The First Greeners in America serialised on Patreon
The First Greeners in America is Book 3 in the James Blakiston historical mystery and historical romance series set in north-east England and the American colonies in the 1760s and 1770s. The first two books – A Just and Upright …
Why I went indie – and why you should, too?
I decided to self publish my own books in 2015. Robert Hale Ltd had just bought A Just and Upright Man, Book 1 in my James Blakiston historical series set in the north-east of England in the 1760s. Their …
The Pantser’s Life For Me: To Plot or Not to Plot
I began one of my books with the sentence, “All I’d said was, I wouldn’t mind seeing her in her knickers.” That was all I had – except the pantser’s abiding thought: “That sounds like an interesting book. I wonder …
Genre Writing: Defying the Police Procedural Rules
Writers of genre fiction who don’t give readers exactly what they expect from that genre can pay a heavy price. It’s generally accepted by authors that writers of “literary fiction” can write their own rules, but if you write genre …
Police Procedurals. A Killer Makes Himself Known
I’m writing a series of police procedurals under the new pen-name, JJ Sullivan. Book 1, Drawn to Murder, is already complete and when I went to bed last night I was 17,000 words into Book 2, Death to Order…
Darkness Comes – What Genre Is It?
You have to have a genre
There’s a question that every writer has to answer about every book. The question is: What genre is it? Readers want to know, because readers have firm opinions about the genres they like and …
Offensive? Moi?
I am not someone who likes to get up people’s noses. Left to myself, I’d prefer not to upset anyone. Sadly, that isn’t possible. The title of Zappa’s Mam’s a Slapper comes from a passage in the book – this…
‘A powerful, unrelenting page-turner. Highly recommended.’
Rather nice feedback from the Wishing Shelf Awards on Zappa’s Mam’s a Slapper:
Readers’ Comments
‘A very enjoyable read. The plot is superb and the writing is lively.’ Male reader, aged 43
‘The criminal element of the book, mostly …
Download a free audiobook sample from A Just and Upright Man
A Just and Upright Man is the first in the five book James Blakiston series of romance and crime novels set in northeast England in the 1760s. The second book in the series, Poor Law, should be published by …