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Dying to Live – My First 18+ Novel

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I’ve just published Dying to Live, my first 18+ novel. It’s totally different from my fantasy series but I think some of you will recognize the writing style.

Originally the adventure had been called Bangkok Rotter, but this is a new sparklier version which I think is much better.

I hope some of you have the time to give it a go!

Here’s the blurb:

We all make bad decisions, but bad decisions don’t usually cost you your life.

Dave Murray is rotting in a Bangkok prison cell, terrified he’s going to be sentenced to death and it’s all because of a bad decision… and a woman.

A few weeks earlier, he had been a bored office worker with a booze problem until a disastrous relationship triggered a series of events which led him to Thailand and destroyed his life. Can anyone save him? Does anyone want to?

WARNING: This story contains adult themes and graphic language.

Available on Amazon.

And Now! The Dark Tidings Trailer!

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I am so delighted with the support which the guys at my publisher, Typewriter Pub, have given my book, Dark Tidings. They have professionally edited the original publication so it is now, trust me, so much better. If you haven’t read the new version, please do!

They have also commissioned a narrator to create the audiobook. I’ve heard him read a chapter and I feel he captures the excitement of the story. I am so excited! I can’t wait to hear a professional read the whole book to me… and, hopefully, you.

But, I hear you say, why this post? Well, Typewriter Pub has now produced a trailer for Dark Tidings and, in my opinion, it’s fantastic! I wonder what you think. I guess there’s only one way to find out, so here it is…

To complete the picture, here’s the back-cover blurb and the not-to-be-forgotten Amazon link!

Thanks for looking. I hope it inspires some of you who haven’t read the adventure to give it a go. And maybe it’ll inspire all of you who loved the adventure to leave a review (please).
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A thousand years ago, Tung, a young thief, awaits his execution. Alone in the cold dark dungeon, all hope is gone… until Madrick, the disgraced royal wizard, is thrown into the dungeon with him.

Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell, a spell which helps them escape their prison cell, and eventually their century.

As strangers lost in today’s modern world, the great spell is the only thing which keeps them alive. They think they are finally safe, until the fateful day when they meet Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank.

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet, and what if the horrors from a thousand years ago are waiting for the time-travellers in the present day?

Big Moment… Biggest Moment Ever!

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Okay, that may sound like your favorite president but it is, in fact, me talking. I think I’ve hit the biggest moment (so far) of my authoring career. Dark Tidings has been shortlisted for a Typewriter Pub (Blvnp) Award… and you can help me win.

How can you help me win? Well, by voting for Dark Tidings at https://agents27.wixsite.com/tpawards2019/sci-fi-fantasy . Thank you!!!!

As well as votes, the sales and reviews will be counted, so if you haven’t already grabbed yourself a copy of the sparkly new version of the book, you can get it at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZM9B4H, You can leave reviews there as well!

Thank you so much for your support.

Dark Tidings Blurb


A thousand years ago, Tung, a young thief, awaits his execution. Alone in a cold dark dungeon, all hope is gone… until Madrick, the disgraced royal wizard, is thrown into the dungeon with him.

Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell, a spell which helps them escape their prison cell, and eventually their century.

As strangers lost in today’s modern world, the great spell is the only thing which keeps them alive. They think they are finally safe, until the fateful day when they meet Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank.

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet, and what if the horrors from a thousand years ago are waiting for the time-travellers in the present day? One thing is certain, with ancient magic brought from the past, modern life will never be the same again.

The New Dark Tidings

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I’m excited! Of course I am! The new and sparkly Dark Tidings has just been released on Amazon.

Everything is new. Dark Tidings has a new publisher, BLVNP. Also, the book has been revised and re-edited and, because of the hard work by the BLVNP editor, the story is the best it’s ever been! And it’s got a brand new cover, which I love. It’s even got a new blurb which I’ve included below.

Now, I’d like to ask you for a favour. If you’ve read the book, please consider popping over to Amazon and leaving a review (you could also grab a copy of the new version so your collection is complete!!). If you haven’t read the book, now is the perfect time! Please give up a coffee on the way to work and buy a copy.

The more activity there is around the launch week, the more impact there’ll be on the various Amazon lists. If it features on their lists, it has a chance of getting noticed in the big wide world… and I would be so grateful. 

The new Dark Tidings is now available as an eBook or in paperback from Amazon. Here’s the blurb…

“We shattered the door and burst into their sleeping chamber. They were there, and then they were gone. And gone with them was the scroll.”

 A thousand years ago, Tung, a young thief, awaits his execution. Alone in a cold dark dungeon, all hope is gone… until Madrick, the disgraced royal wizard, is thrown into the dungeon with him.

Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell, a spell which helps them escape their prison cell, and eventually their century.

As strangers lost in today’s modern world, the great spell is the only thing which keeps them alive. They think they are finally safe, until the fateful day when they meet Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank. 

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet, and what if the horrors from a thousand years ago are waiting for the time-travelers in the present day? One thing is certain, with ancient magic brought from the past, modern life will never be the same again.

Publishing Adventure

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Dark Tidings is going to be published by BLVNP on 23rd May 2019. Exciting or what?

Right now, they are running a poll to choose the cover. Please nip over to my new blog and click on the Cover Poll tab. Then vote for your favorite!

And while you’re there, pop in your email address and they’ll give you a bonus mini-book for free. Does anyone remember the Chicken Incident in Dark Tidings? Well, the bonus book, Drogo Haylock, will solve the mystery of the chicken who didn’t end up in the stew!

I hope I can count on you guys to continue supporting me. It’s your help that has made my astonishing publishing adventure possible.

Thanks to you all.

A Darker Shade of Chocolate

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I’m delighted to welcome Rosen Trevithick here on a leg of the blog tour to launch her Chocolate Making Adventures book.

When an author is ‘on tour’ to promote a book, it can be difficult for them to write new and original content, particularly when trying to link the content to a particular theme. Well, I have a lot of wizards on my site and, fortunately, making a wizard is just the kind of thing which her Chocolate Making Adventures teaches you to do.

So without any further introduction, Rosen explains how to make a chocolate wizard from scratch!

How to Make a Dark (Chocolate) Wizard

TrollsFirstly, you need to make your own silicone mould. In my book, I demonstrate using a troll mould as an example, but the same technique can easily be used to create a wizard. Without giving too much away, you need to buy some silicone putty and some oven-hardening modelling clay. You make a wizard from the clay, bake it until hard, then press the putty around it. Once the putty sets, you remove your clay and are left with your very own wizard mould.

The next thing to do, is make some plain chocolate. Yes, I did say make plain chocolate – none of that buying chocolate and melting it down malarkey – this isn’t the 00ies. My book tells you how to make the darkest chocolate in the universe, using cocoa butter, cocoa powder and honey. Making chocolate involves heat, so your chocolate mixture will turn out molten. Pour it into your wizard mould, plonk it in the fridge and wait.

After an hour, carefully press the chocolate from the mould, and there you have it, your very own dark wizard.

If you would like more detailed instructions about how to make your own chocolate wizard, you can buy Chocolate Making Adventures in both paperback and eBook formats.

To see lots of other exciting chocolate ideas why not check out my recipe blog or to find out more about my book please click here Chocolate Making Adventures.

Chocolate Making Adventures

Photo by Claire Wilson lle-photography.co.uk

Thank you and remember to eat chocolate responsibly!

rosen-trevithick

Rosen Trevithick has a variety of books in print including My Granny Writes Erotica – Threesome, Pompomberry House and two Seesaw collections, as well as over a dozen digital titles.

In 2013 she founded the Smelly Troll series – children’s chapter books written by Rosen and illustrated by Katie W. Stewart. The series, which begins with The Troll Trap, has inspired hundreds of children to get involved in creative writing.

Rosen writes in a variety of genres with a strong leaning towards comedy. She has also dabbled in psychological fiction and mystery writing.

 

Collective Nouns

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What do you call a pair of crows? Answer – attempted murder.

This type of joke is from a genre called highbrow humour. Why… because you have to have some specific knowledge before you can understand the joke. In this attempted murder case (pun intended) you have to know that the collective noun for three or more crows is a murder. Ah, now the joke makes sense… and leads us nicely into what this post is actually about i.e. collective nouns.

It never ceases to amaze me just how many collective nouns there are in the English language. For example, we have a murder of crows (you knew that!), a belt of asteroids, a cackle of hyenas, a flight of stairs, a sentence of judges, an impatience of wives and a den of thieves. These ones are fairly normal and, I’d guess, fairly widely known. If you Google ‘collective nouns’ you’ll find a wealth of words describing nearly every group imaginable. Even with the abundance of official collective nouns, there are still a lot of groups which have yet to be allocated their own special word.

Here are a few suggestions which could fill the some of the gaps:

  • A blaze of firemen
  • A smothering of Social Workers
  • A gathering of combine harvesters
  • A shoal of nudists
  • A wunch of bankers
  • A collection of philatelists
  • A camp of bell-ringers
  • A heard of listeners
  • A number of mathematicians
  • A drift of castaways
  • A pouch of Chewbaccas
Any more for any more? For example, what is the above group of collective nouns called?