Back at last!

I’ve enjoyed my two month sabbatical but now I’m back with a host of events planned. Between now and Christmas, my books and I will be at a dozen or so Oxfordshire events – literary festivals, books fairs and Christmas fairs – including at Wolvercote, Steventon, Kennington, Oxford, Didcot, Harwell, Faringdon and Abingdon. Thanks to the amazing Oxford Independent Authors for organising this tremendous effort. Keep an eye out for further information from OxIA and please do come along to meet authors, listen to talks and, of course, buy books. Books make the best Christmas presents in my view!

Talking of books, I was thrilled to discover that Note to Boy is now, thanks to the efforts of Colin Wade and the 1in200 initiative, on sale in the excellent Mostly Books in Abingdon (pictured below) and splendido Il Botanico in Headington, Oxford. Please do pop in and say hello. Independent booksellers like these are to be cherished.

In further news, I’ve sent But Mostly Mabel off to the publisher, SRL Publishing, and await further news with bated breath.

That’s all folks. A busy few months head!

Me and Note to Boy out in the wild!

Update from Clark Towers

Apologies. I’ve been remiss. It’s been a while since I posted an update on what I’ve been up to. Here’s a quick rundown.

At December’s excellent and very successful Oxford Indie Book Fair I had the pleasure of meeting Colin Wade, Steve Lunn and others of Oxford Independent Authors (OxIA), a newly formed group focused on marketing, promoting and raising the profiles of writers in the Oxford area. Their enthusiasm convinced me to throw in my lot with this merry band of active writers.

In May I attended my first OxIA event, HeadLitFest in Headington, Oxford. Both the weather and the mood were sunny, and the lemon drizzle cake some of the best I’ve tasted. There I bumped into some familiar faces: the authors Peter Tickler and Steve Sheppard; as well as meeting other OxIA members for the first time. I was out again with OxIA for the Risinghurst Fete in June, spending an enjoyable day talking about and selling books, eating yet more cake and soaking up the village atmosphere of a summer fair. I’ll attach a selection of pictures below.

It’s hard these days making your voice heard above the clamour of the big five publishers and their celebrity clients. Associations like OxIA, where writers join forces and pool their collective talents, help increase the volume of the noise we can make. All power to them! More profile-raising OxIA events are planned throughout the year.

Enough of the marketing! What about the books? A Novel Solution (published in June 2024, almost exactly a year ago. Happy Birthday ANS!) and Note to Boy (reissued this April) have been making their presence felt. Note to Boy was seen in Pimlico library in London, and A Novel Solution was featured in the Round & About magazine (see below).

What’s next? My third comedy, But Mostly Mabel, is nearing the final stages before submission to the publisher. This is a nail-shredding time for any writer. Will they like it? What edits will they ask for? Just generally, ‘Eeeek!’ I’ll keep you posted on how Mabel fares.

Finally, I’m taking a couple of months off over the summer months to recharge and rethink. Hope to be back again around September. Have a wonderful summer!

Readers flock to Indie Book Fair

This year’s Oxford Indie Book Fair (OxIB) was the biggest and best yet. I had a great time, met some old friends, made some new and had fun introducing readers to my books.

The fair, held on 1 December at Oxford University’s Examination Schools, attracted a bumper crowd of more than 1,500 visitors, and more than 150 exhibitors. A triumph for the team of hardworking organisers!

The show was opened by the charismatic Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, actor and author, Paterson Joseph.

So successful was this year’s event that the organisers were able to announce the date of a summer OxIB. It will be on 5 July 2025 and I very much hope to be there!

Here are some pictures to give you a flavour of this year’s OxIB

Thanks to Edmund Blok for the group photo.

All systems go! Getting ready for Oxford Indie Book Fair

It’s almost here! Every year I look forward to the Oxford Indie Book Fair and this year is no exception.

This is my third OxIB and, with more than 150 exhibitors, it promises to be the biggest and the best yet. I shall be spending the days between now and 1st December wondering how many books I can cram into my wheelie-bag and how the heck I’m going to be able to manhandle it up the ancient staircase of the Oxford Examination Schools.

Please do pop along if you’re in the Oxford area. There’s lots going on, as well as books to buy and authors, artists and poets to meet, the event will be opened by author, actor and chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, Paterson Joseph.

This is the ideal opportunity to stock up on early Christmas presents of a literary nature. And it’s held in the beautiful and historic Oxford Examination Schools in the High Street. See you there!

Fiction fun in Oxford

It’s free, it’s fun and it’s (mostly) fiction.

The Oxford Indie Book Fair (OxIB) is about to welcome one and all to another day of buying, selling and talking books. This year’s fair promises to be bigger and better than ever before and takes place in Oxford’s historic Examination Rooms on Sunday 26th November.

I’ll be bringing along my comic fiction, Note to Boy, and introducing my latest humorous book, A Novel Solution, which is available to pre-order. Keeping me company will be my very good writer chums, Jason Cobley and Eamon Somers. As well as our own books, we’ll be showcasing the short story anthologies, Taking Liberties and the newly released bestseller, Order & Chaos, which the three of us, along with other established writers, have contributed to.

So, there’ll be lots to see and talk about. And buy of course! Come along, meet the authors, publishers, booksellers and other professionals who make books happen, have some wonderful conversations and find your next great read. Entry is free. See you there!

Second Oxford Indie Book Fair was fin-tastic!

Writers, publishers and artists gathered for the second Oxford Indie Book Fair on 2 April, an event that showcases the work of local authors, independent publishers and other artists.

Among the 45 exhibitors was the artist John Buckley, probably best known for creating the Headington Shark, a controversial landmark in Oxford since the 1980s.

I took along Note to Boy and had a great day, introducing Bradley and Eloise to a new audience, and indulging myself talking books and writing with visitors and other exhibitors in the beautiful surroundings of the Wesley Memorial Hall.

Thank you to the organisers for arranging such an enjoyable and successful event.