Sorry — been a while, hasn’t it? Been a bit busy in the last few weeks, what with going to Berlin and coming back with a crippling case of writer’s block. Just what I need when I actually want to get my teeth into my latest project!

I received an email from a book marketing company saying that most authors don’t sell even 50 copies of their first novel. I am delighted, therefore, to say that I am not most authors. Having sold 57 copies at last count. I’m still aiming for the big 100, so if you haven’t bought a copy yet, please do.

The feedback has been, for the most part, overwhelmingly positive. What I have been shocked and saddened by is finding out that, despite proofreading the finished manuscript twice and then giving it to another professional for a once-over, there are a couple of typos in the first and second editions of Lust & Liberty. Things that I should really have caught in one of my read-throughs.

However, I was reassured by learning that even the likes of the greats such as JK Rowling and Carlos Ruiz Zafón (author of The Shadow of the Wind) had typos in their first editions too. Obviously, I’m going to have to go through my copy of the book and make sure I don’t find anymore, but I’m not too concerned. It goes to show mistakes just happen.

As for the next main project, I’m currently still deliberating. Last time we talked about it, I said it would be a wartime thriller entitled You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic. I have been falling in and out of love with the idea the more I try to write it (the writer’s block isn’t helping, of course). So I’m equally thinking about diverting into non-fiction for a spell and produce a guide to successfully throwing a dinner party.

Help me make my decision – what would you rather see from me next? Fiction or non? Leave your votes in the comments section!

Rob Holmes – founder of The Collaborators Cabin

I recently interviewed Rob Holmes, founder of something called The Collaborators Cabin, as part of my content creation service for my client Humans of Bournemouth. He’s actually a friend of my cousin, Sean, who introduced us and, leading up to the interview, I was invited to visit the Cabin for a writing “session”.

It’s actually run a bit like a writer’s course like one I attended at the Arts University way back when. But, in a way, I appreciate that. After studying journalism and broadcasting for three years, there’s a lot about narrative fictional prose that I have actually forgotten about. Eight years writing and completing a book notwithstanding…

In attending these weekly sessions, I have actually developed two other ideas that I intend to continue work on alongside my latest novel, the wartime thriller You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic.

One is a psychological horror-thriller story, written in the first person, which is an oddity in itself bearing in mind I can’t usually stand first person fiction. Reminds me too much of studying Michael Mopurgo at school, under a favouritist, snobbish and self-serving teacher with not much appreciation for literature. Don’t get me wrong — Mopurgo’s a master at what he does — but it’s not how I usually like to write.

The other is another stray out of my comfort zone into the realms of fantasy. My liking for fantasy and sci-fi extend to Star Wars and Game of Thrones. And that’s more for their cinematic and televisual cultural impact than obsessing over the finer details of their stories as some people are known to do. But in these sessions, I find I actually enjoy writing the story I have come up with.

In the next couple of posts, I am going to release previews from both of these stories and allow you, the potential readers, to decide which of the two I work on alongside my main project.

Be on the lookout…