Sue and I learned something interesting about Author Talks recently: don’t do them – or rather, do them at your peril.

No! I’m only kidding – well – half-kidding if faced with the type of event we recently encountered. Continue reading →

Talking to authors about their lives and books for your blogs and website can be a daunting process. What if you ask the wrong question? What if you forget to ask a crucial question? What if the author doesn’t want to tell you something? What if they want to tell you too much?

Should you do a face-to-face interview – or will it be over the phone or, more commonly, via email?

Just how do you cope in an interview situation? Where do you start and what do you need to remember? Continue reading →

Book reviews consist of taking your initial feelings about a book you’ve read – be they ‘Wow! Wonderful’ or ‘Hell, total rubbish’ – and writing 500 words of Why the Wow or What the Hell.

I’ve written my fair share of reviews for the newspapers and magazines where I’ve worked and, as a journalism lecturer, I’ve also taught plenty of wannabe journalists how to write reviews. Continue reading →

Like all newbie writers I struggle with the concept of Show Don’t Tell.

Except I’m not such a newbie.

I’m a former journalist and PR writer.

And that’s part of the problem.  Continue reading →