Inside My World: Photos On Social – Sam Blake

10 January 2020

Inside My World: Photos On Social

Sam Blake

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samblakebooks

No 1 bestselling author
Cat Connolly trilogy, KeepYourEyesOnMe
TheDarkRoom OUT NOW @atlanticbooks
Agent @simontrewin
Board member @society_of_authors

A quick reminder that if you've finished your curr

A quick reminder that if you've finished your current book, THE DARK ROOM is only 99p on Kindle!

Let me take you to West Cork, to Hare's Landing, a house full of secrets where the past never dies...

Laced with creepy menace and dark characters that live in the mind, it gets under the skin very quickly.

UK Daily Mail

An excellent, engrossing tale with a satisfyingly serpentine plot with a killer twist.

Irish Independent

It is testament to Blake’s skill as a novelist that she manages to keep all these plates spinning simultaneously. Her writing is crisp and precise, drip feeding the reader clues as each plot development drags you further into the story….From creepy portraits whose eyes follow you around to hidden love letters, long-buried bodies and illicit affairs, The Dark Room is an infectious blend of Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery (a fact the characters playfully allude to) and Gothic whodunnit with a hint of supernatural chiller. It’s also deliciously good fun.

Sunday Business Post

Grab it now, you can't go wrong!

#kindledeal #kindlereads #kindle99p #99p #offer #buyirish #buynow #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #westcork #holiday #holidaywithabook #travelwithabook

It's a beautiful day today and LOOK, @gerard_byrn

It's a beautiful day today and LOOK, @gerard_byrne_artist
is literally painting a key location from NO TURNING BACK, this is the park where a significant event happens (no spoilers!) What a stunning painting, I just love the way he captures light! 🥰

Reposted from @gerard_byrne_artist Happy escape from #Dublin City.
#Dalkey Island flooded with #sunshine ☀️☀️. It’s great to be back in the alstead 👨‍🎨🎨

_________
📷 @nickyhallidaynaturalchef

#GerardByrne #irishartist #diblinartist #pleinair #pleinairpainting #plein_air_life #pleinairmag #outdoors #Dalkey #dalkeyisland #visitireland #FillYourHeartWithIreland
#location #crimewriting

Brilliant chat today at lunchtime with multi milli

Brilliant chat today at lunchtime with multi million bestseller Simon Scarrow for Winning the Writing Game - I love hearing about other writers' process and inspiration and this was full of WOW moments! Two Simons for the price of one!

Watch it back over at my Facebook page or on Writing.ie Facebook or You Tube. Simon Scarrow's new book Blackout, set in Berlin in 1939 is absolutely gripping, order it now!

#historicalfiction #worldwar2 #berlin #1939 #blackout #writinganovel #writinggoals #writingtips #writinginspiration

What are you up to next week? Join me and these am

What are you up to next week? Join me and these amazing new voices on Thursday...

Reposted from @society_of_authors

🗓️ Thurs 6 May – Bestselling crime writer @samblakebooks talks to debut crime authors @awaiskhanauthor @queennads and @rachelryanwriter about what it took to get them from emerging to published, why crime fiction, and tips for new writers hoping to break out in crime fiction and beyond. Sign up in bio 🕵🏽🔗 #SoAatHome⁠
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[Image description: Four event speakers pictured, including Awais Khan, wearing a blue shirt and glasses against a blue backdrop; Nadine Matheson, smiling with black top and red lipstick, with books in the background; Rachel Ryan, with pink short hair, hoop earrings and dark pink lipstick, fairy lights and pink-lit background; Sam Blake, red hair with black glasses, wearing a black blazer, tree background is blurred out. Text underneath photos reads: Three New Voices in Crime Fiction, with date 06.05]⁠
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#SoA #SocietyofAuthors #crimefiction #crimebooks #crime #crimewriters #crimeauthors #writingtips #amwriting #writingcommunity #authors #debutauthors #debut #debutnovel #murdermystery #mystery

This was such a fun panel for @gwylcrimefest , an

This was such a fun panel for @gwylcrimefest , an afternoon spent talking plotting! Excellent chairing by Mark Ellis and some great questions from the audience!

The festival team have done an incredible job pulling together this brilliant digital festival - they have an intro video for each event that is stunning (lots of shots of castles, the sea, steam trains!) Very much looking forward to attending in person next year!

Particularly love the sound of Vaseem's new book, The Dying Days - just preordered, and RG Adams character, social worker Kit Goddard is awesome! Have Mark's glorious hardback waiting for me! And that's just our panel!

#newbooks #goodreads #crimefestival #thriller #crimewriting #crimewriters

Ooh BARGAIN ALERT, totally forgot The Dark Room is

Ooh BARGAIN ALERT, totally forgot The Dark Room is 99p on Kindle, here's the link! https://amzn.to/3e8nr7x

You can download the kindle app for free on your phone and you'll never be without a book!

Here's the blurb:

Rachel Lambert leaves London afraid for her personal safety and determined to uncover the truth behind the sudden death of a homeless man with links to a country house hotel called Hare's Landing.

New York-based crime reporter Caroline Kelly's career is threatened by a lawsuit and she needs some thinking space away from her job. But almost as soon as she arrives, Hare's Landing begins to reveal its own stories - a 30-year-old missing person's case and the mysterious death of the hotel's former owner.

As Rachel and Caroline join forces, it becomes clear that their investigations are intertwined - and that there is nothing more dangerous than the truth...

If you were dithering before, now's your chance!

#kindledeal #kindlereads #buyirish #buynow #crimewriters #crimereading #thrillerbooks #thriller #womensleuths #strongwomen #womensuportingwomen #germanshepherd #Rebecca #supernatural #spooks #murder

Ooh LOOK!! I'm in a *very* clever stack, and in *v

Ooh LOOK!! I'm in a *very* clever stack, and in *very* good company!! I hope you love them all @kt_venn_writes 📚

For those of you who are wondering (you never know, someone might be...), KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME is 'Strangers on a Train' meets 'Dial M For Murder' and is about two women who meet on a plane to New York and realise they can help each other with the less than saintly men who are causing them distress in their lives. It was a No 1 bestseller in Ireland, and if you like strong female characters, this is one for you!

Repost: Spell Books with Books 📚
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Thank you @books.turning.brains for tagging me to do this one. I haven’t read any of these, but they all look so good.
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I haven’t tagged anyone in this #spellbookswithbooks challenge, but if you are seeing it then consider yourself tagged 📚💗
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#bookstack #bookspines #bookstacks #bookaholic #bookstagram #books #bookish #stackofbooks #bookpost #thrillers #thrillerbooks #thrillerbooksaddict #psychologicalthriller #thrillingreads #thrillerstack #thrillerobsessed
#crimewriters #crimewriting

Delighted to have been appointed to the board of T

Delighted to have been appointed to the board of The Crime Writers Association www.thecwa.co.uk at their AGM this weekend, together with crime (obviously!) author Simon Michael. The esteemed Maxim Jakubowski has just taken over as chair with Antony Johnston and Jean Briggs as joint vice chairs. I'm really looking forward to what the future holds for the organisation!

#newboard #crimewritersassociation #crimewriters #crimewriting

A brilliant Publishing Day with Cork World Book Fe

A brilliant Publishing Day with Cork World Book Festival, I enjoyed chatting to all of these guys so much - all my favourite people in (almost) one room!

Agents @simontrewin and @sarabookcrazy first off, then we listened to 10 excellent first pages pitches (this is Alison who was magnificent as our opening reader, the hardest job of all) and Simon and Sara critiqued - SUCH a useful process.

Then onto the amazing and vivacious @oliviahopewrites to hear from a children's book author and to get a fascinating insight into the picture book process, and then the fabulous @agentnolan who handled my occasional disappearences and the final 2 minutes on her own (internet outage!!) magnificently. So interesting!

It'll be available to watch back in May I think, follow @corkworldbook for info.

Top takeaways:
1. Never send a book out before it's ready - work it to a mirrored shine before an agent sees it.
2. Research your agents, match your work to them, make sure they represent what you're writing.
3. It's not an agent's job to give you feedback, if you get some, treat it like gold.
4. If you don't hear back, don't take it personally/if you get rejected, don't take it personally - it's just that the book isn't for them (do you love every book you read?)
5. If you are getting consistent rejections or silence, reexamine critically what you are sending. Make it better.
6. Follow the agent's submission guidelines!!!! Essential!
7. As a new author - ask yourself, is your book original and fresh? What makes it exceptional?
8. Just keep writing, it might not be your first book that lands. Words are never wasted, every word you write teaches you more about the craft.
9. An agent takes on an author not just a book, they want to know you're a career author with other ideas.
10. The industry cannot function without you, writers are the fuel that makes it work, and everyone is looking for the next big thing - it could be you!

#gettingpublished #agents #newbook #newauthor #cork #corklibraries #librariesrock #agenttips #writertips #writerscommunity #writingforchildren

Our first sold out Crime Writers Association Walki

Our first sold out Crime Writers Association Walking Through the Crime Scene event ran this evening with the fabulous @gbpoliceadvisor and CSI Kate Bendelow. My co-conspirator @lukewritescrime really wasn't asleep!

I never remember to take the screenshot so I've misappropriated this from Barry Hurford (thank you!!)

This was SUCH an interesting event, very rare for me, I hardly said anything, our guests were so fascinating! If you've any procedural questions, get in touch with Graham through his website, he's got 20 law enforcement professionals on his team, who specialise in every area and who can advise authors. If you're a member of the CWA you'll be able to watch back the whole series soon.

We will definitely be hearing more from Graham and Kate!

#crimewriters #crimewriting #procedure #writing #gettingitright

Always wonderful to see The Dark Room landing in p

Always wonderful to see The Dark Room landing in people's homes (and what a lovely landing spot!! ) I do hope you enjoy!! 🙏❤️

Reposted from @intertypec4 Looking forwards to reading this

Had a bit of a chat with @themariamchale this morn

Had a bit of a chat with @themariamchale this morning over on writing.ie about how a verrrry long lockdown is creating a sort of brain fog for a lot of people, lack of normal stimulation is making our brains slow down. When it all started, zoom meetings and events felt new and provided a bit of that stimulous, but now we need more!

Brain fog is a bit of a disaster if you need to be creative but seeking stimulation via art galleries, music, new books that are outside your norm, even TikTok (which always makes me smile) can help. I love this painting, and it's a bit how we're all feeling at the moment I think.

Just realised I forgot the important bit on this post! (Due to brain fog!)

Reposted from @saatchi_gallery 🌊 Floating through the week with Sarajevo-born artist Ivana Živić’s oil painting ‘Dream of freedom’, 2020.⠀
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#ContemporaryArt⠀
#IvanaZivic

#art #artist #creativity #lockdown #newideas

Went for a walk in the mountains yesterday and loo

Went for a walk in the mountains yesterday and look who was waiting for us 😊 7 of them chomping happily. Much crimewriterly chat...

#deer #wicklowmountains #wicklowoutdoors #wicklowmountainsnationalpark #outdoors #plotwalk #crimewriters

Come and join me 'in' Cork for a fabulous day on S

Come and join me 'in' Cork for a fabulous day on Saturday packed full of information, brilliant authors and some of the world's top agents. Whatever stage your writing is at, you cannot afford to miss this!
Link in their bio

Reposted from @corkworldbook On Saturdays during Cork World Book Fest, we have workshops and opportunities to meet literary agents! Join us for a variety of talks on how to get published and how wonderful it is to get published after attending a workshop at CWBF, a poetry workshop where no knowledge of Spanish is required and a very special book launch of A Very Strange Man by very wonderful Cork author @Alannah_Hopkin.⠀
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Book your free tickets at the link in our bio.⠀
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#corkworldbookfest #cwbf2021 #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #instabook #love #bookaholic #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #libros #readersofinstagram #bookphotography #reader #booklove #instabooks #art #libri #literature #author

Come and join me and @wicklowlibraries to talk wri

Come and join me and @wicklowlibraries to talk writing! Link below to book!

Reposted from @wicklowlibraries "The Write Way" monthly writing clinics with bestselling author @samblakebooks. Remember that you can register for the 5 remaining clinics at once by using the link here: http://ow.ly/mBqZ50EsY3n

#writinghelp #writinganovel #writerscommunity #amwriting #librariesrock #librariesofinstagram #writinggoals #writinginspiration

Good morning Monday 🥱 Isn't he adorable? Look

Good morning Monday 🥱

Isn't he adorable? Look at those paws ❤️

Reposted from @russian_sable На это можно смотреть ещё более вечно, чем на огонь 🔥

Current social media outburst ABSOLUTELY NOTHING t

Current social media outburst ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with *procrastination*.

Here's one of @thisisjonturner 's fab bookplates which you can all order to stick inside the Sam-Blake-that-is-not-finished-yet-might-be-stuck-at-chapter-62

Grab yours here www.thisisjonturner.com

🤔🧐🤯🤦🤷

#procrastination #firstdraft #writerscommunity #amwriting #itwillallbefine

The joy of zoom is that you can attend events from

Thank you for the reminder Facebook, BOOM – two y

Thank you for the reminder Facebook, BOOM - two years ago! This was the last play I saw in Dublin, although I saw several more in London between this and lockdown approx 12 months later. Me and eldest out on the town...how long before we can do this again?

What was the last play you saw?

#theatre #goingout #theatrelove #thegate #theverdict

This is a public service post!! 😱🤔🤗 I wa

This is a public service post!! 😱🤔🤗

I was just idlely scrolling through twitter and I spotted this post from @amandaleeswriter about hemlock.

Me: why's she put up a picture of erlderflower on this post? 🤔🧐

*Scrolls down*

Me: It's a total lookalike plant!! Who knew?!!

Jeepers almighty. Should you be contemplating poisoning/avoiding poisoning any of your relatives in this almost post lockdown world, I give you HEMLOCK, *NOT* to be confused with elderflower.

Here's the difference:
Hemlock is a tallish plant, but it isn't a tree. Its got white 'umbels' of flowers, of course, being an 'umbellifer', but there the resemblance to elder ends.

Elder is a little woody tree. Its got dark green leaves, the young stems are green but the stem is a tree trunk, its woody.

Hemlock has a softer stem, it isn't a tree, it has slightly hairy red-purple blotchy on green stems. The leaves are feathery.

Do be careful out there. Buying the THE DICTIONARY OF CRIME *could* save you a lot of explaining. Although accidents do happen (in which case hide it well, ahem 🧐😸)

#murdermystery #dictionaryofcrime #plotting #reallyimawriter #innocentofallcharges #crimewriter #crimewriters

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