The hottest summer in modern European history is hopefully in our collective rear-view mirrors as August stutters to a cooler end with its customary mugginess, which is why I’ve spent the season writing a Nightmare Vacation about killer snowmen. You might remember the rough cut of Jingle Kills from February, when Britain had sub-zero temperatures. […]
I’m sure you know by now that I love bookish events and meeting readers, but like most authors I also crave writing without thinking about logistics! I’m looking forward to a summer break. August 1st will see my final event for a while: the Leamington Spa Book Extravaganza the the Royal Pump Rooms. It’s the same weekend […]
One year ago I launched the second Nightmare Vacations novel: Blood Point — an Irish escape becomes a Midsummer night’s terror. If you haven’t read it yet, the ebook of Blood Point will be 99p/¢ until Lughnasadh, the ancient Irish harvest festival on August 1st. You’ll have to read it to find out why this […]
That nail-biting moment has arrived when early reviews come in for Blood Point…and it’s a solid thumbs-up all round! Goodreads rates Blood Point at 4.86 as it heads towards the ebook launch on June 23rd. This is Midsummer’s Eve, when the Kinnitty Pyramid opens and unleashes hell on Earth. The heatwave across the UK and […]
Last week I closed up Book vs Film: a season of reviews comparing eight novels to their big-screen adaptations. The books won, but as the cliché goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination. The working title for this season of The Book Corner was “good book, shit film”. As group-sourced projects often go, not […]
The Book Corner season 5: Book vs film. Episode 8: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones The whimsical beauty of Hayao Miyazaki’s hit 2004 animation of Howl’s Moving Castle has eclipsed the clever fairytale of Diana Wynne Jones’s 1986 novel. Which one’s your favourite? The Book Corner The Book Corner is a regular break […]
The Book Corner season 5: Book vs film. Episode 7: The Colour Out Of Space by HP Lovecraft. Hold on to your sanity for 1927’s The Colour Out Of Space by HP Lovecraft, and its 2019 adaptation starring Nicolas Cage. The Book Corner The Book Corner is a regular break from critiquing for the writing […]
The Book Corner season 5: Book vs film. Episode 6: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Alice Sebold’s 2002 debut novel delivered a bold and uplifting take on a brutal child murder story. In 2009, The Lovely Bones became a film by Peter Jackson, but neither the critics nor the box office warmed to his […]
In January 2023 I set a goal of posting every week, which isn’t easy when you’re diverted as readily as I am. I managed about three posts a month and I’ll take that for a win. Nerd that I am, I thought I’d start the new year with my top five posts of 2023. Most […]
Most book reviewers do it to share their opinions. As a writer, I want to discover what I think about the craft so that I can improve. That’s where the Book Corner comes in. Book reviewers usually cover new releases and classics (because the algorithms love a classic). My selections are governed by the whims […]