I’ve written here at some length and on numerous occasions about just how much I love the cover of A GOOD AMERICAN. I think it oozes class and is both evocative and beautiful. Of course I am biased, but most people I’ve spoken to seem pretty keen on it, too. But these things, I am learning, are fluid and can …
A Sort of Homecoming (with apologies to U2)
Tomorrow is a big day for Columbia and the University of Missouri. It is the 100th Annual Homecoming. Not being from round these parts, I’m not entirely sure what homecoming means or what its purpose is. There is a parade – I know this, because my children will be in it. And, naturally, there is a big football game involved. …
Audiobook!
Over the past few years I’ve occasionally given readings of A GOOD AMERICAN while it was still a work in progress. Invariably at the Q & A part of the event, someone would put up their hand and ask, often a little tentatively, “Shouldn’t you be reading that with an American accent?” It’s a fair question. The answer is that …
Always, there was music.
… So goes the first line in A GOOD AMERICAN. And it’s true – there’s a lot of music in the book. There’s a reason why the cover has a cornet with notes spilling out of it. The story begins with a love affair ignited by the power of song, and throughout the novel, music plays a central role in …
It’s Social Media Gone Mad
Just wanted to bring you up to date on a couple of social meeja developments round these parts. First of all, with many thanks to everyone who took the time to leave comments, I have no chosen a new design for this website. It was the most popular one, as voted for by you. Click here to see what it …
Booksellers Roll! – MIBA Trip – Part 2
Continuing from my last post… After the excitement of the previous evening, I had the following morning to myself. I stayed in my room, grudgingly allowing the real world to intrude for a bit as I did some legal work and answered non-book-related emails. Later on, I went out and explored downtown a little more, and went on a small …
Booksellers Rock! – MIBA Trip – Part 1
I love booksellers. There is no feeling finer than walking out of a bookshop laden down with all sorts of books that you didn’t know you wanted or needed when you walked in. Whole new worlds lie inside those covers – and now they’re yours, all thanks to the person who helped you choose ’em. So, yay booksellers. You rock. …
New Website Design – Your Thoughts Needed!
As we approach the run-in for publication of A GOOD AMERICAN, I thought it might be a good idea to redesign this site to make it a little more user-friendly (= help people to actually buy the book.) To that end, I am presently running a design contest on the site 99 Designs. The idea is that having written a …
Blurbalicious
I hope you’ll forgive a just little bit of trumpet-blowing. Can I use the cover of the book as an excuse? Since I put up this blog post about my lovely galleys a couple of days ago, several people have written to ask me what is written half way down the page, between my name and the cornet full of …
Get Snappy, Get Happy
My recent trip to Maine has got me thinking a lot about lobsters. You can’t go for more than about two minutes up there without encountering a lobster somewhere – either on a roadside sign, a tea towel, a postcard, or – if you’re lucky – in a restaurant. I ate a lot of lobster while I was there. Once …