Images, work and copyright

You’ve seen the most wonderful picture on Google Images. An online blog has the perfect photo for your book cover. Look at that graphic – wouldn’t that make your book event notice/header/PR banner shine?

STOP!

Unless you pay a licence or ask the owner’s permission to reproduce it, it’s theft. The least you could […]

Writing is bad for you

There, I’ve said it. I’m deep in the last third of my sixth book and I should know better. The crisis is coming, the characters’ nerves are shot and all I see is failure and death. I can’t sleep more than five hours nor stop thinking about those poor souls living under oppression or the […]

In praise of public servants

Yesterday in Versailles, France honoured two murdered police officials. A national ceremony of homage led by the French president with hundreds of policewomen and men in dress uniform, all accompanied by drum rolls, funeral music and honour guards. Both were made posthumous members of the Légion d’Honneur.

Commandant Jean-Baptiste Salvaing (42), a very popular officer, […]

This is writing life now

The Punishment of Sisyphus Titian, Prado Museum, Madrid

Wake up. 6:07 am. I really must finish that workshop plan today. So many notes I don’t know where to start. What will they expect? Will I meet it? Must put geranium cuttings in before I go on event trip to UK at the weekend. […]

Social media vs. work/life balance

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an author in possession of a book must be in want of social media. Okay. that’s corny, but it’s true. But how hard should we pursue out courtship of social media and should we toss our head, be defiant and stick up for our principles, yet concede that […]