New year trivia/Updated

hello blogging friends

  This will not be extensive, the power here is still on and off so I will simply say, watch this space there is much gnashing of teeth to come.

 So I will wish you all a Happy new year and tell you what we experienced in our tiny corner of the globe.
Storm hit us on the night of Monday into Christmas Eve/ With much blowing and gnashing we were entrusted with Gods full might. A tree came down and tiles fell off the roof and of course the power went which it has done on and off ever since but for all that we came off pretty lucky.

 Christmas morning it was still a little blowy and so I was up at 3 am sitting in the dark with just candles to light my way all very festive and unable to open pressies ans the little one was asleep. still she would, be awake around 7 wouldn't she? No the one time you want her awake she sleeps til 9 but then her face more than made up for my solitude in the dark.Anyway the turkey was relegated to the now silent freezer and we boiled bacon in the gas hob just in case the power went half way through the cooking process and Christmas day was spent assessing the damage.  

 This might sound pretty primitive but we were so much better off than some who five or six days down the line have experienced no power and floods so I can't complain. well I can we have started to get the estimates for the repairs. One roofer failed to arrive despite his assurances he would. another came yesterday and without getting up there came out with an estimate which beggars believe. I know we are at their mercy but it is there inflated prices that push our premiums up every year. We have another coming at 8.30 today and even he said he was busy and had been working ever since boxing day so you can guess what his prices will be like.

 I am thinking of asking the insurance company to allow me to do the work, what do you reckon would they pay me £780 pounds or pay a roofer who has inflated their price, so the lowest estimate so far is £33276.
 if this is happening to me who many others are being ripped off. Oh well back to wood cutting that tree will burn nicely next year.  

Christmas is cancelled

Morning all

 I tried to make this point some time ago but it appears some thought I simply bemoaned the fact we had no lights. Well that is true but the disease that inflicts this city goes far deeper. Its all about money and how our elected councilors waste what we give them.

 So Canterbury has no lights and the reason is we can't afford them. Not strictly true, two parts of the city do have lights one is a privately owned shopping center which the councilors think is the best thing ever to happen to the city. The other part has been funded by individual shop keepers all very laudable but why does the main street remain in darkness? Is it to save money or is there some grand scheme to force shoppers and visitors else where. Perhaps i can shed some light (get it a pun)

 £40, 000 is what is required to light the three shopping centers under the councils control, small change in the grand scheme of life.How to fund it in a time of austerity appears to have stumped our elected fools. here are my ideas,.
 1) All fifty councilors could take a thousand pound pay cut, after all we the tax payer fund their wages.
2) They could have used the £50,000 wasted on paying architects for planned alterations to the mayors parlour which had already been dismissed as unworkable
3) use the 103,000 pound earmarked for repaving an area of the high street which does not need repaving
4) save the 17, 000 set aside for mayoral robes and regalia which isn't needed.
5) or use some of the 3 million pounds stashed away in a contingency reserve.
6) our council wasted £100, 000 on a planning dispute which their own planning department said they could not win. Now they must pay a large local companies legal costs.

All told i make that 3, 330,000 they could have saved yet they winge about spending £50, 000  to attract shoppers to our city instead of others. Already our shopkeepers are feeling the pinch by this scrooge like decision many might fail come January
 Bah Humbug is too kind for those who are supposed to be working in our best interests.  There has been much publicity over this matter if you feel as we do in Canterbury please send our council your views address them to John Gilby leader of the council or the chief executive we have a chance to end this at the next elections please support a light-less city.
D

Dead men Lie

 Yes I know you are all getting mightily bored with this damned book but this is important to me .

 I have numerous friends in my circles and I need every last one of you to read this blog and act on it. You see Dead Men Lie is to be re-launched bigger, better, bolder than before. I need you all to pass this on to at least another three people each.

 Why I hear you ask, the answer is simple that is what Google+ is all about surely to pass on information to assist others and  add to everyone's knowledge. I do so I read almost all the posts that come my way some I dislike some I comment on some are not my interest but I do not ignore them not intentionally.

 Now I have you attention Dead Men Lie is almost ready to be road tested after ages in the repair shop, it will soon be back on sale as I said far better than before it went in for drastic reshaping. To kick start sales I will be offering it free of charge for a period of time much against my better judgement but I have bowed to superior pressure.

 Also we are launching Dead Men Lie in Rye on June 4th  invitations will be going out but if anyone is in the area drop in and say hello. Why Rye  well it is where Stormouth was based upon, why June 4th, it was the date of the all important ball where those who have read the book will know so much occurred.

 Please read, please re-post to your friends, please buy and please tell me what you think of my efforts.
Cheers Dave

See how the seat of Christianity in England supports Christmas.

http://www.canterburytimes.co.uk/Christmas-cancelled-Canterbury-lights/story-19530932-detail/story.html

From a stressed writer on this Saturday afternoon..

Update on yours truly,

 The disease which has laid me low is clearing at long last, it took moving to another surgery simply to get an appointment to see a Doctor but now the drugs are working. i feel the illness being chased from my body and the old self returning.

So lets have a bit of an update, DEAD MEN LIE is now three quarters re-written and even if i do say so myself it is a thousand times better than the last edition for which I can only once again apologise for. I am now into the last section where the myriad factions begin to fall into place. For those who have read this book you would not recognise it now for those who haven't as yet discovered this book get a copy when it becomes available on Kindle and the other various sites because for two weeks only it will be fre to download then for another two weeks it will be priced as low as we can get it after that it goes back to full market price so get in quick and lest see how high we can push this book.

My little dig at my local council was overtaken somewhat for which I apologise, why anyone has to bring a piece about finances down to religion was beyond me but there you go it takes all sorts to make this little world go round. My point was while we suffer, our glorious leaders live high on the hog and suffer not at all, look at the bonuses the bankers still make despite numerous firms going to the wall.

Right back to Stormouth and speak soon D



Afternoon one and all.

  So here we are on a wet and dreary Wednesday afternoon. I was just wondering, what can I do to brighten your day for you?. You could watch my magical video of me buggy jumping similar to that obsession of leaping from high places with knicker elastic tied to your ankles. Buggy jumping involves leaping high buggies without tripping over, less dangerous than the former unless attempted after a can or two.

 I should begin with an update of both this blog site and our website. both continue to grow and for that I thank you all. It amazes me how I can thump something out here in the South-east corner of England and within moments someone in outer wherever reads it and sends a comment back. This post was up a scant few seconds and I received a message from a person in Sumatra of all places. While Canada, America and Ireland continue to be my biggest readers we have followers all over the world and I would like to say welcome to them all. Strangely enough no one reads me within my home town, I wonder why, has the council got to them all?

 Perhaps that's  true in which case i had better tell you about the time I lost today, chasing a lost section of the rewrite, only to find I had mis-numbered the chapters, 45 minutes wasted but am I down-hearted, too bloody right I am.

 Then I found these to comments about my book , did I tell you I wrote a book No, well the title is Dead Men Lie and apparently its very good though my council consider it too explicit for the good residents her to read. Anyway these were lodged in one of the first posts I put out back in the days when I couldn't cut and paste, so here they are for you to enjoy once again. The first is from an old teacher who read my book and was one of the first to give it a good review,

"Procter, I thought, spent more time dreaming than learning, but is with interest and distinct pride that I discover my time wasn't totally wasted. He has produced a work of such meaningful reflection that I am proud to say I taught this talented new yet elderly author. Never did I expect work of such magnificence but if this is what he can produce, he will, I am sure, go on to become a worthy and well read author well done David".

My thanks to you as well sir.

The other positive comment comes from a person who bought Dead men Lie from Kindle and her thoughts came via my guest page at davidtprocterbooks.co.uk

Sylvia W writes. "I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to end, Abigail was a character I could associate with while Bayles was a true villain. The way the author plays with the reader, leading them in one direction then taking them somewhere else, keeps the story alive. The ending was completely unexpected, loved it more please."

 Dead Men Lie is now officially half completed, the re-write is going well, removing a lot of extraneous drivel, tightening up the dialogue and getting the story more focused. Difficult to do without losing the tension but by the time I have finished DEAD MEN LIE will be far better.

Here's the Plug.

DEAD MEN LIE WILL BE RE-ISSUED IN DECEMBER ON KINDLE AND KOBO. FOR THE FIRST MONTH IT WILL BE PRICED AT £0.99 pence. NO MORE NO LESS. 

FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE A FREE UPDATED VERSION YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY FOR ONE DAY IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2014 DATES TO FOLLOW THIS IS ONLY FOR PREVIOUS PURCHASERS.  FOR THOSE WITH HARD COPIES WE WILL BE AT THE KENT SHOW IN JUNE WHERE YOU CAN EXCHANGE YOUR OLD COPIES FOR THIS NEW ONE.

 There, that's the best I can do, far better than most much better than any main stream publisher would do. No I don't require your thanks, your continued support is all I seek, and that you spread the word about my books of course.

 My job is done now I have to catch up with Tom Gasson the rat catcher and that nasty swine Bayles. 

 Until the next time, Oh and don;'t forget Friday and our hangout. 

Dave 

Hangout with me!!!!!

Hi Friends


                            SORRY HAD TO CANCEL DUE TO SEVERE SINUSITIS, 
                                 WILL RESCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY NEXT WEEK




 As part of my new campaign I am doing something new. On Friday three days after my birthday, (Yes another year older and deeper in debt) I am going to attempt to conduct a video hangout. Anyone interested then join me at 2,30 pm European time. Of course it could all go tits up because i don't know what i am doing nor have I the faintest what to speak about so, no doubt its all going to go Pete Tong. (Wrong)

 There you go the invitation is out there who will be brave enough to join me.

  D

A new look at what I do.

    For those who still have to listen to what I said in conversation with Kori Miller here is the link again.
                                           
                  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/backporchwriter

                  Those who have heard it have been in the main positive but make up your own mind
                                                 
 So what's so new about this as opposed to all my other ramblings? Not much really except eventually I have come to realise that social networking sites are pretty useless for promoting anything new. Those who have read my blogs in the past, will know that I do not do pretty pictures of cats and dogs, they bore me witless. Nor do I like being told what I must do or like by, to be fair people with lot more time on their hands than I have. Unfortunately, there does also appear to be an influx of religion on some sites, now if that's your bag so be it but such things leave me cold. Not that I do not believe in a spiritual deity but I will go there if and when I desire it, not every Sunday when someone deems it there life's work to throw it down my throat.

What, you may be asking, has provoked yours truly into, once again, launching himself into such a tirade. Not much really, well yes there was, in fact I got pretty cheesed of that few of my so called friends commented about my latest promotional escapade. Few said well done, even fewer commented about the content, while one mentioned the five minutes that Korri spoke and said nothing at all about the interview. Is my ego deflated yes it is, am I concerned a little, I did expect just a little reaction.

Why did this happen? well I suppose one of two reasons, either it was as boring as hell or no one actually tuned in. Am I surprised, well no not really. I have come to realise that there are simply too many authors vying for attention, too many chasing that same elusive dream....recognition. Take any social networking site, they are filled with authors extolling the virtues of their latest story. I, and most likely all of us, skip through them only glancing at those that catch my eye. While I have mentioned so many times that I disagree completely with the concept of free giveaways. I cannot see the sense, or for that mater the economical viability of doing this. A few days of notoriety leads nowhere and your books are then reviewed by tight fisted readers who can't even spend a few pennies to read the work you have slaved over for months.

 Therefore I have decided that something needs to change if dead Men Lie is to receive the credit it deserves. I allowed various people to read the new reformatted and re worked edition. I have slaved away doing what was suggested, it is now slicker more refined. Also I will no longer be wasting hours per day frantically watching what, if anything people, say about me or my work. I no longer care if they think I am useless or if the book stinks, it is my work, my story, as such I will be pouring all that time and energy into promoting the book. Authors rarely, if ever, read other authors work, so what is the point of flogging those sites. I need readers and somewhere long the way I appear to have forgotten that concept.      

Therefore if I have something to say I will say it here. At lest you my loyal followers do so because you wish to be a part of my world. I will, as of now, attempt to keep you informed, if not every day then at least twice a week. I will post what is new and what is happening with both myself and the books I write. More importantly you will be the first to know when the 'You Tube' promo goes live. I am working on it, it won't be that slick, in fact it might be pretty rubbish. The reason is I do not have untold thousands to spend but it will be me. I will do my best and that is all I can offer, you will always get honesty from me, I won't give you loads of crap and say this is great when it isn't. That's why, when I made a mistake, I was the first to admit it, to hold my hands up and tell you that I had submitted the wrong edition for publication. That's why we are offering to replace those editions with new copies to anyone who wants them ( mind you remember that those crap copies may eventually be worth something)

 We are going to the Kent Show, in 2014 where the new re-launch will happen, attend if you can, don't if you can't be bothered but I will be there and would be pleased to meet as many as possible.

 This is the premise of my new advertising campaign, honesty, no bullshit. Which is why, hopefully you will believe me when I tell you that this new edition of DEAD MEN LIE is absolutely brilliant and that you should all buy a copy and find out for yourselves.  

 Oh by the way, as and when I have the time, I will post a few of my short stories. I intend to make them into a book for next Christmas so keep a few quid in reserve for that.

 Cheers D

 More soon.

RADIO INTERVIEW

Good afternoon everyone.

 It seems some have been experiencing difficulties finding the radio station, so here is a link that should take you directly to the interview. Hope you enjoy what i had to say, it got a little political but hay ho those who know me will guess what I am eluding to.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/backporchwriter

Enjoy friends

Dave

 Something has been mentioned about putting DML out as an audio book, two questions how do you do this and would it be well received, answers on a postcard please.
D

What is Dead Men Lie?

Hi all

Here he is again Edward Bayles, reprobate, fornicator and evil minded sod all wrapped beneath the cloth of God. Nasty is too nice a word for him, if there were any justice in the world Edward would have been drowned at birth. Despite all his evilness I actually like the man.  Perhaps because like all writers we give our villains a taste of our own true self.

 What personalities do we share? I am not saying, that is for you to discover, perhaps when you hear me on the radio on Tuesday you might glean a little of what we share. So tune into backporchwriters at www.blogtalkradio.com and discover the true David T Procter  




 This question comes up time and time again. "What is your book about?"

 To tell you the truth I have always found this difficult to answer, and if you listen to Lisa's attempt even she struggled to explain our book, so here is my latest attempt.


Dead Men Lie is a love story. Alright I can hear the groans from here but read on and see if you discover what I mean.

Samuel Worthington is torn between loyalty and the need for change, he finds love for a new country and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Abigail is torn between duty and love and is left bereft when her love dies.
Edward Bayles loves wealth and will do anything to achieve what he wants.
Joseph Wood loves himself and to hell with anyone who gets in his way.
Benjamin Turnbottle falls in love with both wealth and a woman, can he control either or will one overthrow the other?
Sarah, Wood and Lady Caroline Cobb both love excitement and are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want.
Sir Percival loves...himself,
Colonel Maitland loves the army and his King.
Adam Wood loves anything that is dangerous to achieve.
 The entire community of Stormouth love the thought of picking over the bones of Joseph Wood and his empire.
 Love is complex, it can bring people together and drive them apart. Add in the added layers of deceit, denial and betrayal and the reader has a potent mix. Dead men Lie will take you on a journey (everyone it seems, now has a journey)  in the space of 400 pages you will discover what makes this town tick. How will Stormouth  react to so much conflict.

Not bad but perhaps needs some work.

Until later

dave

Radio, killed the video star.

  
                                                               Well its done.
  I have had my say and its now down to you to comment.

                                   Check out this link it will take you directly to the interview.
                                               http://www.blogtalkradio.com/backporchwriter

It must be something I said or how I said it because I am choked in the dust kicked up by my fleeing friends.


 Of the numerous people I know I have had but a handful of comments, Those that have replied have so far been complimentary but why the silence from so many others? I can only assume I was boring, that was nerves by the way, uninteresting, the interviewer threw me off track and once the thread was lost I was like a fish out of water. Or was it because I was too controversial, sorry I speak as I find, if that upsets people then so be it, yesterday I responded to a thread and my comments were taken down, why because I spoke the truth and the person involved obviously only wanted complimentary comments. As I said in my interview if we simply feed each others egos we become one dimensional, we need good and bad, ying and yang because one can only exist alongside the other. Likewise I post both good and bad reviews, you learn from the bad, unless they are so obviously biased then like so many others I do ignore them, I detest the reviewer who so obviously has read the first few chapters and not the whole book.

   There you are my daily rant is concluded, I could go on and on and on but there are words to be written projects to complete broad beans to sow. if you have listened then feel free to leave me a comment, raspberries will be posted so be warned, bad language will not and obscenities will be sent to the great reviewer in the sky via my incinerator or the delete button.

 Speak soon my cyber friends.

D    

Dead Men Lie

                                        HERE IS SOME GREAT NEWS

              We Are pleased to announce that the re-launch for Dead Men Lie will take place at the                                                                         
                                 Kent Show in June 2014 

                                   Why you may ask is this happening so far into the future? 
                                 The simple answer is the venue is ideal, we can party all day. 

                                  We intend to make this re-launch Brash and Big and Bold  

          There will be wine and champagne available along with all manner of other exciting events.   
          Also if you would like to bring your old copies we will exchange them for this new version. 

                For those who bought e-book copies, the new edition will be available in January 

                      REMEMBER THE DATE JUNE 2014... 

                                TELL YOUR FRIENDS 

                                        EDWARD BAYLES IS BACK

daily Mail today

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2472314/Facebook-criticism-Daily-Mail-Comment-Why-Facebook-free-affront-decency.html

 I am not the only one concerned.

Procter Against Beheading

Morning all

 As most of you will know from following my ramblings here and on other sites. I am a fairly placid person, I rarely if ever have an opinion, I drift along, minding my own business sometimes throwing a phrase into the melting pot of life,  like a pebble and watching the ripples expand to see where they will take me. rarely does something raise the heckles for me to take a stance but when such an event occurs I act for myself, as my conscience dictates.Such an event has occurred and i am taking such steps as I think fit.

  Facebook has decided that it is right and proper to allow videos of extreme cruelty to be shown without censorship or parental control. it appears they think that children will not be harmed by seeing such atrocities as beheading on their screens. I think otherwise.
My conscience says that i must do all i can to protect my granddaughter from the horrors of the world for ads long as possible therefore as of now i am closing my account with facebook. I would hope others will feel the same way but i am not on some crusade this is my own personal protest. There is a school of thought that protest should come from within, well we hall know what will happen if we do that. Their will be a few days of outrage then we will all go back to accepting what facebook say and we will continue to send our messages.and nothing will change.

Think though how their directors will react if one person leaves, (won't even notice) a hundred ( a passing blip) a thousand ( might draw their attention)  ten hundred thousand (what the hell?) One hundred thousand ((have we made a mistake) One Million people closing their accounts would seriously affect their profit sheets. I am not calling for any mass protest, all i am saying that i cannot live with ,myself if i do nothing what the rest of you do is entirely up to you and your own morals. I thought will say goodbye to anyone on facebook and hello to those who desire to follow my ramblings here and on Google+

 See you on the dark side of the moon good friends. or if no one comes i will enjoy my solitude.

D
 BRILLIANT PIECE IN TODAY'S DAILY MAIL CONCERNING THIS ISSUE WILL TRY AND GET THE LINK!!!!!

Facebook account closed i am alone and in the wilderness. You should have read some of the comments coming at me in the past couple of hours either i am wrong or they are time will prove which of us is morally right or wrong.  

What makes a good story?

Hi All

    The answer to my own question is I do not know. I have read many books some I like some I dislike it is all down to personal choice. certainly as far as I am concerned I do not like erotic fantasy, seen some of that posted and to me its just another name for porn albeit well written porn, but hay ho some people like it and if there is a market good luck to those who write such material.

    Nor do I understand the fixation for all things vampire Zombie and Ghouls. A good horror story though will always wet my taste buds. I like romantic and historical fiction, crime and mystery novels something which makes the old brain matter churn to figure out the protagonist before the reveal. I enjoy real life novels by people who have achieved something over a long time, hence the reason i steer clear of anything written by anyone younger than thirty. They may have achieved notoriety but they haven't lived long enough to have experienced life tin all its magnificence.

    I love reading about real life adventure, be it anyone who has overcome some terrible situation or military who did anything extraordinary but i steer well clear of gratuitous violence or imaginary war novels. Science fiction if written well is excellent, while anything to do with celebrity status leaves me cold What I like, what I write, are good old fashioned stories with a beginning middle and end, something which you can lose yourself in for a few hours but don't have to use all your mental abilities to remember complicated plot lines. perhaps I am narrow minded, if so then i am pleased to be classified as one of the norm.

What then do others think,

Until another day
D        

The state of the nation

Morning one and all

  I had intended to simply bore you further with comments about my brilliant book have you heard  its called Dead Men Lie.

Instead i am on a crusade. A thing I rarely become involved in but i experienced a lapse which must be exposed.

 As some of you will know my good lady wife is in hospital for a knee replacement. because of this i have witnessed the failing of those who work for this institution at first hand. What is evident immediately is that the concept while, creaking under the weight of work, is old the institution still works. The Government has poured no end of money into buildings new practices and state of the art machines but have failed to strike at the very fundamentals of the health service the staff. While most are diligent and hard working their is an underlying profusion of surely and uncaring staff which undermine everything that is being tried to update the service.  

Example:- The night after her operation the wife was approached by a nurse who obviously had lost her caring gene. She spoke as if talking to a child despite my wife being corpus mantis and articulate. Obviously this nurse had failed to read my wife's notes otherwise she would have been aware that my wife cannot have injections into her abdomen due to the major surgery she has undergone in that area. but no this nurse was adamant that "hospital protocol says this is where this injection goes so it was going to be administered."
 Protocols are written by fools for the guidance of idiots, a certain amount of flexibility has to be added to any protocol due to the very nature of a hospitals work. No two patients are the same what is good for 99, while have an adverse affect on the hundredth and that is where the caring side of a nurse must come in to care for that odd one percent of patients. If not then as now they receive undue publicity and lack of respect.

Example. My wife's surgeon( who I must say was great) said that pain relieve would be administered as and when needed.Untrue as soon as my wife was back on the ward time restrictions applied. Now i understand all about overdosing and the fact that medication is dangerous but when a patient is writhing in agony where is the compassion from the nursing staff? instead while the wife frantically rung her bell evidently the nurses were gathered at their station ignoring her calls by the way at the time she was unable to walk and in a side ward.    

Example. Now here is the doozy of this cataloug of disgrace. Last evening i was there when a doctor entered her room he didn't introduce himself simply stood and looked at the wife and the other woman patient. I actually asked him who he was. was he some perv there to spy on women.  I didn't know, obviously common decency and an introduction is something of the past. The stupidity of all this culminated when a nurse said that the wife couldn't have any more pain relieve because the hospital had no severodol. WHAT this is a major trauma unit and the pharmacy couldn't supply a morphine substitute. Instead i had to travel back home and get her supply then return with her own medication just so she could have pain relieve. You wouldn't get that sort of treatment in a third world country.

 There is far more to this saga but i sound a bore now needless to say this will be sent to the head of the hospital trust and a copy to the health minister if i do not receive some sort of apology then the papers will be my next port of call. What i would like to know does anyone else have similar stories? I bet you do. Perhaps i should write a book but of course no one would believe it if i did.
More soon D

a notification from a reader.

Morning all.

Just logged on and found this sitting among my e-mails. It would appear we have hit a chord among at least one reader I hope her views are shared by others. Anyway here it is in its entirety .

 Dear sir.

I felt I had to write to you as I have been following your debates about editing and your book on both your blog site and web site. At first I thought your comments were at best  naive at worst irrational. Of course editing is essential and couldn't understand why you even asked the question but then I began to understand what you meant and I took on a different view. You say you are a self-published author, as such you are deemed amateurish by almost the entire book industry. Surely that was the case some years ago but not anymore. Times have moved on and self-publishing is now considered an essential part of the industry.

What, I think, you mean is that the average self-publisher is directed down one of two routes. You either pay a fortune and vanity print, whereby a company will print whatever you send them be it good, bad or brilliant (not I fear too many of those) or you do as you have done find a gifted friend to edit your work and do the best you can. To enable me to see where your problems lay I purchased a copy of your book and was surprised. Why I hear you ask.

Well for many reasons firstly unlike others I thought the front cover intriguing and then self-explanatory. Who needs an explanation with a title like yours and a picture like that. Then the format, yes its needs tidying up, the justification is wrong as is the font size and the book could do with re-sizing, minor matters which can be fixed easily. The grammar and punctuation is a little awry, nothing too drastic and there are a few spelling mistakes which could do with removing. The story is magical, far better than some I have seen churned out by large publishing houses. The characters and place setting is pure heaven, I almost believed I was in Stormouth.

 So what can be done to correct these errors? From what you have stated and what I have now seen posted on your blogsite you are well on the way to achieving near perfection. You will never please everyone no matter how good you are but I believe you will have a book that will be the envy of many an author. More importantly you have engaged with your readers, both those who have purchased an older version and those who will be drawn to you for your honesty. I admire what you have stated, that you will supply a free copy of the book for a few weeks so those who feel slighted can obtain a new version. Well done not many authors would have thought like that.

For my own part I will have no hesitation in recommending this book to my friends, family and business acquaintances. I long to see your name on some prize list in the not too distant future. Your book deserves that at least, as does the author. Well done sir and best wishes.

 Mrs Terresa Kirby. South West, England        

Dead Men Lie. Our revised first chapters.

Good afternoon fellow book readers and friends. 

Some of you will notice that the chapters are gone. They have been removed for final editing the next time you see them will be in print condition.

 We are burning many a candle in an effort to bring this edition to you the readers in the cleanest form we can manage. Our fingers are rubbed raw with the exertion, while our brains are once again turned to mush. 

Anyway control yourselves while waiting for the completed manuscript, it won't take long to do sometime in November is still our target date. Until our next episode keep reading for only through reading will we discover our mistakes.

 In the meantime enjoy this view  supplied by a friend in Canada.

                      

Stormouth Rocks

Afternoon All.

  Not much happening here, awaiting more edits for the book, think the editor has taken a rather long, possibly liquid, lunch. So while I sit and wait I am in reflective mood. I am cogitating what I can do with the next book. The Smugglers Song is all but complete though I admit I have done little to it since starting this re-editing of Dead Men Lie. One  month should see it in the hands of the editor and then watch out. My friend appears to have abandoned me so the ghost writing is for the moment on the back burner hopefully we will return to it in the fullness of time.

 As an means of keeping the old brain working I have started on two new books one entitled the Lady Athena is a crime novel, something which I started many moons ago and to which I return to when the mood takes me. While the other is a story set around a town during the first war and one man's story therein. it is a bit of a heart string tugger as the hundred anniversary of the start of that war approaches. I have entitled it Suffer the Children, that will not be the final title but as most of you know I need a title before the words flow.

 Today i am researching tomorrow if the editor is still  feeling a little under the weather I will add the second chapter to this story and who knows where it will go after that? more importantly does anyone care?Is there anyone out there reading this? Oh yes there you are welcome to our Welsh friends.
 More later
D        




Monday 16th

 A day of records , firstly our website is just a year old and last night we broke through the 5000 visitor barrier well done and thank you all for visiting. More importantly we have had our first Welsh visitor greetings to whoever they are hope they return. As an added incentive, this blogsite has been viewed 3692 times in 6 months all we now need to do is release Dead Men Lie revamped and reworked and we can pat ourselves on the back.

Once again thank you all for looking at our work.
D



 Revealed in the early dawn yet another grizzly day. No hope of getting onto the plot and repairing the damage done so once Alexis is off to pre-school the computer will once again become my best friend.

So far we are making good progress with the re-write. All of the abysmal errors have been removed in the first few chapters, there has been some tweaking of the story and council has been replaced with counsel.  We are still ensconced in the colonies with Samuel Worthington but those who have read the previous editions will see a marked improvement in format, composition, grammar and throat gripping suspense (for want of a different definition.)

We are still looking for a November re-launch and no one has submitted their requirements ie food booze or entertainment. Tickets will be limited, so place your order now if you wish to be part of this exciting evening. Don't forget bring you cyber pals as well. Our re launch will take place here so keep an eye open for further news.

Until later spread the word, Dead Men Lie is coming back bigger bolder brasher and more brilliant than ever before.

D

 Hello all

 So its Saturday the weather forecaster said we would have drizzle for the morning with clearing skies in the evening. Such a pity the do not look out of their windows and examine the world for real. here in the South east corner of jolly old England we have had persistent rain since about 4am and only now has it eased its still overcast and we have a small window of opportunity before the first storm of winter hits later tonight tomorrow morning.

 At least we have done some more work of dead Men Lie, it really is beginning to rock even if i say so myself. Now we come to the thorny question of where do the page numbers go is it top middle or off center, bottom middle off center, should they be bold or italic. As for headers well that is a whole new question to which there are so many answers. it seems like you pays your money and takes your choice.

 Now the venue is booked for the re-launch the cyber champers ordered and the byte sized sausage rolls ordered but how many are attending i have limited space so book soon to avoid disappointment.

speak soon
D    


Sunday 15th

Yeah i have succeeded in pleasing my editor, she like something i did and hasn't ordered me to change it success at last.
D

A chastened Author

Good Morning.

  I am not the sort to admit to being in the wrong. It is is trait I dislike immensely but sometimes there comes a time when you have to bow to the inevitable and accept that others are correct and you have been blind for far too long. It happened occasionally while working and has occurred again recently. It began with a statement and ended in an augment. The sorry fact is Dead Men Lie has issues.   

    Our book which so many have bought and read and commented upon as being a great read is littered with errors. Why has this happened? The simple answer is human error, a little vanity perhaps and not understanding the publishing industry sufficiently. We have been told the format is wrong, the text is in the wrong font, the front cover is boring and needs jazzing up, the size is incorrect and the text still contains errors. Is it that bad?

    The simple reason for this is that Dead Men Lie has gone through numerous rewrite's and edits and in that process we have become word blind and confused, our eyes have seen what we expect to see and our brain's have turned to mush. The last is case in point where the wrong edition went to print and only now have we realised our mistake. 

    What can be done? The process has already started Dead Men Lie is back with the editing staff, they are dissecting each line each paragraph each sentence, removing the repetitions, deleting the spelling mistakes (council and counsel is down to me) and once again tightening up the story. For my part the formatting is complete, the book size has altered and other factors brought to our attention completed (is anyone else aware that in America the page number goes to the top of the page while in England we like them to be central and at the bottom of the page.) Small points but evidently such things show your amateur status. Personally I have never looked at a book that closely so long as I enjoy the story that is all that concerns me.     

Dead Men Lie then is back in the repair shop being fine tuned, it will return around November ready to be tested on the race track of life. How will we present it to you the readers? That is a question that gave me a disturbed nights sleep. Those that know me realise I detest free giveaways. I think they detract from our business commitments, while allowing huge numbers of our books to be read freely. However, as a means of redemption for our lack of professionalism Dead Men Lie will, for a limited time, be made available via Amazon Kindle free of charge. For those who bought Dead Men Lie previously this will allow you to read again a more polished version. For those who bought a hard copy I will be making other arrangements for you nearer the time. 

I believe no other author has offered this sort of apology, it will cost me money but that is a small price to pay if you my loyal readers achieve a book that is as good as we can make it. So please follow our progress here and on our website davidtprocterbooks.co.uk. I promise if you were disappointed before the new version will blow you away. We might even add a new twist somewhere.

Until later thank you for your patience

Dave       


11.09.13

Morning all

 this appears to have struck a chord for which i thank all those who took the time to reply. I must say it would appear the consensus here and on the website is one of astonishment that we have taken this line of approach. Look at it as if Dead Men Lie were a car involved in  minor dent it is back in the body shop for a few dents to be removed and a bit of a respray.

 What is surprising is that some of my facebook friends have totally ignored what i said surprisingly most come from what we must call the recognised publishing industry. is this because they don;t care or have no control over their work once its in print.

That is there problem which they should redress as for Dead Men Lie we progress well and will keep you all informed as to progress and re launch date perhaps we should have some sort of on line launch party who knows how to arrange that, i will bring the nibbles.
Until our next encounter
Dave  

To Edit or not that is the question.

Hi everyone that knows me.

Tuesday 3rd September

  I have heard it all now. While accepting that Dead Men Lie may still have editorial issues I have now been told it is too long. The expression was "its huge" PLeease. I have to assume that the print industry have set some kind of limit on the length of books determined how I wonder, cost size or length of readers attention span. Surely a story should take as long as it takes I have read books of 1000 pages and if the story is good then I will plough my way through. I have conceded on many issues since writing this story the length is one that is not however up for discussion.

 Now I have to return to the thorny issues of punctuation and grammar, Abigail s story is something that should be enjoyed no matter how many words it takes.

 I shall return later today to add more thoughts on the tribulations of a self publisher attempting to plot his way through the myriad problems we have to encounter without help or guidance and on a limited budget.    

D






 Once again this thorny issue emerges,How many times do we read of editors and their mistakes.? Too many is there actually anyone who can edit without prejudice or mistakes? From what i am discovering it doesn't appear so.

 I have been told my book is fine by some, that there are errors by others while some just wish to tear it apart yet when i ask these so called editors either fail to reply or point out errors which others then say are perfectly acceptable. Who to believe? While some (mainly our American cousins) say the editing is pretty poor then cite that a comma has been inadvertently omitted, well shucks this from a person who leaves out U's in colour and parlour puts a Z in realise.

 I am an aging fool of 60 plus who has forgotten nearly all he was taught in English lessons which is why like so many others  i put my faith in an editor. In the main she was pretty good (That's telling them Aye Lisa) but neither of us are professional writers or editors we are learning as we go along after being shafted by a publishing house that promised much but put the first edition out so badly edited it was embarrassing.
Yes we may have some issues with comma's and capital letters after speech marks, while my daughter who has read the book three times suddenly states that we should place a comma after for example however when the sentence begins "however, he didn't like the colour of his shoes." If it was so striking why didn't she tell me long ago when we were in editing mode? In my defense  i an but an elderly bloke remembering things he was taught fifty off years ago and not accepting that America has apparently hijacked the English language.  

That is why I am withdrawing Dead Men lie for a couple of months and doing one last edit. after that if any mistakes are found then i fear the reader will,l simply have to live with them. I have said on numerous occasions even books by well known writers published by well known publishing houses make some appalling mistakes. Are they told about them? perhaps do they do anything about them Rarely nor do the daily newspapers who are just as appalling in the spelling and grammatical mistakes. Is it right of course not but no one appears to be able to give a decisive answer as to what is correct and what is wrong.


 If anyone out there knows the answer tho these questions you could make a fortune by offering your services to us the Indie authors of the world.

 I now await the fall out from this blog as no doubt i will have offended someone yet again.

But until our next foray into the great unknown see you all later D


29.08.13

 Well that certainly put the cat among the pigeons. Seems i have stirred the pot once again with most agreeing with what i said while a few obviously thinking i am some sort of Anti-Christ the spawn of the devil for raising such issues.

We are as we speak in the process of adding the missing commas, re jigging the format and adjusting the layout. I have to say one suggestion has in fact made the manuscript appear far more professional. What truly annoys me what really gets my back up are those who deem it their lives work to spread the fact that we made a few errors across the internet. That is as far as i am concerned a cowards attack. If anyone has anything to say be brave, send me an e mail, my contact details are no secret and if i disagree the delete button is an easy tool to use. I have always said i will take on board any and all constructive criticism but be up front about it tell me not the world.

Now for some good news..... oh yes the website continues to attract viewers but i see a pattern emerging. The home page is viewed more than any other page me thinks a re-design is called for. Mean while i must say a huge thank you to all the Irish and Dutch viewers who continue to visit the web page. I do trust that you are finding it interesting and that you will be intrigued enough to purchase a copy of Dead Men Lie As someone pointed out there are but 118 days to Christmas, many a reader would like to see a copy of my book under their tree this year. remember the name Dead Men Lie by David T Procter available on Amazon Kindle Goodreads or via the author

  31.08 13

Well here we go again. Another authors thoughts on the editing of Dead Men Lie. Bare in mind that a Canadian author told us we should set the book up in a certain way which we did now we are told that they are wrong and it should be set up differently by an English author. it is this inconsistency that drives my to distraction.

No doubt in their own differing ways they are both correct, personally both are published authors sharing their knowledge with us amateurs but if there was some sort of template to which all books were formatted it would be so much easier to understand. The issue of commas is a classic example one says a comma was omitted while another says there are too many. Both actually differ in the one comma that caused so much consternation, therefore I have come to the conclusion that everyone is right while being just a little wrong. You chose your poison and simply stick to what you think is best for your own taste.

I have taken on board certain aspects from everyone concerned where their views are similar hopefully this will,produce a book that is close enough for everyone concerned not least the readers of Dead Men Lie who so far haven't commented on the 'errors'

back to the manuscript to see what can be done to improve the book which i must say this particular author did say was 'Readable with a brilliant story line and was a real page turner.'  praise indeed form someone as distinguished as she is. My passion is restored.

Until another day when no doubt someone else will tell me something totally different i return to Stormouth

D


Sunday 1st September


 Right I have listened and looked. I have taken on board everything that has been said by people obviously far more intelligent then I apparently am and a decision has been reached.

 Dead Men Lie is to be expunged removed eradicated for the listings....... No fooled you din't I. I am though going to reformat the story and go through another re write, edit. When your errors are pointed out it becomes obvious that both the book and you my loyal friends and readers deserve something far better than I have so far produced. I will remove the current edition from sale for a short while to allow for the corrections to be made then we will return with a book that is truly awe inspiring. Thanks Chris for what you said and to Helen for her time and dedication, It is heartening when a professional takes the time to assist us amateurs.

 Now back to Stormouth watch this space my friends.
D  

small authors united

 Oh dear i have been slack this month. Only one person dropped by yesterday to see what we have been up to my fault entirely for being slow in adding my thoughts. To be honest this month has been slow on every front in my disjointed world nothing is happening and therefore i didn't bother you with useless posts.

The book, by now no doubt everyone is bored witless with my constant blathering about it. However it does continue to sell the website is still being viewed by our friends in Ireland Holland Europe and North America. Plus all the individual hits from such places as China and Taiwan. I have often wondered if it is the title that attracts or has the book reached the outer reaches of the world i like to think the latter though in truth i believe the former is more likely.  

The second story is still work in progress The Smugglers Song is half way written after experiencing the fatal mistake of not backing the file up. and loosing almost half of what was written. Still this second draft will no doubt be better than the first but a salutary lesson once again learnt. The problem i have found in prequels is that despite the story being 'there' it is difficult to make it as interesting as the original. Dead Men Lie was easy to write the elements all dropped into place all i really needed to do was form it f so it read correctly this one is difficult as i am looking at the why's and the reasons as to why the characters did what they did. Still we will get there eventually.  

 This summer like so many others around the world we have been blessed with brilliant sunshine which has meant the plots have given us an abundance of crops. We have the freezers full for winter and now the surplus is being sold off. Mrs P has come to the end well almost of her mammoth jam making session all that is left is the blackberry and apple and then she can rest on her laurels. As for me now comes the time i like best clearing the plots and bedding them down for winter. As we clear so i dig and manure the pooh run has begun and i begin to hate the sight of horse dung but the benefits are more than worth the effort.

What else can i say but  i am but a simple soul if anyone out there would like to comment on what i write please do so. Ask questions make statements tell me what you want even if it to ask me to be quiet For now Stormouth beckons and the sun is rising. it is a tossup as to whether i spend the day shifting logs or writing one benefits the soul the other will keep the cold from the door in a few months time. Perhaps a little of both moderation in all things so they say is good for the soul.

Until another day
D  

A Portrait of Edward Bayles.

I thought we would take a look at one of the central characters of Dead Men Lie and who better to start with than the main protagonist, the good Reverend.


Here he is in all his glory, A very good friend of mine read the book and then took weeks perfecting his image of the priest. Fortunately he got my own image of the man just right. What do you think? Is he the personification of all things evil?

Edward Bayles is/ was a product of his time, The mid 1700's were a time of both political and social upheaval. Never more so then when the King failed to recognise the growing feeling of resentment felt by the colonists. If only George had listened then maybe the war of independence would never have happened but it did and men like Bayles saw a way of profiting from it.

 However for now I thought we would look at the man in general for to go too deep into his abilities will result in many story lines being destroyed within the Smugglers Song. I see Edwards as a man of middling years, certainly a man who has suffered many painful episodes. perhaps he himself suffered some tragedy and felt compelled to exorcise them through his own malevolence. he arrives in Stormouth and immediately joins forces with Joseph Wood
His church is perhaps shown here during winter when Joseph was buried. What do you all think is this a fairly good representation? More soon as the Smugglers Song has called me back to its writing. I find that inspiration appears at the most inopportune moments this was supposed to be an detailed insight into Bayles instead its turned into nothing more than a bit of a mish mash should i delete and start again? No i think i'll let you see what i did. Sorry maybe one day in the future i will once again get the muse and do some more. In the meantime I have Joseph to sort out and his dirty dealings.


Friday 16th August.

 I have returned refreshed and reinvigorated. I am now thirty chapters into my next book and Bayles is  once again taking over my life. I have begun to consider whether he is in fact the personification of my alter ego? Is he in fact me in another guise what i might have been given a different set of circumstances? Or perhaps if you so believe he is in fact a reincarnation of a life i once lived? That rises some interesting questions have we been here before, if as a friend of mine is convinced we have, then Bayles perhaps did once actually walk the earth spreading his malevolence and i am merely the receptacle through which he has returned. All very deep and very meaningful but possible, for i have no deep rooted feelings one way or the other.

As those who have read these blogs will perhaps be aware Stormouth is based upon a town that exists, it is where until recently i knew little of and still know only a small percentage of its history. Read Dead Men Lie and the new book The Smugglers Song and its identity will become apparent. As for the characters they are as far as i know completely fictitious but the experiences the stories i interweave into them are mostly based on facts gleaned from numerous sources and retold. Is this right? I'm not sure, is it wrong? I doubt it. What i try to do is bring the places to life, to share with you what occurred within that town so many years ago and what would have been lost had it not been for a simple statement asked to me by my daughter in total innocence one summer.

"Where does our name come from?" How many of us could answer that question in all honesty I certainly had no idea but i decided to find out and that set me upon this pathway of discovery. The stories i uncovered became more interesting more fantastic the further i delved. One of the first involved my great Grandfather Doctor James Cooper Procter surgeon at Lydd in the mid to late 1800's  I never knew my grandfather he passed away before i was born but his father through research has been brought to life and i think i would have enjoyed meeting him. A story goes that he was summoned to the marsh one dark stormy night to pronounce a body found on the beach as dead. When he arrived he discovered great consternation among the fisherman and a story being told of a wold loose among the sand dunes. So it transpired this beast turned out to be nothing more than a half drowned Irish wolfhound and my great grandfather tamed it calmed and befriended it. They became inseparable and in later years in fact saved my ancestor from a death in quicksand. as a doctor he had to go out and one night his horse shied up and he was thrown into the mire. The dog then waded in and so the story goes dragged the unconscious doctor out by the collar of his coat.  The old dog then slept beside his master for the three nights it took for him to recover fortified no doubt by smuggled rum from the landlord of the tavern to where he was taken. From then on that dog slept beside its master every night until finally it left the house to die among the sand dunes. This story is true and was recorded in a Victorian book entitled 'Dogs and there doings.' Look for it under faithful old Neptune the story of Doctor Procter. Stories such as this give me the background the basis for my own stories.

I will add more tomorrow but savour this to begin with.

D

My personal opinion.

Morning all.

 I wanted to share some more of my thoughts with you about how i write and why but events have overtaken me somewhat.

I appear to have succeeded once again in upsetting a member of our American audience. I don't know how but he has taken offence at a simple bit of horseplay. Now it seems he wishes the conversation to degenerate into verbal abuse. I don't do that.

For those who might have witnessed the conversation on facebook i should say i do this simply to promote my book nothing more. Those who chose to view my posts do so because they wish to, but if there is anything in the content anyone dislikes then simply close me down i won't force my opinions upon anyone. This individual took offence to a remark meant as a joke, he took it the wrong way and now appears to prolong the conversation. I don't, i think the whole thing is ridiculous.He also appears to think i am some sad lonely individual, far from it i do not sit here every day alone i have a life which i am very comfortable with. Anyway i thought i would set the record straight as for our friend well his thoughts are his own personally i don't desire to hear them anymore.

As for my day it has been long and tiring. i finished the drive today then spent an hour or more down the plot picking another 20lbs of beans, while my daughter finished picking the last of the soft fruit came home laden down with the stuff now Mrs P has to find room in the freezers for it all. Now i am going to do some more writing before an early supper and bed for a worn out out spoken writer.

 Until another day
D


Tuesday 20th August

 Morning All
Well here we are on a damp grizzly overcast morning in southern England. The day has started and I wonder where i will be taken? Certainly yesterday was a roller-coaster sort of day, first of all I must thank Jenni for her latest review of Dead Men Lie which you will find posted on both this blogsite and the website. I always said I would share good, bad and indifferent reviews with you, my readers. Jenni's wasn't that bad not really, but she brought up a discussion, once again, which appears to rage throughout writing land and that is editing.

  There are as many differing views on this as there are books for sale. Some awful errors slip through to publication, we must all have our own tales of mistakes both spelling and grammar which appear in even well known tomes by well known authors from well established publishing houses. I know I have seen some howlers, like the author, a distinguished author whose book was sold with duplicate pages littering it. Such errors are unforgivable from professional publishing houses yet how many times are they admonished, how many readers go on their websites to complain or point out the errors of their ways? Not many if the truth be told.  Do the authors feel aggrieved that their work has been maligned and portrayed in such a slipshod manner or (and i hate to think this of any author) do they forget the book once the commission cheque arrives on the doormat? Are they that cynical? It makes me wonder for such books remain in print, they are seldom withdrawn and reprinted yet everyone feels it is there right to pick up on the smallest mistake in a self published book.

No i am not criticising my latest review, it was most helpful, and I for one appreciate being told if there are glaring errors, my god my editor and myself have argued long and hard over issues like commas and upper case letters. We have taken revisions to the printers so many times it has become a bit of a standing joke. But at the end of the day we are but human beings, fallible human beings at that. We become so accustomed to the story our brains register what should be there not what is there we become word blind. Are we fools or unintelligent? Certainly not but we have sat in front of a computer, for maybe a year, writing, agonising researching and rewriting a book to the best of our abilities. Some like myself cannot affords to spend hundreds of pounds employing copy editors (lets face it from the evidence I have seen they allow as many errors through as we amateurs) So we rely on gifted family friends to peruse our work. Then we place it in the public domain and, low the critiques appear. As I have said and I reiterate I will take on board all corrections that need correcting but what galls me is (and this hasn't occurred to me as yet) a reader from the other side of the pond, speaks of spelling mistakes like Odour when they point out there should be no U in the word.

So many books are in print this way i can only conclude that the English language is being Americanised. Perhaps deliberately, perhaps surreptitiously. perhaps this change occurs simply because spell checker, which is an American tool after all, tells the uninitiated to do so. Which is why when these points arise I have them checked out by English teachers, who tell me that in most cases so far I am correct. After a question or exclamation mark, the next word begins with a upper case letter as the marks in question are in effect full stops. This might be contrary to what our cousins have been taught and what spell checker says is correct but I think it looks and reads far better.

There you are, my little moan, now I await your responses which I am sure will come in thick and fast and will differ to each other more often than not.

Until another day enjoy the day my friends because no one knows what lies ahead of us.      
D

My views on writing.

Morning all


 I will add this later today when time allows. keep watching keep waiting.


Wednesday on a cloudy day in England, The sun is struggling to burn through the crud and i sit here contemplating what to put into this blog.  is this the basis of my writing for the day? Am i to be denied access to the inner workings of my mind? Will Bayles and the others collude and deny me what i desire most and that is access to their warped and twisted minds?

 Too many questions for the beginning of a new day so lets examine what i have achieved this week and what i have fallen down on. My continuing annoyance with my city council continues with a private campaign directed tat the stupidity of a few narrow minded employees of that said council. As some of you will know i have had tee shirts printed which i wear around town decrying the fact that my book (Here's the plug) Dead Men Lie was banned for the ridiculous reason that it might offend those women abused by men. Now while i have every sympathy for their plight even they will admit that their tribulations should be examined and confronted and any book be it fiction or fact which does this should be applauded. Nor is my book written in modern times but 300 years ago when attitudes were far different. The other question that i would ask is has any reader of this tome been offended by any part of the story? I doubt it, in fact one reader actually said to me on Monday that she could empathise with Abigail s plight and knew exactly what i was attempting to portray. So i will continue to decry those involved until their decision is reversed until then thanks for the added publicity.

As i said this week has been one of many trials and tribulations. Not all connected to writing but they have contributed in their own way to deny me the time in need to write. My daughter is on holiday and she and my darling grand daughter expect gandah to drop what he is doing and spend time playing camps and pepper pig and all manner of childish games. For those of similar years as i and in a similar situation you have to admit such games are fun and so enjoyable when a three year old dissolves into hysterical laughter mainly at my expense. As an after thought her favourite game this week was to tip sand down my back as i was laying a new drive great fun and reminiscent of how i remember sand getting everywhere when i was a child.

That is my week, hardly any writing, busy with grand daughter and repairing the drive, distributing books to those who desire to read Dead Men Lie and annoying the council. Oh yes and one last thing i do every morning is to check the web site. here i see the results of all our efforts. Every day more and more people find us, this morning a new viewer appeared from Belarus. Welcome whoever you are. I do so enjoy discovering where in the world the word of our story has got to The usual places appear and i thank them for their continued loyalty England, Canada, USA, Ireland and Holland are always in the top three or four its the obscure places that amaze me, but i suppose that is the power of the internet. The positive side of what can be achieved as opposed to the hurt and depravity that is to be found.

The sun is now up, daylight has taken over and a new day begins. Gone it seems is the heat of previous weeks and we approach Autumn with frightening speed. On the plot the soft fruit is now in jars lovingly prepared as jams for the winter months, lashings of raspberry and apple conserve spread thickly upon hot buttered toast. The last soft fruit to come are the blackberries and already they are ripening well. The vegetables are cropping well apart from the runner beans which don't seem to be setting that well could it i wonder be the heat? Does this matter to much as everything else has filled the freezers nicely so long as the electricity doesn't fail we are well set for winter the first of the coal has arrived and the logs are on order. All we ware waiting on now is the first snow and the year will be at an end another year gone another book almost ready and Christmas fairs to look forward to.

 Hope this hasn't been too boring but i did say right at the beginning i was at a loss as to what i should write. I will close now and return to Stormouth where The Chamberlin is faced with too many dilemmas. I will reveal his identity and what he is about but i fear the book will not be available for Christmas too much to do and the editor hasn't spoken about the myriad of mistakes as yet. The Smugglers Song (yes i think that sounds good) should be ready come summer next year but we will have to wait and see.

For now have a great day enjoy whatever is offered and do please stop by again to see if i have thrown off the cloak of not desperation (not yet anyway) but certainly frustration.


Dave  

  

A writers eye on the world.

Good morning one and all.

 The temperature his still climbing and i am having a laugh. Some of you may remember this article when it appeared in our local paper. For those who missed it i will explain. My local council took exception to Dead Men Lie, well one small piece and banned me from advertising it on any Council owned property. So now i walk around town wearing a tee shirt upon which is emblazoned "I write banned books." You would be amazed at how many people stop me to ask what its all about. Most take literature and a business card while  the website hits last month increased out of all proportion. I hope sales are just as well increased we shall see, in the meantime i am enjoying myself. Mind you perhaps i should start wearing trousers. maybe these people think i am insane and just feel pity for a poor, underfed and penniless writer.

One more thing to mention. Here in the good old United Kingdom it is barely 6am and i have been awake since 4am. hence the reason for any spelling or grammatical errors. I write, i edit,  i miss mistakes i am human. For anyone who this upsets i apologise profusely and can but reiterate that my books are far better edited and amended than my blogs are.

 Speaking of books The Smugglers Song is taking shape. This is the prequel to Dead men Lie and will explain why Bayles was so nasty and what was happening in Stormouth. It will be just as exciting as DML but different, which is why it is taking so long. Five months in and i still haven't settled on a starting point there are just so many good ideas to choose from.

Now i have to close and get some work done before those who work normal hours arrive to upset my day. The drive is being lifted today to be relaid due to settling after a water main was laid last summer. While at some time this morning the engineer will arrive to service the boiler oh dear is it that time already winter is around the corner waiting to grab us by the throat and sent us into hibernation for another six months. In between all this Mrs P is still jam making and i am blanching and peeling all the good stuff that comes off the plot. we should be well set for this winter raspberries in particular cropped well and now the beans are just beginning.

So you see there isn't much time in my day to actually write and my children often bemoan the fact that i have little to do in a day. Oh the innocence of youth, they will learn one day that work interferes with enjoyment and a balance must be struck.

Until later my friends
D

 

my thoughts for today

Why is it that writing is so difficult?

A simple enough question but the answer is anything but. I wake with the intention of doing three to four hours of constructive and meaningful work. I have the ideas I simply need to write but I am drawn to the various sites I have up and running.
First of all I check e-mails from the previous night. That takes an hour sometimes more answering questions and taking orders from those lovely readers who continue to order the book Dead Men Lie. Then i have to spend time deleting myriad of multiple postings from G+ not that what you say isn't interesting but i seem to get the same ones multiple of times and as yet i haven't learnt how to delete apart from clicking on each one to delete. Then I check this blog site to deal with anything that has arisen before finally checking the website for the figures of views and visits. Speaking of which since the Stelling Minnis fair we have seen a sharp upturn in visits to the web pages. it has to be co-incidental as the majority are coming from Holland and Ireland welcome to you all though Canterbury did see a sharp upturn in numbers for a day or two. This months visits are about to top the 400 for the first time. Not that bad for a site that has only been live for a year.

 So that takes up about an hour perhaps two and now i can begin writing? No the sun is up and i am dispatched to the plot to pick raspberries 30lb so far this season and still they come, strawberries did very well as have red and black currants. Add into the mix the beans and peas we picked and now the cherries it is all hands to the pump so to speak. We are still digging first potatoes but they have gone past the sweet small ones i prefer now we are storing for the winter. Cauliflowers are coming along nicely in fact if it continues for another few weeks as it is we should have more than enough to see us through even the harshest of winters. Mrs P is busy making her jams and chutnies while I will be wine making in a few weeks the grape crop looks especially good this year.

 Once back i desire some me time but the weather is too good to be stuck indoors and i have work to be getting on with outdoors. We have a drive to lift and relay which needs to be done in the next week or so. Lunch time approaches and still words remain unwritten the afternoon looks good but even that slips away as skype messages need replying to as do letters and requests for visits. the evening now draws in and another day has drifted away from me. My summer days are long and fruitful but how i long for winter where with the fire stoked up i can settle in and write uninterrupted for hours on end.

 Speak soon my friends i have a small window of silence and i might even get chapter seventeen written today if i am lucky.

      

The latest reveiw

Edith M England:- I have just finished this book and felt that i must write a review while still in Stormouth mode. I loved the story from the first sentence to the last spine tingling revelation.  Half way through I thought i had the measure of the author only for my ideas to be dashed asunder. The author is sublime at creating false trails which lead us the reader into his web of intrigue. I loved the characters and they way they were portrayed. I adored the town and the way the author shows us what he envisaged. More importantly the plot line is so well written i could not comprehend who the villain was. I shall post this on Amazon as everyone should know of this man's talents. well done, more please   


Thank you reviews like this unsolicited and genuine make the long hours spent writing all the more worth while. I have been chastised for posting both good and bad reviews but I have always said i will be honest with those who buy my work. if someone says they didn't like my story for whatever reason their voice should be heard. No way am i going to cherry pick the good ones and discard the bad, if I did this book would have a very jaundiced view and that isn't fair on anyone. 

More soon Dave   

31st July 2013

here it is the latest review from a reader named Sharon in America. These continue to arrive and I am eternally grateful to all who spare the time in expressing their thoughts.

More often than not, I don’t seek out the historical fiction genre because, in so many cases, I've perceived it as amounting to no more than “bodice-ripping” in period costume.  That’s why Dead Men Lie by David Procter came as such a pleasant surprise.  Painstakingly researched, relentlessly suspenseful and abundantly layered with intrigues, this book holds readers spellbound by its depiction of political, commercial, and societal corruption in an 18^th-century English town.  The sheer energy that Mr. Procter must have expended in crafting this tale is awe-inspiring—and results in a work more than slightly reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier.  A must-read!

Our latest review. Once again a reader likes what we have done but they see errors. I must take these on board and will do so. It would seem Dead Men Lie has reached the Pacific Coast. 

3.0 out of 5 stars Period-Rich Detail for History Buffs, August 8, 2013

By 

Jennifer Wiltz "author and general word sorce... (Pilot Hill, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Men Lie (Kindle Edition)

This book opens with a hanging that grabs the reader's attention right away. Set in the 13 colonies, solicitor Samuel Worthington watches the hanging of a client he couldn't save--a client who merely tried to protect his mother from British soldiers.

From there, Worthington is drawn into the anti-British intrigue of the period. The action shifts to England and a town called Stormouth, where young Abigail Woods must find allies and face off against a family who has essentially disowned her. Spies, commerce, revolution,and family intrigue abound as the characters interact on both sides of the ocean.

The period-rich detail in language and setting show how hard the author worked to bring colonial America alive. These characters inhabit their world fully. You can really feel these are people of the times, not modern characters transposed into the past. It's obvious the author did his homework.

Now, a brief word about the editing. There are quite a few mistakes in punctuation and grammar. Oddly enough, it's relatively easy to skip over these when reading. Still, the book could use the eye of an experienced editor to bring it up to industry standards.

Overall, the hard work the author did with the setting makes it worth a read.