Out now, and available as a PDF publication from  HERE . Way back in the 1990s, Cyrkel Spynn was an independent goth zine run by Alan Miller, (or Crazy Alan Craw, as he was then known). This publication had featured several peices by me, plus plenty of other writers. The zine scene was a lively, wonderfully creative and quirky, low-cost way of sharing and exploring multiple subcultures. The internet plus the rising cost of snail mail pretty much killed that scene off, but all things change. Last year, I was in the process of updating some information and wondered if there was any lingering trace of Cyrkel Spynn floating around the internet. A quick search led me to the DMMG DisAssociation Music & Media Group webpage, (so new it was still under construction), where, with a lovely example of synchronicity, I read of Alan's plan to reboot the magazine. To cut a long story short, the newly published magazine is now available, and it really is absolutely packed with interviews, book...

Our Lives in Books, compiled by Bob Stone, will be available to buy on Amazon tomorrow. It features a whole raft of talented writers, from the well known to those who are published here for the very first time. And here is a preview of some of the illustrations included in it, made by The Raggy Rat. This publication features a non-fiction essay be me, and the theme of the entire contents is the love of reading. ASIN: B0H8YWPPBR ISBN-13: 979-818497960

 

  It's getting there, honest! There are 1.5 scenes to write, and the end will be reached. (And then there'll be endless edits and rewrites...) But progress on the fifth Artisan-Sorcerer novel is moving forward. I have the front cover waiting. Watch this space for the reveal. There are new covers for the others in the series, too. A publication date? I'm not going to rush this. The end of October, perhaps? Is that too optimistic? Time will tell.

Our Lives in Books , compiled and edited by Bob Stone, should be available on Amazon by Thursday July 23rd. One of my non-fiction peices, Reading is a Journey , is included in its pages, and I'm really looking forward to reading what everyone else has to say about their favourite novels. Here's the contents list: Click on the image to view it larger ASIN: B0H8YWPPBR ISBN-13: 979-818497960

 

  In recent weeks, I've been busy creating new book covers as I have almost finished writing the first draft of the 5th Artisan-Sorcerer novel. It's been tricky ensuring the details on the covers are right, that the figures look exactly like the characters in the story in my head, and that the covers, when viewed together, present a clear visual theme to prospective readers. I'm not ready to reveal the covers just yet. I need to sit with the designs for a while, waiting to make sure they're right. The image above is an older "explainer" graphic, which I will need to update to match the new, improved covers. I've now pinned-up print-outs of the covers so I can patiently study them over the next week or so. There is so much to consider, such as text size, visual language, creating a visual hook, and so on. Back in my art school days I took two additional courses to my main Fine Art Painting subject: Design, and Critical Studies. The courses didn't touch ...

Following in the footsteps of my recent blog post about scammers, a new attempt came my way today. This time, instead of someone offering to launch my writing into a glittering stratosphere of fame and fortune, it's my YouTube channel which has attracted the attentions of a cyber-grifter.  Their email reads:  "Hi Art & Fiction by Adele Cosgrove-Bray, I just checked out your YouTube video about Urban Gardening in April, and Ooops I Wrecked The Shed! and thought I had to reach out.  "I’m actually sending this on behalf of fellow creator XXXX, we have a few million followers on multiple platforms and our founder Haris now helps other creators along with our team.  "We're very confident we could help make you additional revenue consistently by launching or scaling your online community or coaching program AND increasing your audience by 15 - 35k new people. (I know it’s a bold claim but we have a ton of results - we’ve got millions of followers and made over 7 f...

 

 

 Here's my latest video, which shares my small urban garden - and a structural disaster. Enjoy!

  Every so often, I receive emails by someone pretending to be a high-flying agent so bowled over by my apparent genius that they're falling over themselves to promote my books. In the initial email, no fee is ever mentioned; this would come later, once they'd hooked an unsuspecting mark with their polished patter. Well, have a chuckle over this latest one, which referenced Black Magick: 13 Tales of Darkness, Horror and the Occult in the email's subject line:- "Dear Adele, "I hope you’re having a productive week. My name is XXX, and I represent XXX XXX. We specialize in spotlighting exceptional literary works and the visionaries behind them, providing a platform where meaningful storytelling meets an engaged, global audience. "I recently came across your book, and I was particularly impressed by the depth of your narrative and the clear intentionality behind your message. It is rare to find work that resonates so effectively beyond the page, a quality that ...

 

A pleasant holiday, a chance for a rest... Not exactly. Our kitchen walls are now a delicate shade of vanilla, which complements the tiling, (biscuit and light terracotta). This took all day. Climbing up and down ladders and moving kitchen stuff out of the way then putting it back again consumed more time than the actual painting. One wall, which I had misguidedly painted a gruesome shade of nicotine, (see the video above), will need a second coat or three to hide the orange hint that has come through. But that's enough decorating for one day. I strongly suspect my right shoulder will be grumpy tomorrow. I have now finished transferring all my old Hubpages articles to this blog. Once upon a time, Hubpages served as a useful sideline for me, as articles published there earned decent revenue through the intelligently selected adverts placed on each webpage. However, Hubpages was sold, and the new owners had different ideas about the site, and moved away from the old magazine format ...

 

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in March 2020. What's it About? Coal Black Mornings  is an autobiographical account of the childhood, teens and early adulthood of Brett Anderson, who forged a 30+ year career as a singer/songwriter with Suede, and also as a solo artist in the fickle and notoriously competitive music industry. This book focuses on Anderson's life before Suede carried him to fame with hit songs such as  Trash ,  She's in Fashion ,  Animal Nitrate , and  Beautiful Ones.  The narrative closes at the point where the Suede band members sign their first recording contract with Nude Records, and consequently excludes any events which unfolded later, such as the band's commercial successes and failures, inter-personal relationships and inevitable tensions, the band's demise, Anderson's solo career, and then the re-emergence of a more mature Suede. Anderson's father had various jobs over time but was primarily a taxi driver who...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in February 2021. Test your knowledge of Ireland with this fun 50-question quiz. You'll be asked about the country's geography, history and culture, as well as famous people from Ireland. These fun quiz questions are perfect for St Patrick's Day or any Irish-themed event. 1. In which county is the Giant's Causeway located?  Antrim 2. Which river runs through Dublin?  Liffey 3. How many counties does Ireland have?  32 4. Paddy Maloney, Sean Keane, Matt Molloy and Derek Bell are all members of which famous Irish musical band?  The Chieftains 5. Name the three expanses of water which separate Ireland from Britain.  North Channel, St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea 6. Jack Butler Yeats, Mary Swanzy and Sir John Lavery are all known for what?  Fine art painting 7. According to  The Chronicle of Ireland , in which year did St Patrick arrive in Ireland?  431 AD 8. Which town is located at the mo...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in January 2021. 1) Get Moving! Walking costs absolutely nothing, so get outside and explore your local area. Head to parks to imbibe fresh air and green spaces, or walk down streets you've never strolled along before. Discover things which may be entirely new to you, or simply enjoy passing other people's gardens. You'll be burning up calories and releasing your body's natural feel-good chemicals, which is better for your health and much more fun than binge watching TV or doom-scrolling through social media. 2) Novel Indulgence Curling up with a good book is surely one of life's pleasures. Rediscover old favourites on your bookshelves or organise a book swap with friends. Browse second-hand shops for bargain-priced paperbacks, or make use of your local library. There is also an effectively infinite wealth of free fiction and poetry online. Try a genre you've previously bypassed. Give authors who are new to you ...