tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272799522537585912024-03-18T07:18:54.400+00:00Penny Grubb AuthorPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-87257469165400175802022-04-14T11:00:00.001+01:002022-04-14T11:00:00.204+01:00Writer's Journey Through Covid - Days 6-10 Covid Day Six— Neglected SeedlingsCovid Day Seven— How To Avoid A Nasty ShockCovid Day Eight— The Little Things Get NeglectedCovid Day Nine — Contradictory QuarantineCovid Day Ten — Journey’s EndDays 1-5Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-37021027351844599282022-04-07T11:00:00.009+01:002022-06-25T19:51:21.108+01:00Writer's Journey Through Covid - Days 1 -5 Covid Day One — Now Where Did That Come From?Covid Day Two — The “Other” PandemicCovid Day Three — Dammit! Horse-DewormerCovid Day Four — The Egg DilemmaCovid Day Five— How Many Pills!to be continued ...Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-11249410925325397802021-08-25T12:35:00.000+01:002021-08-25T12:35:17.665+01:00Three random questions on writers and writingQ: When is it too late to write your first novel?A: If you want to write one, then it's probably not too late.CHECK THIS OUT FOR FURTHER INSPIRATIONAnd THIS - debut novelist at 79And THIS - debut novelist at 84Q: Where do the ideas come from?A: There will usually be loads just scattered around you. Yes, you can use other people's ideas, but you can't use their words or their work.CHECK THIS OUT Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-23182942315984256132021-06-03T19:58:00.000+01:002021-06-03T19:58:32.885+01:00Bright new day, bright new tech - and a problem I didn't know I hadImage by Michael SchwarzenbergerIf
you follow my blog by email, you will receive this via a different route from
before. By the wonders of technology you won't notice the change; though things might
be a little slicker. I've swapped to follow.it which is a great
new system built for both readers and writers of blogs on all manner of
platforms. I recommend that you check out the link andPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-58463462043205217902021-05-22T09:09:00.000+01:002021-05-22T09:09:02.953+01:00The view is very different from the other side of the counterImage by Louise DayOnce a year, pandemics permitting, I set aside being an author and become a bookstore manager for the weekend. When I first took on the role, I thought of it as wearing two hats, and assumed the author one would remain the most prominent. I couldn't have been more wrong.My author hat shrinks to become a small decorative hat pin in the massive weighty bookstore hat under which IPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-25989628691911927042021-03-31T20:56:00.001+01:002021-03-31T20:56:21.950+01:00The Unnerving Power of the Written WordIt’s a rarely-mentioned problem of writing contemporary
fiction set in real places, that it can go out of date so quickly, but it can,
and I have often bemoaned the fact that useful landmarks disappear overnight. I
used to say that I took commissions from organised crime to mention police
stations in my novels, because no sooner did the book hit the shelves, than the
bulldozers moved in on the Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-74323685313264918472021-02-18T14:00:00.001+00:002021-02-18T14:00:08.391+00:00Real life and crime fictionIn an article in Kings River Life magazine, I look back on some of the things I've done and places I've been. In particular events and places that have found their way into my books.Some events still cause a catch in my throat knowing that I was a step too close from never having the opportunity to tell anyone about it, ever, never mind weave it into a story. The article includes a freePenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-66618986863181228512021-01-14T11:00:00.007+00:002021-01-14T11:00:01.890+00:00Marking the pandemic lockdown with Boxed InBoxed In has been the working title of this book since its inception in 2018/19 - before the words lockdown, pandemic, covid, furlough and distancing were in constant use. The action takes place before the 2020 pandemic, but only just, which is an aspect I explore in the author's note at the end. It leaves a bit of a dilemma for the next one.Officially launched on 20th March 2021, the one-year Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-41563367400424345992021-01-05T15:49:00.003+00:002021-01-05T15:57:01.887+00:00Book review: The Defiant Spark by Annie PercikThe Defiant Spark by Annie Percik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In The Defiant Spark by Annie Percik, technology is powered by mana (essentially by magic, though that’s not a term that is used in the book). As in our own world, the artefacts that facilitate routine living: cooking cleaning, travelling, gaming etc, go wrong. Devices break down, jealousies erupt over bigger and better versions. Percik Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-21163557025393202442020-08-21T21:19:00.000+01:002020-08-21T21:19:03.186+01:00How to create a short sharp pitch for a work of commercial fictionI'm a writer not a film maker and I make no claims for the quality of production, nor am I expecting any academy award nominations, but I stand by the content as a tried and tested way to create the outline for an elevator pitch, a blurb or a book taster. This mini presentation was shown at virtual FantastiCon 2020 and was abridged from How to be a Fantastic Writer by Danuta Reah and Penny Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-57628199478184826272020-08-08T16:26:00.000+01:002020-08-08T16:26:06.876+01:00Some good reading for Summer 2020At this time of
year we would usually be preparing to head for Cleethorpes for the extravaganza
that is Fantastic Books Publishing’s annual FantastiCon convention. The
pandemic has put paid to a host of international visitors piling into an indoor
venue to play games, watch demos, listen to talks, join Nerf fights, put on VR
headsets and be transported to international museums, sky-high Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-12069649876937836862020-07-03T23:10:00.002+01:002020-07-05T19:37:58.060+01:00An Amazing Competition – but why did some people win and others not?The Write2Ride creative writing competition began as a small
idea and it snowballed into a huge event with its Facebook posts and website taking thousands of hits, generating hundreds of entries.Most of the entries were short stories. In terms of numbers,
poems came in second with non-fiction pieces also well represented. A few dozen
in all categories also fell under the sub-category of racing Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-72091254800652557402020-06-13T12:00:00.001+01:002020-06-13T12:00:50.653+01:00Unwriting a children’s novelI’ve just finished the full draft of my new crime novel, and
can soon set off on the long-overdue sequel to my children’s horsey novel. However, reaching “the end” is a long way from finished. I’ve written 8 novels (published) and have ~60 billion other
completed manuscripts at the back of the cupboard, so these days even at the
point where the novel is just an embryo idea, I know exactly how Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-25549655686808656372020-04-25T12:40:00.000+01:002020-04-30T15:13:00.963+01:00Supporting #NHS Charities TogetherAlong with other authors, Mark P Henderson, Stuart Aken, Melodie Trudeaux, Sue Knight and John D Scotcher, I have joined an initiative to use book royalties to support NHS Charities Together during the current emergency.
The project comprises twelve books, including Cruel and Unusual PunNishments by Mark P Henderson, Blood Red Dust by Stuart Aken, Falling into Crime by Penny Grubb,&Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-80895069487004517922020-03-31T19:16:00.001+01:002020-03-31T19:16:28.599+01:00Review: Red Sky by Carl BrookinsRed Sky by Carl Brookins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fast-moving tale of adventure and espionage set in and around the Virgin Islands. It has one of those slow-burn starts where you get wrapped up in the landscape and the minutiae of life aboard a yacht as married couple Michael Tanner and Mary Whitney enjoy an idyllic sailing holiday, but there’s an underlying tension because you know thePenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-49637391131715099582020-03-27T15:33:00.000+00:002020-03-27T15:33:35.555+00:00Day One: Lockdown Covid-19; echoes of New Year’s Eve
Not that we had a clue on New Year’s Eve, awaiting the dawn
of 2020, that covid-19 was even a thing. No one knew at that stage, though
hindsight would show it to have been around since the autumn.
On New Year’s Eve our attention had been drawn to our
boiler.
At around 11.30 pm it had given up the ghost, refusing us either heat
or hot water. It was a cold nightPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-13399735125596621752019-11-30T11:00:00.000+00:002019-11-30T11:00:09.713+00:00Taking a pop at the fizzy drinks industryThe Accidental Spurrt by Walt Pilcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vintage Pilcher and a great follow up to Everybody Shrugged (which now looks prescient given the state of world politics). The Accidental Spurrt takes a pop at the fizzy drinks industry. Pilcher is a master of the absurd. The strands of multinational concerns, of personal relationships, of struggling individuals just trying to eke outPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-11435643529907817522019-11-23T11:00:00.000+00:002019-11-24T12:51:41.459+00:00The Forge: Fire and Ice - SciFan anthologyThe Forge: Fire and Ice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Forge: Fire and Ice is a science fiction and fantasy anthology. It has a fascinating Foreword by Doctor Who and Harry Potter actor, Simon Fisher Becker, who nicely ties in the title with the theme of the collection. The stories themselves are the winners and shortlist from a SciFan competition run by Fantastic Books Publishing plus two Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-24797769389083618072019-11-16T11:00:00.000+00:002019-11-16T11:00:07.089+00:00April Taylor's Tudor Enigma SeriesCourt of Conspiracy by April Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
April Taylor’s Tudor Enigma series are historical fantasy. In this world, Henry VIII’s son by Anne Boleyn survived birth and grew to adulthood. There was no 3rd (4th, 5th or 6th) marriage for Henry VIII, and on his death Henry IX became king.
The book follows the fortunes of of a number of characters as political scheming against the Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-18046281992541048782019-11-12T08:00:00.000+00:002019-11-12T15:24:53.876+00:00A Convenient Marriage – romance with a difference
A Convenient Marriage by Jeevani Charika is a book about a young woman, Chaya, torn between love and duty who finds a compromise in a marriage of convenience and friendship to Gimhana. But it was never going to be that simple and as the years go by friendship isn’t always enough. Chaya and Gimhana have built a lot together, but in the end will they decide to risk it all to follow their Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-38736245472923146992019-10-31T11:00:00.000+00:002019-10-31T11:00:07.760+00:00Enervation: book 3 in the Shadeward series (and yes, there is going to be a book 4)Enervation by Drew Wagar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Enervation is the 3rd in Drew Wagar's Shadeward series. A must-read for anyone who has been following the stories since book 1. If you haven't read the earlier books, I recommend that you get them and read them in order. You won't lose the adventure and excitement if you read out of order, but the drama will have much more depth for knowing how Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-25059667775689050502019-10-24T11:00:00.000+01:002019-10-24T11:00:08.068+01:00The Star Protocol - science fiction at breakneck speedThe Star Protocol by Ramon Marett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's not often that passions for space adventure, science fiction and archaeology join forces in the same book, but that's clearly what lies behind The Star Protocol.
Protagonists Dash and Will are professional soldiers, special forces with special skills and training, and the adventure they are thrown into tests their professionalism toPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-36110498858391667622019-10-19T19:59:00.000+01:002019-10-19T19:59:36.972+01:00Gravity's Arrow - be careful what you wish forGravity's Arrow by Jack Mann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a young adult space adventure. The protagonist is 12-year-old Fhiro who thinks of his life as pretty mundane - hemmed in by parental rules, envious of an older brother who has so much more freedom, and pestered by a younger sister who is as irritating as only a younger sister can be. He yearns for adventure.
Fhiro has no clue that hisPenny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-7864278367499351472019-10-01T11:45:00.000+01:002019-10-01T11:45:26.645+01:00In this month...
9 years ago: Fay Weldon in Brighton https://pennygrubb.blogspot.com/2010/10/fay-weldon-at-pavilion-theatre.html
8 years ago: the word ‘be’ looms larger than it ever should https://pennygrubb.blogspot.com/2011/10/to-be-or-not-to-what.html
6 years ago: at Hull Fair https://pennygrubb.blogspot.com/2013/10/and-all-fun-of-fair.html
2 years ago: seven authors and at least Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827279952253758591.post-90272008507997162962019-05-27T18:00:00.000+01:002019-05-27T18:05:01.118+01:00August extravaganza in the makingThis is where I'll be mid August, by the sea, looking out over one of the East Coast's biggest expanses of sandy beach. Both a popular destination (for those in the know) and also something of a hidden gem.
And in a quiet corner amidst the drone racers, the virtual reality gamers, the retro board gamers, the escapers, the nerf warriors and large contingents from the casts of Star Wars, Dr Who,Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1