Mel Bossa‘s latest book In His Secret Life arrived through the post. Look:

In His Secret Life Mel Bossa’s New Book (Cover)

In His Secret Life Mel Bossa’s New Book (Signed)

It was so kind of Bossa to sign it and such a lovely message. I’m so excited, I can’t wait to read it!

Here’s what the story is about (from the cover):

When Allan’s boyfriend leaves him for a younger man, Allan lets him go without a grudge. When his sister, Elsie, gets pregnant and ditched, he becomes her support system and father figure to his niece.

Then Elsie becomes engaged to Dayton, and Allan meets Dayton’s older brother, Davinder—a fierce and exceptionally gifted artist with a thousand secrets breathing in his eyes. But Davinder is a married man and father of two young boys.

From the moment they meet, and for over four decades, Allan and Davinder will walk along the edge of their secret lives, never allowed to push open the gates. And though their love is a head-on collision, a meeting of the minds, a fusing of two lost souls, both men know that it is also, and above all…impossible.

I’ll write a review of In His Secret Life when I’ve read it, but knowing Bossa it will be a brilliant and addictive read.

You can buy In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa on Amazon.

Blog soon,

Antony

I’ve just found the latest book in The Enemy Series by Charlie Higson on Amazon. It’s called The Fallen.

Here’s what it’s about:

The Fallen by Charlie Higson is the fifth awesome book in The Enemy series.

First the sickness rotted the adults’ minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.

The Holloway crew are survivors. They’ve fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive – just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there’s another way. . .

The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows.

SUDDENLY IT’S NOT SO CLEAR WHO – OR WHAT – THEY’RE FIGHTING.
(From: Amazon, Last accessed: Monday 13th May 2013.)

I’ve already pre-ordered my copy and can’t wait till September for it’s release.

Blog soon,

Antony

In this video Anne Rice gives some advice about writing:

I recommend you turn your speakers up as the audio is very quiet. Anne Rice is a passionate Writer and an inspirational woman.

I liked that she pointed our that there’s “no rules” when it comes to writing and that she says:
“Don’t take no for an answer from anybody. No matter how many rejections you get keep going, keep going.”

I’ve had a few short stories rejected recently and because of this I found this piece of advice really useful:
“Never revise that book because you got a rejection from an editor with a bunch of negative advice. Never do that. Any editor who rejects your book doesn’t get it.”

But by far, the most important piece of advice Anne Rice gives is that a Writer needs to: ‘Kick Out The Pages!’

So with that in mind, guess what I’ve been up to recently? You got it, writing. I hope to share more Creative Writing soon.

Take care,

Antony

Cumbria View Panorama

Simon and I planned an adventure out in Cumbria to see The Druid Stone Circle and Millom Castle, both sites neither of us have visited before. We found the sites on The Modern Antiquarian.

While traipsing through a field looking for The Druid Stone Circle, we found this wonderful altar:

The Druid Circle – Altar

Me sat on the altar

Then we saw the circle. The stones are smaller than the stones at Castlerigg but nonetheless beautiful:

The Druid Circle Cumbria

Simon at The Druid Circle Cumbria

Me at The Druid Circle Cumbria

We had dinner at Old Farmhouse Pub/Restaurant near Ulverston. The atmosphere and food were both delightful:

Me Old Farmhouse Pub / Restaurant Sign	Simon Old Farmhouse Pub / Restaurant
Me Old Farmhouse Pub / Restaurant

Then we headed to Millom Castle:

Millom Castle Cumbria Sign

Millom Castle Cumbria

We thought the entrance might be through the Holly Trinity Church. The church was a little gem of ancient architecture in it’s own right:

Millom Castle Cumbria Holy Trinity Church Gates	Millom Castle Cumbria Holy Trinity Church
Millom Castle Cumbria Holy Trinity Church

We quickly discovered that Millom Castle is in private ownership with no access to the public. This was a huge shame as from the photos you can see that it was an exquisite ruin:

Millom Castle Cumbria	Millom Castle Cumbria
Millom Castle Cumbria	Millom Castle Cumbria Holy Trinity Church Information Board

The information board appeared uncared for but the Castle was not. The private owners had scaffolding up and were living in the castle. This indicates that the owners want to restore the Castle to it’s former glory. Let’s hope they do and then open the doors to the public.

We had a great day out, dubbed our Cumbria Adventure.

Write soon,

Antony