Amanda

Dear Readers,

The Brent Street Haunting remains free on the Smashwords platform for a few days yet, so be sure to get your free copy.

My new novel Amanda is 31,101 words to date. I started this on the 11th of October and so I am pleased. The daily rate works out at 1240 words a day, written, typed up, and revised. In this way I can knock out a 75,000 word novel in about 10 - 11 weeks. In this way, taking into account the 2nd and 3rd revisions, I can publish 2 novels a year. This I will try my best to do.

For me writing is a passion. It is something I love doing. I work with people in my day job who are incredibly enthusiastic about what they do. The best advice anyone can give to a prospective university student is to pick a subject that you are enthusiastic about, that you really love. That way you will work hard and get a good degree. I envy people who work in a job that they are really in love with. As I say I watch such people with fascination. It must be amazing to be able to do something you love full time.

Still onwards and upwards. I enjoy my writing. I hate being idle. And I am blessed to be able to work and to write as well.

So we have two novels published. One in the can that will be published early next year (Duisburg). Amanda approaching half way to be published in the summer of 2014. And an idea for the 5th novel already suggesting itself. There's plenty of work. And that's the main thing.

Best wishes

Saul

Brent Street Free for a Limited Time

Readers,

The Brent Street Haunting is still available on Smashwords for a short time now as a free download. Then it will return to its retail price of $2.99. So take advantage. I expect early this week will be the time that the free offer ends.

Things move on. I am a writer and enjoy writing and looking forward to new stories rather than looking back and basking in past glories.

Amanda, my female psychopath story, is now up to 18k words. I am aiming it to be around 75k, so I hope to complete the draft around Christmas time.

I guess this is a story very much in tune with the spirit of the age. More than that, I like writing this sort of stuff. I am very much an adult readership writer.

So, on we go. Duisburg another adult thriller will be out first in the summer of 2014. Amanda will be out about this time next year. In between the publication of these two I will write another.

The most important thing, as ever, is the work.

Best wishes

Saul

The Brent Street Haunting out on Smashwords tomorrow

Readers,

The Brent Street Haunting is out on Smashwords tomorrow UK time 3pm.

This is an original story, a paranormal thriller of 75k words. As a promotional offer for this I intend to make it free for a few days. After that it will revert to its cover price of $2.99

So be sure to grab your free copy. You won't be disappointed.

Best wishes


Saul

The Brent Street Haunting out now on Amazon

Readers,

I have published The Brent Street Haunting today on Amazon. It is a little ahead of my intended publication on Smashwords which will be Saturday 19 October, but I see no harm in that.

I'll be blogging on Friday about the release to Smashwords.

So here is the link to the US Amazon site

http://amzn.to/16giT2s

And to the UK Amazon site


http://amzn.to/19Slc22

There's a reasonable preview available (to Chapter 9) so it's well worth a visit.

Today the word count to my new and fourth novel Amanda reached 4.6k. Pretty pleased with that since I only got the idea in my head last Thursday. I can see this taking over now till December/January time - about right for the 75k novel I think it will be.


Best wishes

Saul

Brent Street out this Saturday

Readers

Just a little update. I've finished the blurbs on Brent Street so everything is in place to publish on Saturday 19 October. I usually choose 3pm UK time and will do so again.

I will post in mid week about how I intend to market this book. So look out for that.

On the creativity front my attention has turned to my fourth novel Amanda. This features my female psychopathic killer whose other side can talk with the dead. This looks like its going to be an easy novel to write. I've made a good start. I have 6 chapters (3k words) already typed up and about another 1 - 1.5 k words in my note book.

I have a target of around 75k for Amanda so, by this rate I expect the story to be drafted early in the new year, at the latest end January. Whenever this journey is over, I will review and revise it immediately. Allow mid March to do this before putting it away for a good few months.

At that point I will then edit my third novel Duisburg (The Duisburg Star) twice. I have Summer 2014 in mind to release this. Hopefully July or early August.

So plenty to look forward to.

It's an amazing life creating these stories.

Best wishes

Saul

Brent Street Progress

Dear Readers

Yesterday I finished the final copy edit of my second novel The Brent Street Haunting. Today, I made up the Amazon Kindle file and the Smashwords file. With only a little bit more work to do on the blurbs publication of this story will be on the above platforms next Saturday 19 October.

With this story coming to an end and with my third novel drafted and in the can, my attention is now turning to my fourth novel, a paranormal thriller that takes its title from the female psychopath protagonist - Amanda.

I have the first four chapters of Amanda roughed out in a note book and will spend tomorrow committing these to Word. I have the fifth chapter in my head, so this will be scribbled out soon before typing up.

The focus of my writing is therefore moving towards writing Amanda over the winter.

My third novel Duisburg will lie untouched in the hard drive until Amanda is written, and then will be readied for publication in Spring/Summer 2014.

So plenty happening, but the next marquis day will be 19 October for the release of The Brent Street Haunting.

I'll be blogging about Brent Street in the coming week, including about the promotion I will launch on Smashwords to herald its arrival.

Best Wishes

Saul

Ideas

Readers,

I thought I'd share a little bit about ideas today

To write a story, be it short or novel length, you need an idea. The idea is the acorn from which the oak grows.

Sometimes ideas come suddenly. These are worth writing down. Always carry a scrap of paper in the back pocket of your jeans to capture these. On the other hand, you might have been thinking of something for months, years even. Quite a few ideas don't want to show their face, and need forcing out with blood sweat and tears. And I guess we all have that big idea in us that will kick start that expansive first work. Failing these, the internet is full of ideas. Choose one and give it a whirl.

So here are the ideas behind my novels to date:

The Prism (aka The Scorpian Visitant)

I wanted a teenage hoodlum to get the posh girl. So teenage arsonist Robbie Higgins was sent by evil sorcerer Morgan Digbone on a quest to recover the Death Stone of Izar with his snooty second cousin Louise Carlton. In their medieval destiny Robbie gets the girl, and then more than he can bargain for in the enigmatic Jade Finn. Love triangle, swords, sorcery and all.

The Brent Street Haunting (about to be published)

A true poltergeist haunting (or as true as a haunting can be) inspired this tale. It's 1953 and a family comprising granddad, teenaged grandson and granddaughter are beset by a throwing ghost. An African JuJu angle is reported in local press. But the biggest thing that attracted me to this yarn was the fate of the family's lodger...The latter inspired Evangeline Weekes - a truly wonderful creation.

Duisburg (or more likely The Duisburg Star) written and to be published Summer 2014

Simple idea here and one that I was thinking about for a few months in an effort to find something to better my short story Switch. Girl takes a photo on her mobile phone, but rather than capturing an image snares a ghost. Ghost goes on to wreak havoc. The photo was taken on the veranda of a haunted plantation house by beautiful young reporter Amy Simms - the rest is on my hard drive.

Amanda

The latest, which I have just started. A psychopath who kills her lovers. Nothing new in that. Some creepy crawlies do it for God's sake. Yet the other part of our girl's personality is Mandy. Mandy is a wonderful girl who can communicate with the dead through radio, TV etc., and thus makes a lucrative living as medium - the rest is about to be written over the winter.

Happy writing

Best wishes

Saul