Tag Archives: Book marketing

Doe Ye Nexte Thynge

I felt compelled to investigate the origin of this inscription over the fireplace of a bedroom in the Swan Hotel, Southwold. I discovered that it was the title of a poem by Minnie E Paull, an American writer, musician and minister’s wife. The poem, first published in 1897, claims the origin to be Saxon. The […]

Underland and the Perils of Caves

My novel, Another Life, is a work of fiction with an invented story and characters, with just a few chapters based on personal experience, including a family visit to a cave system in the South of France. The tour was fully automated; we did not see a single person during the entire time, no doubt […]

The Green Man Appears in Many Forms

I have discussed in earlier posts how the expressions of English representations of the Green Man changed over the centuries. They were sculpted at their jovial peak from around 1300, before declining through merry, smiling, serene, worried, distressed, tormented and finally to resignation. A distinctly menacing image can be found in Bamberg Cathedral, Germany, supporting […]

Biblical Quotes and Inspiration in Another Life

I ended my new novel ‘Another Life’ with a relevant quote from Ecclesiastes 1:11. ‘There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.’ Although not an adherent of any religion, I have an eclectic interest in its many forms, including […]

The Challenges of Writing Another Life

My speculative fiction novel, Another Life, combines themes of family life, myths and legends, a quest and cutting-edge science. These elements are introduced in a natural, uncomplicated way, avoiding technical explanations, so as not to alienate the reader. To bring these disparate elements together, I had to overcome several challenges, the biggest being how to […]

The Dobunni: The Tribe of Witches

As part of the scene-setting for Another Life, Oliver visits a small printing press in the Cotswolds. He is attracted to book on display, bearing the title ‘An Illustrated Account of the Old Religion, its Beliefs and Practices, by a Believer’. The owners of the press relate how they were visited by a stranger who […]