.H. has also established a Google Community for his book. Yet another way of gathering potential customers even before your book is written. 

  APOLOGIES TO ALL SCIENCE FICTION AUTHORS
Getting a magazine up and running is more work than I realised. The Science Fiction post is therefore going to be postponed until March when I can give the many excellent independent Sci Fi authors the time their work deserves,

Don't Look Back In Anger

A BIG THANKYOU to everyone who offered me support after Twitter clipped my too enthusiastically flapping wings! They accepted my explanation and have reinstated my account Phil_Rowlands. I can now look forward to the launch of ETO while still being able to offer what support I can to independent authors everywhere. If any reader knows of indie authors who have created their own niche magazines please let me know and I'll feature them on this blog in the future.

First a belated look back at the services and apps on offer that I've tried and reviewed this year.
Let's start with the positives. Here are some of the posts that might be well worth revisiting:


How To Get Yourself Listed As A Kindle Author On Amazon - Most of you may know how to get listed as a Kindle author already but if you don't this post will show you how.


Get Animated On YouTube - How to use GoAnimate as a great promotional tool for your book especially when you use it in harness with youTube.





Life Saving Software - Tekline Publishing's extremely useful software to help you format you book for the Kindle. Comes with free cover designer.




Get Yourself Heard - Great free tool for creating an audio book.




Google+ And Google Authorship - Get Your Face Out There - First of a 2 part blog about Google Authorship.






Get Yourself Covered- This is something no author can afford to ignore. Do so at your peril.









 Picture It! Kindle Format 8 Has Landed - I'm a big fan of this resource which allows you to create illustrated fiction and non fiction publications for Kindle.


KindleGraph -Author Please Sign My eBook - A really cool tool that allows enables digital authors to sign their books on request. 
Google+ Events - A Great Tool For Authors. - Another reason why Google+ is a great place for authors.
Those are just some of the positives. Now for the not so positive.

Pay With A Tweet - I am not totally convinced at just how effective this app is. I need more feedback. If anyone has tried to obtain a free copy of Google+ eXplosion from this blog using Pay With A Tweet I would appreciate your feedback. Only one person gave mean and that was totally negative.

The other service I am not going to mention by name. I didn't actually blog about but tried it to promote my book 'A Christmas Carol Revisited.' It was a PR News Release Service that was a total waste of money. I would have done far better using the free PR services available on the web. Be warned!


Now For A Completely New Feature . . . "PRODUCTS YOU MAY FIND REALLY USEFUL . . "I have not personally tried this products but it is reasonably priced, around $37, and may well be a very good investment.

THIS WEEK: The Ultimate eBook Creator -Takes the angst out of Kindle/Nook/EPUB formatting.




Click Here!To Learn More. Well worth a peek!



Thanks to those of you who were very supportive when my Twitter account got suspended. You ensured there was no need for me to start the year looking back in anger! They included:

Tony Riches A famous chess game brought to life, with a whole country for the board and each piece a very real person with hopes and fears, strengths - and weaknesses...

QUEEN SACRIFICE
10th Century Wales is a country divided, with the kingdom of the south becoming Saxon and the north violently defending the old ways. The inevitable civil war is brutal and savage in this tale of divided loyalty and revenge, treachery and love.

Kings and queens battle for control of the country, with wealth and glory for the victor and death and ruin for the loser. The bishops of Wales struggle to keep the faith while knights and war lords turn events to advantage and the lives of ordinary people are changed forever by the conflict.

Queen Sacrifice is also a legendary tactic in the ancient game of chess. Russian chess grand master Lakov Neishtadt describes the sacrifice of the queen for higher interests as "a source of continuing fascination for the chess novice and master alike."

The narrative faithfully follows EVERY move in the queen sacrifice game, known as "The Game of the Century" between Donald Byrne and 13-year-old Bobby Fischer in New York City on October 17th, 1956.

Debra Chapoton

SHELTERED
Living together unsupervised, five troubled teens confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways. Paranormal meets psycho meets Goth in this story of a supernatural haunting and budding love. High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts: the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him.

When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben. One by one strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens’ beliefs in the supernatural. How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

 Excerpts: There were two demons tormenting Chuck as he slid down the chute. They closed his ears, blinded his eyes, and stilled his vocal cords. They filled his thoughts with ridicule, contempt, and hatred. Their rage seethed with a pounding frenzy that held no relief for him until he hit the floor in his room and crumpled to a mental oblivion. Ben leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Megan’s lips, a tender kiss that wrapped around both their souls and made their talk of demons seem like nonsense. Nothing was real except this sweet moment.


Iron Fist (Author)


BATTLE FOR TARTARA

When Legend of the Tyrant was still a series without a title and clear direction there were three stories originally envisioned together and put on a paper within two weeks. The third one of them, Battle for Tartara, was as important as the previous two. While Paths of Civilization have set the tone and direction, Rise of the Tyrant explained the powers of the character, Battle for Tartara gave this series three very important details. All three of them will end up being crucial for the entire series. So what are the three details? They all deserved to be mentioned separately.

In almost all of my works prior to the third story in Legend of the Tyrant series female characters were literary non-existent. So, I'm not saying they were marginalized, just mere side kicks, or given less page time. I'm saying they did not exist. Why was that, you may ask? Well, I must admit I wasn't sure if I was capable of writing a viable female character, so I just avoided adding one to my stories. All that changed with Aella, a teenager from a poverty stricken family, with a special talent for writing poems. Aella is the second major character in the series, and appears in eight out of ten stories. Her importance grows as the series progress and reaches the climax in the last story.

Aella's appearance in the series comes after I decided on another major decision for the series. That decision being that all battles in the series will come in a poetic form. I think I regretted this decision several times since the spring of 2012. The logic behind the decision was flawless. What is the better way to romanticize the conquers and the conquerors than the poems? There is no better way to do it. In my case if a poem comes without being forced, it comes out great. If I needed to force it out... well that's why I regretted my decision sometimes. In some cases I also simplified the poems and make them less abstract. That decision of course may or may not be well received because complex battle scenes require much longer poems than the ones included in the series. Bear in mind that all of the stories within the set are less than ten pages long.

The third detail this story will be remembered as, is the first mentioning of the series' title. Officially, it is Aella that suggests to the Tyrant to record all of her poems under one collective title, that title being Legend of the Tyrant. In retrospect I believe no other title can come close to that one in any meaningful way.

Battle for Tartara is a simple story that was easy to write. I just followed the historical pattern a tyrant rises to power. That pattern played well with the overall goal of the main character. Battle for Tartara synopsis:

The Tyrant arrives at Tartara, the planet of endless dark pits, ruled by the Tar Lords and their king, Hengist. The Tyrant assesses the circumstances and devises a plan to defeat Hengist. But before any plan is put in motion, the Tyrant must find a poet whose poems will immortalize his battles.

 
Gaynor Madoc Leonard


THE CAMARTHEN UNDERGROUND

A humorous and whimsical spy novel written by Welsh-born author Gaynor Madoc Leonard. The ancient market town of Carmarthen has become a hub of Welsh Intelligence, a sophisticated organisation whose officers are dedicated to the protection of Wales and its people from ruthless predators who are determined to undermine the country, its language and its culture.Show More Show Less
Once again guys thanks for your support.

DON'T FORGET WE ARE ACCEPTING SHORT STORY SUBMISSIONS FOR ETO - DIGITAL COPIES ONLY - FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE.

POST SUBMISSIONS TO philiprowlands@ymail.com

 

 

HELP! I've Been Detweeted!

If you are a regular or casual visitor to this blog you will know it has one primary function - to support other independent authors. Maybe you are one of the many writers I have featured this year. You may even have found some of my advice helpful. The fact is NOW I NEED YOUR HELP.

Twitter has suspended my account and with it obviously the names of all the authors and writers who were also Followers. This means my future plans to feature many more of you as we explore various genres have been suppered - for now.

Science Fiction was the next genre I intended focusing on but now all the names of the relevant authors have disappeared back into the Twitosphere from whence they came. It would be a great help if you could follow me once again by clicking the @ETO_Wales button to the right.

If you read last week's blog you will know that ETO is a new magazine for Welsh writers, Welsh based writers and writers who have a love or connection with Wales. Because it is very much a niche area I winkled out some Welsh Twitter authors and was apparently over zealous in contacting them. Although they were happy to be informed Twitter took a dim view and despatched me to the naughty corner.

I understand the need to protect from spammers who either want to help enlarge various areas of our anatomies or reduce others. However this blog has always sought to be constructive and supportive of other Twitter uses. Isn't that what real communities are supposed to be about? Just check my previous posts if you need confirmation.

This blog will continue to support Indie authors from all over the planet so please do not be put off by the @ETO_Wales tag. It would be a tremendous expression of community if you would refollow and if you have any friends who are authors, established or aspiring, encourage them to follow too and help give me my wings back.

A big THANK YOU in anticipation.

Phil Rowlands

Announcing ETO - A New Platform For Welsh Writers

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WELSH WRITERS.



Wales is justly proud of its literary heritage from the savage poetry of the Gododdin to the genius of Dylan’s craft or sullen art. The very roots of our culture have been nourished and sustained down the centuries through the transcendant potency of the written word.

Poor we may have been in terms of material wealth but our communities were invariably warm and welcoming. Welsh communal life was frequently hard but always vibrant abounding with choral and dramatic societies rich in native talent that helped enrich the lives of many.

In today’s technological world where some communities have fallen into almost terminal decline the written word retains its ancient power and potency to inspire and motivate. It is still the primary means by which individuals and nations give expression to their identity and voice to their dreams.

That is why we are proud and excited to announce the launch of a Welsh based magazine designed specifically to provide a platform for established, new and aspiring Welsh writers.
ETO will be launched on March 1st.

ETO will become a voice for writers with Welsh roots and a place where emerging Welsh talent is given the opportunity to reveal itself to the world alongside respected authors with established reputations..

ETO aims to become an aspirational community of writers whose mission is to inspire future generations of authors with a voice distinct to their time who will leave their own unique legacy of time and place. Our focus therefore is mainly on short stories but we will also consider poetry and hope to include the work of one photographer per issue.

ETO seeks to embrace writers who are Welsh, based in Wales, have Welsh roots or simply harbour a love of Wales and all things Welsh. Those of you who would like to be considered for publication please forward your submissions to the following email addresses as attachments.
philiprowlands@ymail.com
americymru@gmail.com
Advertising is also available on ETO. For more information contact the above.

Gaabriel Becket, Ceri Shaw and Phil Rowlands

As  writers ourselves we are tremendously excited at the prospect of working, through ETO, with new and established authors who have a love and a particular perspective of Wales. Allow Phil to leave you with his.


Father’s Song

 


They closed my old pit yesterday,
I heard my father say.
No future in it any more, too high a price to pay.
They’ve found gas in the North Sea we’re not needed anymore,
A way of life is changing boy we’ve all been shown the door.
He stood there on the picket line his features drawn and thin
And when the ‘blacklegs’ turned up he refused to let them in.
Your day is dead and over the politicians cry
And sent police to beat him down but still he would not die.
It was dust that took him in the end, the working miner’s curse.
It clogged his lungs and stole his breath and laid him in the earth.
And as we sang the hymns he loved and gathered round to pray
I knew there was still one thing they could never take away.
I felt it all around me, I saw it in men’s eyes,
I heard it in their voices, in every heartfelt sigh.
The spirit of a people, fierce proud and strong
And from somewhere deep within I knew theirs would be my song.

Phil Rowlands

Time To Take A Tip From JANUS

In case you didn't know Janus is not another celebrity spawned by Big Brother or the X Factor, he's actually an ancient Greek god. The month of January is named after the said god who actually is often referred to as 'the god of beginnings'. The fact that he is looking back as well as forward is significant. At this time of year that is exactly what most of us tend to do.

The New Year is often a time for personal reflection. A time to look back. A time that evokes memories and emotions, some welcome some not. A time for looking in the mirror of yesterday before gazing into the swirling mists of tomorrow. Janus seems to say before you embark on new beginnings look to the past for inspiration or motivation. Are there lessons we have learnt? Mistakes we are resolved to never make again? Opportunities we will no longer ignore? Bridges we need to build or burn?

The purpose of this blog has been to help and encourage indie authors in their lonely and sometimes agonising task. Just as women suffer in childbirth so does the writer committed to the process of creation. We also dream that our 'children' will make their mark in the literary world and while we dream we also fear for them and for ourselves. So if there is one solitary piece of advice I have found has served me well it is 'too thine own self be true'. Write what pleases you. Be unique. Find your own voice and others will listen.

  Next week I will look back at all the services, gizmos and methods I have mentioned in this blog over the year and give you an honest opinion of their worth. I sincerely hope you all had the Christmas you wished for.

Lets Hear It For The Teachers

In schools up and down the country there is a hive of activity underway. Stress levels are high and artistic tempraments strained to the breaking point as rehearsals for Christmas nativity plays and productions hit full swing. Headteachers and Prinicpals everywhere lock the office door, take refuge in darkened stockrooms or tinker with the photocopier as they vainly attempt to avoid harrassed staff and the inevitable post-production confrontations.

Every year, whether as a headteacher, parent or now grandparent, I never cease to marvel at the energy, talent and dedication displayed by teachers as they juggle their top heavy workloads and still manage to produce something special.

Inevitably there will be hiccups. As when the innkeeper magnanimously proclaimed there was plenty of room in the inn. Or the occasion when one of the shepherds drop-kicked the lamb into the audience and completely stole the show. One of my very favourite moments was when the three kings got lost in one of the adjacent classrooms and a search party had to be despatched while the angels waited impatiently in the wings. So, particularly at this time of year, lets hear it for the teachers!

Teaching has to be the most influential profession of all. For most of the year we entrust the most treasured possession we have into their care. We trust them with the future of our nation expecting them to be role models, mentors and inspirational guides. Often maligned and subjected to the dictates of politicians with their own personal agendas they persevere to do their best for the children in their charge. I have to smile when those in power pontificate that schools and teachers should have high aspirations for children and ensure they instill a 'can do' attitude. I agree they are absolute prerequisites for success but they seem to ignore their own advice when their favoured method of dealing with the teaching profession is to berate and set up structures that enable schools and children to be laboured as failures.

What has all this to do with writing? It is good to know that many teachers from diverse backgrounds are also authors or bloggers. Not only do they provide a very positive role model but they are also invariably inspirational individuals we hope our children are fortunate to come into contact with.

Below are just some of the teachers who have turned their hand to writing in various capacities. Some are retired, some have become full time authors and all come from very different backgrounds and write in a variety of genres. One thing they have in common is they deserve our warm appreciation so please click on their image and get to know the writer behind the teacher. You will not be disappointed!

Let's Hear It For The Teachers . . . No title Carol  Ekster   Shane Paceli Robin Woods Susan Breen Andrew Cowley Caroline Russell Rhys Chamberlain Patrick Egan Kimbo J Thomas Ross Claire Evans Megan Hands Daniel Kenyon C L Davies Greg Gagliardi Stephanie Thomas Stephen Ames Berry Barry Cooper Jules Carey Jane Freeman Cathy Czepiel James Vernon David Fleming Dicy McCullough   The featured image is borrowed from http://www.toybox.org.uk
When you buy Toybox Christmas cards you are helping street children in Latin America, and honouring the homeless child at the heart of the Christmas story

Over the next few weeks I am going to be very busy painting backdrops for nativity plays, standing in for Santa in several local schools and attending my grandson's various concerts. I have also been invited to New York as a guest of The City Bar Entertainments Committee who are sponsoring a concert reading of 'A Christmas Carol Revisited' for charity. Unfortunately I doubt if I will have the time (or money) to be able to attend. I will try and get another couple of posts out before Christmas but it will be difficult and I make no promises.
If you have any nativity stories please post them to me at phil@helpyourchildsucceed.com and I will feature them. THANKS

Ghost Stories - Are They In Decline?

Christmas is traditionally a time for sitting around a log fire and telling ghost stories. These days central heating has mostly replaced the log fire but what about the seasonal ghost story? Is that also going the same way? From my list of 3,763 Mutual Twitter Followers I could only find a handful prepared to tag their work as 'ghost stories'. Is this because the ghost story is seen as old hat or has this particular sub-genre been immersed in the ever growing Paranormal and Fantasy genre?
I'd be interested to know what you think.

I believe a well written ghost story can send shivers down the spine like nothing else. The imagination is probably the brain's most powerful attribute.The images that can be conjured in our mind by a creaking door or a flickering candle far surpass the most graphic description that can flow from a writers pen. That's why I find it so sad that when we think of great ghosts stories we invariable have to delve into the past.

M.R.James is one who immediately springs to mind as a master of the craft. As evidence of my claim you may wish to view Robert Powell's reading of 'The Mezzotint'.

 Hooked?If you are then here is Part 2.   If you enjoyed this story you might well want to read some of the stories that M.R. James himself found scary. They are: 1. "The Open Door" by Mrs Olliphant

2. "The Upper Berth" by F. Marion Crawford

3. "The Familiar" by Sheridan Le Fanu

4. "The Red Lodge" by H. R. Wakefield

5. "The White and the Black" by Erckmann-Chatrian

Two of my favourite ghost stories are Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' and W.W. Jacobs 'The Monkey's Paw'. If anyone has not read or seen an adaptation of Henry James 'The Turn of the Screw' where have you been? This is definitely a must read. More authors synonymous with ghost stories include many great names in the history of English literature:

Algernon Blackwood
Ambrose Bierce
Washington Irving
Shirley Jackson
Edgar Allan Poe
Edith Wharton

Where are the indie authors to take up this challenge?
Well, I've found a few.



No title Read A Ghost Story This Christmas Mardi Orlandi
 A Secret Society An Abandoned Church And a Shadow Brought together by their mysterious gifts, seven teenagers have been stranded in no-time by their Secret Society. In an abandoned church they find a gathering of ghosted orphans, trapped for over one hundred years. To free these ghosts they will need to discover each of their identities, and to do that, this group of misfits will need to face the secrets that have haunted their own lives. It is the only way they will survive. And time is running out. A haunting fantasy, Secrets of Ghosts will intrigue those of us who like to seek amongst the shadows.
Peter Shapiro Peter David Shapiro was born in Montreal, Canada, and emigrated to the US after completing graduate school at Stanford. Before writing his debut suspense novel, Ghosts on the Red Line, he toiled as a management consultant serving clients around the world. Harry West, his protagonist in Ghosts on the Red Line is by amazing coincidence also a consultant. Harry West also plays the leading role in The Trail of Money, the prequel to Ghosts on the Red Line, a suspense novel about money laundering and murder in Hong Kong that was released in October 2012.
Suzy Turner Adopted sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane are polar opposites, but when the same strange 'tattoo' suddenly appears and winds its way up their bodies within days of each other, they soon realize there's more to their relationship than they could ever have imagined.
Sent off to London for two weeks of 'work experience', the Morgan Sisters soon find themselves being initiated into the ancient Praxos Foundation, one that protects the innocent while fighting evil, both human and supernatural.
At the same time, Lana Beth and Emma Jane must also investigate why the sweet but sometimes pesky ghost of Josiah Grimshaw just won't leave them alone.
Douglas R CobbJoin the world's best-known and most beloved terrier/pterodactyl, Lily, her fourteen-year-old "owner," Celeste Quince, and the rest of PAWS (Private Army of Warrior Sleuths), Fuzzy Wally MacGee (a Chinese Crested/rhino), Lucy Marmoset Higgins (a Great Dane/orangutan), and Prince Alphonse Saed (a miniature dachsund/Mountain Lion) as they attempt to foil the latest plans of the scarlet Macaw Frankie Sinister and the Scarlet SNURFLES. The claim they want to develop an alternative energy source, but when the ghosts of Arkansas start disappearing from their favorite haunts, it looks like it's a case for Lily, Celeste, and PAWS. How can they say "No," when the request comes from the "Bandit Queen," the ghost of Belle Starr? Read about their exciting and often humorous sleuthing adventures as they travel throughout Arkansas encountering ghosts (both good and diabolically evil) ! Also, be sure to read the first book in the exciting new series, Lily, Unleashed!
William MeikleBetween 1878 and 1879 the small town of Amherst in Nova Scotia sees of one of the strangest cases of poltergeist activity in history.

A local girl, Esther Cox becomes the focus of night terrors, rappings, unexplained fires and more.

What is the cause of this outbreak of psychic disturbances? No one knows. But Esther has a secret. And that secret might just destroy her.
Dr Ann NylandAmy Stuart is a journalist and blogger for a paranormal magazine.
She doesn't wear black leather; she can't kick butt; she doesn't have supernatural powers.
But she does have one skill: while wearing shapewear and with her reading glasses perched on her nose, she can out-research the best of them, especially when her caffeine levels are high.
When sent to England to write articles on Sir Francis Dashwood's Hellfire Club, Amy uncovers a link between the alchemist Nicholas Flamel, the nineteenth century occultists and the Hellfire Caves which endangers her own life. Can her research skills save the world from at least one dastardly killer?
The Dashwood Haunting is the first book in the Amy Stuart Occult Mystery series. Ann SwannWhat do you do when a phantom needs your help?

A small plane crashes into Jase's backyard, and before long, he realizes the ghost of the pilot is haunting him. Jase needs help to rid himself of this supernatural visitor. When he sees his friend, Stevie, entering the town's legendary haunted house, he's certain she's the one who will have the answer to his problem. But will she help him? Would you? Phil Rowlands For media mogul Clinton Ebenezer Scrooge III this Christmas Eve will be unlike any other. He is about to embark on the most terrifying journey of his life. It is a journey in which he must confront a painful past before he can begin to right terrible wrongs, before he can know redemption. A journey that leads to a place he left long ago, a place where hope abandoned a lost child forever. Tonight Scrooge will discover that the past cannot be erased by power but is he prepared to pay the price demanded for his salvation?

Manhattan Plays Host to Contemporary Urban Adaption of Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.Adapted and published by Welsh writer, Philip Rowlands, ‘A Christmas Carol: Revisited’is set to make its debut concert reading in New York this December. Thrusting Ebenezer Scrooge into modern day Manhattan, could Rowlands’ adaption open a new chapter for this timeless classic?Tonypandy, Wales – Like all good things in life, the passage of times bring a need for change. Nobody believes this more than Welsh author Philip Rowlands, whose contemporary adaption of Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ is taking the literary world by storm. In fact, the story has been so popular that it is about to make its debut concert reading in New York City.‘A Christmas Carol Revisited’ takes Dickens’s original story and drops it into to modern-day Manhattan. Ironically, the story’s concert reading will take place in the same city, being performed at The House of the Bar on December 19thHowever, before making its impressive trip across the Atlantic, Rowlands’ adaptation enjoyed an abundance of home-grown success. The book was featured on BBC Radio Wales last November, being awarded a positive critique by radio host Roy Noble. As Rowlands explains, the positive feedback generated an urge to spread the word“Earlier this year I decided to email the secretaries of Charles Dickens Societies around the world. The most exciting of all the responses was the one received from The Entertainment Committee of the New York City Bar Association. They requested permission to sponsor a Concert Reading of my book, which has now been planned for this December,” he says.The performance is taking place on a one-off, non-commercial basis, with attendees being asked to voluntarily contribute something in a '5' denomination for a children's charity.Rowlands is delighted that his book is getting the attention and acclaim many feel it deserves, something he hopes Dickens himself would approve of.“I tried to consider what issues Dickens would have written about today, hence my decision to set the story in New York and not London. America has long since assumed the mantle once worn by the British Empire and has been at the heart of most of the major global events of the 21st Century,” he adds.Attention has even been garnered by noted figures in the literary world, including writer Nigel Crowle. He commented, “I thought it was very, very, good indeed. Phil put a new twist to it. It was great. .He's got some great imagery. . .fantastic. . . I loved it.”The Concert Reading of ‘A Christmas Carol: Revisited’ will take place at The House of the Bar on December 19th, Manhattan, New York City, between 18:00 – 20:00. To mark the event and in support of the children's charities involved FREE copies of A Christmas Carol Revisited will be available on AMAZON this December. PRESS RELEASE