N.O.A. Rawle: Through the Eyes of a Stranger

This is the some of the oldest advice given when it comes to writing. It holds true even though it might feel a bit limiting, especially if to a young and/or inexperienced writer. So let me explain how I've dealt with this. Think about all the emotions you know. It's certain that you've experienced a huge range of feelings from euphoria right down to depression. Really explore those experiences. How did you move? How did other people understand your feelings or relate to you during that time? What were you thinking at that time? What made your emotion change? Then there are age issues . You cannot change how old you are, but in my experience the way you think will not change so drastically despite the encroaching years. What does change are your reactions to certain situations. (I find myself thinking, "Oh hell, I sound just like my mother." more frequently than I wish.) But anyway, there are always older or younger people around who you can observe. Look at...

Those lovely people at Great Jones Street are featuring my short horror story 'Shark Nose' and boy have they made a great cover! Don't forget to download the app to your phone if you want to read for free! Click here for a link directly to it and my story. "The story is heart-pumping and so vivid, you can feel the earth move when the bombs make impact with the ground." Great Jones Street

2016 was a very sparse year for me as a writer. Let's hope 2017 is more promising and what a better way to begin the year than with a cover reveal? Great Jones Street is promoting my steampunk short story 'Balancing Act' and they have created this beautiful cover for it. BALANCING ACT  Jeremy Alsop has managed to dupe Clarisse and her family into believing he is rich and eligible. As an engagement present he invites Monsieur Du Monde, snake oil man, and the Equilibrator to work it's fickle magic upon his fiancee. If you want to read 'Balancing Act', 'Synchronysi' or 'Shark Nose' all you have to do is download the free Great Jones Street app from Google Play or App Store and off you go!

The end of 2016 is here and social media is lamenting a long list of lost icons. I too am mourning a loss; that of my godmother. She was one of the last of the real ladies, full of grace and charm and a wicked temper! A lady who told tales of the mountains and the creatures and fairies that live in them. She supplied many tidbits and trivia which have filled my stories with magic and mystery. Her passing is a huge loss. I have included her in my latest work-in-progress, a new short story currently called Hood Winked, as a character that is not too far removed from reality and guides the heroine through a devil of a difficulty. Let's hope this is published so you can meet her and so that she lives on in print as well as memory. 2016 also saw the passing of the lovely lady whose memories graced the pages of my story Shark Nose and I'm glad this story is dedicated to her so that she will always be remebered there. You can read this story on  Great Jones Street  via your mobile...

First of all, it has been a while since I have written a post that isn't advertising something and to begin with, this may seem yet another one of those posts! I was saving some of the thoughts here for my December post, but I've just had some great news that I want to share. I have had a run of bad luck on the publishing front this year. Two of the companies that I've had stories with went under and that affected my desire to write more than I thought possible. It felt like I had a jinx on me, especially as one of those anthologies was 'What Went Wrong'! But there's nothing like a bit of stiff upper lip to shake me out of the doldrums and I've just sold three stories to Great Jones Street ! What's that you might ask? It's a new short story app and intends to do for short stories what Netflix has done for TV. Sound great right? Looks great too - check out their teaser video . I will give you more details when my stories go live there. Some of yo...

The last in the tenfold series of Fox Pockets 'Reflections' is out! Take a sneak peek inside my dreams and see if you want 'Tickets to Ride'! You can buy your copy from Amazon UK and Amazon US .

READ ALL ABOUT IT! ANTHOLOGY TO DONATE ROYALTIES TO DISASTER FUND!  Amazon US Amazon. UK Barnes & Noble Kobo With today's release of The Den Of Antiquity you can not only entertain yourself, but also make a contribution to a worthy cause . The collaborative opinion when we at the Scribblers' Den decided on a new anthology, was that any money made should go to a charity to be decided closer to the date. As one of our Scribblers' Den members actually lives in Haiti and has first hand experience of the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew, the collective opinion was that the International Red Cross will receive whatever royalties we earn in order to help people who literally have been left with nothing more than the clothes they stand up in. Watch the video below to see what you will be contributing to if you buy the Den of Antiquities today. READ ALL ABOUT IT! THE SECRETS BEHIND THE STORIES IN THE DEN OF ANTIQUITIES! A den is a snug place to curl up ...