My talent as a writer is being recognised

 I am being head-hunted

The Fantasy Writer

This week, I have been approached by another publishing firm. I was asked which book I considered my defining work?

I have several choices.

My award-winning book of short stories - The Chronicles of Mark Johnson - from 2011.

My awardwinning sea story from 2012 - Sea Ghosts.

The final book my friend, Julia, in Seattle helped me with as an editor, The Awakening, in 2025.

My popular Ghost story, Old Church Ghosts, which is one I am not happy with, I considered the story too short.

Or a little-known Fantasy story I enjoyed writing, Mordhiemicus.

I have a series of science-fiction short stories which sold well in 2012.

I earned a reputation as science-fiction writer, a writer of ghost stories, a writer of children's stories as part of a group called The Peacock Writers.

I will probably choose my fantasy story, as I have yet to earn a reputation in the genre, and I enjoy writing fantasy stories, almost as much as writing ghost stories.

I am in a relationship

 Romance in Whitchurch

                                    Clara - my love

I don't know what the attraction is about me for the ladies on Twitter, and WhatsApp, I keep being asked for a date. 

I am happily in a relationship with my friend, Clara, who lives not far from me in Hartcliffe, Bristol, Clara lives in Whitchurch a short bus ride/ walk away

Why put the UK's hardest men in an open prison?

Dartmoor Prison

                                          Sherlock Holmes

What links Sherlock Holmes to the mass of rapists imported by the Labour Party?

In my opinion, the men who rape women should be sent to Dartmoor Prison, it holds the hardest criminals in the UK, yet it is an open prison, why?

If you recall the movie, The Hound of the Baskervilles, you remember Holmes telling Watson not to stray from the path. That is not only for the story, Dartmoor is notorious for its deathtraps. If you stray from the path, there is no chance of rescue, unless like Dr. Watson, help is at hand.

The nearest village is Launceston, over 25 miles from the site. Imagine escaping from the prison, having to walk over 25 miles across terrain you don't know, with the knowledge you can be caught within minutes; no wonder nobody tries to escape.

In recent times, since the 1960's, there has only been one successful escape, that was when the Kray Twins sprung Frank "Axe man" Mitchell. He was good at his job, as Ronnie Kray said later, he has a hair trigger, which made him as deadly to his friends as those the twins wished to be rid of. He became such a problem, the Krays had him supposedly killed, though there was no proof.

Alan Place - Writer of Science Fiction

 My Golden year

Forgestriker

2012 was the year my Science Fiction series was at its foremost, that year, the Forgestriker series sold over 1,000 eBooks. A friend in Canada said, "If that had been on Amazon, I would be classed a bestseller." However, it was on Draft2Digital, so it went unnoticed.

Why am I using X?

 Promoting my work

Twitter Promotions

There is one reason I still use Twitter, to promote my blog. I often see posts asking "Would you unistall X for $1,000?" Happily, as I use WhatsApp to chat on. I also see posts asking "Would you uninstall Facebook?" That would be difficult for me, as I haven't used Facebook for over a year, and I have NOT missed it.

What would I like?

 To earn my royalties this year

Draft2Digital

My goal as a writer this year is to sell three of my eBook content on Draft2Digital, by doing this I can be paid my royalties for the first time in three year. After that, I may write again, and add the new book to my Amazon page

The cheat who lost

 My Golden year

Why cheat?

2012 was my summit as a writer, two of my stories earned an award, and I beat my harshest critic in contests THREE times that year. Usually cheats win, but I would rather come second knowing I did my best, than win knowing I cheated.

Here are some examples of what I am talking about. In 2012, I beat my critic, despite her asking a friend to hack a site, to eliminate one of my stories, which came back to beat hers on its return. The same year, she proclaimed a prize she had "claimed" on LinkedIn, that was until I pointed out, I had bought the story months earlier from a friend, and posted a photo of the book the story was in.