I recently found some old school reports from ages 8-10 years. It was of course interesting to read them, but even more interesting to contemplate the memories they prompted… 8 Years Old: 9 Years Old: 10 Years Old: 11 Years Old+ At 11 years old, I then passed the 11+…
Writers are well-known for enjoying a drink while they write. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway were practically alcoholics, apparently. Most writers I know prefer a tea or coffee. As for me, I like a sparkling water, coke zero, or a proper hot chocolate. There’s something about chocolate. Probably the naturally…
One of the last checks I do in a novel before I send it to my publisher is a voice check. I read through every main character’s dialogue from beginning to end, and only that dialogue, to make sure they each sound consistently like them. Because how a person speaks…
Launched! When Dark Waters Burn is officially out in the wild for those with an adventurous spirit and a warm heart. Just watch out for the water-ants, snap snap! – “Cements Shapter’s reputation as a master of immersive worlds.” Tawny Frogmouth Magazine – “An emotional read which doesn’t let go.”…
Contemplating real-life distances to ensure the fantastical is believable…
Wow, what a wonderful review of my upcoming release When Dark Waters Burn in this month’s The Tawny Frogmouth magazine! The full review is over here (on p44), but here’s how it begins: “When Dark Waters Burn… cements Shapter’s reputation as a master of immersive worlds.” Funnily enough, I love…
We all know that experiences change a person – their outlook on life, how they process thoughts and emotions, how they interpret events and places. But I have personally never felt this as starkly as when I recently returned to Greece after a gap of twenty years. Parts of Athens…
