Oakham & Stamford Buy the Book Signing

My next signings will be at:

15th December: Oakham Buy the Book - late night shopping evening
20th December: Stamford Buy the Book - all day Saturday

My apologies to the organisers of Deepings Xmas Market but I was unwell recently and had to pull out of the event. Hopefully will see you at the next event in the New Year.

Taff

Sound the Horns - I've Started!

At long last. A fairly quiet day with only one IT call which means I've finally penned the first chapter of book three. I still haven't made up my mind on the title yet but at the moment it is called The Small Guy, but this is a working title suggested by one of the pupils at Deeping High School. to keep in with the TSG element (ie; The Spider Gem, The Shimmering Gate).
Let's hpe that I can keep the IT work ticking along to pay those bills while still leaving a few half day sessions to write over the coming months! Fingers crossed.
Taff

Robert Manning Technology College Visit

My thanks too all the year 7s (and staff) at Robert Manning Technology College in Bourne for a great day today.
I spent the best part of the school day talking to year 7s about writing and publishing and had a great time sharing 'inspiration' ideas with them. This was followed by an open and enjoyable question and answer session in the library.
I had a great time and I hope to see you all again soon.
Rgds
Taff

Taff Lovesey Signing @ Buy the Book Oakham

I will be at the Oakham Buy the Book store during the Christmas late opening on 15th December. I should be there from around 4pm until close.
Hope to see you there.

Taff

Feel good factor

As I have mentioned before, both here and on various forums, writing without the backing of a major publisher is tough. Although the creation process is enjoyable, this is followed by a hard slog getting editing and proof reading done followed by some very hard leg work in marketing and selling the work.
Thankfully there is one thing that makes it all worth it (and that certainly isn't the profits LOL).
The feedback that I receive from readers makes it all worth while and is my main drive to carry on. Over the past two weeks I have received a number of phone calls and emails from readers asking if book three will be ready for Xmas. I cannot begin to tell you how good a feeling that is, knowing that there are people out there getting enjoyment from my work and who want me to continue. Sadly I have had to let those readers down this year :-(

As I have mentioned before this past 18 months have left little time for writing as I have been busy setting up my one man IT support and training business (the bill paying part of my life!). To those that want to read more from my pen there is good news ahed. I now have a failry solid client base for my IT bsuiness so I should soon be able to start setting time aside for writing again. Book three is written in my head but there is a long way to go yet but I hope to see it hit the streets during late Spring 2009.

So my thanks to all of those who have spurred me on and I hope I can make it up to you soon.

Taff

Border Birmingham Host The Portal Chronicles

My thanks to Borders in the Bullring, Birmingham for their hospitality last week. Together with fellow authors of New Writers UK we attended a signing at the store and had an enjoyable day meeting the public discussing not only our own work but the methods for publication and printing now open to all.

Sadly, a similar event in Borders Leicester has had to be postponed but we are hoping to repeat this session in the New Year. More on this later.

T

Wake House training Courses

Currently teaching IT at Wake House in Bourne.
Great fun.
See www.newfocuslearining.co.uk for details

Taff Lovesey Book Signings - Winter 2008

I have a few shows coming up over the next few weeks.
You can catch me at:

25th October: Oakham Craft Fair Oakham
2nd November: Craft Fair, East Bridgeford
30th November: Xmas Market, Market Deeping

I'm also going to be with the New Writers (www.newwritersuk.co.uk) group at Borders, Birmingham on 1st Nov and, hopefully, Borders, Leicester on the 15th November (tbc).

Taff

Good Luck to New Writers UK

I'd like to wish New Writers Uk all the best with their up and coming author festival. It is located near Nottingham and should be a good opportunity for readers and authors to check out the work of the members.

Weekly Meandering

My thanks to everyone at Buy the Book Stamford for their hosptality during my signing day on Saturday. A wet old day made things very quiet but we still have fun and while sales were slow I pestered many with a postcard or two promoting The Portal Chronicles.

I'd also like to say a big thank you to all the members od Authors2You, the author club that I put together a year ago. The club has gone from strength to stregth and we now have over 30 members and a great bunch of people with which to share and bounce around ideas.

The good news too is that I am slowly getting on top of my time and should be in a position to start writing again. I'm soooooo eager to get going on book three.

Take care!
Taff

Weekly Meandering

Just back from a great vacation in Suffolk.
We stayed in a holiday home in Hadleigh and had glorious weather all week. Too hot at times with the temperature hitting 38 degrees last Sunday!!!

My PC support business if ticking along nicely and combined with the small royalties I receive from the books and the adult training that I have planned for next term I will hopefully be able to meet the bills and still take a few hours 'out' for writing from September. This will be great as I am frustrated by the lack of time available to progress book three and it is still in very early 'note' format.

Met up with an old school friend this week too. Tony Watkins who lives near Ipswich and who shared a pint while reminiscing about past school days. It has been 33 years since we last met! Scary!!

Independent Book Shop Week

It was Indie Bookshop week this week and I marked the occassion with signings in Stamford (Buy the Book) and in Chesham (The Chesham Bookshop).
My thanks to Hilary and David for there hospitality.

Adventures at The Spinney, Little Bytham

My thanks to everyone at the Extended School Play Scheme held at Bytham Primary School today.
We had a great adventure helping Tommy Tickle and the fairy, Wisp to find the Crystals and keep them from the grasp of the evil warlock.
Some of the clues were tough but we got every one and all went away with a crystal each to hide away for safe keeping.
After we saved Wisp's world we then made book covers and everyone did a superb job. I'll pop photos of the covers that I have onto my web page at http://www.lovesey.net/

Keep smiling and watch out for the crow spies!

btw; if you want to leave me a note here then that is fine but don't use your full name or add your contact details :-)

Taff

Good Luck Hull City

My lad Jamie (17) has been a Hull City supporter since we moved back from the US in 2002. He is over joyed that they are now in the play off final and looking towards Premiership football.
We are all right behind the Tigers so go go go! (sorry Bristol!).

Taff

Footie and Scribblings

Well done to Portsmouth.
Even though I was hoping for a Cardiff win it was great to see two of the 'lesser' teams contesting the final. A refreshing chnage from Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea domination!

Book fairs have been pretty slow so far this year with sales down, not just for me but apparently for every seller out there. C'est la vie. Swings and Roundabouts!

LITES PC is still eating alot of my time - good that the business is taking off so I can pay my bills, but bad for writing as book three still remains unstarted and has slipped into a 2009 release. Sorry!!

Take care
Taff

Latest on Shows and Signings

Thanks to those that came and said hi to me in Oakham on Sunday.
It was a lovely Spring day and there was lots of excitement around town as the East Midlands lef of the cycle race sprinted through.

I have also booked a few more shows through the year. The current list of events where you can find me are:

4th/5th May - Walcott Lighthouse, Norfolk
10th May - Cambridge Guildhall
17th May - Lincoln Book Festival
28th June - Lowdham Book Fest - Nottingham
5th/6th July - Peterboro River festival (to be confirmed)
10th July - Market Deeping Summer Street market
26th/27th July - Rufford, Nottinghamshire (to be confirmed)
7th September - Great Ponton, Grantham, Lincs
21st September - Burton Joyce Lincs
8th/9th Nov - Rufford Xmas Nottinghamshire (to be confirmed)
2nd November - East Bridgeford, Nottinghamshire
12th-14th Dec - Bedford Xmas Crafts and Gifts (to be confirmed)

FA Cup Semi Final

Come on you Bluebirds!
A relative of my son's girlfriend was kind enough to give him two tickets for the FA Cup Semi Final this weekend so we'ree off to Wembley on Sunday.
That's great for us but if anyone was hoping to catch me at East Bridgeford then I won't be there.

Other dates confirmed are:
4th/5th May - Walcott Lighthouse, Norfolk
10th May - Cambridge Guildhall
17th May - Lincoln Book Festival
14th/15th June - Stapleford Steam, Melton Mowbary
28th June - Lowdham Book Fest - Nottingham
1st July - W.I. Witham on the Hill
13th July - Sue Ryder, Peterborough
26th/27th July - Rufford, Nottinghamshire
7th September - Great Ponton, Grantham, Lincs
8th/9th Nov -- Rufford Xmas Nottinghamshire
Tba Nov - Market Deeping Xmas Market
12th-14th Dec - Bedford Xmas Crafts and Gifts (large fair)

Hello to all at Peterborough High School

I'll be visiting the school later this morning and reading from The Portal Chronicles.
I hope you enjoy it.
Taff

Hi to all pupils of Langtoft Primary School

I hope you enjoy the talk and reading that I will do for you at the school today.

... oh and a very happy World Book Day!

Taff

2008 Signing/Sales Events growing

My list of events for signings, talks and sales is growing.
Here is the current list of venues and dates:-

6th March - Langtoft Primary School
7th March - Peterborough High School
9th March - Branston Hall
15th March - Holt, Norfolk
6th April - East Bridgeford, Nottinghamshire
4th/5th May - Walcott Lighthouse, Norfolk
10th May - Cambridge Guildhall [
17th/18th May - Rufford, Nottinghamshire
14th/15th June - Stapleford Steam, Melton Mowbary
28th June - Lowdham Book Fest - Nottingham
1st July - W.I. Witham on the Hill
5th/6th July - Peterboro River festival
13th July - Sue Ryder, Peterborough
26th/27th July - Rufford, Nottinghamshire
7th September - Great Ponton, Grantham, Lincs
8th/9th Nov -- Rufford Xmas Nottinghamshire
Tba Nov - Market Deeping Xmas Market
12th-14th Dec - Bedford Xmas Crafts and Gifts (large fair)

New UK Based Web Site

At last!
After a few weeks of messing around I finally have my web page updated and hosted in the UK (with 123reg). At the same time I have taken the opportunity to update the look and feel and also added more tracking options.
Hopefully you'll like the new site and will be back to check What's New in the Lovesey Fantasy world.

See it at http://www.lovesey.net

Taff

Stamford Exclusive Magazine

Made like Naomi Campbell yesterday. :-)
Stamford Exclusive magazine have interviewed me for a feature in the February 2008 edition.
The photgrapher came over yesterday and the experience was interesting.
Unlike the local paper photgraphers (you know smile once and find that you have a photo that makes you look 30 stone and like you are gurning) this guy must have taken a couple of hundred shots and I had to build piles of books to lean on and pose in all sorts of positions.
After 45 minutes of having to nail a smile to my face I have a new appreciation of what life must be like as a fashion model!
Just off to bathe my aching cheeks (the upper pair not the posterior)!!

Taff

Working Title

Very little progress has been made to date with book three :-(
The main reason for this is the amount of marketing and signing that I did during Nov/Dec and I am now into a new term so have lots of teaching assigments to prepare.
Hopefully I'll free some time to get writing again soon as the number of ideas and threads are building in my head!!
I do have a working title, courtesy of one of the students at The Deepings School. It is The Small Guy. This won't be the final title but it gives me a name for book three for now and sticks with the TSG pattern :-)
Frustrating times these as I want to get going on book three but without that big publisher behind me it is difficult to free time for writing.

Taff