Is it better to admit defeat?

Evening gang,

Been awhile - again. Looks like that's going to be the way of things from now, there just aren't the hours in the day.

On the plus side I've finished the new edition of The 24 Hour Jazz Café. Just the new cover to work on and then I'll launch it. Woo etc.

Struggling a bit with the editing of FEAR but only because it's quite a complex plot and I need to concentrate and I exist in a state of permanent weariness. I will, as ever, stick at it. But since I've got one eye on doing some submissions in the next month or two I might throw what time I do have at my new book, the third jazz café novel, and see how that pans out.

Side projects starting to take shape. Had a meeting with financial advisor and it turns out we have a few options regarding finance for Project Slumlord (which is the fun name we've chosen for our Buy To Let adventure). 1st step is to talk to bank on Monday and then hopefully we can crack on. One thing I have learned is that I won't be using Ratcliffe and Bibby to manage any future properties. Frig useless. It will be July on Tuesday and I am yet to receive last month's rent. I emailed them last week, no reply, rang them Thursday only to be promised someone would call me back. It's now Saturday night and nothing. So to recap - R&B estates. Crap. Feel free to show this to them, it might get them to pull their finger out. Bear in mind I am paying them for this awesome service, as well as covering the mortgagee myself since I'm not getting the rent. Good job I've got pots of cash!

Speaking of which, had tidy Birthday. Pressies from wife on way, spent the day shopping in Manchester where we did some damage. Wife got a Mulberry bag though so it's all smiles. Also got a couple of cards from work which I always find a bit odd, as well as a pressie.

Dog's driving me mental, wildly time consuming. But of course that could be fixed by working less hours - hence my drive to get Project Slumlord off the ground.

Finally, how awesome is the World Cup? One of best ones in my lifetime. Wimbledon also shaping up nicely with Federer playing great so far.

Tomorrow's plan - get a Rug Doctor to clean carpets. Dog related grime. Then wife related mooching.
It's her birthday on Monday so we're going to empty a flash bottle of champagne tomorrow night and try not to be grumpy.

Did I mention I was invited to go talk to a local writing group? I went a few weeks ago. They were all essentially concerned with how they could get their work published. I was very patient but the simple answer is to look on the internet and put in vast amounts of hours like I do. Can't see many of them putting in 18 hour days every day just to get a book out though. Bless.

Which leads me to the title of this blog. I have been pondering making these books my last ones, at least for the foreseeable future. I struggle to find time to write and when I do I'm rarely happy with the results and that's before I promote it, do this blog etc. Since plan A (quit work) isn't feasible, then the only way to have more free time is not to write. I can become another one of the millions of retired folk who then decide to be writers. Then again, I could shoot myself.

Still, Old Ma Sinclair didn't raise quitters. She raised over confident, mouthy alcoholics so we shall see. I've got two finished books to play with which will see me to the end of this year. After that....* shrugs and finishes brew*

Until next time...

How do you know when you've achieved success?

Morning all,

Staying up late tonight despite being shattered. I'm off work for a week so I intend to make the most of it. Stay up late, drink ale, watch sport, sleep until lunchtime.

Sport - Fevered is continuing his awesome 2014 with some great tennis in Miami. If it looks like he might be gonna get anywhere near winning Wimbledon I'll gladly pay foolish amounts of money to get a ticket. Foolish amounts!!

Car news. Wife and I been pondering a second car, a new car, some sort of car related purchase for a while. Finally got quote from Ford and have booked a test drive next week. But, being an idiot, I've also got a quote for a Mercedes C250 AMG Sport. We shall see.

Also, confirmed date for tenant to move into house. Apologies if I've mentioned that before, there's lots going on. April 10th!

Now, book news. Regular readers will know that, for some reason, my crime thriller The Trust is selling well. In fact as of this evening it is outselling the mighty James Patterson on Amazon. In fact, it's in the top 1000 best selling books overall on Amazon. In Crime thrillers it's at number 19 which means it's on the much desired first page of results. Check this out:

#19 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Crime
#35 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Mystery > Police Procedural
#40 in Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Police Procedurals
All very pleasing, even more surprising. It won't last but I'll enjoy it while it does.

Night, and thanks to everyone (and there's a lot of you) who has bought copies. If you have a paperback, bring it to the signing next week and I'll scribble on it for you.

Can you predict the future?

Evening gang,

Yes, you can. To an extent. In that if it rains you know you're gonna get wet. If you fall down the stairs you know it will hurt and if you win the lottery you know you'll abandon your friends, move away, get a big house and so on.

But otherwise no, we cannot predict a damn thing. Only last week on this very blog I was suggesting that Chelsea might have a hand on the premier league title. A week on and they've lost at Villa. As a Liverpool fan this is wildly exciting as all of a sudden winning the title for the first time in a generation is back in Liverpool's hands. Yes, you still have to favour Man City and Chelsea, but in terms of fixtures, goal difference and just pure heart, Liverpool have a shot. And it's so exciting I struggle to put it into words, but if you're a football fan, a Liverpool fan, you get it.

Bottom line is this. If we keep winning, beat Chelsea and City at Anfield and the title is ours. I've danced around this for months but, if we beat United tomorrow at Old Trafford then I'm officially going to start to believe we might do it. If we beat Chelsea at Anfield then we might even be labelled favourites. Didn't think I'd be considering that this season.

Anyway, the paperback has been reformatted and is ready for launch. Hopefully I'll have copies of Ballroom, Bars and Seawater baths in my possession ready for the book launch on the 29th of this month. If not, then it's just me hanging about by an empty table in a hotel.

Also, big step, The 24 Hour Jazz Café is now listed by Waterstones. Woo. That's step two of my three step plan complete. Next step is to somehow get an account with Gardner's books. They are the sole supplier to Waterstones high street shops. If I can get an account there, I can approach Waterstones to stock my books. Then I can ask to do a signing in my local branch etc. We shall see. The aim is to have all my paperbacks listed with them this year and, hopefully, get them into the stores as well.

Quick tennis update. Federer's 2014 resurgence continues which is ace if you're a fan like I am. He has the most points on tour this year and is in another final tomorrow. If he wins, he's back in the top 4. At 33. Best player ever. Simple as.

Finally, and I know I've mentioned this already. There are just 5 days left of my Story Cartel promo. So, if you want a FREE copy of The 24 Hour Jazz Café you simply have to go there and download it. If you commit to a review you might win a $10 amazon gift card. There's a prize draw for that bit. The reviews are a big deal to an Indie author as it add credibility and further promo. SO since the book is free, I'd appreciate the effort.

That's it for now, apart from a reminder that bits of my next book are available to read over at Wattpad should you be curious.

Carry on....

Can we start to dream now?

Evening gang,

I ask this question just as Liverpool score their second goal. A goal which will likely see them jump to second in the Premier League, just four points behind Chelsea. There are ten games left to play, Chelsea have to visit Anfield. But Liverpool lack depth of squad, have no experience of winning the league, Chelsea have all of the above.

So, in terms of the league, I'm not quite allowing myself to believe, yet that Liverpool can win the title. Champions League spot? Nailed on now. Just keep ticking off the games, and we'll see. But God it's exciting.

In other sports news. Federer, remember him? My favourite tennis player, bit old now? Well he beat Djokovic to get to the final in Dubai and then, this afternoon, he won that final. Big stuff indeed.

Which brings me to my writing. I've started more aggressive promotion this year, backing myself by spending money on promotion. I think I've done as much as I can for free with Facebook, Twitter, this blog etc. If I want to sell a lot of books, especially in America, I need to outlay some cash.

My first effort, a very cheap Kindleboards promo, was crap. 1 sale, not worth the effort. So, the new plan is to build reviews, as many as I can. This will open up other promo options that rely on volume of reviews. Story Cartel seems popular and seems to deliver. It's also pretty cheap just in case it doesn't work.

Bottom line, for $30 dollars they offer my book for free, those who want a copy have to leave an email address so I can contact them (with more promo stuff) and, if they leave a review, they get entered into a prize draw to get a $10 Amazon gift card. Fingers crossed. I've started with The 24 Hour Jazz Café. If it works, I'll add my other books.

I've also got in excess of 56,000 words of the next book written so that's a bonus. I'll be lobbing that online shortly.

Anyway, I'd best get back to the football. Spread the word, free book, Story Cartel.

Doubting my plot...

Hi everyone, How’s things?

Everything’s awesome at my end aside from the continued uncertainty over my job. It’s tedious now to be honest. I have a job waiting for me that I don’t really want but it requires no effort and, although the money is crap, it’s enough. However, because I’m apparently handy to have around the senior bods are trying to slot me in somewhere. The problem being there’s a lack of gaps and time is running out. From my point of view I don’t much care either way but not knowing is making it very hard to plan anything beyond the end of the year.

Finally signed the contract for my house investment. That’s taken forever but it’ll be worth it long term. We’re aiming to buy the next house around Easter next year but that depends on my income – see above about planning.

Regular readers will have noticed that my new book is still not out. I’m out of excuses to be honest. Bottom line is I’m not 100% convinced by it. It’s been a hard one to write, my first sequel and it’s been a busy year. New job for me and the wife, we bought the dog. All this has combined to leave me with a book that is finished but I have doubts about it. As such, I keep procrastinating. The plan, starting tonight, is to read it as a book on the wife’s tablet and see how it holds up plot wise. Then go from there. The cover is pretty much done so as soon as I’m happy with it it’ll be out. But not before. I might even not release it. Who knows?

But I am itching to start writing my next book, plenty of plot ideas and locations so fingers crossed. I suspect once my job future is resolved everything will start to flow again.

Now, other news. Sales are pretty good again. Indeed I’ve sold more in the US that the UK so far this month. Hurrah. I’m also considering approaching Independent publishers about my work. It’ something I’ve pondered for a while. I’m still not 100% what the benefit will be and I’m not mad keen on signing away my rights but we shall see.

Finally, for those that are interested Liverpool are still top of the table in the football which is amazing, and unexpected. But the real news is that the mighty Roger Federer is playing this week in Shanghai. I admit he’s past his best now, age is a real swine in sport, but on his day he’s still worth the price of a ticket. Be nice to see the old sod win something this year.

Right, to finish I’m going to paste in a couple of comments I received about The Trust over the weekend. The first was texted to my wife from a member of her staff: “…really enjoyed it. Sequel please – really want to know what happened to the euthanasia gang” And a tweet from up and coming fantasy author Frion Farrell who has just finished the Trust “Just had the pleasure of finishing Jamie Sinclair’s The Trust. Superior crime writing Jamie – am big fan."

Book submissions, Andy Murray and Hillsborough

Evening gang,

Been a lot happening this week.

First off, the Tour of Britain cycling has been in my neck of the woods this week, in fact a few minutes away from where I work. They don't half shift as well those Olympic riders. Crowds have been good too on the back of the awesome summer of sport we've enjoyed.

Which leads me nicely into a belated "well done" to Andy Murray. Regular readers will know I'm a huge Federer fan and not a massive Murray fan. But in the US Open final he went the distance with Djokovic and came out on top. A Brit winning a Grand Slam? After so many pretenders who really thought we'd ever see that? As such, full marks Andy. He might even make a liar out of me and win Wimbledon. Assuming Federer, Nadal and Djokovic let him.

Recent readers will also know I sent an extract to Sparkling Books which was swiftly rejected. Undeterred I sent them something else which has also been rejected. Still, at least they don't leave you hanging. I've been waiting months for something from Blake Friedmann.

Lastly, I've written over 66,000 words on the new book and still hope to have a draft by the end of this month.

And now onto the genuine big news of the week. The Hillsborough Independent Panel published it's report into what happened that dreadful day in South Yorkshire. There is no need for me to tell anyone about it, it's part of our history and everyone should know what took place. It all comes down to two numbers.96 and 23. Two numbers which have come to represent loss and a fight for truth and justice.

I, like so many millions, am a fan of Liverpool Football Club. That in no way qualifies me to comment on what happened that day or the aftermath. But I will say this. In a summer which has seen the country brought together in unprecedented fashion by sport, it is the dedication, committment and refusal of a community which has brought about the publication of this report which so many senior officials hoped would never see the light of day. Ignored, abused, belittled and igored some more, this group have held firm, swelled their ranks and demanded justice.

They perhaps feel they still have a way to go before they can rest but, as an outsider looking on, they should be, if not applauded, then at least commended for their tireless efforts to make this happen despite the barriers set before them. I am merely a fan of the mighty Liverpool Football Club. I love the history, the records, the players past and present and on the occasions I get to Anfield my heart races and I always pause at the top of the steps to take it all in before I sit down.

The publication of this report and the vindication of the families in their pursuit of justice makes me proud to be associated with the club even in the very small way I am. I perhaps could have summed all of this up in a much more concise way.

You'll never walk alone.

Lance Armstrong and buying reviews

Evening folks,

Just a quick one tonight as there's US Open tennis on shortly. In case you're not a fan it's day one and the maestro himself is playing in the last session. There's a strong chance I'll miss it because it'll be on very late here in the UK and I have to be on the road for work at 8AM.

It's my first day back tomorrow after just over a week off. It's been a great week too. Written just over 55,000 words of the new novel, had some in laws round for a BBQ which went better than I anticipated and both myself and the wife are much more relaxed. We finally bought new lamps for the bedroom too as mine was producing an unpleasant burning smell when in use which was driving the wife mad. She's very happy with them in case you were curious.

Anyway, the goal now is to maintain some momentum with the novel as I only have 19 working days until I am off again for two more weeks. I'm hoping to finish the first draft of the novel in that period. Based on my other novels this one will be between 80,000 and 85,000 words so I'm nearly there.

Finally, what thoughts does anyone have on buying reviews for books? I read an article in the NY Times where a chap set up a company where an author could buy reviews of their books for marketing purposes. It's all a bit seedy and not something I'm comfortable with but then again, I can see why people do it i.e. to get sales, to get noticed, to get ahead. To me it's a form of cheating, a bit like doping in sport since that's a hot topic at the moment (Lance Armstrong - guilty or just pissed off the wrong people?) and I don't agree with it.

Anyway, there's a beef sandwich and a frosty ale waiting for me...

Liverpool FC, my gran and a haircut

Afternoon folks,

What a marvellous day! Why you ask? Lots of reasons.

First of all today is the first day of the Premiership and, moreso than any other season, the players are in the spotlight to show a little humility and class. This is because of the frankly staggering success of the Olympics in London, not least the performance of the Team GB athletes and the way they conducted themselves, footballers have been in the spotlight a bit. They get paid unbelievable sums and, in some cases, have awful disciplinary records and are dreadful role models for children.

England manager Roy Hodgson commented on this following the Community Shield game last weekend, and since then this piece has appeared on the BBC website featuring comments from Hunter Davies, Michael Owen and others. My own view? I wish we could have Olympics every weekend and I was delighted to see that the BBC were showing highlights of the Opening Ceremony today.

But today is also great because it's my grans birthday. I took her a small gift and a card and am now attending an organ recital with my grandad tomorrow. It actually works out well because the wife's out tomorrow evening but when we both get back we're going to go to the pub.

Why go to the pub on a Sunday night? That's the other good thing. I'm off work for a week!! Hurrah. A full week of writing and staying in bed. Epic.

As I write this, prouly wearing my new Liverpool shirt, West Brom have scored. Bad start for the reds.

The reason I have time to be writing, watching football and typing this blog? The wife's out having her hair done. First time in about 20 years that someone new has been let loose on it. Early reports are that it's gone well. So, all in all, a great day. Especially when you factor in that I've sold a couple of books today as well.

Later on? Federer in the Cincinnati Masters semi final and footy highlights. All good.

Medals and reviews

Hi folks,

Just a quick post while I have a brew at work.

Federer is cruising inthe Olympic tennis, our omwen set an Olympic record in the rowing earlier and there's Tom Daley to come in the diving shortly. Epic!

But to more pressing news. I stumbled across a review of my book All the fun of the Fair which was quite simply bursting with enthusiasm, to the extent that I've included it here. Huge thanks to the reviewer, it's much appreciated.

"Usually, I only ever read horror. However, after being 'horrored out' on holiday in Corfu I decided to read something from a different genre and had downloaded this book a while ago. I am so glad I did. The story centres around a group of Morecambe residents. The author does an amazing job of inter-twining all the main characters to tell their individual stories. It is funny, sad and heart wrenching. What I especially liked about the book is the fact that Morecambe holds many dear memories for me and it was lovely to read about places I recognised (Happy Mount Park being one) and it gave me a nice warm fuzzy feeling! I could picture the streets of Morecambe clearly. This is a really well written book, and after reading it I am eager to read more by Jamie Sinclair. The author portrays his characters exceedingly well and the reader becomes attached to them all. He gets into the minds of the young and the old alike, seamlessly. This is a brilliant book and I am so glad I read it. Look forward to reading more by this author."

Another agent submission

Morning gang,

I've only gone and done it again. Fresh from submitting a chunk of the Jazz Cafe to Simon Trewin in mid June, last night I sent the same package to Carole Blake at Blake Friedmann.

Twitter is once again responsible. I found Carole via Simon's follower list and, of course, recognised her name from past rejections and because her agency is a big one. So I followed her on Twitter and she's pretty prolific. I then found myself repsonding to a tweet and, shocker, she replied. Nothing major, just a comment on something someone else had said. I replied to that and she replied again.

That started me thinking I might as well send something in and, after pondering it all day yesterday I finally sent off the submission last night via email. Then I went to bed...

I awoke this morning to a read receipt from Carole at about 8:30. I know I know, it is likely either an automatic response or one of the staff, either way it's keen to get a response on a Sunday. Of course, much like the submission I sent to Simon Trewin, I will now think about little else for the next fortnight. Hopefully this will be the last time I submit because I always feel miserable afterwards.

Right, I'm writing for a couple of hours before the Wimbledon final. I suspect this one might have the highest viewing figures since the early 80's when Borg was about. Murray vs Federer. History made either way. Readers of this blog know who I want to win but I hope it's a classic.

New Paperback out now!

Afternoon folks,

This is a note worthy post simply because it is being written from my garden. It's hot and sunny, the flowers look great and, knowing the British weather, this might be the only chance I get to do this.

The other news is that my book All the fun of the Fair landed on my mat this morning. That's right, if you don't or won't do Kindle, you can now buy it in paperback. It's slightly smaller, in terms of measurements, than my previous two books, but in terms of word count it's the longest.

It's also the revised version based on reviews and feedback from the Kindle version. I've toned down the language a bit and restructured the chapters leading up to the ending. Either way the reviews are all super and the feedback positive. I'm also particularly proud of the cover. Although it's in no way linked to the book, the house where a number of the characters live (Westminster Road in Morecambe) is real and features in the new Mitch and Rupert book. It is also adjacent to Albert Road where the BBC has set it's new Turn Back Time series. So if you want to get a visual idea of where the book is set, watch the programme.

Anyway, here are the links for the two main Amazon sites:

All the fun of the Fair AMAZON.COM

All the fun of the Fair AMAZON.CO.UK

Right, I'm going to wander inside and keep one eye on tennis. The last bit of good news is that I have started work on the new Mitch and Rupert book again after a few weeks off.

Until next time...

PS Roger Federer in Wimbledon final tomorrow for record 8th time. I know I'm supposed to want Andy Murray to win and if he's the best player tomorrow then full marks to him. But I'd rather Roger won. There I said it! He's the best player there's ever been in my humble opinion and to win tomorrow would be a huge achievement in terms of the history of the game. 7 titles, back to World number 1 and finally breaking Sampras's record for weeks at number 1. Immense.

Followers, Friends and Book Sales

Evening folks,

So it's been an interesting few days. My push to increase my social networking presence is going well. I now have about 800 Twitter followers and just shy of 300 friends on Facebook.

Most of these folk seem to be like minded i.e. authors with books to promote and opinions on all aspects of writing. After a few days of actively seeking new people the growth seems to be starting to feed itself as my networks are growing without my input. The plan is to monitor and review to keep things on an upward trajectory.

Which leads me nicely to my next issue. How to translate this presence into book sales. It's all well and good being able to reach more people, but if they are largely like-minded, then I don't think it will lead to vastly increased sales. After all, while I have checked out a few of the recommendations I've received from my new friends, I am not about to buy all of the books available on my friends lists. So that begs the question, why would they buy mine?

I have no answer, but if and when I figure it out hopefully I can then build my sales.

In other news, Tiger Woods looked like he was in line to win his first major in four years only to have a shocking day yesterday. Sadly, his start today will have him longing for the golf he played yesterday. Meanwhile, Federer lost the final of the tennis to a bloke even older than him who hasn't won anything in three years. On the plus side, England have a good shout of progressing in the football.

I also went to the see the National Theatre Live screening of Frankenstein tonight. Brilliant. I ran into the ex-wife of a friend of mine at the bar. He left her the week after attending a BBQ at my house last summer. On the plus side she's looking pretty well but it was a bit awkward all round.

Anyway, I'd best crack on. Tonight's plan, some editing/revision of All the fun of the Fair which I plan to launch as a paperback in the next few weeks. I shall be relying on my vast new social network to spread the word far and wide.

As you were...

Another 5* review. But no sales!

Morning folks,

I'm riddled with some sort of vile cold which has darkened my mood somewhat. Although nobody seems to have noticed any difference.

Anyway, despite doing a bit of promo so far this month my total sales have been slightly above sod all. So that's been a worthwhile investment of my time. There is, however, a silver lining to this snot covered, light on sales cloud. I have received another 5 star review of The 24 Hour Jazz Cafe. So, as much to cheer myself up as anything else (because God knows it never seems to lead to sales) here is the review:

"This book is a must have. It was so gripping I had a job to put it down. I have never read a book so fast! Superbly written with an excellent twist. A nice gentle start which built up to an exciting and gripping action packed story with a brilliant finale! I would never have guessed the culprit or that some would have walked away alive. Excellent characters and descriptions, some you could like and others you would not. You could almost visualise the characters on the page as you read. It has it all Crime, Corruption and Murder ~ Brilliant. I will be definitely purchasing more of Jamie Sinclair's books. Lets hope there is more Rupert and Mitch!"

All this and Federer got soundly beaten in the tennis. Best days behind him nw, but the best there has been.

Rejection and Royalties

Afternoon all,

On the 21st January I submitted an extract of The 24 Hour Jazz Cafe to The Writing Room. They were running a bursary competition which, if memory serves, was £10,000. Sadly, on the 28th I received an email saying that my piece had not been selected but they did offer positive feedback so no harm done.

The other positive is that I had an email from my chums at Amazon US informing me that my first royalty payment from US sales would be in the bank shortly. It's only a few quid but it's international royalties so there's really no downside.

Meanwhile All the fun of the fair is fully edited and formatted and will be launched within the next week so keep your eyes peeled.

Right I'd best go because I'm watching the final of the tennis from Dubai and I've got a pre pub pizza in the oven.