My first flash fiction collection available now!

Today I'm releasing my first flash fiction collection, Snippets, as an amazon e-book. 
Here are the links: 
- Amazon UK
- Amazon US

I'd really appreciate it if you could help spread the word on facebook, twitter, etc. and if you fancy downloading it, I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it. 

Here's the description: 
Murder, a drug addict, an arranged marriage, a groom on his wedding day, an old couple on a day out: this collection of flash fiction traverses twenty-one lives, giving snippets of their relationships , their highs and lows, their struggles and successes. 

These pieces have previously been published online under the title of 'Flash Fortnightly'.

Going Home by Penni Mannas-Diefendorf

About the Book

Title: Going Home
Author: Penni Mannas-Diefendorf
Publication: Truthredux Limited; 1 edition (30 Jan 2013)/Amazon Kindle
Summary: (Amazon) What if you could live the life you’ve always dreamed of? Many of us will never come to grips with who we really are in our lifetime. We are hemmed in and conflicted by a myriad of differing opinions and standards about who we should be, what we should achieve, and how we should be living. Do we ever stop and think about what we actually want, what would bring us our greatest joy so we can live for and as our true selves? Going Home starts the journey from that inauthentic life we are living now to our true selves and that best of all places: our heart of hearts, our soul, our eternal light — our core of steel. 

What I Think 

"For everything in your life, keep asking why." I feel this sums up Penni Mannas-Diefendorf's thought-provoking debut, Going Home. It is a book about how to get the best out of your life and you are the only one who is able to do that. How are you going to do it? She'll help you with that too. 

According to her theory there are five rings of consciousness. From outer to inner they are: material, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual. "Each ring encompasses the one inside it, and we cannot expand our consciousness to the next level until we are very clear about what we want." You must learn about yourself, study yourself, study your needs, wants, dreams and fears to be able to truly live a life fulfilled. 

For each ring there is a STOP page; you have to stop reading, pick up pen and paper, and make a list, based on the information asked, for your past, present and future. These exhaustive lists will help you build a better picture of yourself, which will in turn allow you to grow and develop. There is a lot of the author in this book and I feel that adds to its strength as you have no doubt that she practises what she preaches. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to find their direction in life, or merely get themselves back on track. 

About the Author

Penni Mannas Diefendorf is a skeptical dreamer who likes to believe in magic and the impossible but wants proof. She has done a great many things in this lifetime, but the things she likes best are fixing things, teaching, and learning. Close seconds are singing, dancing, and dreaming, all of which are otherwise known as meditation. She currently resides in Hong Kong, which is an über splendid place to be, with her husband, who is an über splendid fellow. 




Get in touch:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TruthreduxNow
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pmannasd
Website: Truthredux Community

Don't You Forget About Me by Alexandra Potter

About the Book

Title: Don't You Forget About Me
Author: Alexandra Potter
Publication: Hodder (19 July 2012)/Amazon Kindle
Summary:  Tess is heartbroken when Seb breaks up with her and can't help blaming herself. If only she'd done things differently. If only she could make right all her regrets. Drunk and upset on New Year's Eve she wishes she'd never met him. But when she wakes up to discover this dream has come true, she realises she has a chance. To do it all over again. And to get it right this time.

What I Think

Tess Connolly, the main character of Don't You Forget About Me, is a little ridiculous, but not totally unlikable. There are a couple of cringe-worthy moments when I can't believe girls like this really exist and furthermore that other people, presumably also girls, want to read about them. At times the character seems so shallow, and frankly quite stupid too, that I can't believe I didn't stop reading immediately. 

What saves this book is that its moral is sound: don't pretend to be something you're not. In order to keep her boyfriend Seb happy and their relationship thriving, Tess is constantly trying to be something she's not, often with disastrous consequences. This message of being true to yourself is reinforced by the character Fiona, Tess' flatmate, who not only is the most unhealthy health & beauty editor, but she's prepared to adopt a fake persona to fit in with the 'posh set'.  

Throughout the year that we follow the characters they discover more about themselves and who they truly are. With this new-found knowledge they are able to form better and stronger relationships with the people around them and ultimately be happier. 

About the Author

Alexandra Potter (b. May 8, 1970) is an award-winning British author who previously worked as a features writer and sub-editor for women's glossies in both the UK and Australia. In 2007 she won the prize for Best New Fiction at the Jane Austen Regency World Awards for her bestselling novel, Me and Mr Darcy. Her novels have been translated into seventeen languages and her latest novel, You're the One That I Don't Want, is being adapted into a film. She now lives between London and Los Angeles and writes full-time. 

Amy & Zach by Sarah Louise Smith

About the Book

Title: Amy & Zach
Author: Sarah Louise Smith
Publication: Crooked Cat Publishing Ltd. (3 Jan 2013)/Amazon Kindle
Summary: Flying home to the UK from the US for her sister Libby’s wedding, Amy has some major issues with her homecoming. She is furious with Zach, who should have been travelling with her, but after he dropped a bombshell the day before she left, she hid his passport and flew alone. Now, can she act normal when she meets Libby’s fiance Tim? After he finds his passport, Zach heads for the UK to surprise Amy. He wants to apologise to her and finally meet her family. He has kept his secret for way too long and knows he has a lot of explaining to do.

What I Think

This is a very sweet story about how two people get together. One of the things I liked best about this book is that it is about a relationship. My biggest annoyance with many chick lit books (and rom coms alike) is that they end when the couple finally get together after months, or sometimes years of struggle, and we as readers (and viewers) have to assume that they just live happily ever after. 

Amy moves to the US to 'start over' as life back home is not working out as planned. It may have been intentional, to set up the contrast with her life in the UK, but I think everything was slightly too easy for Amy in America; she found a loving boyfriend within weeks; she connected with her new family and they all welcomed her with open arms; she loved her job and one of her colleagues became her new best friend. Being an expat myself, I know that even if life is great, it's not always easy living abroad. 

That said, this was a fun and pacy read. I was drawn in immediately when within the first chapter it was apparent that not all was well in the world of Amy & Zach.  

About the Author

Sarah Louise Smith lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, two cute cats and a loopy golden retriever. She also has a twelve year old step-daughter and a large extended family. She has been working in marketing communications for several years and has a passion for reading, her favourite genre being "chick-lit".


Sarah has been writing stories ever since she can remember. A few years ago her husband bought her a laptop out of the blue, telling her she could accept it only on the condition that she used it to write a novel, something she'd been saying she wanted to do since she left high school. In 2012, she completed her first novel, Amy & Zach.

You can find out more by visiting her website.

Amy & Zach is available at Crooked Cat Publishing/Amazon UK/Amazon US. 

7 Days and Counting by Suvi Lampila

About the Book

Title: 7 Days and Counting
Author: Suvi Lampila
Publication: Frictionist (27 Oct 2012)/Amazon Kindle
Summary: Reads like a modern romance, unfolds like a mystery and at the end opens up for interpretation. Are you looking for something surreal?

MAYBE: "Intensely realistic dialogue, even in the most bizarre circumstances" 
NO: "a quick read for the first time; slow burner for the second" 
YES: "a story that challenges your perception" 

What I Think

As the lives of the two main characters collide, nothing is quite as it seems. Lampila weaves the story backwards and forwards in time with ease and skill. The reader has a little work to do in order to put pieces of the story together for him/herself. This is a challenge and I like that.  

Due to there being two perspectives, you can read certain parts of the story twice. In my opinion these are some of the most interesting passages in the book, as two people rarely experience things exactly the same. It's therefore extremely interesting to read the same scenario from differing points of view. 

Strangely (for me, at least) I got to the end of the book and immediately wanted to start reading it again. I feel that the first time I read it quickly as I wanted to know all the hidden secrets behind the closed doors of the character's lives. However, I feel that on a second, and more detailed read, so much more will be revealed. 

About the Author

Suvi Lampila is the author of IL B L8, a short play written for three actors and a grand piano, and 7 Days and Counting, her debut novel that received a Literary Arts Grant of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. In her previous life she has been a furnishings officer for a British Embassy, an improper Bostonian and a technical services engineer, better known as a computer geek. She creates genre-defying fiction at Frictionist.

7 Days and Counting is available on Amazon US/UK/EU

Free Country by George Mahood *PLUS Author Interview

About the Book

Title: Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of England
Author: George Mahood
Publication: Lulu, 1st June 2012/Amazon Kindle
Summary: The plan is simple. George and Ben have three weeks to cycle 1000 miles across the U.K. from Land's End, Cornwall, to John O'Groats, Scotland. There’s just one small problem: they have no bikes, no clothes, no food and no money. Setting off in just a pair of Union Jack boxer shorts, they attempt to rely on the generosity of the British public for everything from food to accommodation, clothes to shoes, and bikes to beer. 

What I Think

This is a great book which I would highly recommend. I really enjoyed the relaxed feel to it. It felt like the author was telling me this story over a drink in the pub. It's unusual to get so much of the author in a book, but I almost felt like I knew him by the end of it (and not in a creepy way!). 

This book is funny. All the little anecdotes that Mahood relays throughout, whether they be of their success or failure at trying to get whatever they were after at that particular moment, seem to be funny in one way or another. 

And most of all this book is heart-warming. All the people who helped George and Ben on their journey really give you renewed faith in people's ability to be kind and generous. Mentioned last, as most important things are, is the friendship that exists between George and his friend, Ben. I don't think either of them would've been able to finish this adventure had they not had each other; to laugh with, to laugh at, to encourage, to support, to be honest with, to shout at, but most of all to enjoy the adventure together.  

About the Author

I have huge admiration for this author who has not only achieved a seemingly impossible task, but has written a book about it too! I'm very excited to be able to introduce: George Mahood. 

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am the author of Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain. Free Country is my first book and documents a challenge that I undertook with a friend to cycle the length of Great Britain - starting our journey without any clothes (other than a pair of boxer shorts), shoes, food or bikes, and relying of the kindness of strangers to complete the trip. 
When I am not writing, I work as a photographer specialising predominantly in weddings. I live with my wife and three young children in Northampton, England. 

2. Tell us a little bit about Free Country – A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain 
Like most great ideas, this one came about after a few too many beers at the pub. My friend Ben and I had both become slightly disillusioned by the negative press that Great Britain was getting. We strongly believed that there was still a lot of good to be found in society so looked for a way to test this. Cycling the length of Great Britain without any money, clothes, shoes or bikes, was the perfect way for us to put ourselves at the mercy of complete strangers. We both had a keen desire to complete the iconic British 'end-to-end' bike ride so the concept of Free Country was formed. 

The length of Britain: about
1,000 miles

3. Did anyone try to talk you out of doing it? 
Yes, most of my friends and family. I purposely didn't tell many people about it before setting off, because I didn't want to be talked out of it. Their doubts just provided us with an added incentive to prove them wrong.

4. You mention in Free Country that you carried a notebook to keep track of people’s names and your experiences. How easy was it to write up those notes into a full length book? 
Writing the first draft was surprisingly easy. Despite the trip only lasting 19 days, so much happened in a relatively short space of time, and we had so many encounters with weird and wonderful people that I was not short of material. I never felt that I had to pad out any sections, and it was more a case of which bits NOT to include. As for remembering the facts, the notes I kept were extremely basic (just a few lines per day) but as I wrote the majority of the book in the year straight after completing the trip it was all still fresh in my mind. I then used maps, guide books and good ol' Wikipedia to add a few geographical/factual details. 

'The Falcon'

5. You self-published your book through Lulu. Did you ever consider seeking a publishing deal? 
Yes, I spent several extremely frustrating years trying to get published. I got an agent fairly early on, which was great, and came very close to securing a deal with Harper Collins. The publishing industry is going through a tough time and they rarely take risks on unknown authors - especially in non-fiction books like mine. The whole process was extremely soul-destroying. I didn't mind the rejection letters too much, as at least that was an answer; it was the positive feedback that was then followed by meetings with commissioning editors, months of waiting and then an eventual rejection that I found most frustrating. I then shelved the book for a couple of years before deciding to self-publish earlier this year. It was the best decision I ever made and I've loved the whole process so much. It's not easy doing it all yourself, but it has been immensely rewarding and satisfying. 

6. You also mentioned that there was a film crew with you. Was your adventure aired on television? 
Not yet. We have about 80 hours of brilliant half-edited footage sitting around waiting for a production company to finish off. So if you know anyone that might be interested, tell them to get in touch!

7. Moving on. What are you working on at the moment?
I haven't really done much in the way of writing since Free Country. Unfortunately, since writing the book, my work as a photographer has picked up. I know I shouldn't be annoyed about having paid work, but I'd love to be spending more time writing another book and promoting this one, but it has been difficult juggling it with my 'real' job. 

8. Have you always considered yourself a creative person? 
I guess so. I never thought I would ever write a book, though. I've always loved writing but I didn't think that I would ever have the creative imagination, or desire, to write a fiction novel (I stiil don't), but then I stumbled on the idea of writing a non-fiction book. The trip itself, and the process of writing the book, were two of the most fun things I have ever done. 

9. Are there any more adventures on the cards? 
Definitely. Free Country will not be my last book. I have a few potential ideas to pursue in 2013, so watch this space.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors and/or adventurists?
I'm very much as newbie at both, but my main piece of advice for both aspiring authors and adventurists is just to do it. I know plenty of people that have said they would love to write a book, but never actually get round to even starting it. The key is actually to just start writing. Get the words on the page. It's much easier to make those words better once they are there. As for the adventurists, again, if you have an idea or something that you really want to pursue or complete then go for it.  

Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain is available in paperback (UK)/paperback (US) or on Kindle UK/Kindle US. 

A Selection of Meats and Cheeses by Danny Gillan

About the Book


This is a collection of short stories by the Glaswegian author Danny Gillan. 

What I think


We are living in a wonderful time for books, especially if you are into e-books. I bought this collection on amazon for free. Yes, you read it right, for free! A lot of authors put short stories, short story collections and even books on amazon for free to gain a greater following of readers. This is a wonderful way to try out new authors and new styles without spending a penny. 


Having said all that, I would have gladly paid for this collection because it was brilliant! Keen followers of the 'Mid-week review' will know that I've read Gillan's, Scratch: a funny and quirky novel about a guy who is still in love with his ex-girlfriend. A Selection of Meats and Cheeses has 12 stories and they are all unique. Some are funny, some violent and others sad. I enjoyed each and every story and would highly recommend you try this collection. 


The best story for me was, without a doubt, story number two: Nothing But Grief. This extremely powerful story tells the tale of a young boy living with parents who no longer get on. This leads to tragedy and severe psychological damage. Gillan, having worked in social care, has clearly applied knowledge, sensitivity and depth to this story.   


About the Author

Danny Gillan grew up in Glasgow and his initial ambition was to be a musician. He's also worked in various pubs and hotels, both behind the bar and doing managerial work, and has worked in social care supporting adults with learning disabilities and/or mental health problems. He has written two novels, Will You Love Me Tomorrow (2007) and Scratch (2011). He has a blog: Attempted Author and runs an online magazine, Words with JAM.