Hartmouth Horrors

This Monday morning, my mind is on still feeling a bit rough after getting sick this Christmas. And on questioning the decision to live in a city that becomes a tourist hotspot (read orgy of pathogens) every holiday. And, on a brighter note, my mind is on the completion of my 2025 to be read pile. At least, I sort of completed it... But there’s always a but,  and the more I think about it, the more I’m sure some titles have slipped through the cracks along the way. Those cracks may be my spotty memory, where I brashly declared I’d be reading this or that book then never got around to it, and they may be that I realised the book just wasn’t my cup of tea and quietly put it down. (And yes, I’m one of those who reads and reviews only what I enjoy—I’ll leave the criticism to others.) Either way, I can’t very well unring a bell, but I can put my hands up and apologise to any indie/self-pub writers I misled or disappointed this year. Not my intention, but next year I’ll be more circumspe...

This Monday morning, my mind is on book pricing, discounts, and freebies, specifically in relation to getting self-pub titles in the hands of people who’ll read them and, with any luck, leave a review or a rating. Yesterday, I ran a poll on Twitter, asking about the likelihood of heavily discounted books garnering more reads and reviews. Of the 95 respondents, roughly 55 per cent said there would be no difference, 22 per cent said there would be more, and 23 per cent said there would be fewer. All very scientific, I know—vast sample size, masses of quality data—but at least it shows that people have opinions on the matter. And with almost half believing that pricing does affect what buyers do with these books, I’m clearly not alone in thinking it important. My own take, having run various deals and giveaways, is that they may be attractive to potential readers, but that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be read. At the very least, in the wake of some bonanza or other, I’ve never seen a no...

Couple of great reviews here for The Devil in Mia , my second Hartmouth Horrors novella, courtesy of Josh (Already Overbooked) and Arron Hook. Both of these guys are excellent supporters of indie writers and have some pretty great YouTube content, so p lease check out their channels. Common to both reviews are compliments on the relationship dynamics between the two main characters, as well as the intensity and psychological nature of the horror, and I ’ m really pleased I was able to hit the spot with two perceptive readers. Fingers crossed I can raise the bar even further next time and really make them squirm. Josh ’ s Review (8:55 to 11:05) Arron ’ s Review

This Monday morning, my mind is on some iffy behaviour from book reviewers in the indie writing space. If you’re looking for something light and uplifting,  I suggest you read no further, but  if you also have some gripes with reviewers, please be my guest. (Let it be known, by the way, that most reviewers seem to be doing great things. Pretty sure I speak for other indies when I say we appreciate you and are thankful for the love and attention you bring to our work.) Okay, so with that said… Gripe one, why announce you’re reading a book (or planning to) if you’re going to go quiet about it afterwards? It only makes writers wonder what the hell is wrong with their work, and they’ll probably end up thinking a whole lot less of you. And yes, we’ve all made the mistake of speaking too soon then finding the story or prose or whatever isn’t to our liking. But doing this on the regular? Come on. Gripe two, why seek favours, or even some form of compliance, from writers by dangling a...

Well, my horrible harties, here we go: a cheeky little promo video. Fill yer stocking with something shocking this year. Two grisly novellas, full of fun and nastiness, with another two slated for 2026. Click here for the series sales page.

This Monday morning, my mind is on Drudge, my current WIP. Or to be more precise, on the fact I’ve just deleted 90 per cent of yesterday’s words. Bummer, you may think, but it’s hardly the end of the world. Truth be told, it’s pretty much the opposite. First, I don’t really mind cutting words. Some folk like to file them away for a rainy day, but for me, there’s something symbolic in sacrificing a few hours’ work now and then. Call it expiation if you will, an offering to the writing gods. Second, and perhaps more important, is the value of staying attuned to the inner voice that says these words aren’t right. Yesterday’s work was decent—I convinced myself to keep it several times—but in the end, I knew I had to hit delete. So there we go. I start today’s session no better off in terms of word count but with a clearer image of what I’m aiming for. And with any luck, I’ll have made decent headway by this time next week. Until then, happy writing to you all.