The BEST Haunted House video you'll ever see

Happy Halloween! Have you had any trick or treaters yet? I'm busy with Parents Evening tonight, so will have a few tricks and treats of my own to dish out... mwa-hahaha!

A bit of a fun one today, to make a change from all the spooky goings-on you're bound to experience tonight.

I don't know if any of you watch Ellen, but this is worth five minutes of your time even if you don't. One of the show's writers is a real scaredy-cat, and every year they send her through a Haunted House where she screams and freaks out in a way that would be comical if it weren't so genuine. This poor girl is really scared, but manages to have a giggle about it too. A true heroine! Or just a glutton for punishment?

This year, she was joined by Andy, who also works on the show, and Amy looks tough compared to him! I especially like, "Stop it! Stop it now!" and "Are you #*$@ing kidding me?" as he hides behind Amy and occasionally uses her for cover! This is the funniest video I have seen in a long time, but then, I do have a Strange sense of humour.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

http://youtu.be/zjQTpJYcPBI

Remember: Late: a ghostly tale is free to download this week if you fancy a scare with a touch more subtlety...

Five freaky photos and the truly terrifying fears they represent

1. Face in the mirror

Have you ever had to muster the courage to look at your reflection? Ever seen something move behind your shoulder? Even worse, have you caught a glimpse of a face other than yours? Even if you haven't, do you ever worry you will?

I do, frequently.

2. Being followed up the stairs

Time for bed. You check the front door, switch off the lights downstairs and switch on the lights upstairs. In front of you as you climb, bright lights and bed. Behind you... shadows and- something else?

I've been known to climb stairs sideways, keeping my back to the wall, in order to keep watch for- something.

 

 

Strange Ideas: The Thursday Throng

Squeeee! I've been interviewed by the lovely Linda Parkinson-Hardman and am now an honoured member of her Thursday Throng!

 

You can read the interview (and discover something I've been keeping a secret) here. Please leave a comment to show your support of this wonderful lady and what she does to support authors.

 

Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions is available from Bookmark, Spalding and Amazon.

Freebies!

We all love a freebie, don't we?

I hate Mondays, so I thought I'd try to do something to make them a little better. Sooooo (drumroll) Late: a ghostly tale will be free to download every Monday for the next five weeks!

If you've already read it and enjoyed it, then please share this news with your friends and invite them to jump into my ghostly tale. Hopefully, they'll love it too.

Also, if you're inclined, you can recommend me for the Guardian series on indie authors by clicking here and filling in the short, simple form.

Enjoy your Sunday and pop back tomorrow to read my school report...

Friday Five: Five details that never made the book.

Happy Friday!

Only seventeen days to go until Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions is released, and I've been poring over the proof, making sure everything is perfect for you.

It's been lovely to read the proof as a book, rather than edit it (although I have spotted and corrected a few clunkers) but one thing that struck me was how much of the story is not actually on the page.

J.K. Rowling famously wrote detailed and elaborate back-stories for all her characters, and so did I- although not in as much detail, obviously. These are short (ish) stories, after all! But, for my Friday Five this week, I'd like to share a few details with you. These won't make one jot of sense until Monday 27th May, but here you go.

Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions

SQUEEE!

 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself- my proof copy of Strange Ideas arrived today and it looks GORGEOUS! The nice man over the road (Geoff, not John) took it in for me as it arrived while I was at work, and jolly grateful I am too. I don't think I'd have slept a wink all night knowing it was sat at the post office, all lonely, waiting for me.

Late: a ghostly tale gets a makeover

Me and my big mouth...

 

As usual, I've gone off half-cocked and failed to think things through properly before doing them- (insert own typical Taurean bull-in-a-china-shop metaphor here)- although, I must say, impulsive decisions do seem to work out quite well for me, and my fragile heart has been truly touched by the support from my friends and family, yet again.

WIP Wednesday- Late: a ghostly tale released in paperback.

Available on Amazon

Hi guys!

In preparation for publishing Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions, I decided this week to have a test run with the already-available-on-Kindle-and-doing-very-nicely-thank-you-very-much-for-asking Late: a ghostly tale. It was an interesting experience...

Work In Progress Wednesday: Later

Ok chaps, (and chappesses) I need your help this week.

 

In between American house-guests and OFSTED, I've been struggling to find time to write, but time is ticking and my self-imposed deadline for publishing Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions is looming, so I've been doing my best. Unfortunately, snatched minutes and a tired headache do not a masterpiece make, and I have a stubbornly-rubbish phrase I need to shift.

Special Announcement!

Just a quick one to let you know that Late: a ghostly tale will be FREE on Wednesday 6th March and Thursday 7th March to celebrate World Book Day. If you haven't already checked it out, now's your chance!

Simply search for it on Amazon (or follow the links at the top of this page) to download it for free. Don't worry if you don't have a Kindle: there are links on the Amazon website where you can download free Kindle apps to your phone or PC in order to read eBooks. No one need miss out! I'm sure I won't be the only one spotting the opportunity to promote their book by offering it for free to hungry readers- so go grab yourself some free reads!

If you have already read (and enjoyed) Late, then tell your friends so they can read it too. (subliminal cake)

Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions is on track for release in eBook and paperback in June, and will feature an extended version of Late that follows our heroine as she races home... or tries to. I promise, all your questions will be answered and thank you to everyone who contributed ideas.

That's it for now. Happy reading!

The Next Big Thing: Strange Ideas

I've got a very special WIP Wednesday for you this week, and I'm squeeely excited to be part of this- The Next Big Thing blog tag. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this idea, it's a way for authors to share and promote their books by "tagging" each other and answering 10 questions about our next book or work in progress.  At the end of January, I was tagged by Gloria Piper, author of Finnegan's Quest: a metaphorical fantasy that pokes fun at life’s foibles—political, religious, and social. You can look her up at http://gloriapiper.wordpress.com/

And now... drum-roll...

It's the End of the World as we know it...

... and I feel fine. 

I think people have got the Mayans all wrong. However, never one to miss an opportunity, I'm giving you all a (last) chance to download Late: a ghostly tale for FREE. Might as well enjoy our last few hours on Earth.

Click on the link on the right-hand side of the page (the one with the gorgeous new cover- even if you download it again, it'll update so you get this version) to be zapped straight to the Amazon page. Remember, you don't need a Kindle to read it- free apps are available on smartphones and even on your PC. No excuses then. I recommend you enjoy my offering in front of a roaring log fire with something alcoholic in your glass...preferably chilled... (see what I did there?)

See you on the other side. Or at Tesco. Whatever.

Friday Five- Things to do before the End of the World

As you know, I'm a huge believer in living in the moment and grabbing opportunities. I already live my life as if time is running out, so I thought it would be fun to invite you to join me in a pseudo-panic as the clock counts down to the (apparent) End of the World. 

Here are my top five things to do this week.

Cake for the faithful- part 2

OOOOoooooooOOOOOO!

That was me trying to get you in the mood for Halloween. I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the tricks, the treats, the rather marvellous ghost stories...

Which reminds me, now you've mentioned it. My chilling short story Late: a ghostly tale is free this Halloween! Follow the link on the right to go to its Amazon page. Only the faithful know about this special offer- I did promise that there would be cake!

Don't forget to leave a review once you've read (and hopefully enjoyed) my tale of terror. You can also leave me a message here.

Happy hauntings...

Late: a ghostly tale, hits the virtual shelves!

Well, chaps. It happened! Drumroll please...

Something wicked this way comes...

Despite a shameful lack of sleep, and an equally shameful "still-in-my-dressing-gown" status, I have been a busy bunny today.

My plans for world domination and scaring the trousers off of people have taken a step forward. I have negotiated the tricky world of techy-geek stuff and presented a humble offering to Amazon. Fingers crossed I can pull it off (the plan, not people's trousers- that's my other secret plan). I'll let you know as soon as a certain spine-chilling short is available to download. Until then, enjoy the sneak peek on my website.

Do feel free to leave a comment telling me how excited you are about this development and, if you love your friends, (or at least want to see them reduced to a quivering wreck by a ghostly tale) be sure to spread the word. There will be cake for the faithful.

Late, but nearly there!

I've just finished the (almost) final edit of "Late". Here's a little preview to keep you amused.