Dane Cobain's Blog, page 9

Why I Love Documentaries

I feel like I already wrote this article, but I can’t find it anywhere and so perhaps it was a dream. Either way, here are a few of my thoughts on why documentaries are awesome.

Documentaries are great because they’re a passive form of learning that allows you to pick up some stuff while you’re just having fun. I mean what’s the alternative, reality TV?

I’m a passive consumer of a lot of content. My television is right next to my three monitors, and I’m usually sitting in front of them and working on something. I’m a big multitasker and I hate working in silence, so I almost always have either Spotify, Netflix or YouTube on.

I don’t listen to as much music as I used to what with one thing and another, and when I spend time on YouTube it’s a much less passive experience. I’ve been participating more and more in the BookTube community and so half the time, it’s my friends up there on the screen and so I like to pay a little more attention. It’s nice to leave a thoughtful comment – and then to get thoughtful comments from them in return. Plus I get a mention every now and then where I’ve made a recommendation or where someone refers to a chat that we had, which is always nice.

Documentaries, then, are something that I have on in the background when I’m working on my books. You’d be surprised how much you can pick up from crime documentaries, and you’d be surprised at how much of that you can then use when you’re working on a cozy detective story. But equally, I like learning about drug smugglers, the war, corrupt companies…you name it, I’ll watch it. The nature documentaries are good too, although I usually save them until just before I go to bed.

In fact, I like watching documentaries so much that it’s my go-to category when I run out of stuff on my watch later list on Netflix. But that rarely happens.

I think watching documentaries is a good call whether you’re a writer or not, but I think writers and creative types in particular can get a lot out of them. You can have them on in the background when you’re working on something or even just give them your full attention when you’re relaxing at the end of the day. There’s always something new to learn and the inspiration you get can be invaluable.

So go forth, people of the internet, and watch some documentaries. It’s almost as good as picking up a non-fiction book!

New Recording: Hello Lover

Hi, folks! Today, I wanted to let you know about a new song of mine which I recorded and shared to my Soundcloud. I actually wrote it a couple of moths ago but didn’t get around to recording it until recently, when I changed my guitar strings and liked the way they sounded.

You can listen to the song in the player below or click here to check it out on my Soundcloud. I was planning on turning it into a music video as well, but I think I’m going to put that on hold for now. Still, you can also check out some of those on YouTube if you so desire.

 

 

I’m actually running out of songs to record and so I’m hoping to write a few more new ones in the coming weeks. Be sure to give me a follow on Soundcloud and to subscribe to my YouTube channel for further updates.

In the meantime, thanks as always for following me and be sure to head back soon for more news and stuff. I’m also releasing daily videos about books over on my YouTube channel and you don’t want to miss those. They’re pretty fun.

My Life in Books

I’m not sure what you’d call this. Is it a ramble? Is it an announcement? Is it a blog? Or is it perhaps all three of them?

Whatever it is, today I wanted to take some time to talk about a new project that I’ve started work on. As you might have guessed from the title of this article, it’s got the working title of My Life in Books, and it’s basically a memoir that I’m planning about my life as a writer and reviewer.

Of course, a lot of that will be told through the books that I’ve written and the books that I’ve read along the way. It will also include stories about the authors that I’ve known and met along the way. It actually turns out that the books that I’ve read and the circumstances in which I’ve read them do a pretty good job of telling the story of my life.

I have no idea whether anybody will be interested in it, but I figure that it’s important to me and at the same time, it’ll be interesting in and of itself for each of the authors who are mentioned along the way. I’ve also been on my fair share of adventures like when I went to York Literature Festival for SocialBookshelves.com and when I sat on the shadow panel for the Young Writer of the Year Award.

It’s a project I’ll be working on throughout 2018, but it’s unlikely it’ll be edited or released until 2019 and beyond. There’s also a lot more of my story to come, I hope. Still, I wanted to give you the heads up. I’ll do my best to keep you updated!

Out Now: Driven by Dane Cobain

Hi, folks! Today is an exciting day for me today because it’s the launch day for Driven, my brand new detective novel! Read on to find out more about the book and to learn how you can support it and how you can grab yourself a copy.

 

Dane Cobain – Driven

 

Meet private detective James Leipfold, computer whizzkid Maile O’Hara and good-natured cop Jack Cholmondeley in the first book of the Leipfold series.

A car strikes in the middle of the night and a young actress lies dead in the road. The police force thinks it’s an accident, but Maile and Leipfold aren’t so sure.

Putting their differences aside, and brought together by a shared love of crosswords and busting bad guys, Maile and Leipfold investigate. But not all is as it seems, as they soon find out to their peril…

 

Dane Cobain – Driven

 

Driven is out now and available in both paperback and ebook formats from Amazon and other retailers, so please do click here to grab your copy. Every single sale helps me to keep releasing new books and to reach more potential readers. Reviews help, too!

In the meantime, thanks so much for all of your support and be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for further updates. I’ll see you soon!

Why I Love Charity Shops

I love charity shops. I mean, I really love them. In fact, I’m writing after a day spent hunting for bargains in which I picked up 39 new books and two Game of Thrones mugs from a combination of charity shops and discount stores.

Charity shops are great because they sell books so cheaply that they pretty much give them away. Even the most expensive charge £2 per book, and many charge 50p per book or lower, which means you can get a ton of books at a cheap price.

You couldn’t get books that cheap online because someone still has to pay for the postage, but charity shops generally have more books than they can ever hope to shift and they want people to take them away. At the same time, when you make a purchase from a charity shop, you’re also helping to fund their work.

Books are expensive these days, especially if you buy them brand new, but charity shops offer a great option for people who are shopping on a budget. In my town, there are at least a half dozen charity shops to look around, and so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something. Like I said, in my case, I found 39.

So if you haven’t been into a charity shop, give it a try. You never know, you might just find yourself a bargain. And if you’re having a sort out through your stuff, consider donating what you don’t need. That’s what I do with the books that I DNF. That way, someone else can pick it up at a bargain price and help to support a charity while they’re at it. Everybody wins!

Why You Should Come to Spoken Word Night

Okay, perhaps I’m a little biased here. After all, I’m talking about an event that I host myself. Still, I appreciate that not everyone lives near me, and I still think it’s a good idea to seek out your nearest spoken word night and to go along to read out some of your work.

Reading your work aloud helps you to look at it in a different way, and you’ll have noticed that if you’ve ever written something and then read it aloud to yourself, but reading it to a live audience is like taking that to the next level.

That’s because every word counts, and when a live audience has its eyes on you it forces you to reevaluate every single sentence. You think about it as you go and come up with all sorts of minor tweaks that you can make to further tighten up the story.

 

 

Another big advantage is that you can gauge people’s reactions. Quite often, you’ll find people laughing at bits that weren’t supposed to be funny while any parts that were supposed to be funny fall flat on their face. At the same time, if you find yourself skipping over a paragraph or two during the reading then it begs the question of why it’s there in the first place.

You’re also exposed to all sorts of other talent. So if you’re a poet, you might find yourself talking to novelists, songwriters and stand up comedians. You can learn things from each other and from each other’s performances. You can also network and find new opportunities for collaborations.

I could go on and on, but I have a book to edit and I ought to get back to it. I also have some notes to prep for my next spoken word night. You should come along sometime. Every second Sunday at the Rose and Crown here in High Wycombe. I’ll see you there.

Writing 12k+ words in 24 hours as part of Angela Hart’s WordsOnThePageAThon!

Hi, folks! Today, I just wanted to share a quick update to let you know that I took part in WordsOnThePageAthon, which is a 24 hour writing marathon organised by fellow author Angela Hart. You can click here to find out more about it.

I had some rewrites to finish on Netflix and Kill, the sequel to my upcoming detective novel Driven, and I also wanted to crack on with the first draft of an upcoming book of mine called Meat. I also write a song, some flash fiction and some poetry, as well as updating my journal and writing an article for LinkedIn.

 

 

As if that wasn’t enough, I also filmed what I could for my YouTube channel and you can watch it in the player above. I think it came out pretty well, even if I am still recovering from the lack of sleep.

Angela hosts WordsOnThePageAthon several times throughout the year, so be sure to check her out on Twitter and YouTube or to click here to learn more about it. I’ll probably take part in the next one so be sure to let me know if you’re up for it and I’ll try to keep you updated!

In the meantime, thanks as always for stopping by and be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for further updates. I’ll see you soon!

Why I Love My Google Home Mini

This isn’t a sponsored post – although it might sound like it at first glance. No, the truth is just that I recently bought a Google Home Mini and I can’t stop using it. It’s incredible.

Forget the fact that it now means I can control the TVs in my house with my voice or play music from its speakers from my Spotify account without moving a muscle. The real benefit comes in the way that it allows me to ask questions like “How old is Dustin Hoffman?” while I’m pottering around in my house trying to keep it clean and tidy.

I ask questions all of the time, those little questions that pass across my mind but which I would normally have forgotten. It’s mostly trivial stuff, but it’s those marginal gains that help you to make the most of your time as much as possible. Now I can learn stuff while I’m pottering around and doing the washing up. I can also set reminders that will be delivered to my phone at a time of my choosing, which is making me a hell of a lot less forgetful.

I’m not saying that I could live without it, because that would be a lie. But what I will say is that I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in my general productivity since I got it, and that’s really all I can ask for. Not bad for £35. Now I guess we just wait and see if I’m still using it as much in three months’ time.

Meet James Leipfold!

Hi, folks! I’ve got something a little bit different for you today because I thought I’d introduce you to James Leipfold, the protagonist of my upcoming detective novel, Driven. I don’t always put a huge amount of effort into planning out individual characters but in this case, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Because of that, I created a character sheet and even found a few representative photos from a modelling agency, and I thought that the time was right to share it. You can meet James Leipfold below or click here to support my Thunderclap, which will basically help me to raise awareness of the book on launch day. Thanks as always for your support!

 

 

Age: 44

Height: 5’6

Weight: 160 lbs

Bio: James is relatively short for a guy, and is somewhat stocky – he has short legs and a big chest, blue eyes and spiky ginger hair, with a receding hairline. He has worry lines on his forehead and is almost always frowning – he rarely smiles and almost never laughs. He’s usually clean shaven, unless he’s fallen off the wagon, and he wears a three-piece suit with no tie and his top button pen.

He has a dark past full of secrets, which show in his haunted expression. After serving a stint in jail for vehicular manslaughter due to accidentally killing a child whilst driving home from the pub, he lost his job on the police force and became a private investigation. He also swore off the booze, though he did it with outside help. He’s also ex-army, though he doesn’t like to talk about it.

Plans for 2018 and beyond!

Hi, folks! Dane here, and today I’ve got something a little different. As it’s coming up to the end of the year and it’s the kind of thing that one does, I thought I’d take a look at the year ahead and share a few of my plans for it.

I guess the first thing to mention is the launch of Driven, my upcoming detective novel. That’s due for release on Saturday 27th January 2018 and you can get involved by clicking here to support my Thunderclap or signing up to mailing list for updates!

I’ll also be helping a client to publish a book that I’ve been ghostwriting for them and that will be dropping in early 2018, so that’s very exciting, too.

 

Dane Cobain – Driven

 

After that, I’m far from finished. I’m hoping to have another poetry book out at some point in 2018 because the current one is two thirds complete, and I also have a couple more books in the Leipfold series that are ready to go into editing with Pam Elise Harris, my editor. I started and finished both of those books this year, so that’s something.

On top of that, I’m a good 45,000 words into Meat, my novel that’s set on a factory farm. I’m hoping to finish that around March/April time to leave me the rest of the year free to work on some other projects. I have a few ideas about what I’ll probably be working on, but I can’t share that just yet. Maybe later.

Then there are all sorts of other cool projects, like Scarlet Sins, a collection of short stories and songs, and a project called Oceanus which I literally have no idea what to do with. Rest assured, though, that I’m probably going to do something…

I have lots of other cool stuff up my sleeve, of course, but I don’t want to keep you for too long. Rest assured though that while 2017 has been a year of getting my foundations in place, 2018 is going to be an exciting year full of new books and new stuff! In the meantime, be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for further information and to sign up to my mailing list for more. I’ll see you soon!