Forced Entry (MP3 Download) by Michael Brookes @TheCultofMe

Forced Entry audio short is now available! 

Terrorists have seized a suburban dwelling and a special forces unit is despatched to rescue the hostages. They're trained for every conceivable eventuality, but they haven't trained for the horror they encounter. Inside the house they find a sealed basement door and a trail of blood leading to the bedroom. None of them were prepared for what awaits them: Mystery and unimaginable evil...

Forced Entry is only £1.99 and can be downloaded from The Radio Theatre Workshop online store

• Running Time: 18 mins
• Cast: Janet Westwood Wilson, Benjamin Goodman, Liam McCauley, Christopher Jarvis
• Adapted and Directed by Christopher Jarvis
• Music by Allen Stroud.

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Writers: If you would like to discuss producing a high quality audio book get in touch with specialists The Radio Theatre Workshop HERE or find them on Twitter @theradiotheatre 

Stephen King on the Craft of Short Story Writing

What are you waiting for? START WRITING! ~ Guest Post by Madeline Courtney

Hey, guys! This is my first guest blog, so here goes. My name is Madeline Courtney and I'm a Writer from Carthage, Missouri.  I'm seventeen years old and I'm self-publishing my first novel, THE CASE OF IRENE ADLER, which is a retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA. It is also the first book in my Sherlock Holmes series.

So, I'm going to blog about Writing and my routines. I chose this topic because a lot of people (followers on Twitter, emails, etc.) have asked me how I make time to write a whole novel and continue going to school. My answer to this question is always the same. If you really want to do something then you'll make time. It's also easier because, after suffering from very serious bullying at school, I am being homeschooled and taking classes online. Because of this, I am not only publishing my first novel, but also graduating highschool a whole year early.

I have a very strict schedule, as all Writers should, and I follow it completely.

As of lately, my grandparents have had the laptop so I've been having to use the desktop (not fun, as it is located right in the middle of the living room, where everyone likes to hang out.) 

I force myself to push through it by plugging in my headphones and turning them up all the way to drown out the noise of the TV and family talking. My family know that if they want to talk to while I'm writing they either text me or wait until I'm done.

Usually I try to write two to three hours everyday without a break except for more British Tea. I guess, what I'm trying to say is, if you want to write a book YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CAVE. There is no other way around it. At least for one hour a day you have to go into The Cave and just WRITE because if you don't you never will. If you want people to take you seriously as a Writer, you have to take being a Writer seriously.

Ksenia Anske (@kseniaanske on twitter) is a big inspiration for me because she helped talk me into writing to deal with my depression.  If you can get past the Blocks, the lack of confidence (we all get it!), and everything else you should really try Writing. It's a wonderful way to relax and it's brilliant for therapy (part of the reason I started!) Writing THE CASE OF IRENE ADLER has helped me escape my depression. My best friend Melissa has always been supportive of my dream and for that I am thankful. I guess you could say I write because I have to. 

I am a Writer. I am a survivor. And I hope everyone who reads my novel will finally understand the real me.  If you ever want to talk about Writing or publishing or just need to talk I am on twitter  @MaddieC123  my blog is MadelineCourtney.blogspot.com and you can email me MadelineCourtney58@gmail.com

A Dylan Odyssey ~ A Series of Unique Dylan Thomas Inspired Tours

To celebrate Dylan Thomas’ centenary in 2014, Literature Wales presents A Dylan Odyssey,a series of twenty three totally unique and extraordinary events which will take visitors to the very heart of Dylan Thomas’ worlds, exploring the richness of these places by boat, canoe, horse-drawn carriage, bus, steam train, foot and even on horseback!

Tours will be guided through the eyes of some of Wales’ best living artists, including comedian Griff Rhys Jones, author and scriptwriter Andrew Davies, actor Helen Griffin, National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke, former Archdruid T. James Jones and writer Owen Sheers.

A formidable voice when it came to the literature of place, Dylan Thomas left an imprint on the memory of the vast seascapes, village tracks, urban greys, dusky moorlands, brimming meadows and lush parklands he knew, from Wales to England and the United States.

A Dylan Odyssey will run from May to November 2014 and forms part of the Welsh Government-led Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. One day tours range from £7.00 - £47.00 in price. In partnership with Rare Hospitality, Literature Wales is also offering a range of residential packages incorporating the Welsh Rarebits and Great Little Place country hotels, historic inns and boutique townhouses. 

For further information, see or download the brochure here or send a self-addressed envelope to: Literature Wales, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5FL or email post@literaturewales.org.

New Book Review ~ Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir

One of the good things about the BBC’s well-intended series ‘The White Queen’ is it made a lot of people take a new interest in learning more about the women behind the thrones of medieval England.  They need look no further than this highly readable new book from Alison Weir, Elizabeth of York – A Tudor Queen and Her World.  

By my calculations this is her sixteenth non-fiction history book and her experience shines through. Alison has been accused of writing ‘popular history’ but there are worse insults levelled at authors. I particularly like the way we are drawn in to the excitement of her research. For example, Richard III was being dug up in a car park while she was writing about him – and there is the ‘startling’ new connection to the mystery of the princes in the tower (which I shall leave for readers to find out about.) 

It is also interesting to wonder how different things would have been if Elizabeth had been allowed to rule in her own right (like her granddaughter) as she was on of up to thirty people who arguably had a better claim on the throne than Henry VII. I did smile a few times at Alison’s love of noting the very precise details from the records of the time. (We learn not only that 156 pounds of wax were used for Elizabeth's embalming but also the details of where it all went.) 

This is an indulgent book but also one you will return to and learn more on a second reading. Elizabeth died young, on her birthday 11^th February 1503, living long enough to see one son die but not long enough to see what became of her youngest boy – but of course that’s another story.  

Available now on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Book Launch ~ Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon by Kate Williams @KateWilliamsUK

The incredible rise and unbelievable fall of a woman whose energy and ambition is often overshadowed by Napoleon’s military might. In this triumphant biography, Kate Williams tells Josephine’s searing story, of sexual obsession, politics and surviving as a woman in a man’s world.

Abandoned in Paris by her aristocratic husband, Josephine's future did not look promising. But while her friends and contemporaries were sent to the guillotine during the Terror that followed the Revolution, she survived prison and emerged as the doyenne of a wildly debauched party scene, surprising everybody when she encouraged the advances of a short, marginalised Corsican soldier, six years her junior.

Josephine, the fabulous hostess and skilled diplomat, was the perfect consort to the ambitious but obnoxious Napoleon. With her by his side, he became the greatest man in Europe, the Supreme Emperor; and she amassed a jewellery box with more diamonds than Marie Antoinette’s. But as his fame grew, Napoleon became increasingly obsessed with his need for an heir and irritated with Josephine’s extravagant spending. The woman who had enchanted France became desperate and jealous. Until, a divorcee aged forty-seven, she was forced to watch from the sidelines as Napoleon and his young bride produced a child.

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWilliamsUK  and visit her website

Book Launch ~ The Tudor Tutor: Your Cheeky Guide to the Dynasty @tudortutor

Barb Alexander presents the long-awaited must-know info of the Tudor age and its players in an entertaining fashion. Like any good teacher, she leaves judgement of events and individuals open-ended, encouraging the reader to draw their own conclusions on commonly debated 16th century topics. 

“A wonderfully irreverent and engaging introduction to the Tudors. Barb Alexander manages to be both jaunty and authoritative, a winning combination that will attract and beguile many a reader. Wearing her learning lightly, Alexander adds an ever-entertaining fresh new voice to the history world, which deserves to be heard.”

Suzannah Lipscomb, author of 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII

“An entertaining yet highly accurate guide to this larger-than-life royal dynasty. Alexander is spot-on with her descriptions of these monarchs and their reigns, and injects humor to keep readers of all ages entertained."

Claire Ridgway, author of The Fall of Anne Boleyn

"The Tudor Tutor brings the 16th century to roaring life for even the most jaded 21st century observer. Putting the events and people of 500 years ago into a clear, modern context, this is as witty and punchy an introduction to the period as you could hope for."

Justin Pollard, historical consultant for Showtime’s “The Tudors”

Now available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK,