Run Up to Paisley's Comic Con

Well, Paisley's comic con is only about a month away now and I'm getting there with making sure that I'm ready. I already have most of my books in, ready to be sold. I'm just waiting for copies of The Dance Macabre to be delivered. I will have to organise to get some promotional material, including some things to do some pre-publication promotion for Ravensrise, the first book in my Ravens Trilogy.
As part of comic con this year, those who are in the Creativity Hub, have been asked to do some activities for those who are coming to comic con. They want an emphasis on encouraging people to read. What I'm going to do, is have a note book, where people can write a paragraph, as a continuation of what has been written before, creating a novel out of a collective creativity. I will also have a box that will be filled with story prompts. People will be able to pick one, take it away with them, and start writing. I've told the guys running Paisley's comic con that this is what I'm planning for my activities and they seem really happy with it. It will mean that I'll be able to do them, without leaving my stall.
It is going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be on the 14th April, in Paisley's town hall. Come along and enjoy yourselves. Cosplay and make a day of it.

Events 2018

I have some good news.
I was recently told that I have a table at Paisley's second comic con. It will be taking place on the 14th April, in Paisley's town hall. I'll be in the Creator's Hub. I'll be selling copies of my books, as well as carrying out activities for those who are attending the comic con.
I am really looking forward to taking part in this, especially after how good last year's comic con was. There were so many there who were cosplaying, and it was brilliant to see all of the other creatives who were selling there wares.
I do hope that Paisley's comic con gets bigger and better with every passing year. It is events like this that are getting Paisley back into the public awareness, for all of the good reasons.

I'm still hoping that I will be able to run my own event as part of the Southside Fringe in Glasgow. If everything goes to plan, I will be able to hold my event, I'll be able to use it carry out some pre-publication promotion of Ravensrise, the first novel in my Ravensrise Trilogy. I just need to organise a venue, where I'll be able to hold the event.

New Year

Well, that's the start of 2018.
I have to admit, I had hoped that I would have achieved a lot more in 2017 as a writer. Things were quiet on the publishing front, and I haven't managed to go full time yet, but I have been working away on my fantasy trilogy. Book 1is more or less ready to go to my editor, and the very rough first draft of Book 3 is sitting, waiting to be kicked into shape.
I had written the rough first draft of Book 2 in 2016, for NaNoWriMo, but as I am an eejit, I managed to save over the file. That saw me lose everything that I had written. I have started to rewrite it. Hopefully, I will get it down as soon as possible. I am planning on having Book 1 in 2018. If everything goes to plan, Book 2 will be published six months after that.
I am also planning on organising an event for the Southside Fringe in Glasgow. I will be using it to do some pre-publication promotion for my novel. I have also applied to take part in Paisley's second Comic Con. So, it looks like 2018 is going to be a busy year.

City of Culture

As some of you will have known, Paisley had bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021. Unfortunately, the town didn't win the title. I have to admit, there were many of those working in the creative industries, who call the town home, who were really disappointed, but it's not the end of the world. There is still so much more going on in the town, and we have come this far, so we cannot allow ourselves to stop now.
The bid certainly has had positive effect on the town. Lisa Kowalski, who is a Paisley based singer-songwriter, had her first music video funded by those running the bid. Those running Clockoderik Press also received funding in order to get the ball rolling with them. There are a number of open mic events that take place within the town, some of which also give opportunities to writers to read their work. I will be continuing to work on my fantasy trilogy, which I will be independently publishing. Hopefully, I will be selling it through local retails, as well as on Amazon.
I have heard rumours that there will be other events in the pipeline, which will build on what has been achieved so far. So, to quote Benjamin Disraeli - "Keep an eye on Paisley."

The Ravensrise Trilogy

My current work in progress in the Ravensrise Trilogy. It's a fantasy and the premise is that there is a war on magic, with the four main characters fighting on the side of magic. Book 1 of the trilogy is currently with beta readers. I've had some feed back and people seem to be enjoying it. I am looking forward to getting it all back and finishing with that part of the process.
Then it's going to be sent off to my editor and we will have to see what she has to say about what I've written. Once that part of the process is finished, I will be one step closer to getting it published, which I will be doing independently. I will be getting some lovely cover art created for it. Even though I am a lot closer to publishing Book 1, there is still a lot of work to do, especially as I am hoping to have it published at th end of this year, or the start of next.
I am planning on taking part in a number of events in order to promote Book 1, once its published, including Paisley's Comic Con and the Southside Fringe.  I have been working on Book 2 of the trilogy. I have nearly finished writing the story, so, once Book 1 has been finished and published, I will sit down and start the process again. So, I have been keeping myself busy.

Renfrewshire Witch Hunt 1697

For the past two months, I have been selling copies of my books in the Renfrewshire Witch Hunt 1697's unit in the Paisley Centre. As well as focusing on the history of the Paisley witches, the RWH, is a group that aims to help and promote local people who work in the creative industries.
So far, the books that I am selling with them is Goddess of the Night, The Winter Queen, King and the Spider and The Weaver Poet.
The Weaver Poet, my Robert Tannahill collection, is selling well. I am working on getting copies of my other books, which I will be using to stock my wee spot in the shop. That will include my collection of poems by Alexander Wilson - Lines Written on a Summer Evening, as well as my collection of short stories and flash fiction called The Dance Macabre.
So, if you're in the Paisley area, keep an eye out.

The Weave Festival

I am going to be holding an event on the 1st July in Abbey Books, on Well Street, Paisley. It will be starting at 2pm. It is going to be part of the Weave Festival. For the event, I am going to be reading some of my work. I will also be bringing copies of my books along with me, if anyone is interested in buying themselves a copy.
I will also be taking part in an event in the Paisley Arts Centre. They are holding a music event as part of the Weave Festival, and during the musical acts, they have organised for local writers to read their work. I think that the event will be starting at 12 pm, and I will be there until about 1.30 pm. It is going to be a busy day, but I am hoping that it will give my work some more exposure.
So, if anyone is interested in coming along to either the event at the Arts Centre, or Abbey Books, come on.