A few weeks ago, I wrote about a rising and extremely prolific marketing scam that I’ve been able to trace back to operators in Nigeria. 1,560 more …
Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux: Beware Book Club and Book Review Scams
Month: October 2025
End of Gods update: the copy edits are in!
The copy edits are in! And yes, I know I’ve probably made that Richard Curtis joke already, but what do you want? It’s early. Here’s me with a gravelly voice with the update…
Lucy Strange: How Scary is too Scary? | Mark Stay’s Creative Differences Episode 14
Lucy Strange is an award-winning children’s author whose books feel like classic children’s literature, but are written in a style that is engaging and accessible for today’s younger readers.
Most recently she’s collaborated with artist Pam Smy on their spooky, funny new series Lockett & Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries! Often inspired by folklore and fairy tales, Lucy combines historical settings with touches of magic and fantasy to create utterly convincing worlds in which anything might happen.
And before becoming a professional writer, Lucy worked as an English teacher for fifteen years. Having also trained and worked as an actor, Lucy narrates her own audiobooks, winning the 2019 Audie Award for The Secret of Nightingale Wood.
WE DISCUSS:
Collaborating with illustrators
What Lucy learned from abridging Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Writer’s Block and how to deal with it
And how scary is too scary when writing for children?
And much more!
Or watch it on Youtube…
LINKS
Lucy’s Website: https://www.lucystrange.org
The Episode with GB Ralph: https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/2024/12/12/episode-5-with-gb-ralph-share-the-excitment/
What’s Giving Us Joy…
Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry: https://serpentstail.com/work/the-essex-serpent/
Instead of a Letter, Diana Athill: https://granta.com/products/instead-of-a-letter/
Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/437745/once-upon-a-river-by-diane-setterfield/9781784163631
Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson: https://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/books/death-at-the-sign-of-the-rook/
Buckingham Nicks: https://www.roughtrade.com/product/lindsey-buckingham-and-stevie-nicks/buckingham-nicks
Superstore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstore_(TV_series)
Robert Redford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Redford
A huge thanks to Emily for production assistance, to Kai Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle.
I Don’t Usually Do This, But…
My Mum passed away a few weeks ago. Cancer. It came on fast and shocked us all. In the brief time between Mum’s diagnosis and her death, the team from the Prince Alice Hospice provided her with the best care we could hope for, and they took a weight from my dad’s shoulders. Whenever I encounter people like this, I am reminded that there have always been good people in the world, who are selfless and do the things that many of us cannot bear. It’s Mum’s funeral soon, and instead of flowers we’re asking folks to pop a few quid in the direction of the Princess Alice Hospice. I appreciate that few of you will have ever met my mum, and I wouldn’t expect you to donate anything. But if any of you can spare anything to help the Princess Alice Hospice to continue providing care with dignity, then I should be eternally grateful. Simply click on the button below…
Back to waffling about books and stuff in the next post. Thanks for your time.
New End of Magic Bookmarks Just Arrived…
Ooh, shiny!
My Last Few Comic Cons for 2025…
I’ve updated my events page with the remaining comic cons that I’ll be selling and signing m’books at in 2025. They include Croydon, Southampton, Watford, Newmarket, Hatfield, Reading, Tonbridge and the two biggies in London: the MCM and LFCC.
A couple of things to bear in mind: some of these locations are a bit like Ryanair destinations, eg: the Croydon one is actually in Carlshalton, and the Southampton one is in Eastleigh. And I’m posting this on the day that half the internet has collapsed thanks to Amazon’s monopoly of the world’s servers, so some of the Evenbrite links might need a few tries to make them work. Or, y’know, read a book instead and come back tomorrow, maybe?
Anyhoo, if you fancy a fun day out and the delightful prospect of meeting me in person (I promise to shower and shave and brush my hair) then click on the button below to find out more…
Things People Say to Authors at Comic Cons 4
Let’s play another round of Things People Say to Authors at Comic Cons…
An Update on The End of Gods (Yes, Another One)…
Sadly, there’s a wee delay. I explain myself here on the Youtubes…
DATE CHANGE: Pernille Hughes on the Creative Differences Livestream
Sorry folks, but the next livestream is now on Monday 3rd November, 8pm GMT. My apologies for any inconvenience!
Pernille Hughes is the author of TEN YEARS, PROBABLY THE BEST KISS IN THE WORLD and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE; novels brimming with warmth, wit and unforgettable characters. And now she’s back with her new novel A COPENHAGEN SNOWMANCE, which is here to herald in Christmas. Yes, I said the C-word! What of it??
Join the conversation LIVE on Monday 3rd November at 8PM GMT for what promises to be another cracking episode of the podcast that dares to shop early for Christmas.
Or join on Youtube…
Pernille Hughes on the Creative Differences Livestream
Pernille Hughes is the author of TEN YEARS, PROBABLY THE BEST KISS IN THE WORLD and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE; novels brimming with warmth, wit and unforgettable characters. And now she’s back with her new novel A COPENHAGEN SNOWMANCE, which is here to herald in Christmas. Yes, I said the C-word! What of it??
Join the conversation LIVE on Thursday 9th October at 8PM BST for what promises to be another cracking episode of the podcast that dares to shop early for Christmas.
Or on Youtube…
Mark Stay Writes 