How to Discover the Best Books

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With over 188,000 books published in the UK each year and over 275,000 in the US, it can be hard to find the best books on any particular subject and that’s where sites like Shepherd.com can help.

Using book recommendations from writers who are knowledgeable on certain themes or periods of history, Shepherd.com helps direct readers to make informed choices about their next big read.

With reference to my psychological thriller I Came to Find a Girl, I contributed a list entitled: the best books about the aftermath of sexual assault and you can find it here.

Doubt is Good

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Cartoon - Doubt

Doubt: a feeling of uncertainty, an undecided mind, is an inevitable part of the creative process. Make friends with doubt. It can lead to major improvements in any creative project.

Slush Pile Blues

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cartoon-slush pile blues

Singing the Slush Pile Blues – with apologies to the late, great Robert Johnson.

 

My Life as a Bench – ‘A strange, beautiful, sad book … you won’t have read anything like it before’ A Bookish Musician 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

Hide that First Draft

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cartoon-jam-jar

‘The first draft is just you telling yourself the story,’ according to Terry Pratchett. Ernest Hemingway said, ‘The first draft of anything is shit.’ While Stephen King believes a first draft ‘should take no more than three months’.

Call Yourself a Writer?

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cartoon-writer-cut-in-half

Writers are people who write. It’s got nothing to do with being published by a traditional trade publisher, an independent press or self-published.

my_life_as_a_bench_lowres

 

‘Insanely unique and beautiful, questioning what actually happens to us when we die. I cannot recommend this book enough’ Purple Bookstand

Available from Amazon US and Amazon UK etc.

Equal Reviews for Women Authors

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cartoon-pussyRiot

At last night’s Bafta TV awards there was a call for equal representation for actresses (ERA 50:50). Women make up half the population and should be equally visible in the media. Similarly, women authors get a bum deal in the book pages of the mainstream media, as shown above in my brief survey. Bottom of the class was the Evening Standard, the Sunday Times was slightly better and even though the Guardian comes top, there is still much room for improvement.

 

My Life as a Bench is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK etc.