Rae of Light

As many of you know, my self-publishing journey began in 2012. It wasn’t planned. I was collecting the usual mound of rejection letters from agents and preparing to paper many a wall with them when the kernel of self-publishing took root in my mind. Once this occurred it was then up to me to navigate this large and daunting world. Very much under the impression I was taking on this monster completely solo, I was astounded to discover many a helping hand. The first of these was my wonderful writing friend Sydnee Blake who gave me the opportunity to participate in an Emily Benet blogging workshop. I was terrified, convinced that setting up a blog was well beyond my scope. Furthermore, what would I have to say to the world? How wrong was I? Here we are 7 years later and I haven’t yet run out of things to say and share. Sydnee, you opened floodgates in me I wasn’t even aware were there. Emily, you gave me the confidence to fight a fear of technology I was certain was beyond me. ...

The aerial acrobatics of the house martins alert me to the coming sunset. I see the swift shadow of the first flight emblazoned like a burn mark on the far wall. There must be a tear in the masking paper at the big window. My heart skips a beat. Once, long ago, I saw myriad swallows spiral and swoop across a vast African reed bed. They pas de deuxed with air currents then pirouetted down to quench their thirst in the lake below. My shaded eyes drank in their Spitfire antics, my body ablaze with the wonder of it all.   But that was before. Still the swallows signal the arrival of the dark of day. Dusk, the shadier twin to twilight. Most people quiver at the setting of the sun. You can’t rightly blame them. The earth rotates, the tiniest bit, about 6º or so. Snap. Day into night. Corners consumed by shadow. And in the shadows… nameless lurking things. The battery alert beeps on my catheter. Time to recharge. I can watch the swallow swirl on my Autumn Watch monitor ...

As it’s my birthday month I’m going to indulge myself by telling you a bit about the 5 things which are guaranteed to put me in an exceedingly good mood and would therefore make excellent birthday presents. There’s something particularly satisfying about watching an excellent film then discussing it in detail with an equally enthusiastic film goer. I often do solo cinema trips as not many of my friends share my taste in celluloid. The ones who do live a little too far away for this to be a regular option. So when it’s possible, I’m a very happy me. Enjoying a great meal in the company of excellent friends is something difficult to top. Basically you’re getting a 2 for 1 deal. The well cooked food is there to be savoured and lingered over while the company is there to enhance the flavours. I’m blessed to share meals such as this regularly with ace friends. This birthday will be no different and there’s bound to be a plethora of these as I milk the fact it’s my bir...

I rarely make New Year’s resolutions as I’m so busy trying to finish off tasks already on the go. Everything tends to carry through to the next year, particularly when it comes to my writing. I know resolutions are meant to be about the personal but my writing and I are so closely linked that inevitably, it ends up being one and the same. This year is no different. I’ve got several projects on the go. My plan was to publish a Robert Deed Collection last year which puts all the Deed books into one volume. Unfortunately due to a spate of migraines during November and December that plan didn’t quite pan out. I am however very happy to report that the e-version of this collection is now available for you to buy. Since you are a select bunch you get the opportunity to purchase it at a reduced price from 1 – 5 February . This is because February is my birthday month and I love to give presents as much as receive them. So here for you is the link for this limited offer.  ht...

It was 19 December and I still had 17 books left to read to complete my Goodreads challenge. I was convinced I wouldn’t reach my 100 book target before the end of 2018. So I decided to indulge in a spot of cheating by raiding the reading closets and shelves of the students on my tutoring rounds. Anyone who has followed my blog will know I have a bit of previous in this regard. Exhibit A Once more, my students did not let me down. They brought their books to me like Wise Men offering their presents up to baby Jesus. Huge thanks to the Chowdury children for trusting me with their treasured collection. You set me on the road to achieving my goal when all seemed lost and gave me the opportunity to read my first ever Peppa Pig . Thank you also for handing over  Little Miss Splendid to boost my reading power and self-esteem. Due to this generous reading donation my unreachable target moved towards something achievable. My next stop was the children’s section of Tat...

Thank you for all your magnificent support this year. Without your encouraging emails and comments on social media I'd be a lesser writer.