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

Do you like stories with pirates? If the answer is no, then you can leave and go do something else other than read the rest of this.   Have the strange people gone? Yes? Good. Well here we are then. I wrote a book. It’s an action/adventure/mystery/romance in the theme of fantasy steampunk. Quite a mouthful right? Really it’s just a rollicking good story about our heroine Larissa, her counterpart - a reticent yet highly skilled fighter named Holt - her genius engineer friend Cid, and a cat. The first book The Machine is where the story starts and really you need to read that before you can read book two, The Pirate . It’s available now for only .99 (or equivalent currency in your location). You go read that now and come back to me here, I’ll wait…   Now that’s out of the way, you want to find out what happens next don’t you? Well lucky you. Book 2, The Pirate is out on 29th February. The same team are off on yet another adventure. Poor Larissa has a bit to...

If you were asked to list ten women who write horror, could you? It wasn't until I was looking at the listings of authors in the last two anthologies I had work published in,   Hides the Dark Tower   and   Once Bitten , that I really began to think about how few female authors of horror are well-known. By well-known, I mean recognisable to people who don't usually read this genre. Most would probably know  Mary Shelley  or   Daphne du Maurier , some might get as far as   Anne Rice , or even, to stretch the horror genre description to extreme limits,   Stephanie Meyer . But why so few? So why are there not more well-know women horror authors? Hides the Dark Tower was edited by two highly respected female editors and writers, Kelly A. Harmon and Vonnie Winslow Crist. Once Bitten is published by Knightwatch Press, then under the auspices of Theresa Derwin, and these are just the tip...

Today my guest blogger is Julie Burns, whose new novel The Purse has been released this month. Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, Julie has a love of mountains and dedicates her life to working with  mentally challenged and/or mentally ill adults. In this post, she shares her perspective on sexuality in novels and challenges the reader to think differently.   Stereotypical or Not   Stereotypes are everywhere. The reason they exist is because there is some element of truth in them. The LGBT community knows this fact well. After all, it is often how we find each other and how others seek us out. This is never more true than in the literary world. I have read many books geared toward an LGBT audience and there were a few that I really enjoyed. I realize now more than ever, that sex sells and it always will. Many lesbian-centered stories play the stereotypical “butch” versus “femme” setup. The “butch” girl wears flannel and works on cars and has a h...

In my continuing attempt to promote other authors, rather than just give you updates and waffling about my own tales, it is my honour to welcome David Lee Summers whose latest book in the Clockwork Legion series, The Brazen Shark , is now available on Amazon. His guest post is an enlightening insight into steam under the waves.   Full Steam Ahead with The Brazen Shark by David Lee Summers     My love of steampunk should come as no surprise since I’ve been in love with nineteenth century technology as long as I can remember. It all started when my dad introduced me to steam locomotives. Their operating principal was simple, but they were powerful and capable of traversing continents. As early as the 1850s, steam locomotives had been built with top speeds around 80 miles per hour. My dad started his railroading career as one of the last generation of steam locomotive machinist’s apprentices. In 1983, I took a job as a research assista...

Today it is an honour to welcome Steve Moore to my blog. He describes himself as the 'old English author' of the Steampunk/alternative worlds genre novel, Royal America . He is also recruiting sergeant for the  Scribblers' Den in The Steampunk Empire . I managed to catch him lounging in his favourite red leather chair by the fireside in the Den, and quiz him on his work and influences.       What if any influence does your day job have on your writing? Well I only considered writing due to being friends with a very successful author; Craig Cabell who happens to work with me in the UK Trade and Investment department. I had been speculating 'What if..?' (Like one does.) What if the British kept the Americas? Would they have bothered with India? What if the experiences of India translated into the Americas; would the Native Americans have been recruited and formed into regiments? Might they be better off? After all the British could no...

Or is it? I can see the future and it looks something like this: 1. I'll be writing and (hopefully) publishing more short stories/poetry/blog posts. 2. There is a book lurking in the wings tentatively wondering if it'll brave it out in public view. 3. I'll be hosting other writers on my blog this year. I'd like to say on a monthly basis but I cannot make promises like that just yet. (Although I do have a few surprises lined up!) 4. I intend to add reviews too - this will be tied in with my Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge  for this year. I've upped the stakes to 30 for this year from last years 26. I know what free time I have available! 5. I will be continuing the Write1 Sub1 Light Ray Challenge (1 story written and subbed per month rather than the formidable Ray Bradbury's weekly output) even if the blog sadly dispanded with the passing of 2015. Enjoy the read!  

I've always believed that if you work hard, you should be able to enjoy the fruits of that labour, but these last two months have stretched me like I've breached an event horizon. I've had a zillion obligations to fulfil (no exaggeration - really !) and I haven't written much at all. I'm even wondering if I'll get much beyond this blog... No fear, (T-shirt a Green Mile promo gift from Penguin Books, from my bookseller days.) The end of the year, that is. I've achieved many of the things I was aiming for and failed in others, but that's okay! (Cue voice of self-hypnosis recording.) I know that I've spread myself too thin and I can't go any further. Time for a break and am I looking forward to the New Year! Remember, you can pick up any or all of the anthologies I've participated in this year for stocking fillers and gifts! It'd make me so proud! (Yes, a writer does feel rather like a parent whose kid gets the lead role in the scho...