Tuesday 12 April 2011

Blog address

I've just updated the blog to my own, much shorter, web address: www.gruffling.info

No point in putting in a hyperlink - you are already here!

Unfortunately it does not have the same security level as Blogger, so some of you may no longer be able to see it if you have an evil net nanny like they do at work!

Thursday 7 April 2011

Book reviews

One of the things that has been hardest for me as a new author has been getting a print review. Of course I'm pleased to have been reviewed on-line and would welcome many more, but its certainly good to see a review in a printed format. I think it helps that there is the feeling of independence involved that may not apply to online reviews.

I was very pleased when a colleague told me that the Crack magazine had reviewed the book. This worthy and arty magazine has a good circulation in the Newcastle area. I couldn't have asked for a better first review, so many thanks to GM!

The Adventures of the Billy Goats Gruff

Kevin D. Futers, Strategic Book Group, £8
This is a lovely curio of a book from Futers, a Scottish author who has been resident in Newcastle since 1974. It’s a sort of re-telling, or retro-updating, of the story of the three billy goats Gruff; an old folk tale usually associated with Norway. Here the action is set in ancient Northumberland and sees three brothers inflicted by a curse that turns them into goats who must set forth into a land besieged by trolls on the hunt for a maiden’s kiss: not an inconsiderable task when you are distinctly goat-ish in appearance. Naturally, there is a bridge, but killing its guardian heaps only more trouble on the trio who get caught up in an almighty feud. The author’s evident interest in mythology doesn’t come at the expense of a really cracking read in a tale which is full of cauldrons, kings and people answering to the moniker of “Cerdic the Tall” and the book will appeal to both adventurous adults and children alike.  GM

Being a lifelong looker of gift horses in the mouth, I would point out that my middle initial is a P, not a D but that is the fault of the font on the cover, so fair enough!

It was also strange to be described as Scottish, even though I am. I put British on the Census!

Now comes the crucial bit - extracting a quote to help with marketing. "A lovely curio of a book" or "a really cracking read" are possible, or a longer bit from "The author's evident interest..." to the end.