News and Features

An interview with Laurie Avadis, author of Ex

Posted by Luke Neima on Fri, 29 Aug 2014

As many of you know by now, Laurie Avadis (better known here as lavadis ) is one of three ABC authors currently crowdfunding the publication of a novel on Unbound. Unbound works by having readers put forward the capital for the books they want to read to fund their publication - and Ex is halfway to publication. But Laurie still needs a few more pledges to put the book he wrote here on ABCtales into bookshops and onto your bookcases - so we'd...

Thanks to those who have supported our Unbound authors but more needed!

Posted by tcook on Sat, 16 Aug 2014

A massive thankyou to all of you who have supported our three Unbound authors - they're doing really well but all need more support! There's also Jennifer Pickup's (Jennifer on ABCtales.com) Unforgivable, the follow up to her sensationally good Unbelieveable. Do support her here: http://unbound.co.uk/books/unforgivable Support Celticman's Lily Poole here: http://unbound.co.uk/books/lily-poole Support lavadis's Ex here: http://unbound.co.uk/books...

National Literacy Trust and Bloomsbury Books announce New Children’s Author Prize 2015 for unpublished authors

Posted by tcook on Fri, 15 Aug 2014

A new writing competition to find the “next big thing” in children’s literature has being launched by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Bloomsbury. The New Children’s Author Prize is set to unearth brilliant new talent in writing for children. Unpublished authors who enter the competition will be in with the chance of winning a publishing contract with Bloomsbury, publisher behind the Harry Potter series. The first prize will also...

Time to support Lavadis on Unbound

Posted by tcook on Fri, 08 Aug 2014

The third and final of our authors has now gone up on Unbound as we strive to gain funding for their books. Laurie Avadis has been a great supporter of ABCtales and his novel, 'Ex', was written on the site. It's a splendid tale of a 32 stone policeman who is determined to murder his son! See the video, read and extract and support him if you wish here: http://unbound.co.uk/books/ex Do take a look at our other two authors and support them too if...

Support Ewan Now!

Posted by tcook on Fri, 01 Aug 2014

The second of our books on Unbound is now available to support. Ewan's Gibbous House is described as 'Victorian Psycho'. It owes a lot to Edgar Allen Poe, Dickens and a host of other great writers - but Ewan's knowledge and skill takes the genre on to new places. It is vital to the development of ABCtales that these books get your support. If we are successful with these two, and one more yet to come, then we will be in a position to get many of...

Story and Poem of the Week - and an Inspiration Point!

Posted by tcook on Fri, 01 Aug 2014

Great to see Harry back - and on fine form with this one: http://www.abctales.com/story/harry-buschman/man-i-was-0 and from elsie katz, one of her finest ever: http://www.abctales.com/story/elsie-katz/journal-wanton-wanting I forgot the Inspiration Point last week so here's a format from way back when. Just use these two phrases in your story or poem. They can be integral to the piece or purely incidental: the black boots looked fine smiling...

Support Celticman Now!

Posted by tcook on Tue, 29 Jul 2014

Lily Poole by Jack O'Donnell (better known on here as Celticman) is now available for support on Unbound Books. Pledge away to get it properly published. This is the first of three books by ABCtales authors to go for publication in this manner. Crowd funding is the 'new way' and Unbound are at the forefront of the revolution. ABCtales has been chosen as their way of finding great new authors and Jack is the first of those to go 'live. Support...

Story and Poem of the Week

Posted by tcook on Thu, 24 Jul 2014

A day early I'm afraid as I'm off to WOMAD but two absolute crackers from two of our stalwarts. The story is quirky and funny whilst the poem is heart breaking. Enjoy! http://www.abctales.com/story/terrence-oblong/mattie-johnson http://www.abctales.com/story/veraclark/24th-july It's Tony Cook here - back for six weeks whilst Luke and Anna enjoy their honeymoon. Their wedding was a wonderful affair on the banks of the River Dart and I'm sure you...

ABC's Latest Published Poems and Novels

Posted by Luke Neima on Sat, 19 Jul 2014

Another week, another round of successes with ABC writers. More than a few ABC authors have books available this week - but there are two I wanted to flage up in particular. Laura Wilkinson's book Public Battles, Private Wars is on a free (!) promotion for Kindle and iTunes until the end of the month - so get a copy while you have the chance! Laura is an incredible author and the book delves into the mining strikes of the early '80s with the...

How to Write in the Summer & the Wasafiri Prize

Posted by Luke Neima on Fri, 11 Jul 2014

Ever since I've written I've always looked forward to the summer with longing. From a distance it looks like a long expanse of constructive dreamtime - and hopefully the majority of those can be trapped on paper. A desk in the shade of a tree, hours and hours stretching forward unassigned to duties, broken only by the scratching of a pen. But the days of July and August can so easily slide into September without achievement - the challenge, the...

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