Horsing around

Could be interesting. In both my series of books, all the girls are - quite partial - to burgers. To be fair, usually the kind supplied by a certain high-street (and other places) fast-food chain. Should I stop them eating such things just in case of contamination by horse meat? On balance I think not. I just have to decide that the burgers they eat are good (nearly said kosher - improper suggestion there I think). After all, the books are fiction, not real life. Authors try to get as close to real life as they can - makes stories more believable. But perhaps we can go too far? So, it's decided. Burgers are in - horse meat is out - for the moment at least. Oh, err, other fast food suppliers are available.
Ian B

Patience is a virtue

They say Patience is a Virtue. Mind you, nobody really knows who 'they' are. Still, the words should speak for themselves. Sometimes it's difficult to be patient, especially when your latest book is about to appear on bookshelves imminently. I know this is the case because I've seen the book cover. For one reason or another, my publisher doesn't tell me the actual release date of the book. Not because they are being difficult, it's because they don't know either, at least not exactly. We're both of us in the hands of the ebook distributors. The book appears when it appears. So I have to be patient. But that doesn't stop me checking with various ebook websites regularly, sometimes several times a day. I'm patient, but only because I have no choice. Oh well, back to sitting cross-legged and  reciting mantras. Om, om, om.
Ian B

Always expect the unexpected

So what's unexpected? Well, most things really I suppose. Some things are nice, like unexpectedly winning the lottery for example, and some are not so nice and I'll leave examples of those to your imagination. I write books. It's nice to download the actual commercial version - proves to yourself that you are actually a published author - even if nobody ever buys your books. I digress (always wanted to use that phrase!). So there I was, reading my latest download of 'Holly'. Now the unexpected bit. At the end of the book I came upon an extra page which simply said 'by the same author'. The next page was the book cover for 'Lisa' which is book one of the Lisa trilogy. Next came the book cover for 'Jody'. Ok so far. The next page was the book cover for 'Saskia'! I hadn't even known the book cover had been done, never mind attached to downloads. Unexpected? You bet your life it was! I almost dropped the poor old reader. Nice? Oh yes! Now all I have to do is wait for the actual book. When that happens it'll be one down, seven to go. Suppose I'll have to get on with finishing book eight. Not sure there's a huge rush, but I should at least try.
Ian B