Friday ramble - going on a story hunt in my imagination

Ok it’s Friday and I’m going to ramble, because, well I can...

I’ve had a good week, getting out there into the real world with my books, talking to people and getting feedback on my books. And the feedback is good, so why is promoting so hard? It seems that a gimmick is needed to grab people’s attention, so I have my sheep, which started as a gimmick and now are in danger of taking over... which reminds me, my flock of sheep is getting low again... knitting needles at the ready.

Which brings me back to my conundrum – it’s hard enough to grab ideas as they rush around in the wilds of my imagination, without all the other distractions pulling me away from going on a story hunt in my imagination. Because that’s what it takes to write a story, deciding which ideas and daydreams have enough substance to  become a book, and then to go after that one idea that will become the next book, and allow the others to run free a bit longer...

author rambling on again...

Hi, you found me - I sometimes think I'm typing into an abyss... almost like trying to sell books in a bookshop with all the lights turned off. But I'm working on it, I've read articles, read the rules, but I don't like rules, especially when it comes to writing. Aren't the laws of grammar enough...? Surely creative writing is all about there being no rules...

So what does an online bookshop look like?

No I don't mean how it appears on your screen, work with me here - it could be any shape. It could be in a giant Teepee... with bookcases spiraling up as far as the eye can see... and sheep - why do the sheep keep popping up everywhere? Well they seem to be here to stay now. There'll probably be cats too, they'll be taking up all the sofas and beanbags, forcing everyone to sit on the floor to read their books, with that down the nose stare that cats are so good at...

Book signing in York

 

Exciting new book signing venue:

Clifton Library, York, is the venue for my next book signing Tuesday 7th April.

I'll have my books and a little gathering of sheep... my sheep seem to have captured everyone's imagination, and always raise a smile.

What is it about sheep I wonder that grabs everyone's attention, even more than the cats in two of my other books, though surely more people can relate to cats than sheep... or am I missing something? Are we suddenly a country of sheep lovers, there are hens in the gardens near my house, but no sheep... as far as I know... 

Anyway, I suppose when animals are fictional it doesn't matter what they are, it's not as if we have to accommodate the real thing in our houses, as long as we can fit the fictional ones into our imaginations. And with that in mind - I'm working on a story with a giraffe in it, for no better reason than I think giraffes are really cool and work well with an idea that was buzzing around in my head.