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I have been remiss in my blogging efforts.
I know. Naughty. In an effort to make good, I shall look back on the events of the last year or so. My school year is about to start so now is probably a good time to reflect. 2015 was a great year in many respects. Thanks to the Ministry of Education, I received study leave to complete my Masters in Creative Writing (MCW). It was a wonderful year where I could concentrate on my writing practice without having to juggle my teaching hat with my writing one. All very positive. I learnt a lot from Paula Morris as well as the other eleven students on the course. I’m a better writer and better able to teach writing as a result. I had shoulder surgery where my tendon was reattached to the bone with three pins. Boxing will do that to you when you are in your mid 40’s. Recovery was slow and tedious and the inability to exercise frustrating. But I’m much better now and back on the exercise horse . Around home, we did some building work which did not go smoothly. But that’s over now and the less said, the better. Minotaur, my first book with U.S publisher, Month9books, was released in September and has been getting (thankfully so far) favourable reviews. Thanks to funding from the University of Auckland and Month9books, I was able to travel to Boston for the ALA midwinter conference. I was there to promote and sign copies of Minotaur. That was an amazing experience where I met some fantastic people including Jeff and Cynthia (from my distributors, IPG). I met some awesome librarians (hi Hope and Jennifer!). The conference was a blast. Certainly the biggest one I had ever been to before. And I loved Boston. I would jump at any opportunity to return. I was there for only 4 days. Interesting fact: I think I spent more time in an airplane or at an airport than I actually did in Boston. My next book, Argos, got picked up by my publisher, Month9books, for an August 2016 release. I should receive editing any day now. I’ve also had some interest from movie studios about a few of my works. The book I completed for my MCW, Titan, is with my agent. I’m three quarters into the sequel, Earthborn. I wrote several pieces for magazines and educational publishers. One of those was an article for the Education gazette about my experiences in Boston. I wrote a whole book for Essential resources on narrative fiction writing. My UK based artist collaborator, Mat Dawson and I completed our picture book, Over the Rainbow Bridge. We’ve also done the first 9 pages of the Rapture Graphic novel. We’re hoping to get these projects out there at some point this year. So, by and large, a good year. I’m looking forward to 2016 as well. I have a brand new class and new level which is always exciting. I’ve been setting up my class for the last week and a half. Just have to finish my paperwork now. School starts next week and both the teachers and the students get to ease into the year with only three days in the first week. I took my son to see Star Wars. I loved it. He got scared but I still think he loved it. Despite my love of the movie, there were elements I found disturbing (not my lack of faith). [spoiler alert]. Another deathstar? Really. Come on. And there were an awful lot of convenient plot devices. But that's me. I'm picky. Speaking of Jack, he starts school in 4 months and will be just across the courtyard from me. This will present other challenges as he will no longer be in daycare in the holidays (which is my writing time). I feel refreshed after my sabbatical. Unfortunately, we are planning on doing some more building work which always makes me feel a little frayed around the edges. I just hope it goes better this time around.
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Yes, it's true! Thanks to funding from the University of Auckland (School of Humanities Research Fund), I'm off to Boston to attend the American Library Association (ALA) midwinter conference in January. Find out more about the ALA midwinter conference here.
My publisher, Month9books, has invited me. Up to 10,000 librarians from around the States (and the world) will be there. The young adult fiction I write has applications in the classroom. My publisher wants to get me in front of these librarians (either on panels or as a guest speaker) to discuss 'Fictionalising mythology for YA audiences'. I'm also extremely interested in discussing the 'Evolution of monsters in mythology and fiction' (a possible PhD topic). This has all come about from enrolling in the MCW (Masters in Creative Writing). The course has not only made me a better writer, but it has created opportunities. The University wrote a press release about me and my work. On the back of that, the NZ film commission has been in contact with the goal of introducing me to leading New Zealand producers/production companies to option my work for screen adaptation and to explore the prospect of developing new projects for screen. To say that I am excited is an understatement but I need to be cool. A Hollywood studio approached me about Rapture a couple of years ago but nothing came of it -- so I don't want to get my hopes up. I also have some more exciting news but I'm not allowed to say yet. Admittedly, these opportunities haven't just fallen in my lap. I'm doing the course in the first place because I was successful in applying for a sabbatical from the Ministry of Education. My lecturer, Dr. Paula Morris told me that she gets occasional comments like she is 'lucky' getting residencies to exotic locations or funding to research or write a book. There's no such thing as luck. You work hard and you apply for things. I applied to the NZ book council for this and they knocked me back. Creative NZ doesn't cover international travel to conferences (even to promote NZ fiction on a worldwide stage). I felt despondent and a little depressed by this response. But then this opportunity came up, I applied and the University of Auckland said yes. I'm impressed by how progressive and supportive they are. It's a great opportunity and I would particularly like to acknowledge Dr. Paula Morris, Associate Professor Malcolm Campbell and Professor Tony Spalinger. More for me to keep track of things (I really have very little idea of what's going on here), here is the official blog tour for Minotaur
presented by Month9Books and hosted by Chapter by Chapter! This Review Tour will run from Sept. 28-Oct 11, 2015. Week 1: Sept 28, 2015 Books and Ladders – Guest Post Sept 28, 2015 Bitches n Prose – Spotlight/Promo Sept 28, 2015 Ogitchida Kwe’s Book Blog – Spotlight/Promo Sept 29, 2015 Coffee Books & Art – Spotlight/Promo Sept 29, 2015 Kelly P’s Blog – Spotlight/Promo Sept 30, 2015 On Writing and Riding – Spotlight/Promo Sept 30, 2015 Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps – Guest Post Sept 30, 2015 Illuminite Caliginosus – Spotlight/Promo Oct 1, 2015 Crystal’s Chaotic Confessions – Spotlight/Promo Oct 2, 2015 BooksChatter – Interview Oct 2, 2015 Literary Obsessions – Guest Post Week 2: Oct 5, 2015 The Avid Book Collector – Spotlight/Promo Oct 5, 2015 The Page Unbound – Spotlight/Promo Oct 5, 2015 Mommabears Book Blog – Guest Post Oct 6, 2015 Don’t Judge, Read – Interview Oct 6, 2015 Lisa T. Cresswell – Guest Post Oct 6, 2015 WS Momma Readers Nook – Spotlight/Promo Oct 7, 2015 Seraphina Reads – Guest Post Oct 7, 2015 A Fold in the Spine – Spotlight/Promo Oct 8, 2015 Book Lovers Life – Spotlight/Promo Oct 8, 2015 Kimber Leigh Writes – Guest Post Oct 9, 2015 A Book Addict’s Bookshelves – Spotlight/Promo Oct 9, 2015 YA Chit Chat – Guest Post And here's the review schedule (which has already started obviously - duh!) This Review Tour will run from September 21-25, 2015. Monday, September 21, 2015 The A P Book Club Monday, September 21, 2015 YA Chit Chat Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Books of Love Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Cloud Nine Girl Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Mama Reads Hazel Reads Thursday, September 24, 2015 OriginiquEquanimity Thursday, September 24, 2015 Karen lee hallam Friday, September 25, 2015 Book Lovers Life Friday, September 25, 2015 Kelly P’s Blog Friday, September 25, 2015 Books and Authors I have almost finished my Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Auckland. In other words, deadlines are looming, my thesis is due.
This is generally a time to panic. My thesis is in the form of a novel. Now, for all intents and purposes, the novel is complete. ‘Complete’ and ‘Finished’ are two entirely different concepts however. I am still in what authors call the rewrite and editing phase. Some authors like doing this. Some view it as the ‘fun part’. I don’t. I would rather create something new than remould something old. Frankly, I would prefer to be in Hell having my nose hairs plucked. But it’s part of the creative process and has to be done. Writing a novel is a tiring, exhilarating, soul-destroying, emotional roller coaster ride, especially when you are currently working on version No. 6. In order to deal with it (and especially rewrites), an author uses a variety of strategies. Foremost amongst them is procrastination. Some would call it work avoidance. Procrastination takes many forms. The interweb is an enabler. Procrastination and the interweb are very good friends. My lecturer, Paula Morris, tells me that she does not let herself on the interweb until after 3pm. I am not so strong. Before I start a day’s writing, I check a variety of on-line distractions. First, I check my bank balance in the forlorn hope that some mysterious benefactor has deposited a large amount of money. Sometimes I hope that one of my royalty cheques will be large enough to write full-time. I’m still holding out for that day. Then, I read my emails. In particular, I’m usually looking for something from my agent that is linked to the paragraph above. Next, I check facebook. This can take some time. I closely examine my author page and see if I have any more likes. Then I check to see if any other authors I know have had any likes. Then I click on links to see if there’s anything interesting. There usually is. This is what I like to call ‘research.’ Then I check twitter. This also takes some time. I often toy with the idea of tweeting, even going so far as to write one. Then I find that it’s not very interesting or funny and delete it. I find it much more enjoyable to read other author’s tweets, authors who all seem to be far more funny and interesting than me. Then there’s goodreads. I call it the black hole of Calcutta. There’s reviews to read (of my books and those of my peers), other books to find, other authors to check out, links to their webpages. All very interesting. Actual words written so far: 0 After that, I go onto Amazon’s author central to see how many sales I’ve made the previous night. Often, I think about tweaking my author profile before discarding the idea as blatantly stupid. There’s really nothing I can say about myself that will make me darkly mysterious or even vaguely cool. Finally, I crack my knuckles, lean forward, fingers poised above the keyboard as though I’m about to play a challenging piece by Mozart, and begin typing, praying that it is not today that my Muse abandons me. If she does, it’s not the end of the world. That’s a whole different genre. Phillip W. Simpson’s latest YA novel, Minotaur, is out with Month9books on September 29th. M9B Friday Reveal: Month9Books Fall Books Preview with Giveaway (Minotaur, Serpentine, Nameless)7/24/2015 
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!
This week, we are sharing the
Month9Books Fall Books Preview!
Check out these amazing titles coming from Month9Books this Fall!.
They look amazing!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Amazon | B&N | BAM | Chapters | Kobo | TBD | Mysterious Galaxy (make sure to enter her pre-order giveaway if you purchase from Mysterious Galaxy!)
 
"Jenkins brings edge-of-your-seat adventure to this intriguing new world. I can’t wait to read more!”~ New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George "Wow....WOW, WOW, WOW! I have no words to describe how much I love this book. Jenkins writes characters who are just so easy to love, and when you love a character it makes the book so much better. And I loved all the characters. Zo, Tess, Joshua and Gryphon. Gryphon is definitely my favorite - but who wouldn't love Gryphon? Of course I do have a soft spot for our heroine, Zo." ~Bri, Blogger @ Once Upon A Twilight "Nameless destroyed me in the best way possible. The romance was subtle, but written beautifully. The plot was very intriguing and the pacing was spot on. I loved the entire cast of characters, every single one of them added to the story. Trust me when I say you should preorder it, add it to your TBR, request it from your library, do whatever you have to do to get this book in your hands because if you are a YA fantasy fan like me you need this book in your life!" ~Bridget, Blogger @ Dark Faerie Tales "NAMELESS is epic storytelling at its best. My mind is still reeling from the world that I have just been immersed in and I don't want to leave it. Can I please have the sequel NOW? Because I need to know what happens next but in the meantime I'm just going to re-read it again and again. Is it that good, you may ask? Hell yes!!! And you will think so too. Trust me." Nancy, Blogger @ Tales of A Ravenous Reader "To say that I love this book is an understatement. It completely blew me away! I am so happy that I took a chance on it. NAMELESS is one book that you can re-read over and over again and it will still feel fresh! I cannot wait for the world to read it and fall under the NAMELESS spell. Because that’s what I feel like I am under, a spell that has me trapped in Zo's world and won’t let me out! I don’t want out!"~Damaris, Blogger @ Good Choice Reading
“Lovers of mythology will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure and be surprised by the believable, "true story" of the Minotaur.”~ School Library Journal
Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Review copies (eGalleys) for theses books are available! Reviewers request them HERE!  
The School Library Journal, the U.S based biggest reviewer of children's and YA literature in the world, reviewed Minotaur, out with Month9books in September. It's a huge honour and I'm very lucky. Few books (out of the ones submitted) get reviewed. Schools in the states use these reviews to decide which books they should buy so the SLJ is very influential. This review is not officially out yet (comes out in July) but it's all over my twitter feed and it's on Amazon, so why not?
Here you go: From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—In this retelling of the Minotaur story, readers journey through Greek and Roman mythology. Ovid, having recently completed his Metamorphoses, decides to set sail and see some of the places he's written about. He begins in Crete at the palace at Knossos where he meets Asterian. As Ast guides the writer through the palace ruins, standing over the infamous Labyrinth, Ovid questions some of the facts Ast is claiming. Thus begins the story of Ast: his questionable birth, his exploits as a young boy, and his survival of King Minos, his alleged father. While the grammar and sentence structure are at a higher level than Rick Riordan's books, lovers of the "Percy Jackson" series (Disney-Hyperion) looking for meatier fare will enjoy this fast-paced story featuring gods, goddesses, and a youth faced with perilous choices at every turn. Asterian's tale will captivate readers. Teens will appreciate his candor ("I, on the other hand, was a mess, riddled with jealousy and petty insecurities. A sixteen-year-old boy in other words.") as well as the relationships he has with his many siblings. Ovid is himself a 50-year-old, wine-drinking poet, but that fact will not dissuade teens; his role diminishes after the first few chapters as the action increases with Asterian's tale. VERDICT Lovers of mythology will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure and be surprised by the believable, "true story" of the Minotaur.—Cathleen Ash, Manor High School Library, TX Ben Okri ran a masterclass on writing for my MCW last week. Ben, in case you don’t know, won the Booker prize for his novel, the Famished road, back in 1991. He’s one of the most well-known and respected writers around and I can see why.
He was here, in Auckland, for the writers festival and Paula Morris was lucky enough to collar him and twist his arm so he would come and lend us some of his genius. He cuts a fine figure, does Ben Okri. Dabber black beret, black suit, crisp white shirt, a glint in his eye. He was filled to bursting with energy, wit and charm. He came armed with an agenda. He wanted to talk about suggestiveness—in other words, to say without saying, to imply and give the reader scope to invest his words with more meaning than even he anticipated. Chekhovian, I guess. Ben's been influenced by Anton Chekhov, of course. (On a side note, I love Chekhov's famous quote: "Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress." That could apply to me, replacing medicine with teaching or education) I found it fascinating. The gist of what Ben was saying is that less can be more. As writers, he wants us to stretch ourselves and to use words that we wouldn’t normally use, to avoid direct words and use more indirect language. By doing so, he said, you will send the mind of the reader off on an unexpected journey. Much like Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit, I suspect (my words, not his). Ben also taught me an important lesson in grace. I had to hurry off afterwards to pick up my son from daycare so I sidled up to him and presented one of his books (Arcadia) to sign. He took the time to ask me what I wrote, what I was interested in (historical/mythological YA, theology) and then used it to write a personalised inscription. This incident reminded me that it doesn’t matter how successful or famous a writer is, what matters most is that they connect with their readers. That they show an interest in their readers. Without readers, writers may as well not bother. The purpose of writing is to be read. To be read and (hopefully) enjoyed. I found it quite humbling that this great writer actually took the time to get to know me a little and find out what interested me. One day, perhaps, I might be a semi-famous author and I hope I remember this lesson. I’ll leave you with a quote from Ben that so enamoured me that I underlined it three times. ‘The world is rich with possibilities’ 
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!
This week, we are revealing the cover for
Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson
presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson
Publication Date: September 29, 2015 Publisher: Month9books 
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
Title will be sent upon its release.
When people (mostly my wife) ask me how the new novel is going, I say ‘well, it’s going.’ I’m not sure where but it’s going. The first 5k words or so got critiqued by my lecturer (Paula Morris) and fellow students in the MCW. They confirmed my suspicions. Basically, I was trying a bit too hard to be ‘clever’ or ‘complicated’ or something. I don’t know really. I was just trying to do something different, to stretch myself, to be better. My agent tells me that I have the skills now to challenge myself and I like to think that’s what I’ve been doing but, I have to admit, I’ve felt a little bit at sea with my current W.I.P.
It’s young adult of course. Historical. Of course. This will be my third YA historical novel. My eighth novel overall, actually. Without giving too much away, I have three main characters. All teenagers. My plan was to use first person POV and present tense. Alternate each character from chapter to chapter. I soon realised this was too complicated and confusing and changed it to only two of the characters. I wrote the prologue and the first two chapters. Wasn’t entirely happy with it. I sent it to my agent. She really liked it. Then it got critiqued by the other students. The pointed out that I use too many adverbs which I didn’t realise. I also say ‘suddenly’ quite a lot. I changed it. Suddenly (see what I did there?), it’s now 3rd person, past tense. Mostly one person’s perspective but quite a bit of a second with occasional other characters thrown in for good measure. I think it’s better. I hope it’s better. It better bloody well be better. I sent this second draft to my agent. She liked the POV better but I’d lost something in the pacing by trying to weave too much bloody plot in too early. Back to the drawing board. It’s my third draft and I’m getting sick of reading the same sentences. Have done almost 30k now. Almost half way. My agent has it. Now, I know I promised to give regular updates on the course but I lied. There’s no other way of saying it. The bottom line is that I am learning, I am taking on board other’s criticisms and advice and adapting my writing accordingly. I’m reading more widely which is great. I’m much more analytical when I read. I feel like this has taken a little enjoyment out of reading but I guess that’s life. This course will make me a better writer. That or it will kill me. Pick one. So, this week I was back at the University of Auckland to start my Masters in Creative Writing. It’s been a long time since I was a full time student and over twenty years since I’d set foot on UoA’s city campus. Lots of things have changed. Some things have remained the same. It is a bit surreal. I feel like I’m old and over-dressed. I sense the young students looking at me warily, sizing me up, probably assuming by my age that I must be a lecturer. Sadly, no. That position is filled by the formidable Paula Morris whom I am slightly in awe of.
I think it’s going to be a good year. Paula has a dry wit and is a little irreverent and silly which I can definitely relate to. Silly is good. I have been and always will be the class clown. At one workplace in the UK, I was voted second most silly person in the office (first place went to the brother of the boss). On one occasion, the brother and I were at lunch when we were suddenly and unexpectantly joined by the boss. We proceeded to go on a bender and never made it back to work. The next day, both myself and the brother received a letter of warning from the Personnel Manager telling us our behaviour was unacceptable (fair enough – I believe it’s common practise for people to go back to work after lunch. It’s universally frowned upon when you get drunk instead). Anyway, the brother and I then decided it would be hilarious to write the Personnel Manager a warning letter in return. He didn’t find it as funny as we did. Anywho, I digress. Back to the course. It’s going to be a challenge to keep my mouth shut this year. I have a tendency to speak before thinking, to open my mouth and let the words spill out before I’ve engaged my brain. I have been officially diagnosed with verbal diarrhoea. I say irrelevant things. I say irreverent things. I say inappropriate and controversial things. I say down right stupid and silly things. I sense a telling off is on the cards. I like to swear but I’m going to have to rein that in. Unfortunately. I don’t get to play with adults very often so it’s extremely tempting. I can’t swear in front of my impressionable and sponge-like 3 year old son, I can’t swear (obviously) in front of the children I teach. I write educational books and YA novels and haven’t sworn in these either. I do enjoy a good swear. My first novel, Overdrive, which still makes me cringe, has more swearing in it than In Bruges which has the dubious honour of being history’s most sweary movie. Good grief. Not really staying on topic today. The course. Yes. The other students on the course are pretty much what I imagined: undeniably talented and filled with life experience. Like me, many of them have pursued other callings before this point. I love the fact that it’s practical and hands on. We have workshops and seminars. In the workshops each week, three students (there’s only 12 of us) hand in 5,000 words which we have to discuss, critique and provide formative feedback on. The author of each piece of work is not allowed to speak until the others have finished giving their feedback. This is going to be a challenge for me. When it’s my turn to be critiqued, it might be wise to seal my mouth with masking tape. The seminars are fun and challenging. We have to closely read exemplars of great prose, deconstructing each word, each sentence and each paragraph, turning the text this way and that in order to examine it properly. This will be good for me. I don’t really take my time with reading any more. I have a tendency to skim, probably because I’m time poor and always in a hurry. Not so this year. I’m also going to read things I might normally not. I usually read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, YA and the occasional book my wife throws my way. This will be good to get me out of my comfort zone. We also have writing ‘exercises’ i.e. to describe an object or experience. This is extremely practical but also a little confronting. In addition, I’m paying close attention to pedagogy because I rather like Paula’s approach and I could easily adapt it when I work with younger students. This course will make me a better writer and as an extension of that, better able to teach writing. I still have a great deal to learn - not only about writing, but teaching as well. I have one fear: to start doubting myself. Every time I start thinking this way, I recall Frank Herbert’s Dune: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I am and will be exposed to great writing and this, of course, can evoke feelings of unworthiness. Generally, I am a ‘pantser’ i.e. I write by the seat of my pants without much forethought or planning. I’m not going to dramatically change my M.O. at this stage. I’m going to write and write and write and then agonise over it later. Otherwise I feel that I may freeze up with self-doubt and indecision. On another note altogether, I am meeting up with my agent, Vicki Marsdon, this afternoon. The owner of Wordlink literary agency, Dan Myers, is over from the States and he’s having a little soirée for authors and staff. I’m probably going to get drunk. It’s one thing I do well. Hope I don’t make too much of a tit of myself. I think I should take my own advice and keep my stupid mouth shut. The big fish authors will hopefully be there. Authors I admire like Ben Sanders, Donna Malane, Ella West and Keith Butler. Writing minnows like myself should be seen and not heard. I trust getting drunk and falling into the swimming pool doesn’t count. |
Phillip W. Simpson
 Phillip W. Simpson is an author of YA and children's books.
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