June 27, 2015
My apologies to anyone who has visited this blog recently hoping to find something new, only to be disappointed. I hope to make up for that now, not only with a round-up of what's been happening lately, but also with the relaunch of my website, which I hope you will agree, is brighter and a lot easier to use.
You may notice that some things seem to have disappeared from the menu and other things have taken their place. Let me assure you that all the previous information is still there, it's simply been reorganised. A whole new batch of tips can be found on the About page, but if you want to check the old Tips or the Grid pages you can still do so. They're connected to the About page via submenus. Only work that I know is still available is included on the Stories, Flash and Poetry pages, but everything that's been published or placed in contests is on the Bibliography page. There are still a few things to tinker with, but I hope there aren't any glitches. If you find any, please let me know.
On another subject, I've been busy answering questions for several profiles, so if you'd like to know more about my background or writing life, you'll find it at Goodreads, Smashwords and Writing Short Fiction.
Finally, if you heard a loud whoop a few days ago, it was probably me receiving the news that my entry has been awarded The Editor's Pick in the 2015 Binnacle Ultra-shorts competition. Told you it was worth entering, didn't I! Plus I've had a piece of twiction accepted for Tiny Tales magazine. It should appear on 10th July. Right, I'm off to celebrate. Please browse around the new site. Enjoy!
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
June 17, 2015
It's Wednesday again. How did that happen? The world feels as if it's spinning around faster than ever. I delayed putting up a blog last week, thinking I'd leave it a day to get the revamp of the website finished, and here we are more than a week later with it still not ready.
I blame it on all the links. I've been checking every one to make sure they're still operating and which pieces of work are still available. It's rather like sorting through old magazines to see which ones can go out...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
May 31, 2015
I hesitate to mention it, but today is the last chance to pre-order Discord's Apprentice. Tomorrow is not only the first day of summer and my mother's birthday, it's publication day for the second novel in The Exiles of Ondd series. The reason I hesitate to mention it is that it makes me feel as if I'm being pushy or boasting, two things that were definite no-nos when I was brought up. However, the fact is that even when they have a traditional publisher, these days writers are expected to do...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
May 25, 2015
It's all very well me banging on about the imminent publication of Discord's Apprentice on 1st June (available for pre-order from
Smashwords and
Amazon), but I don't want to neglect the writers who visit here, who will obviously be more interested in their own work. Here are a few opportunities that might suit you.
Writing Short Fiction publishes stories by both champion and debut authors. There's no payment, but the exposure can't hurt, and there are lots of hints and tips to help build y...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
May 18, 2015
I've been indulging myself over the past few days by dipping into the latest issue of
Illumen, a magazine of speculative poetry. I'm thrilled to say that one of my poems, 'Plundering the Moon', is in it. The contents cover all shades of the speculative spectrum and are worth taking your time over and savouring. They're striking, beautif
ul and thoughtful.
Going from one extreme to another, during the pre-order period before the launch of
Discord's Apprentice on 1st June, I'm tweeting a shor...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
May 14, 2015
I was beginning to think this day wouldn't arrive, but I've finally managed to get
Discord's Apprentice on
Amazon and
Smashwords for pre-order. Order a copy before the launch date (1st June 2015) and you can take advantage of a special low price. To celebrate having got this far, I've also reduced the price of
Discord's Child and included the first chapter of Discord's Apprentice at the end. Now all I have to do is make sure everyone hears the news, so tell all your friends and come back ofte...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
May 5, 2015
It took thirty-plus websites (some twice or more), several thousand thumbnail images, at least two days, half a dozen cups of coffee, one bar of chocolate and two false starts, but I've done it–I've found the perfect cover for
Discord's Apprentice.
The second novel in The Exiles of Ondd series isn't quite ready for pre-order yet, but you can see a preview of the cover
here. The designer is Laura Gordon, and I can thoroughly recommend her work. She was quick and gave me exactly what I ask...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
April 27, 2015
When Terry Pratchett died on 12th March the world lost one of its funniest, most clever writers, and I lost one of my favourite authors. I know people who can't stand his work, but as the author of the most shoplifted books in Britain, his popularity can't be denied. Many people wrote tributes to him following his death, and originally I saw no need to add to them. However, having listened to BBC Radio 4's production of
Mort this week, maybe I do have something worth saying, after all.
I f...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : FantasyFiction
April 20, 2015
More news about
Alfie Dog Fiction. Not only am I its latest featured author from today (20th April), but I shall have two more stories on the site from 26th April. They are:
'Follow that Car', a feelgood story that follows what happens when a taxi-driver wishes for a passenger. He gets more than he bargained for. Is his fare a mobster, or is his imagination simply running wild?
'Patterns in the Sand' in which Julia hopes a stay by the sea will help her forget her ex-boyfriend, but does ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
April 13, 2015
Every fortnight Alfie Dog fiction features a different author. This week I had exciting news that I've been chosen for the fortnight from 20th April.
I've mentioned Alfie Dog Fiction in this blog before. It publishes novels and short stories, and is a great site for both readers and writers. Only stories that meet the editor's standards are accepted. The benefits of this are twofold: people who download them can be sure of a decent read, and writers know that having work on the site will b...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
