Singing Again

September 11, 2015
It's okay, you can put your earplugs away, it isn't me who's singing but the Iyessi. I'm happy to say that I've now completed a new series of Iyessi songs to go with Discord's Apprentice. As with the lyrics for Discord's Child, there's one for the prologue and each chapter. Some are happy, some are serious, some you could dance to and others are gentle. Not that Ro would experience them that way. Hopefully, readers will enjoy them.
    Of course, the songs are an optional extra, which is why they aren't actually heading the chapters. I didn't want them to come between readers and the story, but one day I might put them back in the place they were originally intended for. Maybe I'll do it when I publish a print on demand edition of Discord's Child and Discord's Apprentice. That might not be as far away as you think.
    Meanwhile, I'll be uploading the new songs over the coming weeks on The Exiles of Ondd page and on Goodreads. Let me know what you think.

Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 

You Are Important

August 31, 2015
I had already written a blog for this week when I came across Neil Gaiman's lecture for The Reading Agency on 14th October 2013 and decided it could wait. I don't know how I missed the lecture before, but if I did, others who might benefit from Neil Gaiman's words have probably missed it too, so it's worth mentioning here.
    The lecture gives reasons why literacy and universal access to libraries are so important. Not least of these is how reading fiction stimulates children's imaginations. ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Good Company

August 25, 2015
I can think of 10 good reasons to read issue eight of Fantasy Scroll Magazine–make that 11.
    The magazine contains 10 speculative short stories, including my own offering 'Haze' about how first contact with mankind could be the beginning of the end for a planet's inhabitants. The other stories vary from futuristic tech-based SF to dark fantasy. The one thing they have in common is being irresistible. Once you start reading, you can't stop. You'll find believable characters struggling with...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews 

 

What Do You Read Again?

August 17, 2015
Apparently, Christopher Lee used to read The Lord of the Rings once a year. This was a habit he began decades before playing Saruman. He isn't alone. Many people have a favourite book that they read over and over, without it ever becoming stale. If you ask me, the definition of being a successful author is writing something that people not only remember, but enjoy re-reading. Strange as it may seem, not every novel on the bestseller lists has that quality. What is it that keeps readers coming...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

I Confess

August 10, 2015
I was going to sit down and write this blog last Sunday–that's not yesterday, but the Sunday before–but I made the mistake of sitting down to read a chapter or two of a novel. It was Ross Poldark, the first of Winston Graham's bestselling series set in Cornwall that's now all the rage again thanks to Aidan Turner. After the first two chapters, I thought I'd just read the next one, then the next and before I knew it, it was time to draw the curtains and put the lights on. The following day...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

That Sinking Feeling

July 27, 2015
I'm depressed. It isn't the fault of the weather, although a weekend of continuous rain is enough to make even my normally bouncy, happy-go-lucky bichons huddle on the settee and hide their heads under the cushions. No, what's made me feel like burying my head is listening to Open Book on Radio 4 yesterday.
    Mariella Frostrup asked someone from one of the big publishers what her favourite crime novel is. She was one of those young women who speak like an uncertain Australian. You know the ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Free to a Good Home

July 21, 2015
You may have read in a previous post that Discord's Child is currently available free in Smashwords' summer promotion, which runs until 31st July. I have mixed feelings about providing work for nothing.
    Generally, I feel that it's letting the side down. Most authors struggle to get work published and make a living from it. As enjoyable and rewarding as writing is, it is work. No one would suggest that nurses, teachers or accountants should work for nothing, simply because they get satisfa...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 

Feeling Rejected?

July 16, 2015
Nobody likes being rejected, but believe me, there's hardly a writer on the planet who hasn't had to cope with rejection from time to time, so if you want to be an author you'd better learn how to deal with it.
     There are usually three stages to coping with having the work that you've sweated and fretted over unceremoniously rejected. The first is distress or depression. You feel that your work, and therefore you, are useless, worthless, unlikable, talentless... the list of negatives you ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration 

 

Free Summer Reading

July 4, 2015
I'm off on holiday next week. If I don't melt in the predicted heatwave, I might find myself a shady spot in which to enjoy a glass of something long and cold while I read or people watch. To celebrate and give everyone else a chance to enjoy a summer read, I've enrolled Discord's Child in Smashwords' summer promotion which lasts until 31st July. You can download the novel free by using the coupon number you'll find on the page. 
    I hope to return inspired by Renaissance and ancient archit...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon 

 

Apologies and Rewards

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...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.

 
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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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