Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

February 1, 2018
My apologies to everyone who downloaded Discord's Child from Smashwords since the Christmas sale, expecting to find a code at the end for a free copy of Discord's Apprentice. I stuffed up! I wondered why it hadn't been used, despite my banging on about it for the past month. I was beginning to think that no-one loved me. Now, I know why, and I wouldn't blame anyone for being angry–I'm angry with myself. It was only when I reopened the file for the novel to remove the code, as it was no longer valid, that I discovered it wasn't there. I must have forgotten to save it in the first place!
    Aargh! How can I have been such an idiot? I could have sworn I'd checked the new file when I uploaded it. I feel awful, because I've misled people, albeit unintentionally, but that's no use to anyone who's missed out. You want and deserve to know what I'm going to do about it. The only way I can see to make it up to you is to create another coupon for a FREE copy of Discord's Apprentice, to run until 1st March 2018. No purchase is required. The code number is BR32N. Simply visit https://smashwords.com/books/view/542490 and key it in at the check-out.
    Once again, I really can't apologise enough.
 

Be Nice to Yourself

January 29, 2018
Contest closing dates and submission deadlines can creep up on you all too quickly, even if you start working on your entry/submission in 'plenty of time', and don't suffer from procrastination or writers' block. Life has a habit of flinging banana skins in your path.
    I know all too well how it can happen. Two diabetic dogs, one of whom is reluctant to eat anything else, have been gobbling up my time and mental stamina lately. One day, Sophie's jumping up the kitchen cupboards, because you...
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On Your Marks...

January 22, 2018
Wow! We're already three weeks into 2018. Time for a round-up of a few free contests.
    Playwrights can enter the Drip Action Theatre Trail 2018 for plays of 30-40 minutes. There's £250 first prize, plus £150 for another seven plays chosen for performance. The closing date is 31st January with entry by post. Check http://www.dripaction.co.uk for details. Papatango is looking for full length plays for its contest, closing on 28th February. In addition to production and a share of the box o...
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BOGOF!

January 7, 2018
I know it sounds rude, but all my readers can BOGOF this month! If you buy Discord's Child from https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ksdearsley you'll find a code number to get Discord's Apprentice FREE, valid until 31st January. In other words, you can Buy One and Get One Free.
    Actually, there's a growing trend that makes me feel like adding an 'F' and telling some publishers to bog off. I find it very disturbing that more and more publications are charging writers to submit work to th...
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New Bginnings

January 1, 2018
Happy 2018! This is a time when many of us try to say 'good-bye' to our old selves, and make ourselves all kinds of promises about who we're going to be in future. From now on we're going to be non-smokers and/or vegan, exercise daily, go on a diet, learn a new language etc. etc. A fair few of us will already have broken at least one New Year's resolution–ah well, a bank holiday after a night of celebration probably isn't the best time for fresh starts, especially if it's cold and dark outs...
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Christmas Dilemma Solved

December 21, 2017
You might think that my middle initial, 'S', stands for Scrooge, as I don't generally give Christmas presents (note: that's 'give', not 'gift'). I like going around the shops looking for ideas, I'm happy to wrap even awkward-shaped items, and I love to see a heap of presents under the tree, but the problem with presents is that they're often bought out of desperation to find something–anything! Even when the recipients like them, they often have no use for them. Instead of giving people thi...
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Read to Write

November 12, 2017
Reading can be depressing. The reason? I recently read Natasha Pulley's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and now I feel like throwing my pencil away.
    The novel is the author's first, and it's a triumph. The characters are unusual but real, the historical setting is intriguing, the story complex, yet the reader is never lost or jolted out of the world of the novel by any blip in the narrative.
    As if that wasn't enough, I've just finished reading Strange Beasties, Third Flatiron Antholog...
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A Menagerie of Stories

November 12, 2017
The clever editors at Third Flatiron Anthologies have hunted down a batch of stories and released them in Strange Beasties. Each tale features some wild creatures that will roam through your imagination. Some will make you shiver with dread, but not all of them are monsters–in fact, you could end up taking another look at society and wondering who's more dangerous–them or us?
    From the story that opens the anthology, the excellent 'In the Days of Mister Cuddles' by Bruce Arthurs, which ...
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Free Reads (and Much More)

October 24, 2017
Continuing on the theme from the last blog, I want to highlight a place where readers in the UK can enjoy unlimited free books–at least for the time being. Public libraries have books for all ages and tastes, whether you want to read for fun, for research, or to learn more about the area where you live. You can read them on site or take them home. If you can't find what you want, the librarian will help you, and if they don't have the title you want in their catalogue, for a small fee they ...
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Readers First

October 15, 2017
It occurs to me that I've been writing more for writers lately than for readers, so this week I aim to redress the balance. I have three pieces of work due for publication in the near future. In fact one, 'The Enlightened One's Blessed', is already available online–and it's free to read.
    The story is one of 15 fiction finalists in Pen 2 Paper's contest aimed at raising awareness of disabilities. The other sections are non-fiction and poetry. When you visit http://www.txdisabilities.org/p...
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About Me


My writing career began as a freelance feature writer for the local press, businesses and organisations. Now a prize-winning playwright and short story writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Atlantic. I write as K. S. Dearsley because it saves having to keep repeating my forename, and specialise in fantasy and other speculative genres.

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