Here I am at the edge

The run was better than I could have hoped for As Meatloaf  said Two out of three ain't bad! I hoped there would be two last sales of the month tonight to bring the total to 20, but they never came. On the up side, I did make more sales than I expected.  I always hope for ten in a month (only Forgestriker sells well) and this month's total was 18, so, I am more than happy with the month.

Back in civvies   35 years ago this week, I became a civilian after serving for six years in the Royal Air Force .   My last week was a demob course for driving in Liverpool , a week I'll never forget.  The instructor was more accustomed to teaching HGV drivers with years of experience and was not suited to train beginners. Learning to drive while avoiding bricks, planks, and rubble along the banks of the River Mersey is not to be recommended. I didn't finish the Crash course  as the instructor was very abusive to the students. On leaving Liverpool, I returned to my base at RAF Brampton  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Brampton   for the last three days of my service period.

Two sales for Halloween Treat yourself to my triple-pack for Halloween   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32132 ; this e-book contains the three known versions of my most popular Gothic ghost story  - Old Church ghosts.  The unseen version   A few months after bringing the collection out, I was fortunate to find on file, my origina l - and previously unseen - version   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/66076 .  #HalloweenToday  Today is the last day of the month, and I only require two sales to make a remarkable sales feat of 20 sales for three consecutive months.  If you like your ghosts involved in time travel, try my e-book    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32516 . This story was inspired by a visit to a friend who lives in Kings' Lynn .

An unknown story My friends will tell you that my mind never rests, I'm always trying to think of new stories. This is a case in mind. I have two excluside Kolchak DVDs in my collection, what makes them wexclusive is that the two films were produced before the series came out, a third story was planned but the series was bought up by ABC and the writer of the story was not taken on to write scripts. Carl Kolchak  #Kolchak   is one my favourite TV series of the 70s'. The story of the down-at-heel news reporter who chased demons, only to lose his story because he had to destroy the evidence to survive.  The character of Kolchak inspired the writing of my award-winning e-book Chronicles of Mark Johnson   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32117 . The clothing of the character, shabby and worn is how I depicted Phil Moore, Marks' friend. The concept of Kolchak as a demon hunter inspired the lead character in my series. Chronicles of Mark Johnson Mark

Celebrate with a good read The house on the right-hand end of the row is the site of a haunting dating back to the days of smuggling , in Yorkshire . The Ship Inn , in Saltburn-by-the-Sea , is to this day haunted by the ghost of the pirate, John Andrew , who owned the inn for over 40 years. The inn is haunted by his daughters' ghost. The four-year-old haunts the house where she lived and died from pleurisy. Sea Ghosts   My story, Sea Ghosts  https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32491 , although fiction is based on their story. This story won third prize in a Facebook writing contest in 2012.

Or at least I'm made to feel like one. The crime My crime is being poor , white and disabled in the UK.  The Punishment For the last seven months, various members of Bristol City Council have been harassing my family. Rarely a month has passed without one council member giving us a problem. Normally, the council are hard-pressed to send a heating engineer once a year for a five-minute check. This year, they haven't stopped since March. The cause My stepson couldn't be bothered to take his daughter to school for three days after her mother left her with him after a weekend visit. The school phoned the mother and got no reply. So, they called the Social Services who paid us a visit; then they rang the Council. The reason for the harassment  Under the pretence of improving our home and bringing it up to modern requirements, the council have done everything short of evicting the family. The truth   They want us out of the house and they w

Is another record set to fall? Will this month set a new sales record for me? I need only two sales to reach 20, for the third consecutive month. 

I am popular Forgestriker I don't make a point of bragging, but I think it's safe to class my series of seven books  http://hereiamattheedge.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/forgestriker-collection.html#.VjIRN9XhDnA   as highly popular, with nearly 600 sales for the series it would be hard to argue otherwise.  Best-seller? Some of my friends consider me as a best-seller and in a way I can't disagree, the sales would indicate that I am selling many e-books . I have never considered myself a best-seller, and I don't think I ever will consider myself a best-selling writer.  #scifi The series has shot my online profile at Barnes and Noble to new heights each month for the last 18 months. This is mainly due to the phenomenal sales of the title book in the series ( Forgestriker). If more of the other books sold, that would help my thinking a lot. #GhostAdventures In the last few weeks, some of my ghost stories have started to sell. The

Why film in Boston? You may have read that I like US TV series, recently I came to asking myself a question. Why are so many series shot in Boston ?  I can understand the need to get away from shooting in New York , but why choose Boston? From what I read it isn't the cheapest city to live. I realise the city is only a few miles from The Big Apple,  surely that can't be the only reason.  Rizzoli & Isles    My new favourite is Rizzoli & Isles featuring two attractive ladies in Angie Harmon (Law & Order) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS). One remark against the series is the character of Jane Rizzoli has a big mouth, well she is a female cop in a mans' world.  Lorraine Bracco  On a side note, who says older ladies with fuller figures aren't sexy, I think Lorraine Bracco is as very attractive - if not more - than many younger and slimmer actresses Crossing Jordan   Another favourite of mine based in Boston is  Crossing Jordan featurin

Time to accept a reality   Many people - not only my friends - have told me that I am a good writer.  The time has come for me to accept this fact, more than anything the factor that had me unconvinced - and to an extent it still does - is the fact that despite the mass sales for my e-book Forgestriker ; the series   http://hereiamattheedge.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/forgestriker-collection.html#.Vi9utlXtmko  as a whole didn't sell well. Despite the restricted sales for the series, Sons of Baal and Forgestriker must be good reading as they have not stopped selling in almost two years. Chronicles of Mark Johnson It is true, I did win an award - three years ago - for the opening book in the Mark Johnson series. My pain is that neither this book or its sequel sold.  Ghost stories    One of the things that changed my mind is this month my ghost stories have started to sell. One thing that always stopped me believing I was a good writer was the lack of variety in my s

Drop Dead Diva Anyone who has known me for even a short time will tell you - I love most US comedy shows.  M.A.S.H. One of my favourites is M.A.S.H. I was devasted when the series ended its 11-year run.  My taste covers a broad range of the smart humour of Frasier - set in one of my favourite cities - Seattle , to the redneck humour of Jeff Foxworthy .  From the medical jokes of Scrubs to the craziness of Reba .  One of my new favourites is the law-based humour of Drop Dead Diva . I didn't think I would like this show; I don't like many lawyers type shows - CSI fan, not Law & Order - but the show quickly grew on me, despite being a chicklit  theme.  Try as I might, there are two shows I couldn't get on with, one is Cheers , and the other is 30 Rock . I think the reason is that the main character is so pushy and obnoxious. In the 30 Rock, the lead is a coloured stand-up comedian. I have nothing against coloured people; I like the humour of Eddie

Gothic horror I realise my readers may be tired of me saying this, but you never fail to amaze me.  Janies' return Last night is a good example a story I thought would never sell sold its first copy. Janies' return   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/33814   is an old-fashioned ghost story with a story to tell beyond the story you read. The idea   a few years ago, I entered the story in a contest for an anthology magazine. The story didn't fare well, and was rejected; the editors of Chuffed Books  didn't think the ending had the right twist in the tail. With the rejection behind me, I put the e-book up for sale; never imagining it would sell.  Holding Richmond A similar fate befell another story of mine, Holding Richmond was rejected for being too short to enter a contest. The end result - I put the e-book for sale, and it became my Amazon bestseller .

A witch hunt  From the start I'll let you know, I am NOT a supporter of Hilary Clinton . If  I were a US citizen, I'd be voting for Bernie Sanders .  Benghazi Committee Last night's hearing was little more than a witch hunt devised by the Republican party to discredit Mrs. Clinton. They have spent over $4.7 billion dollars on various inquests, and what have they gained? Nothing. Donald Trump   In my view, the desperate attempt to further discredit Mrs. Clinton shows how desperate they are. The Republicans have finally realised with Donald Trump as their leading candidate; they are heading for disaster. Second in the race is Ben Carson , he may be a good doctor, but he's no politician - Putin , and the others, would have him for breakfast.  The weakness of the party is shown by how far ahead DT is in the polls. If they were a strong party, there would be serious challenges to his position as there is in the Democratic party  between the two biggest r

What works for me  Every writer will tell you, they have a few tips for success. For some, it's Amazon , for others it's another of the various sales platforms available.  What works for me?  For a sales platform, I am using Draft2Digital  https://www.draft2digital.com/ ; their link to Barnes and Noble is a godsend to me. For Grammar checking, I use Grammarly  https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check

Noir What a pleasant surprise. Last night the last Pat Canella series book finally   made a sale.  This was to be the latest in the series, the story   has a mysterious ending because I was unsure if it would sell; the other two e-books in the series died a slow death.

Most effect Google Apps Usually, my readers come from countries, but yesterday's largest number of blog reads came from GooglePlay .  Strange as this may appear, it had no effect on my sales. GooglePlay is a site I don't put work on anymore. The site is rife for piracy, if J K Rowling and E L Grey can have work pirated, what chance for lesser writers?

Mordhiemicus WIP extract This is an extract from my latest Work In Progress - a fantasy story called Mordhiemicus . The town of Mondoria was in full colour as the Feast of Tallier started. Banners hung from the flagpoles and windows. The inns took on extras staff to be open for the three-day festival. The town thrived with people coming from all over Madior province for the festival. With the growth of population in the area, Mondoria had become the major sea port. The other sea port in the area was Kerranmore, but with Mondoria being easier to travel to, the trade routes changed. Kerranmore soon became a deserted ghost town populated by thieves and outcasts. Jesters danced along the streets, and children followed as laughter filled the air. From the inns could be heard the sound of games, and men who were making deals. The women folk wandered around taking in the vast array of foods brought from afar for the festival. Now was the time to treat th

October 18th, 2009 A birthday to remember  This was the scene on October 18th , 2009 in Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada . Weeks earlier, the same scene was a beautiful fall landscape.  My birthday treat from my late friend Faye, and her daughter Marge was a meal at The Ginger House in Lac La Biche. The meal was an all you can eat for $15 setting; as we didn't go out a lot, this was a real treat for us. I never had the opportunity to give Faye what she wanted - a Christmas together - this was as close as we got. 

Perceptions My change in style Ghost stories    In the days when I wrote my early ghost stories, my work was likened by friends to the stories of Edgar Allan Poe , M.R. James , and Sheridan Lefanu . I consider this a great honor, as I admire their work very much.  Pat Canella    My first e-book that went on sale is said to be in the hard-boiled style of Mickey Spillane by a former police officer from Queensland .  Chronicles of Mark Johnson    My award-winning e-book is compared to the works of H.P. Lovecraft . I have to admit before I had stories likened to his; I had not heard of him, but I can see the likeness in my stories.  Gonzo journalism    My later works have are said to be in the style of stories written by Hunter S. Thompson . Gonzo journalism is a style of first-person writing, where the writer of the article puts himself/herself in the story while reporting the story. My ideas   For my part, I don't try to fall into a st

George Orwell Wilfred Greatorex George Orwell    While the world waited to find out if Orwell's perception of the future would come to pass in 1984 . A more insidious future unfolded before our eyes.   Wilfred Greatorex The writer Wilfred Greatorex foresaw a future when the papers are controlled by corporations, and free thought is a criminal offense  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_(TV_series) .  Israel If you don't believe this is happening, read the headlines in the press. Israel gets blamed for defending her borders while Palestine can launch as many attacks as it likes without penalty. US Congress If you are to believe the press,  Hilary Clinton leads the polls in the United States Democratic elections ; mainly because her figures are provided by her financial backers. Independent reports will tell you she trails Bernie Sanders by over 40% in most areas.  Bristol city council In my life, this year has been traumatic with endless v

October in the past October 2011    Four years ago, I launched the opening e-book in what I hoped would be a short series of crime stories .  The Dockland Murders   https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/pat-canella-the-dockland-murders   was the first of my e-books to go on general sale. This book and its sequel Ghosts of your past  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/ghosts-of-your-past   are highly praised for their authentic feel by an ex-policeman from Queensland. GOYP is my bestseller on Kobo . October 2012   Yes, that year again. In the October of 2012, my e-book Chronicles of Mark Johnson  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/chronicles-of-mark-johnson   received an award for excellence from  http://indiependents.org/ . Both Chronicles and the sequel Wharfemere Finale  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wharfemere-finale   received high praises from an independent New York reviewer. 

P A Canella Inner Demons  Most of the people who have read about my award-winning e-book Chronicles of Mark Johnson  - are aware I share many of Mark's traits - I based the character on my persona.  There is another character in the series that I can associate with; that is his mentor P.A. Canella. I don't consider myself as the persona in the series. The original P.A. Canella was written long before the series came into my mind.  The original Mr. Canella was written about in a short series of long-forgotten stories about a writer who wished to be well-read, and yet remain anonymous - that is the P.A. Canella I associate with myself. Fame and Fortune   While I am neither famous nor wealthy from my writing - I have created for myself a good reputation in the world of science-fiction  - with the mass sales of my popular series ( Forgestriker ).  People will tell you that fame and fortune can change people. At first I told myself it wouldn't change me,

Mysterious links  Vegreville Last night on tv, I was watching an episode of X-files. In the episode, I was watching Mulder needed to hack a computer to get files on Scully. As he looked around he came across a snow globe - the name on the snow globe was Vegreville , the venue is in Alberta, Canada   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegreville . The picture above is one I took at the same place, in the background you can see the egg that is in the snow globe in the show. A night at the opera   Years ago, when I used to listen to opera on the radio. I had a strange dream. I dreamt a singer had died on stage that night. The next morning I heard that  Richard Versalle had fallen to his death on stage   http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/07/nyregion/richard-versalle-63-met-tenor-dies-after-fall-in-a-performance.html .

Is there anybody out there? Looking ahead I wonder if there are any readers awaiting further work from me?  Forgestriker   The huge success of my series   http://hereiamattheedge.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/forgestriker-collection.html#.VhuhuVUViko   could lead me to believe that after making a significant sales market in the United States Sci-Fi market there may be readers waiting. However, I am not a person to think the success of one e-book in a series of seven is a sign that anything is awaiting further e-books - I treat each e-book as an individual piece of work. The success of one e-book does not mean others will succeed.  A nice thought   It would be a nice thought to think my next work will be half as popular as Forgestriker  is, but that's wishful thinking as far as I'm concerned.

Chronicles of Mark Johnson Award winning book  Last week I started to edit my award winning e-book Chronicles of Mark Johnson .  Grammarly   While checking the stories with Grammarly, I found numerous errors. This is the problem when you decide to go back after improving your style - and my styling has improved radically - with the help of my good friend Julia Petrakis .  Sales record    You may question the validity of re-writing an award-winning book after three years. The editing is validated by the fact the book has had no sales since the award in October 2012.  This triple book edition will be a better-composed edition of the first two series of stories, plus a series that is in the work-in-progress stage. Nothing to lose   All I have to lose is my time, and being disabled and not being a TV addict - I have a lot of time to use. Will the effort be worth it?   Only the readers can decide. As for me, this is the final act for a story I loved and wa

Memorable people  True Heroes    People talk about sporting heroes, but to me, a hero is required to do something good, not just play sports and get paid well.  First World War   During WW1, my late grandfather was enlisted in the East Yorkshire Regiment. I had the opportunity to keep a record of the battles he fought. Owing to a row with my late mother I lost that when I said my aunt Joan could keep his field glasses - on which he'd etched the battles he'd been involved in during the war.  I can remember he took part in   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ypres#World_War_I , sadly, I never had the chance to find out which battle he was involved.   During the engagements he has bayoneted and the fact he wore a helmet saved his life - he had an indented skull until he died in 1974. My book  https://www.books2read.com/u/4AYDJ4   is written as a loving memory of a generation whose lives were changed beyond belief. India   Although my late father and I didn't g