As the release date for Once Confronted draws ever closer, work on its cover has increased. When it comes to the right cover, Once Confronted has provided many challenges. It’s not a romance. It can be intense. It’s about something terrible that happens and the recovery from that terrible event, but it’s also hopeful. It’s about a young woman’s journey through it all, but it’s not just about her journey. So what do we put on the cover? Should it be a person? What should they be doing? Should it be something symbolic? If so, what? I am not exaggerating […]

Once Confronted should be released on 1st October 2016. I’m hoping to have a cover to show you soon. 🙂 Now I have an official release date, I’m already starting to think about the book launch. They can be a lot of fun but also a lot of work to organise, especially when looking for something to keep the attendees entertained. At my previous three book launches I’ve had jigsaw puzzles of a page in the novel or put up pictures of actors who I think could play the leading roles, not to mention asking people to write down what […]

Last week I talked about fonts and how they can often make or break the cover of a book. But there are a lot of elements to a cover, and the font is only one of them. I think the most contentious point I’ve seen relates to the cover image. Should the author try and find a photo (or have one taken) that shows the characters in the book? For some, this might seem a no-brainer. However, I’ve encountered numerous readers who detest images of characters on the covers of books. The ones I’ve spoken to believe it prevents them […]

During my time as an author I’ve discovered just how difficult it can be to get book covers right. They should be clear and represent the story within its pages, although there are various different ways that can be achieved. The cover of my debut novel, The Heir, definitely has its lovers and haters. We’ll soon be working on the cover of Once Confronted, and I think we’ve got an idea of where we’re going with it, but I’m sure there will still be a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with it. One of the most important things to get […]

As a writer of fiction, I have sometimes received comments from people about the validity of what I do. There are many out there who view fiction as nothing more than light entertainment. In many cases, I probably agree with them; often fiction is just light entertainment, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I don’t think the people who’ve spoken to me think it’s necessarily wrong either, just that a novel is perhaps not as important as great works of history or biographies on important world figures. When I wrote the Verindon trilogy I only wrote them […]