And so it begins. Welcome to Pollen.

I was in a shop a couple of days ago, and my eye was drawn to a display of greetings cards and prints. There were some beautiful and unique drawings and paintings, by local artists. My wife bought a couple … Continued

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Punctuation and I (or should that be Me?)

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt. Do you use said or asked after a ? or tag your interruptions? Any punctuation that bugs you? What’s the hardest for you to get right? I have … Continued

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I can’t get her out of my head.

I know I keep on about Andorra Pett but here’s the thing. She’s my favourite character, out of all the ones that invade my mind. And to think she started out as the result of a challenge. My wife suggested … Continued

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What I wanted and what I got

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt. Write a top 10 list in the voice of a character. Is your character a person making a bucket list? How about someone listing their greatest fears? What … Continued

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They read it first, in praise of the Beta Reader

Before my new masterpiece sets out into the big wide world, there’s a group of unsung heroes who help to make it a lot more readable than it might have been. One of the problems with being the author of … Continued

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The long and winding road. Using characters in sequels and spin-offs.

Back in 2013, in my first novel, Freefall, I introduced a character called Ballantyne Alysom. He was a galactic explorer and owner of the magazine Galactographic! His claim to fame and the reason for his creation was as the discoverer … Continued

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You never saw that coming. The twist in the tale.

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt. Plot twists…do you have a favorite you can talk about (yours or someone else’s?) Plot twists are an essential part of storytelling and the backbone of psychological thrillers, … Continued

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