Bolton Sixth Form College rocks!

Hey guys, hope you’re all well and having a fantastic day! What are you up to on this lovely Saturday evening? I’m having a bit of a foodie weekend (more on that in the next post after I get some more photos on the Continental Markets in town)!.

Writing is taking up a whole chunk of my time and I couldn’t be happier. One of the advantages of this profession (THE main one for me), is connecting with fellow readers and writers also passionate about the arts.

After being in touch with a local college for over a year about a totally unrelated topic, I was invited by the lovely ladies at The Bolton Sixth Form College to chat to their writing group. A big thank you to Carole Smith and Mishka Fielding for the warm welcome and giving me the opportunity to meet a bunch of awesome bods (yes ladies, you really are coolness personified!). I spoke about my publishing journey, tips and tricks when submitting work, the mercurial state of the publishing landscape, the digital revolution and the incredible rise of the e-book. One of the things I love about the creative community is that we love sharing best practice and handy hints. So if any of you out there want to pick my brains about these topics (or anything else!), do hit me up, I would love to hear from you.

The writing group (students and tutors alike) are an incredibly intelligent, inquisitive bunch. It was really heartwarming to hear of their writing endeavours and dreams. I am currently in the process of reviewing some work from one of the students, which shows real promise. To think I may have been addressing the next J.K. Rowling fills me with a delicious thrill and I am currently lining up more media engagements so I can connect with more writers and readers.

Screaming_Snowflakes_Cover_for_Kindle (1)It was my first author talk and I loved every minute of it. For upcoming authors, I heartily recommend talking at your local college or university. The advantages are three-fold. Firstly, you get the chance to connect with fellow creative folk, who share the same interests as you. Secondly, you have the opportunity to impart words of wisdom to people who are just starting out and to make an impression that hard work really does pay off. Last but not least, speaking about projects current and works in progress is a great way to build on your readership. Speaking with the group was beyond brilliant – I only hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!

RAxx