Thanks to the continued wonders of the Internet, I recently made contact with Emma Harrison. Emma is a student at the University of Chester and she’s completing a Master’s in family and child psychology.

After reading one of my earlier posts, A letter to my Teenage Self, Emma asked me if I’d like to take part in her research study on adjustment to bullying (and of course I said yes).

Emma thinks anything that helps prevent future bullying is worthwhile, and I couldn’t agree more!

If you want to take part all you have to do is answer some simple questions. You need to be eighteen or over and have fifteen minutes to spare. Please help if you can. Here’s the link.

For those of you who are interested, I didn’t make it past the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Although I’m disappointed I’m still chuffed I got that far. From ten thousand to the top one hundred in my category aint so bad ..... Read more

Hi! It’s been a while since I wrote a proper blog, but I won’t bore you with my Busy Story because you’ve probably got your own. I’ll start with the really exciting news.

Purple is a quarterfinalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (young adult fiction category). Woo-hoo! Amazon accepted 10,000 entries and they’ve now whittled it down to the top 100 in each category. The semi-finalists are announced on April 16th so I’ll let you know what happens. Click here if you want to read more about the competition. ..... Read more

Thanks to tHe crooKed worD for taking the time to read and review Purple!

“This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.”

I love this book!  The story line takes unexpected paths and kept me hooked!  The characters felt like people I could know.  They were quirky and fun, very original and had real problems that didn’t always have solutions.  Their unique journeys all come together to tell a story of awakening and reaching outside of ones-self.  I love how the characters are compelled to look past the expectations they have of others and discover what’s really there.  The setting was so creative and impossible, but the writing made everything seem plausible.  It made me think differently about the world.  There are some really great quotes in Purple- some hilarious, others hopeful or wise.  The messages in the story are very pertinent to life today.  This is a book I’ll read again and I recommend it to youth of all ages!

5/5 stars

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2012 has been amazing! I’ve been blown away by the love and support from so many people.

Wherever you are in the world, I send you my heartfelt thanks.

For the next five days you can download Purple for FREE

The giveaway starts at approx 8am on Christmas Morning (UK time) and ends at 8am December 30th

If you want to gift Purple to a friend then click here to find out how.

Download Purple for free from Amazon UK or Amazon USA and all Amazon stores worldwide!

Happy Holidays

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This month, two emails arrived in my in box and together they’ve got me thinking (and writing). Let me explain. First of all, an American-based website called Dear Teen Me invited me to write a letter to my teenage self. And then I got an email from Stonewall about National Anti-Bullying Week. Stonewall are a UK-based organization who campaign for equality. One of their key priorities is challenging homophobia in secondary schools, primary schools, colleges and universities. Stonewall asked me if I would consider writing a letter to my former school urging the head teacher to tackle homophobic bullying.

After reading Stonewall’s School Report (which contains research conducted by the University of Cambridge) I knew I had to write both letters, and I had no doubts about the advice I would give to my teenage self.

Below are the key findings of Stonewall’s report, and below that is the letter I’ve written to my teenage self (which I’ve sent to the head teacher at my former school). Because it’s personal and heartfelt, I’m hoping it will inspire her to take action. I’ll let you know what happens. ..... Read more

A purple storm circles the planet in minutes and when it clears everyone between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five has vanished. It does sound like a horror story but it isn’t. So, how come Purple appeared in Amazon’s horror listings?

I never intended Purple to be a horror story and I don’t think it reads like one. When registering it with Amazon (writing its description then choosing its categories) I didn’t mention or select the word horror. If you’ve read the Q&A section on this site you’ll know I hate putting things into categories, but for marketing purposes it’s unavoidable. Perhaps all writers like to believe their work will have mass appeal and be loved by everyone. Obviously I’m far too level headed for this kind of fantasy thinking. No, ok, I’m not.

Well, anyway, it was truly fantastic when Purple made it to number two in Amazon’s Horror Fantasy top 100 best-seller list at the end of September. I was so excited I took countless screen shots.

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Congratulations to Angela Scott, because her book Wanted Dead Or Undead – The Zombie West Series is the winner of The Kindle Book Review Best Indie Books 2012 (young adult category). I’ve taken a peek inside and it looks great. Beautifully written, atmospheric and engaging. Here’s a link to her UK and USA Amazon pages if you want to check it out.

I’m enormously proud to have been a top five finalist and i want to say a massive thanks to everyone at The Kindle Book Review (particularly the judges) for their hard work, support and encouragement.

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I’m on top of the world! Or, at least, that’s what it looks like! I’m in Singapore and I’ve just heard that Purple has made it to the FINAL of The Kindle Book Review Best Indie Books 2012 Young Adult Category!!

As soon as I heard the news I dashed out to the supermarket to get some celebration sushi and guess what? They were playing show tunes! I recognised two numbers from Oliver. Is this a sign? Is it a perfect example of synchronicity? It could just be the jet lag. Check out the previous blogs if you’re feeling confused. Maybe I should lie down and shut my eyes for an hour. Can’t, too excited.

FYI, this amazing building in the background is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The boat on top of the towers isn’t there because I got carried away with Photoshop.

Yeah! I’m in the top five! ..... Read more

Ok, I’m just going to say it. I’m not going to worry about what you’ll think of me.

Here goes. “I think The Law Of Attraction actually works.”

Are you still there? Oh good. For those of you who aren’t sure what The Law Of Attraction is, let me explain. Basically, we get what we think about whether we want it or not. For example, we can’t attract money if we’re feeling poor. We can’t achieve success if we believe it’s way out of reach. If we think we don’t deserve something we probably won’t get it.

I’ve been reading Ask and it is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks and trying to put their teachings into practice. Esther and Jerry say we live in a vibrational universe (everything’s vibrating, something to do with atoms and particles and the spaces between them). By giving our attention to something we automatically achieve vibrational harmony with it. When we are in vibrational harmony with something the essence of it will, in some way, begin to show up in our lives. It’s a universal law. Apparently. ..... Read more

If we want to achieve success in our chosen field – whatever that may be – hard work is probably unavoidable. We’ll have to roll up our sleeves, burn the midnight oil, take risks (both financial and emotional), deal with rejection, learn to motivate ourselves and leap outside our comfort zone.

Using a geographical metaphor, I liken writing Purple (my first novel) to swimming the Atlantic: by the time I’d reached deep waters, with no land in sight, I realized I’d gone too far to turn back. When I finally wrote The End and had the Statue of Liberty in my view, I was shocked to discover I’d only completed half the journey. The marketing bit feels like an overland trek to California. I’m determined to make it to California, after all who wouldn’t want to kickback in Los Angeles or San Francisco? The destination glitters in the distance and the allure is too great. ..... Read more