C.C. Hogan's Blog, page 6

I am Powered by Indie

During October 2016, Amazon KDP, the publishing system aimed primarily at independent authors, has been running a promotion called Powered by Indie. The aim is to promote the world of the Indie Author and, probably, sell more books. So, this is just a short piece about what I like about being an indie author.

Dealing with Politics in Young Literature

When I wrote The Stink, which is set in North London in the seventies, I really couldn't tell a tale about people living then without confronting the political climate of the time. I am not talking about who was Prime Minister or what policies the main parties had, but the politics of the street and the culture; how we dealt with one another.

Politics doesn't have to be in books for kids, but when it is there in the environment, the writer should deal with it, not hide it away. Young people deserve better than pretending it doesn't happen.

Shadow Stalker - The Writing of a Serial

Author Renee Scattergood has announced Part Three of her wonderful Shadow Stalker series. It is available for pre-order now and is out in November.

But why has she written this story as a serial and made much of it free? In this guest post, Renee touches on the birth of Shadow Stalker and its release in serial form. Something many new authors may wish to consider doing.

A new idea and a new writing partner?

I am mulling over a new project that is in a completely different direction to any of my existing work. Not sure if it will happen, but if it does, it will be in collaboration with a very bright, interesting mind that I have recently got to know.

But what it is like to collaborate?

Setting up StyleWriter 4 for editing Novels

StyleWriter 4 is an add-in for Microsoft Word that analyses your document to help improve your writing style. I am currently evaluating it and am so far finding it useful, despite the odd bug.

However, out of the box, it can be an eyeful for the author who is more interested in the sentence and less interested in a huge pile of statistics. So, here is a short guide and some thoughts aimed at book authors.

Great Fantasy Giveaway - Everybody Wins

This is the easiest fantasy giveaway ever! Your chance to pick up fifteen fantasy titles FREE. All you have to do is sign up to one or more of these great fantasy author newsletters. For every newsletter you sign up to you will pick up that author's book completely free when the giveaway ends. Read on for more details.

Roslyn Gilmour Stripped Bare

It would seem that even when the characters in a story are safely distant in another dimension, they can still find their way into the mind and soul of the author; with or without permission. Perhaps this is the fault of the author; if you insist on creating a machine that allows your characters access to your head, maybe you should not be surprised when they use it. Isn't that right, Roslyn?

Shakespeare and the Fantasy Writer

As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death, I cannot help but think about how his writing and his approach to the human condition influenced fantasy writers around the world - including me!

Mary Anne Yarde Stripped Bare

The chill of an ancient world wraps around the fortress as the Mary Anne Yarde, author, lover of history, finds herself in the stark, unforgiving stones of Benwick Castle. A land of her own making, the setting of her novel, The Du Lac Chronicles, she now confronts the former King of Cerniw in a most unusual audience.

EM Kaplan Stripped Bare

Imagine the scene: A train station in the afternoon in some forgotten town in the USA. The café is quiet, the only sounds are a gentle muttering from an elderly couple and a chink-clink as an aproned waiter polishes the ancient, stained tea cups. A woman, displaying a qualified level nervousness, stands in the doorway and bites her lip.

The Author EM Kaplan is about to meet the character from her acclaimed mysteries; Miss Josie Tucker.