Words on a Page

  Portsmouth and its environs have inspired an impressive number of well-known writers over the years, and the area continues to be a hub of creative activity for writers of every persuasion.  The Portsmouth Authors Collective was created to promote the work of the city’s current crop of authors, and this series of interviews offers a glimpse into what they're doing. Author Bio: Helen Salsbury’s debut novel, Sometimes When I Sleep , was published in 2021. Her fiction has been published in anthologies, and shortlisted and longlisted for a number of prizes, including the Mslexia novel competition. She’s a trained community journalist and the founder of the environmental writing platform Pens of the Earth . ~ Loree: We’ve known each other for a number of years now, and have exchanged feedback on our WIPs from time to time, but I don’t know a great deal about your journey as a fiction writer. When did you begin writing stories? Helen: I have a box in the attic of the st...

  In the second of my interviews with members of the  Portsmouth Authors Collective   I talk to the filmmaker and horror writer Rob Ulitski. Author Bio: Rob writes visceral, concept-driven horror stories, anchored by complex characters and offbeat narratives. Having trained in filmmaking, and working as a director and producer on everything from music videos to shorts to feature-length anthology films, Rob’s official writing journey started in 2020. When not writing, he can be found watching cheesy 90’s films, baking cakes and haunting local bookstores. ~ Loree: I’ve only met you once—at the launch of Fleshed Out , your collection of body horror short stories (congratulations, by the way)—so perhaps you can tell us a bit more about yourself. Where are you from, what kind of dog do you have…that sort of thing. Oh yeah—and you also make films. Tell us about that, too. Rob: Thank you so much! I’m from Portsmouth, studied at the University for the Creative Arts in Fa...

  In a new series of interviews, I'll be talking to members of the Portsmouth Authors Collective -  a group of local authors who have come together to help promote one another's books. Members of the Collective publish a full array of fiction and non-fiction titles, and in this, our first interview, we'll be meeting the crime writer Carol Westron. Author Bio: Carol Westron is an author, article writer, editor, reviewer and creative writing teacher. She writes primarily crime fiction but also writes children’s picture books, which are illustrated by her autistic grandson. She is an expert on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and has given papers at many academic conferences. She is a founder member and moderator of The Deadly Dames and the organiser of Mystery Fest, an annual part of Portsmouth BookFest.  ~ Loree:  Welcome to the blog, Carol. I'm thrilled that yours is the very first in a series of new interviews with members of the Portsmouth Authors Collective...

When Missing Words  was published, I thought I could sit back and let the marketing folks do their business, watching the reviews roll in and the sales figures mount. I quickly learned, however, that's no longer the way things work in the publishing world. If you've been taken on by an independent publisher with a small marketing team and an even smaller budget, you'll already know how difficult it is to get your books noticed.  Within a short time of publication, I'd spent my advance - and more - on Facebook ads and ads in print magazines, doing book giveaways, and speaking to librarians and booksellers on two continents. But it's never been clear to me whether that effort and expense resulted in actual sales.  The situation is even more precarious for authors who've gone down hybrid or self-publishing routes because even more of the burden of promotion falls on their shoulders. Yes, there are indeed self-published authors who have had very impressive sales - b...