The splendid folk at Coles Books are offering a FREE art print, signed by local author Mr Mark Stay and cover artist Harry Goldhawk, when you pre-order the paperback of THE CROW FOLK from them. Mr Stay will also be signing bookplates, so the books will be signed too!...
Writers live in fear of a leaky story, but I’m okay with plot holes. And here’s why… TRANSCRIPT: Hello folks, Mark Stay here. I’m going to tell you why I’m completely okay with Plot Holes… What is a plot hole exactly? Well, in a story, it’s one of those little bits...
When you write, do you prefer to outline beforehand? Or write by the seat of your pants? I go for a walk without a map and discuss plotting versus pantsing. Beware: heavy-handed metaphors ahead! TRANSCRIPT: Hello folks, Mark Stay here. I’m on a walk today. One of the...
Want to write a novel, but juggling a day job, commute and other such commitments? I’ve written novels and screenplays while shuttling back and forth to London, and here are five tips that helped me make the most of my limited time… TRANSCRIPT: Hello, folks,...
Blurbs are hard and I’ve been tweaking mine (ooh, Matron!)… Transcript: Hello folks, Mark Stay here. I’m sure you’ll be delighted to learn, I’ve been tweaking my blurb. Ooh, Matron. What does that mean? Well, the blurb is the book description. It’s that three...
As you may know, at the start of my forthcoming book The Crow Folk our young heroine Faye Bright finds a book left to her by her late mother. In this book are spells, recipes, incantations… and a recipe for Jam Roly Poly (translation for non-British folk: Jam Roly...
I can’t tell you how terrifying it is to be compared to Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones! I get the Worzel Gummidge comparison — a big influence on this book in particular. It’s available to pre-order in paperback, eBook and audio. It’s on NetGalley now, or you...
Today I am launching The Woodville Parish Council website… What the blinking flip is the Woodville Parish Council you might ask (not unreasonably)? Woodville Village is the setting for my new Witches of Woodville books, and not a completely made up place, no siree. It...
New to Terry Pratchett? Which book should you read first? I’ve been reading Terry’s books for over 30 years and will give you a quick guided tour of the best places to start with Terry and the Discworld. I also acknowledge the influence of Terry’s writing on my own...
What are page proofs? And what should an author do with them? In this quick and easy video, I’ll show what I did with mine when they arrived last week. You’ll learn what they’re for, why I read them out loud, and why I back them up to a master document. TRANSCRIPT:...
