Category: Self-publishing

Photography and book design for DECEPTION

T. J. Blake1 Comment

For most of the morning and early afternoon, my partner and I were trudging through my childhood woodlands; capturing pictures for the cover of my new book, DECEPTION. It was good fun, and a great opportunity to explore the woods once again after all these years. Not only that, the book is based in those exact woodlands, so it was good to see the iconic scenes from DECEPTION.

Who’s that weirdo in the woods?

We got some great shots, and it’s looking very likely that one of the photos we took will be making the book cover for DECEPTION. I have to thank my wonderful models April and her cute springer spaniel Bella – they looked the part and took my (bossy) instructions very well; even when they were forced to walk back and forth numerous times. 

Hard at work, setting the scene – this photo makes me realise I need a haircut

I spent most the afternoon editing the photos we snapped today, and there is great potential for many of the photos to make the cover. 

As well as the book cover, there’s a lot of work to do yet before DECEPTION is released. The book itself is coming along nicely – I’m well into the second edit with my editor and have to say, it sounds great; I really have high hopes for this book. 


Find out more about me and my books by browsing through my blog. 

Dark fantasy short story Alive T. J. Blake

Alive – coming to Amazon on Kindle

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Here’s the official front cover for my new dark fantasy short story, Alive.

Alive ebook cover

Alive will be available to download on Amazon for eBook and Kindle soon.

“For nearly a year now I have been living a lie. My husband and two daughters believe that I am dead. No one can know our secret.”

DECEPTION Preview!

I completed a first edit of my brand new thriller novel, DECEPTION, and I’m really enjoying the potential of this story. Now that me and my editor are both working on it, it’s great to see the book adapting and becoming an even better read for you all.
Read the DECEPTION preview now!

T. J. Blake3 Comments

Sorry it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, I’ve had a mental few weeks. I got a new job – which didn’t turn out to be what I expected it to be (at all!) – I was without a job for a couple of weeks, and now I’m back at my previous employer; happy once again. Oh how we all love a happy ending.

Back to the point of this post now – I completed a first edit of my brand new thriller novel, DECEPTION, and I’m really enjoying the potential of this story. Now that me and my editor are both working on it, it’s great to see the book adapting and becoming an even better read for you all.

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Although this is only a preview, it’s hopefully still enough for you to get your teeth into.

I present to you a very small slither of my next novel, DECEPTION.

DECEPTION by T. J. Blake (Preview)

‘Through the stark and leafless trees I see her; she’s walking her Springer, ‘Bussy’. She has a slight bounce to her stride as she lets Bussy gallop around the lower woodlands.
She has that horse rider look; tight fitted riding trousers and boots, a black woollen jumper and a white shirt.
Her brown hair is woven into a plait and dangles over her right shoulder.

I see her most mornings. I remember the first day I saw her; an instant attraction. I think she’s beautiful. She has such pensive blue eyes; they remind me of a blue sky right before the sun descends. From different angles I catch the glint from her eyes, similar to the sparkle of a star in the night. Her skin is pale but in this cold she has rosy red cheeks that match her deep red lipstick.
Every time I see her I want to talk to her, I want to get to know her, and I want to be her friend.’

Copyright © 2016 T. J. Blake
All rights reserved. 

Coming in the summer of 2016!

Are you looking for an unpredictable dystopian book series?

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If you’re a reader who enjoys an unpredictable, fast-paced, blood curdling and gory novel, then you’ll love getting yourself into my twisted apocalyptic dystopian book series, The Endurance Series.

So far in my book series, there have been two short novels; Endurance and Endurance: Apocalypse. Both books are short and fast, but most especially are capable of drawing you in and propelling you into the London chaos.

What is The Endurance Series about? 

Endurance (2013)

‘London is silent. Severed bodies lie amongst the rubble. What once was a lively city is a now a murderous grave, enclosed in smoke and ash. The cause of the destruction is unknown. Left haunted and terrified, survivor Tom Williams confronts the brutal, mutilated streets as he fights to uncover the truth. Could he be the last hope to restore normality?’

getBook.at/B00E8Q9QCU

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Endurance: Apocalypse (2014) – SYNOPSIS BELOW COULD CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS

London is intolerable; the infected dominate the ravaged streets. Miller has gained full control and takes advantage of his authority, experimenting with the virus in an attempt to form a new superhuman army.

“Danni entered the station, the breeze was the only sound, eerily howling through the underground; the station was deserted. She ran up the escalators and stood at the top of Waterloo station. Staring along the station she saw corpses scattered across the ground. Splattered and smudged blood decorated Waterloo.”

getBook.at/B00Q57MIOI

endurance-apocalypse-book-cover

This book series is a three part book series, the last book Endurance: Recovery is due for release in 2017.

Catching up with T. J. Blake – latest articles and creative pieces

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Sorry that I’ve been a neglectful blogger recently, but I’ve had a busy few weeks. After bagging myself a new job (which I start on Monday – woop!), I’ve been finishing up with my then current (now former) employer, editing my next thriller DECEPTION, and of course, been preparing for Monday.

Anyway, to the point of this speedy post, I thought I would just give you the titles and links to my latest articles and creative pieces; which I’ve added to my blog T. J. Blake #Author the past few months.

So, below are my latest blog posts, articles and general writing material.

About me

Why did I choose to self-publish?

Articles

How has technology affected the relation between speech and writing?

Overuse of the exclamation mark: You’re having a laugh!!!! A little strict?!!

Creative Writing

Flash Fiction

Poem Attempts

Short Story Nightmare

Illusory Waters

 

Please have a read of my latest material. Feel free to comment with your opinion, and please do share 🙂

Six hours of writing this Sunday! 

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Since 2pm this afternoon, I have been writing my new novel DECEPTION. I was writing for 6/7 hours!

In this time, I was able to finish Chapter 28 and get started on Ch. 29.

Ch. 28 was an exhausting chapter to write – filled with twists, dark revelations and most of all, deep and emotional conversations for the two main characters involved.


Now, after today’s progress, I’m so close to completing the first draft of DECEPTION; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m extremely excited to get this book finished and published for you all to finally read. It’s been well over a year now, since I started working on DECEPTION (formerly The Dog Walk) for my Creative Writing dissertation. I’m extremely hopeful about my fourth book, and I’m really looking forward to everyone experiencing this thrilling, creepy and dark journey.

Keep an eye out over the coming months for updates on DECEPTION – I’m aiming for it to be released in the Summer of 2016. A good read for your holidays!

Why did I choose to self-publish?

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It’s been three years (on the 28th of March) since I self-published my first novel Endurance.  I remember working on it whilst at university, and I most of all remember having doubts about self-publishing Endurance – mostly because there was a niggling fear of what people would say or think about me for doing it.

I personally love the freedom of self-publishing, even though it does require some more work – who am I kidding, some? A LOT more work.

I believe new writers should try their luck with self-publishing; mainly to engage with readers, create a following and allow people to review your work and help adapt you as a writer. From my experience, encouraging people to read your stories is the key part to self-publishing; even if you give them the book for free

Covering: What are the benefits of self-publishing? & Self-Publishing on Createspace

Source: Why did I choose to self-publish?