A lot of people had been asking me recently why it was that the website for my book was down. It recently came to light that the website was seeing other servers on the side and we have, for the time being, gone our separate ways; citing 'irrevocable differences'. Thankfully, this finally gave me a vital boot up the arse to tackle one of the things that had been on the lengthy 'to do list' since the release of my book: start a blog.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with me, I'm an author in my early 20s who recently released my first book; a self-published collection of poetry called 'Sunrise and Shorelines: 2001 - 2008'. We held a very successful book launch 6 weeks ago, and it has been selling pretty steadily since then (partly thanks to a modest distribution deal meaning that the book is available through retailers like Amazon in several countries, and partly through the generosity and kind help I've had from friends, family and supporters). Only last night I sent a message round several sites on the web, asking for people to help me by contributing to a kind of online 'street team', and have been overwhelmed by the number of people who got in touch to offer their help. I'd like to offer my sincerest thanks to anyone who's got in touch so far: you guys are fantastic!
Whilst the book is obviously a big focus right now - and this blog will no doubt provide an invaluable source for posting updates and features - I won't just be writing about book-related stuff. For starters, I don't just write poetry. I've also spent a long time writing prose fiction, some of which will hopefully see the light of the day in the not too distant future. I also enjoy music, travelling, going to gigs and doing all kinds of weird and wonderful things. Therefore, expect imminent reviews, photo diaries, travelogues, incoherent drunken rants and the kitchen sink all to be thrown in here as I go along. I'd also like to have a go at archiving some previous stuff. Some of you may know about the charity walks I've done in the past; hopefully when I've got a minute I'll be uploading some old photographs from those, just in case I ever want to reminisce about my recently chopped off long hair!
Thanks again to all those who have supported me so far with the book. Watch this space for news, bulletins and pictures; all coming soon...
Cheers,
Mark
