Along The Write Lines: Line of Sight

Showing posts with label Line of Sight. Show all posts

Music for Writing

I can hear music. Not just a brilliant track by The Beach Boys (and also nicely covered by The Ronettes), but also a statement of fact. Why? Because generally I write fiction to a musical backdrop.

When I work on a novel I use different types of music to get into the mood of a scene. Classical music and jazz (especially Chet Baker) are favourites but sometimes an individual track will capture the essence of a moment, or complement a section of dialogue. As my Spy Chaser owes a debt to Raymond Chandler, I find anything with a noir feel to it opens that magic door to the active imagination.

A haze of smoke lingers and I see shadows beyond it where Thomas Bladen is waiting for me, leant against a faded brick wall, looking at his watch. He glances over and nods to Karl McNeill who is standing by the opposite wall, eating a bag of crisps. A haunting bassoon lends a melancholy tone to the steamy night air... And then Miranda Wright strolls along the alleyway, doing her slinky walk for Thomas's benefit even though her eyes are fixed on that doorway where I listen to her approaching steps. She pauses, just ahead of Thomas and Karl, facing me down. Her lips part, breaking the streetlight glint, and then she takes a breath. I hold mine in anticipation and she smiles momentarily before bestowing her wisdom. "Maybe if you stopped pissing about so much you'd get the book finished?" She raises an eyebrow and then turns, her heels tapping out a sensuous beat that recedes into the night. Thomas and Karl follow in her wake.

Miranda has a point.

It's been a funny old year. An illness and then a death in the family, bloodshed on Britain's streets and a seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of tragedy, politics and other bad news. Oh yeah, and I took a short holiday for the first time in two years. Sometimes the page reflects with near perfect clarity, even if no one else can see it.

But the thing is, writing doesn't always have to change the world, or make things better - even for ourselves. Writing is about the story - the characters, the dialogue and the pulsing heart of it. So I'm back now, cocooned by music to dissuade me from leaving the confines of my writing desk. Well, I say confines but really it's the stepping off point.

And speaking of music...

Before Standpoint was published I put together a soundtrack of the book, selecting music to accompany the film. Now that it is published, I'm still rather fond of those original choices.

I'll keep this as spoiler-free as possible!

I'd open with I Specialise by Christine Collister & Clive Gregson. Who couldn't love Christine's powerful voice, conveying cynicism and indifference. Another option would be Someone's Looking At You by the Boomtown Rats.

I have several tunes for Thomas and Miranda, depending on how things are between them:

I Can Hear Music by The Beach Boys, Will You by Hazel O'Connor, Here with Me by Dido

and Kiss the Rain by Billie Myers.

One song always make me think of Thomas and his trips to Whitehall is The Queen and the Soldier by Suzanne Vega.

When it comes to Thomas being back amongst his family in Yorkshire (and confronting his father) it has to be The Story of the Blues Pt 1 byThe Mighty Wah.

It's Bridge of Spies by T'Pau when Thomas is alone, on the North Yorkshire moors, heading off to confront the bad guys.

And the final tracking shot, as the dead are counted along with the cost? I Saved the World Today by Eurythmics.

Readers of the sequel, Line of Sight, will know that Karl has a theme song, sort of, which is another story altogether!

Do you write books and what importance does music play in the process?

Books as Children - Line of Sight's turn to shine

It's time for Thomas Bladen to go through the looking glass.

A well-known author (Richard Bach, I'm fairly confident) once referred to his books as his literary children. When it comes to my Thomas Bladen Spy Chaser novels, I have tried to do something subtle different with each one. Consequently, I love all my literary children equally while recognising their differences.

Standpoint introduces Thomas Bladen and his work in the Surveillance Support Unit. It sets the tone, the alliances and the conflicts. Ideally, it also sets readers' expectations as they enter Thomas's world. It's the eldest child, who carries some responsibility for the children that follow - whether it likes it or not!

Line of Sight follows in the aftermath of the events in Standpoint. It delves deeper into Thomas's working relationship with Karl and the SSU, but also has Thomas taking more of a lead role. We see Karl vulnerable for the first time and we learn more about his backstory. Line of Sight, as the second child, has a touch of pathos about it.

Cause & Effect opens dramatically - twice! - before showing how Thomas's and Karl's lives are now so interwoven that one false move could ensnare them both. Crucially, this book shows both of them sometimes getting it wrong and the consequences. This third child is more independent than its older siblings, and perhaps a little more reckless too.

Shadow State puts Thomas Bladen centre stage, whether he likes it nor not. This time he calls the shots, and with good reason. The past catches up with him and Karl, leading to revelations, confrontations and hard choices. The fourth child benefits from the burdens and experiences of those who came before it. It is more wilful and less inclined to listen to its parents (the author!).

------------------------------------------

Find out why Amy Johanson died, why Karl McNeill hasn't set foot in Northern Ireland since he was a teenager, why Miranda Wright might not be the best person to deliver a eulogy but she'll cover your back, and why Thomas Bladen has to turn detective when no one else can.

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINE-SIGHT-gripping-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XIOAOBK

US https://www.amazon.com/LINE-SIGHT-gripping-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XIOAOBK

AUS https://www.amazon.com.au/LINE-SIGHT-gripping-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XIOAOBK

CAN https://www.amazon.ca/LINE-SIGHT-gripping-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XIOAOBK

The Information Game

Even before I became an emerging author (that middle ground between no longer debut and nowhere near established!) I thought it sensible to turn a well-worn adage, 'write about what you know', on its head. Far better, in my opinion, to say: 'know what you're writing about'.

That usually means one of two things:

1. Direct research.

2. Indirect research by plundering your own experience, and sometimes other people's.

While the novelist Leigh Russell made a trip to the Seychelles for her novel, Journey to Death, my research tales are of a more bargain basement variety!

For my debut espionage thriller, Standpoint, I wanted to know about Harwich International Port. Unfortunately, I went at it with some gusto and my enthusiastic request to see detailed maps and to know about the locations and practices of Customs staff probably had me pegged as an inept smuggler. Perhaps I should be grateful that I never received a reply, especially one that involved the removal of my front door. I did, however, pick up a useful police contact.

When it came to writing the sequel, Line of Sight, I found useful information on www.arrse.co.uk and www.ukpoliceonline.co.uk for matters relating to mob and job. I also drew upon memories and anecdotes from brief stints working in Belfast, and those of a friend who'd served in the Armed Forces out there.

By book three, Cause & Effect, I must have got better at asking questions. Plus, I now had a little credibility from the previous two novels. In my explorations I inadvertently found out something about baggage scanners that I'm not allowed to reveal, a bank provided information about bankcard fraud - on the condition that I don't name them, and someone from the Ministry of Justice referred me to the excellent http://www.insidetime.org for a question about prison procedures in 2004. Sadly, my query involving aerosol spray paints drew a blank so I fell back on my imagination. It seems there are some things that even the Internet can't tell us.

In almost all of the above cases the information I acquired (or failed to) was largely for my own benefit. Very little of it made the cut and I've yet to have a review that picks me up on my research (not so with the British slang, swearing, sex, violence, etc.). One thing I did learn, which still surprises me, is that I already knew several people with firearms experience.

A sprinkling of facts, at the right time and in the right manner, adds to the realism of a fictional world and encourages that suspension of disbelief we're always hearing about. Readers want characters and books that live on in their head after the final page, and we want them to want to return to the worlds we create.

Next time I might take a gander at international politics and US intelligence policy in post-war Europe.

About me

I have written three Thomas Bladen espionage thrillers, published by Joffe Books in one volume as Spy Chaser and also available separately - Standpoint, Line of Sight, and Cause & Effect. Shadow State, the fourth book in the series, is due out later this year. You can find all my books here.

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3N2BJM

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N3N2BJM

Only writers know it feels...

Only writers know how it feels...

- To submit a piece to a magazine, have it summarily rejected and then find that said magazine has added you to its email list. And then proceeds to email you every week about its other content.

- To get feedback from an editor, pointing out all the plot holes and errors in your book. And rather than feel peed off with them you're actually grateful they showed such diligence and peed off with yourself for not doing a better job in the first place.

- To get to the end of a manuscript and then realise you've left some really important loose ends untied.

- To toil for years over an idea that won't go away, only to find - somewhere near your book's completion - that someone else has just been published with a similar idea.

- To spend a day or more in mental torture over the fate of an imaginary person that you made up, when either you can't understand how they get out of the situation or they don't like what you've written for them.

- To have only two pages remaining in a notebook. Too few to write a lengthy piece and too many to discard in favour of another notebook.

- To move through the world like a thief, collecting memories and stories from those who may appreciate their true value.

Shadow State, the fourth Thomas Bladen novel in the Spy Chaser series, is available later this year through Joffe Books. You might find something here to read while you're waiting.

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Derek-Thompson/e/B0034ORY08

US: https://www.amazon.com/Derek-Thompson/e/B0034ORY08

One Year On - a Q&A with a difference

A little ago, buoyant on completing my first year as a thriller writer, I thought it would be fun to do a Q&A with a difference. I promised to answer any questions you cared to send in. Here they are, woven into an interview.

1. It's been a year since your debut thriller, Standpoint, was published. Did you expect two of the follow-on books to be published so quickly?

Not for a second! I had a vague idea that it might be one every nine months, but the rate has been fantastic. It has also taught me not to obsess so much about the novels, to write them as well as I can and then move on to the next one.

2. Does that mean you see the thrillers as more of a 'job' than a creative project?

I think you could say that, and I am pleased about that transition. Jasper Joffe signed me on the basis of a five-book pitch, so I have no qualms about making good on my side of the bargain. Plus, I'm happy to confirm, the royalty payments have been good news.

3. What are the numbers?

Funny you should ask that! Chloe Banks covered this theme brilliantly in a blog post of her own and writing (probably all the Arts) seems to be an occupation where the abiding curiosity is about what you earn.

There is no 'typical' author experience. As a friend of mine, Jem, likes to say: your mileage may vary.

4. Highlights and lowlights?

Seeing a press release in the local paper, and on the Literature Works website. Having a spot on BBC Radio Cornwall (where I managed to mispronounce one of the book titles!). Fellow writers and readers being amazingly generous with their time.

Even the bad reviews are fine if they make sense. Some would-be supporters decided not to join the Bladen bus, which is absolutely their right but disappointing nonetheless. I get that people are busy! A shame too about the highly successful author's post for me and the newspaper book review that never came to pass.

One thing that really surprised me was how few reviews we received for the 50,000 downloads. You can check out Amazon (links handily provided below) to see for yourself.

5. Do you feel shackled to Thomas Bladen now?

Not at all - he's part of the family. My publisher has floated the idea of a crime thriller with new characters, which I'm still mulling over. I'm working on the fourth Bladen novel at the moment and I have an outline for the fifth / final (?) book.

6. What's changed for you since Standpoint came out in March 2015?

I have more experience of the publishing industry - particularly where ebooks are concerned - and consequently my expectations have changed. My books have each had a steep trajectory, peaking in weeks and fading in months. That's both exciting and humbling.

I've also learned not to fixate on Amazon's rankings, important though they are, simply because my ability to publicise my novels is limited. A year on, I have slightly more traction and a wider community to interact with (and some people - take a bow again, Mrs Campbell! - went above and beyond to support the books), but most promotional activity is down to the publisher. Fortunately for me, Jasper Joffe knows what he's doing and delivered on his promises!

If I pitch another book anywhere, I now have a track record. I did self-publish Covenant before, but that was really niche fantasy fiction and failed to set the literary or esoteric worlds ablaze. Now, I can cite my thriller figures as evidence of a readership and commercial viability.

The past year has also made me more confident about my own work. I know my books aren't for everyone and that, as one person put it: "Let's face it you're basically writing 21st century pulp novels to read on the train." It's a fair point and I'm happy to take the stage and say 'this is what I do'.

My horizons have widened considerably. I am currently waiting for feedback from a TV producer (no pressure, take your time!) who responded to my query and agreed to read Standpoint. It's not that I have any sense of entitlement or expectation about future projects. No, it's simply that I was writing novels in the attic until a year ago so I know that statistically improbable opportunities can and do arise. Why not think big!

As I write other things as well, I would really like to build on the past year and see my tragi-comedy novel, Scars & Stripes, land on a welcoming desk. I've thought about pitching it as as Great Expectations meets Catcher in the Wry (sic) in the 1980s.

7. Do you see the writing world as more competitive or less, since you've been published?

Both.

It's more competitive in that I can better appreciate other factors that can have a bearing on your success. Things I've never considered, like who other writers from the same publishing house have books coming out and when, where your launch date or free download period sits in relation to UK or US public holidays, the importance of finding an audience on both sides of the Atlantic.

I also see it as less competitive in that I've encountered so much goodwill (plus a few crapbags!) out there. It's one of the reasons I wanted to try and pay it forward by allocating a free hour each week for other writers. I also think - and I'm indebted to Stephen King's On Writing for reminding me of this - that my 'job' is to develop as a writer and to write as authentically and as well as I can. That's it really. The rest is secondary - has to be secondary - or I'd be too busy looking out the window to concentrate on the page.

8. Do you wish you had three novels under your belt when you were younger?

That's hard to say. It would have been different, certainly. I wouldn't have been as honest on the page because that didn't really happen until I wrote about the impact of my brother's death. If you're pushing me on this, I wish I had been a more honest and more committed writer when I was younger. I might have written more books and very different ones, which is an intriguing idea for me now.

9. What would you do if your next book doesn't sell?

Get despondent. Eat chocolate. Get writing.

Reflect. Write something else. Write better.

Standpoint http://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B00UVQBVVU/

Line of Sight http://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B00XIOAOBK/

Cause & Effect http://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B016J62PYM/

Spy Chaser http://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B01ANPQ7DK/

Standpoint http://www.amazon.com//dp/B00UVQBVVU/

Line of Sight http://www.amazon.com//dp/B00XIOAOBK/

Cause & Effect http://www.amazon.com//dp/B016J62PYM/

Spy Chaser http://www.amazon.com//dp/B01ANPQ7DK/

2015, thanks for everything.

Branching out.

It's been a funny old year. In a good way, I mean. I started 2015 with the familiar writer-inbox staring game familiar to anyone who has both a Labrador and a biscuit tin. And then, as if by magic (because it was certainly magical at the time) I had a book deal for a thriller series.

Inevitably, that experience has changed my perception of myself as a writer, and how I look at my books, and also - for this series at least - how I write.

There's no getting around it, success matters. I can open doors, liberate potential and liberate us to go on to new projects and new directions.

Actually, let's not beat around the bush - it has been an amazing writing year. Freelance clients have come and gone - some unexpectedly - and I could not have predicted, back in January, how 2015 would unfold. I've posted my gratitude list below, along with a considerably shorter list of disappointments.

There aren't words to fully express my thanks to everyone who has shared a link on social media, or downloaded a book, or hosted a post. I know many of you had your own books to attend to, so I am doubly appreciative.

If there is anyone out there who has read any of the Thomas Bladen books - or anyone else's, come to that - please consider writing an honest review on Amazon. It makes a huge difference to authors to know what readers really think about their work and it helps improve a book's chances of being seen (by some algorithmic alchemy).

Anyway, without further ado...

Highs

- Standpoint published on 17th March 2015.

- Line of Sight published on 10th May 2015.

- Cause & Effect published 28th November 2015.

- Being Tiffany Truscott's guest of her BBC Radio Cornwall show.

- Being the recipient of other people's support and generosity in helping to spread the word about my books.

- A hugely successful British author agreeing to host a blog post from little ole me.

- Starting a new magazine column about creative writing.

- The Cornishman newspaper sharing my book news with their readers.

Lows

- Musa Publishing, who first brought The Silent Hills and superhero club (now self-published) to life, closing their doors.

- A national newspaper book reviewer not having the time to read / review Standpoint.

- The hugely successful British author, who agreed to host a blog post from little ole me, not doing it after eight months of email ping-pong.

I couldn't end this year without thanking Jasper Joffe and Joffe Books for exceeding my expectations as a debut thriller author, and giving me a masterclass in writing for a commercial publisher. It has been an absolute blast and I look forward to breaking new ground with you in 2016.

I'll leave you with this well-known quote, which I like to think of as the writer's creed:

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

If I could pass on one thought to anyone writing or thinking about writing, it's this: just write, and keep writing. Amazing things are possible, whatever your story and whatever your personal story. (See my blog post in January for more on that topic.)

Triple Crown

Any port in a storm.

You have to imagine me smiling to myself as I write this post. Not one of those 'I'm the bee's knees' smug grins, but a gentle 'groovy' crescent on my lips. (I am making it a personal campaign to get groovy back in our everyday vocabulary.)

Three novels published in one year, by Joffe Books, is surely a cause for celebration. It's also a point, amid the excitement and that long, deep breath, to take stock and do my own, belated thanksgiving.

Standpoint took eight years from page one to publication, Line of Sight around three and a half years, and Cause & Effect about a year. That's not indicative of anything other than my thought process.

So, have I learned anything?

Well, only the obvious, which still merits repeating.

1. Persistence pays off. Keep writing and you end up with more material.

2. Never underestimate the importance of luck. One of my muses likes to whisper a Han Solo line from time to time: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nN9xsFUsPqM

3. As long as you're paying attention, every new page / story / book will be an improvement on the previous one.

Has anything changed?

1. The muses know where to find me now, but I still have days where I have to work at attracting their attention. That's okay; I know they have a lot of people to visit.

2. I look at stories a little differently now. Often, they seem more like themes, ideas and characters that need to be worked through on the page - like a puzzle.

3. I defend my work less now. Don't get me wrong, I love it when people enjoy my work, but disapproval does not spell disaster.

Has anything stayed the same?

1. The truisms are still true!

2. Writers are defined by writing. It's as simple as that.

3. Some days are easier than others.

4. A good notebook makes for an agreeable companion.

5. There is no such thing as dead time.

6. I've yet to find out how a 'real writer' lives. It's all a construct and my idea of living authentically (or writing authentically, for that matter) is peculiar to me.

7. I'm still hungry for experience, for my writing to take me into new situations. (TV and film people, are you listening?!)

Where do I go from here?

1. Back to the blank page. I have the outline for book four in the Thomas Bladen series, and for the one after that. They're both really linear at the moment, but the meat on the bones will develop as I work on them, and the feedback from other writers remains invaluable. Like books two and three, each book deals with the some of the consequences of the previous book. There is no comfy reset button - much like life.

2. My standalone dark comedy, Scars & Stripes, is in circulation.

3. I was serious, earlier, about looking at how Standpoint might be dramatised. It's all dreams and faery dust right now, but I have a couple of ideas about how to proceed.

4. I have a blog post coming up on the site of a hugely successful British author, in early December, which I'm already tingly about.

5. I'd like to go through some of my old, angst-ridden notebooks.

Did I feel like a dick when I came up with the title 'Triple Crown' for this blog post?

Absolutely. Especially as I needed to look it up on the web to see which sport it was associated with. (Turns out it's rugby union...who knew, apart from Sarah Campbell?) But this year has represented a triple victory for me - overcoming doubts, inertia, and my tangled first drafts.

Thomas Bladen's back and his life is about to get complicated.

Now available here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CAUSE-EFFECT-thriller-wont-want-ebook/dp/B016J62PYM

http://www.amazon.com/CAUSE-EFFECT-thriller-wont-want-ebook/dp/B016J62PYM

Writer as Gardener

Autumn is a time of harvest. As a former 'green living' columnist* the environment and the page are inextricably linked for me. Whether it's planning for the season to come, falling in with the rhythms of the year, or taking careful note of what's developing, the metaphor of garden as creativity was - and is - ever present.

Sometimes the words fail to germinate and lie waiting in a notebook. And then, by some unseen signal, physiological dormancy ends (thank you, Carol Klein!) and the ideas burst into life.

Occasionally you forget what type of seed / idea it was and you find yourself tending and nurturing a mystery. We always have a guest or two in the garden. This year it was corncockles and knapweed; last year it was an oriental poppy that miraculously appeared.

Like plants, some ideas take a long time to become anything recognisable. Words can be medicinal, fragrant, colourful, toxic, and even nutritional. They can provide cover, or privacy, and are laced with hidden meanings and history. Sometimes they are just pretty to look at.

While the veg garden largely capitulated to the slug hordes (although the garlic was a notable success), it's been a better harvest as a writer.

I started the year with my green living column coming to an end after two and a half years, and my debut thriller, Standpoint, a dormant seed. All it needed was favourable conditions. Joffe Books provided the right environment for Standpoint and for Line of Sight, and we're now working through the final stages of the third novel, Cause & Effect. I've also started a new column about writing.

The thing about gardening is that you never really know what's going to work. You can no more predict the coming weather for the year than you can which plants will thrive. It's a constant process of response and adjustment. I think that's part of the attraction. All that matters is you keep going and you focus on whatever seems to be thriving, and don't get too caught up in the failures and setbacks. As in the garden, so on the page.

* 18,000 words of second rights' material available!

Hats off to writers

Nature's hatstand

I love a good back story. Now we've decided to shorten the third Thomas Bladen thriller I've been busy doing some pruning. Any cut scenes, flashbacks and dialogue will survive as background info for the series - for me.

One of my battle cries is: Context matters. If you're a fan of The Monkees, you'll know and love 'Pleasant Valley Sunday' but try the Carole King version (she write it with Gerry Goffin) and you get a completely different take on it. Or maybe you're a fan of Dylan's Tambourine Man but you don't really know Melanie's version, where the lyrics turn from rebellious to soulfully melancholic.

One song can be interpreted so many different ways. A scene, even one line of dialogue, can be rendered as comedy, tragedy, or high drama. Writing, like other art forms, can be nuanced and subtle. That's the case for artists too.

Writers can easily become pigeonholed. I've mentioned before (somewhere in this blog, I think) about the time someone read my magical fantasy, Covenant, and remarked that it was like a clown trying to write Shakespeare. The comment's kinder than it sounds, honest. I was a bit of a jokesmith at the time. Writers can buy into the belief that they may only wear one hat but it's just that - a belief.

Recently, I had a visit. Well, a remembrance really. Just a name - Stephen Heick - that popped into my head. He was a character from a book I wrote (and burned) in my teens. It was a brief visit and, in my imagination, he acknowledged me with a touch of his temple, and walked on through the scene. I haven't thought about him in a long time, although a character from his book did appear in Standpoint.

As the third Bladen novel draws to a close so my eager publisher can turn it into a book, I've had time to reflect on what an extraordinary journey it has been since the contract was signed in January 2015. Three novels available in a year has far exceeded my expectations. It's also happened at such a pace that my writing cupboard (we all have them, trust me) is getting bare. For fans of the Bladen series, Book 4 is being sketched out by the sleeping part of the my brain.

But those other hats...
1. My standalone transatlantic comedy drama, Scars & Stripes, is still in need of representation.
2. I keep my hand in with gag and sketch writing, which results in a nice little cheque from time to time.
3. There is talk of another edition of As Above So Below magazine. Possibly.
4. I have a new standalone novel in mind, involving time-travel and second chances.
5. A novella about a man whose dead brother rings him up for a chat from time to time.

Thriller writer, jokesmith, clown trying to write Shakespeare, fantasy author, magazine co-creator, comedy novelist. Guilty as charged, with another seven offences I'd like taken into consideration.

I'm a veritable hatstand - and so is every other writer.

What can you say apart from please buy my book? Pt 2

Sometimes you need to branch out.

For a novelist, being published presents a whole new set of challenges. You suddenly have to do other sorts of writing, including writing about writing. There are online blurbs, interviews (I'll mention in passing that I'm still available...), and the subtle - or not so subtle - art of promoting your novel.

The first hurdle is deciding what to say after 'please buy my book'. On your marks...get set...write!

Let's start with a little deconstructing.

What makes your novel distinctive?

1 - Genre.

2 - Characters.

3 - Themes.

4 - Plot.

5 - Setting.

6 - The way you use language and / or the use of slang.

That's six topics right away without breaking a sweat and here are four examples.

Place and presence in novels.

When characters come to life.

British slang in an international novel.

Profanity in fiction.

The next place to cast your net is in the direction of your own writing practice.

This may include:

7 - Where your ideas came from.

8 - First drafts.

9 - Editing.

10 - Submissions.

11 - Rejections.

12 - Tips you've picked up along the way.

Here's one of mine:

Five inspirational tips.

That's another six topics to stick in your quiver!

Further afield?

Why certainly!

13 - Your journey as an author.

14 - Things people might not know about you.

15 - Your other novels (because you can never have too many).

16 - Other forms of writing (short fiction, non-fiction, copywriting, etc.).

17 - Feedback - the good, the bad and the ouch.

18 - Writers / artists / musicians / films that inspire you, and why. (Four for the price of one.)

Some of the above:

The origins of a book and its author.

Six secrets.

Writing a series.

A novel approach to copywriting.

Reader feedback.

Those 18 topics ought to keep you busy for a while. Try and find as many different places to host the posts and remember to include a little information about yourself and your book/s.

Speaking of which...