Collectormania

Click here to see details of a rather surprising - but totally wonderful - event I will be appearing at on 28th and 29th November.

I'm about to enter the fascinating world of Collectormania.

Click here to see the forum discussion re the event.

Latest on the lit front

Time for an update. I've expanded my editing services with the next logical step - mentoring. And I'm loving the way it enables me to a be a part of the whole journey with an author. Luckily for me, my wonderful mentee seems to be loving it too. (More details in this post.)

Still working on my current WIP. It's first draft, so I have no idea how it's hanging together, but so far so good (I think).

Also busy working with the writers' group and various other projects (see below) .

I know many of you are as yet unpublished.
Just as I know that many of you are talented writers who deserve to be published.

One way to get recognition for your words is to enter competitions.
In which case, you might be interested in the Brit Writers' Awards Unpublished 2010.


There are adult and child categories for novels, short stories, poems and songs with a whopping £10,000 prize.
There is a one-off admin fee of £10.95 and you can make as many submissions as you like once you've paid that. Entry rules and conditions are here.
I've been asked to be on the panel of judges for the adult novel category.
Judging criteria here.

Or ...

How do you fancy a whole weekend devoted to writing?
Would it help to know there is an amazing line up of authors, editors and agents?
That it will be held on the campus of the fabulous York University with en suite accommodation and all meals provided?
That the price for the full weekend (£345) also includes all events on the programme, your choice of workshops and 3 one-to-one slots where you can directly pitch your writing to a top agent?
That there is also a one day option (£145) or a mini course (£60) on the Friday?
If so, welcome to the Festival of Writing 2010 which will take place next April.

I've been asked to lead a workshop and, together with Emma Darwin, run the mini-course.
Tickets on sale from 1st November.

And ...

Hoovering the Roof, the anthology by members of the East Dulwich Writers' Group, is in the final stages before going off to print.

We have a launch event planned for Thursday 26th November at the Bookseller Crow on the Hill, my fave indie bookshop.
Details nearer the time.

As always, see my main blog for details re the above and much more.

Where I'm at in 2009 ...

I really should remember to come here more often to update readers on what's happening with my writing ...

Work on my 6th book had been progressing really well. But then life got in the way, as it has a habit of doing. I was contacted last November by a woman who is making a documentary about the revolution in Grenada. (If you've seen my biog page, you'll know that I lived in Grenada on and off between 1982-1986.)

Anyway, as a result I decided to turn my blog over to documenting those years. As you might imagine, this is no easy task and brings up a lot of painful memories. So all other writing, fiction and bloggy, has been put to one side for the time being.

It's only a temporary blip and meanwhile, I hope you'll find the Revo posts interesting. At this point, I'm up to the 13th post in the series, publishing one a week.

If you click here, you'll see links to the previous posts and can follow the devastating story as it unfolds.

Pipestock meets Slipperfest

Pipe & Slippers is a quarterly South London lit/music event usually taking place at the Ivy House pub in Nunhead.

This Sunday, 7th Sept, promises to be a bit different - the first ever Pipe & Slippers festival, taking place in Brockwell Park.

Not only have I been asked to read, but they also describe me as a 'local hero'!

Details from the P&S site here.

Yet more for Tatiana

Sue Guiney has published a wonderful review of Trading Tatiana on her blog.

For the clickphobes, this is what she says:

One of the unexpected joys of becoming a part of this blogging world is the way I have met authors I might never have come across and have become familiar with their work. One of these authors is the talented and funny,

Debi Alper and one of those books is her novel, Trading Tatiana. This is neither Debi's first nor most recent book (which is why I chose it, to be honest). It was published in 2004 and has everything a political crime thriller should have: drug-addicts, Eastern European thugs, S&M devotees, mysterious foreign women, oppressed single mothers, dangerous and ruthless men. It is fast-paced, expertly constructed, written with an acute eye for detail and facile use of language. In short, it was great fun to read. I, quite literally, couldn't put it down. But there is something else about this book which makes it more than a terrific beach read and I believe it is the heart and soul of all of Debi's work and, probably, Debi herself. Trading Tatiana is steeped in the difficult political issues of our urban community back in the UK -- political asylum, the plight and exploitation of Ukrainian refugees, the abuse of women. It is about how one single person can change the world and be changed by it by refusing to turn a blind eye. And so Trading Tatiana is more than "just" a great read with a terrific plot. It creates a world of living characters and forces them to do what so many of us "real" people refuse to do, namely, "the right thing." At the heart of this work is an investigation of the problems and power of political activism, and so Debi's work becomes not only exciting and captivating, but also challenging to us all, to the way we live our own lives and the roles we are willing to play in our own communities. An excellent find indeed!

River Reviews Tatiana

It's some time since Trading Tatiana was published, so it's great to know she's still attracting new readers.

It's even better when they go to the trouble of posting a review.
And better still when the review is as positive as this one from Riverwillow.

In case anyone is linkophobic, this is what she had to say:

Like Debi's previous book, Nirvana Bites, this book is set in South London and is full of local colour and we do end up back at the Nirvana Housing Co-op, which is wonderful. The book is fast and furious, Debi has a great sense of humour, the scene where Jo first meets Bare Botty Man's botty (you have to read this) is wonderful. What is also fantastic is that, as anyone who's met Debi or has read her blog knows, she has a very strong sense of social justice which comes across in this novel. If you can get your hands on a copy of this and read it, do, you will be entertained, terrified and ultimately moved.

The Book Cook

Having recently finished The Gene Pool, I've just begun to cook a new character and plot.

Karen Townsend would be known as Kaz by her friends.
If she had any.
A woman with a tragic past gradually revealed in a series of flashbacks, Karen finds it difficult to engage with other people.
Her vivid Virtual Life is a lot more interesting.
But when a sinister stalker makes the terrifying leap from cyberspace into Real Life Karen has to decide how hard she's prepared to fight to stay alive.

I haven't started writing Karen's story yet, but she's moved in and I'm getting to know her.

Watch this space ...