Inside My World: Photos On Social – Sam Blake

Sam Blake

Number one bestselling author

10 January 2020

Inside My World: Photos On Social

Sam Blake

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No 1 bestseller, shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year
The Dark Room OUT NOW
Agent @simontrewin
Board member @society_of_authors & The CWA

What a perfect Friday post – this is the bedrock o

What a perfect Friday post - this is the bedrock of how and why @themariamchale and I work together, and it's precisely the premise that Inkwell was built on back in the day when I first started on this writing journey. It's why writing.ie exists as a free resource for ALL writers, assisting and inspiring new writers and promoting published writers to a global audience.

When we all work together, all ships rise.

I've been working on two big projects this week that have the potential to make a huge difference to a lot of people. The writers will have to take the next step, but hopefully, both will open doors 🤗🚀✍️🥳

And I've been writing a bit myself too (*honestly*!!)

Reposted from @womenschapter We could not agree more! Wise words from the phenomenal @michelleobama 🙌🏾⚡️

#success #motivation #motivationalquotes #quotes #inspiration #writinghelp #writinganovel #writerscommunity

Thinking about the next three chapters & catching

Thinking about the next three chapters & catching autumn rays with my assistant in the garden.

Beautiful outside, freezing in my office! Daisy couldn't understand why I was inside at all.

☀️🫖📖

#catsofinstagram
#blackcat
#plotting

A little late to the party but it's Agatha Christi

A little late to the party but it's Agatha Christie's birthday today! Which is your favourite book?

Just in case you don't know (where have you been?!) Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which was performed in the West End from 1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.

In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies. (#goals 😍💥⚡)

I'm currently reading Murder is Easy and loving it! ☠️

Gorgeous illustration reposted from @officialagathachristie Don't forget to sign up to our Agatha Christie newsletter to receive your copy of the #ReadChristie2021 challenge! Plus, we will deliver Christie news, features and activities straight to your inbox [link in their bio] #agathachristie #readingchallenge #readchristie2021 #booklove #bookstagram

So thrilled to get this book into the world, and t

So thrilled to get this book into the world, and there's only one week to go before release!!

I loved writing Anna Lockharte, who featured in NO TURNING BACK - I always felt her story wasn't over yet.

When I heard about the chaos that was caused by Ollie Murs tweet when he apparently heard gunfire in Selfridges, it started me thinking. Anna is a professor in Trinity, an expert in international terrorism. And she has someone she really wants to meet in London.

Then I saw a girl with pink hair on the Tube and Brioni O'Brien jumped straight into the story.

HIGH PRESSURE is about relationships and how some things may not be what they seem...

It's set against the backdrop of a super hot summer in London and begins at the Irish Embassy at an event to announce a scholarship for women in STEM, and ends by the sea in Wexford. ☀️ 🌊💥

It's pacey and gripping and features very two bright women with enquiring minds. I hope you enjoy it!

Released as a worldwide digital exclusive, this book links my series and standalones and is set in the Sam Blake world - if you've read another of my books you'll spot references you recognise, but if this is your first, it's a standalone story that will have you on the edge of your seat. ⚡😬📖

And there's a twist at the end that even I didn't see coming!

You can preorder now - link in bio or pop over to Amazon or Kobo. Audio coming in December 💥🙏❤️

#HighPressure #bethefirsttoread #kindle #kobo #amazon #digital #thriller #London
#summerreads #summerready #sunshine #heat

One of the absolute joys of my 'job' is working wi

One of the absolute joys of my 'job' is working with amazing people - it's not really work if you love what you do!

Working with people who inspire you, to pass on that inspiration and experience to others is an absolute joy - and seeing others grow and succeed is just amazing.

@themariamchale inspires me every day, and makes me laugh A LOT. We met completely randomly on the way into a blogger award event (we were both shortlisted) in Cork and haven't stopped talking since 🤣🤣

Reposted from @themariamchale There's an awful lot of guff written about business and work on the internet. There's also a lot of stuff written about the internet and it's evil ways.

BUT it's never been easier to do work if you run your own business. And I've met truly amazing people thanks to the internet.

And I think we forget that work actually SHOULD be fun.

Sometimes in the deluge of creating something out of nothing, trying to get attention and eyes on it and trying to sell yourself on social media - we can lose the fun and the joy and the 'why' of it all.

I try to put joy and fun upfront in my business every day. (Unless someone asks me about spreadsheets, then I just try to run away 🤣).

But otherwise, I LOVE my work, my clients and what I am trying to build.

It helps that I'm building my businesses with two fantastic partners who have the same values and work ethic as me.

Vanessa and Mark. And me.

Writers Ink with Vanessa and Get Noticed with Mark.

As you can see, we make it as much fun as we can, doing what we do - for people we like!

Your business should be fun - if it's not right now - bring a bit of joy to it tomorrow and see where it takes you!

#inspiration #experience #learning #joy #workingfromhome #internet #writers #writerscommunity #events

Yes please! The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express –

Yes please!

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express - just stunning!

Reposted from @vsoetrain Prague is a perfect balance of ancient and modern, captured through layers of hand-embroidered cushions and Cubist inspired mosaic patterns. Transport yourself into the city’s theatrical character through the rich golds and maroons.

#TheArtOfBelmond #BelmondTrains #Europe #travel #travelwithabook #research #Italy #France #London #luxury #goals

🤣🤣👏👏 Brilliant! Reposted from @mr_bi

🤣🤣👏👏

Brilliant!

Reposted from @mr_bingstagram

#pencil #serialkiller #crimewriters #ideas #inspiration #forensic #ShopLocal

Equally nervous and thrilled to see #RememberMyNam

Equally nervous and thrilled to see #RememberMyName reaching the first readers 😬🥳 argh!!!

Reposted from @theangelaclarke Book post! I’m a huge fan of Sam’s. So I’m really excited to get this! 📕📖☕️ Thanks to @atlanticbooks for sending a copy!

Remember My Name by @writing_ie (Sam Blake)

When Cressida Howard catches her entrepreneur husband playing away from home, she hires security expert Brioni O'Brien to get the evidence she needs for a speedy and financially rewarding divorce.

But what Brioni uncovers goes beyond simple infidelity. Because Laurence Howard is also in bed with some very dangerous people. Bribery and blackmail are the least of his worries as someone comes after the women in his life - someone who is out to destroy Laurence and his empire, whatever the cost.

#samblake #remembermyname #thriller #suspense #mystery #investigation #crime #family #affair #blackmail #authorsofinstagram #author #books #reading #lovebooks #lovereading #booknerd #bookclub #bookaddict #booksofinstragram #bookstoread #booksofinsta #bibliophile #whattoread #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #amreading

Really this writing business is *terribly* serious

Really this writing business is *terribly* serious...🤣🤣

Thrilled to be kicking off another week long writing challenge (our sixth!) with my partner in crime @themariamchale 💥 ❤️⚡here we are introducing ourselves and explaining how the week works in our first live - we do an hour live every evening during the week answering participants' questions and highlighting the key points that our daily writing tasks throw up.

Packed full of learning and lots of fun, we take a bunch of writers - at all levels - through five days of writing exercises that will stretch their creative wings and give their writing a huge boost. We've had writers develop novels and winning short stories from the prompts and tasks (me too, I've discovered a whole new character through one of Maria's photo prompts!)

The best bit is that we get to do what we both love, working together and giving inspiration and guidance, pooling a LOT of years of experience. (I won't say how many!!!) Maria is a business coach, NLP expert, ex magazine publisher and a journalist who cut her teeth on the national press in London and is still a regular with The Irish Times. She's an expert on motivation and mindset, and I'll be critiquing every day.

Can't wait to see what the group produces! It's going to be a busy week!
👏✍️📖🏆

Utterly utterly inspiring. Two incredible players

Utterly utterly inspiring. Two incredible players. Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu, what a game!

#EmmaRaducanu 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇨🇳 was ranked No. 150 in the world, and had to play her way in to qualify.

No-one took more than five games off her in a set, and even that only happened once - in the second round of qualifying (via @wimbeldon_ )

Here meeting Virginia Wade, the 1968 winner.

Just wonderful 🌟💥⚡

(And I've just discovered @tiffanyandco make the trophy, nice!)
🏆🏆🏆

#emmaradacanu #leylahfernandez #tennis #goals #inspiration #talent #hardwork

One of these days I'm going have a whole book full

One of these days I'm going have a whole book full of characters, ALL of whose names I can spell.

Find and replace only works if your mistakes are consistent 🤦

If there's more than one option my brain tries them all, and throws in a few of its own for good measure 🙈

#spelling #mistakes #findandreplace #writing #names #charactersheet #characternames

Pic via @hourly_fox on Twitter (me today!)

Have to share this! Love it! Thank you @sarahwebbw

Have to share this! Love it! Thank you @sarahwebbwriter for tagging me 🙏❤️

Reposted from @marieforleo

TRUTH 🌸 Tag 2 friends who need this reminder today. 💗💗⁣⁠
⁣⁠
repost @jennibrhodes⁣⁠, quote attributed to @sophiabush 🥰

#personaldevelopment #leadership #bethechange #figureoutable #everythingisfigureoutable #tagafriend #marieforleo #motivationeveryday #personalpower #thursdaythought

I find gateways, doorways and corridors intriguing

I find gateways, doorways and corridors intriguing, they are all beginnings, places people meet and stories start. All these locations have given me ideas, and are places where paths cross and stories intersect.

The first picture is a London bus - the No 13 bus that goes down beside Selfridges and through Hyde Park Corner on to Victoria passing the Irish Embassy on the way. This bus route is *very* significant in HIGH PRESSURE, and I took the photo during the sweltering hot summer when the book is set (it was a total change to write a book set in summer, most of mine are autum/winter!) Anna Lockharte and Brioni O'Brien first meet at a reception at the Embassy, on a day when series of dramatic events are set in motion. HIGH PRESSURE is a worldwide digital exclusive, a spiderweb book, that links my series books and the standalones (but is a complete story of its own) and is out on 22nd September.

This corridor is in the fabulous St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which makes an appearence in HIGH PRESSURE too as Anna Lockharte cuts through it to go and meet Brioni, bringing her some shocking news.

The last one is above #HelfordPassage in #Cornwall which was the location that inspired THE DARK ROOM - the river you can see through the trees leads to du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek. 'Rebecca' was a big influence on the story, and if you read it, you may recognise references. As well as the house itself and a certain housekeeper, Rachel's dog Jasper is named Maxim de Winter's dog. THE DARK ROOM is out in the smaller paperback format in November for anyone who likes more portable magic (to quote Stephen King 😉

All completely different locations but all points where story has developed. For me locations are like characters in each book, and I want you to feel like you're walking along the beach at Hare's Landing, or along Oxford Street in the baking sun, or your are on the top deck of the No 13, just like the characters in my books.

#ideas #storytelling #storytime #plotting #writing #writing

ARCs are arriving!!! Reposted from @claireallan_a

ARCs are arriving!!!

Reposted from @claireallan_author This is very exciting #bookpost - a proof of the new thriller from the brilliant @samblakebooks #RememberMyName

This one is coming from @corvusbooks in January 2022.

Here's the blurb:

If she’d turned off her phone, instead of listening in, perhaps no one would have died…

When Cressida Howard catches her entrepreneur husband playing away from home, she hires security expert Brioni O’Brien to get the evidence she needs for a speedy and financially rewarding divorce.

But what Brioni uncovers goes beyond simple infidelity. Because Laurence Howard is also in bed with some very dangerous people.

Bribery and blackmail are the least of his worries as someone comes after the women in his life – someone who is out to destroy Laurence and his empire, whatever the cost. And Cressida and her teenage daughter could soon be collateral damage, if she and Brioni don’t act fast.

#bookstagram #booklover #readersofinstagram #ARC

The very first advance reader copies are landing!!

The very first advance reader copies are landing!! Oh goodness me 😬

Thanks so much for posting @lexieelliottwrites, now I'm just going to hide behind the sofa for a bit 🙈

It doesn't matter how many books you write, this part of the process is utterly nerve wracking!!

#bookreader
#booksofinstagram #advancebravely #newbook #thriller #bookbloggers #booklove #bookstores #bookstoread

Woot! I'm delighted that High Pressure is now on N

Woot! I'm delighted that High Pressure is now on NetGalley!

If you're a book blogger you can request your copy now - this is a very special 'spiderweb' book that works as a standalone in its own right, but if you've read the Cat Connolly books you'll recognise some of the characters - and you'll get a glimpse of the one we ALL want to know about!

For those of you who have found Sam Blake through the standalones KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME and THE DARK ROOM, the next one REMEMBER MY NAME features Brioni O'Brien and HIGH PRESSURE is a sort of prequel to that book too.

In the Sam Blake world *anyone* can appear!

You'll see too that HIGH PRESSURE has a new cover because we discovered the other one was a bit too close to another thriller, and it's not nice or beneficial to anyone to have things duplicated.

So HIGH PRESSURE is a whole new story, with a whole new look! Here's the blurb:

A gripping spiderweb thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of Little Bones and The Dark Room

As temperatures soar across Europe during the hottest summer for forty years, a series of hoax terrorist attacks is generating panic in London. Then a bus blows up on Oxford Street and the hoaxes have suddenly become real.

Student Brioni O’Brien has been desperately trying to contact her older sister since she unexpectedly returned early from travelling, so when Marissa’s bag is found near the site of the explosion, she fears the worst.

Teaming up with terrorism expert Anna Lockharte to search for Marissa, Brioni discovers that her sister had got herself into a very dangerous situation – and that now she and Anna could be caught in the fallout.

HIGH PRESSURE is a worldwide digital exclusive, order now via the link in bio or here directly with Amazon https://amzn.to/3jW2dgh
or pop over to NetGalley for an advance reader copy - it's released 22nd September - NOT LONG TO GO!

#newrelease #netgalley #bookblogger #bookbloggeruk #bookstagram #bookblogging #books #thriller #outsoon #crimewriter #booksbooksbooks #bookbloggersusa

Absolutely fabulous visit to London, great meeting

Absolutely fabulous visit to London, great meetings, good company and so many ideas! So lovely to catch up with @amandaleesauthor & @lexieelliottwrites - next time we'll catch you @queennads and @author_maxinemeifungchung (and remember to take the photo!)

How to Kill Your Best Friend by @lexieelliottwrites is just out now - LOVED it! And @amandaleesauthor
Dictionary of Crime is constantly by my side. Grab them both on your next bookshop trip ⚡📖

@hotelbloomsbury is the most beautiful hotel, the attention to detail is second to none and the staff are absolutely wonderful, friendly and SO incredibly helpful. Food is delicious, cocktails in the Coral Room an experience, I just love staying here! It's the perfect location for central London, only short walk to Covent Garden or the @britishmuseum.
Can't recommend it highly enough.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The @thedoylecollection also run @westburydublin and @theriverlee in Cork where I've stayed many times - all fabulous!

#hotels #london #wheretostay #firstclass #bloomsbury #doylecollection #cocktails @thecoralroom #relaxation #travel #writersnightout #writerslife

Have just had the most brilliant (and delicious) l

Have just had the most brilliant (and delicious) lunch in the company of the Crime Writers Association St.Albans chapter in Pendley Manor in Tring - 13 writers who have published 211 books between them! We didn't count how many sold but given that I was sitting next to Dougie Brimson who has sold 1.5 million copies, it might be a few ⚡💥 🎥

The best chats and they even have peacocks 🥂🤗

(I may not need to eat for a week!)

#crimewriters #crimeauthors #writerscommunity #writerevents #script #screenwriting #screenwriter #writerslife

Writing a CPR scene and realising how much I need

Writing a CPR scene and realising how much I need to make all the facial expressions to get the emotion right.

Which is fine at home.

But I'm in a v busy coffee place in the airport 😱

Can't take pic of very exciting screen/coffee as I might capture unsuspecting travellers in the background so here's a pic of my luggage tag instead 🤗🤣

Had these made after I took my eye off a case and it was taken by someone else in Bristol airport. But *that* gave me the start of a story...

You can find out what happens to Brioni's missing case in High Pressure - it's got a new cover too, AND a very fancy Amazon page, check it out via link in bio.

It's available for preorder now and it's a worldwide digital exclusive so you can read anywhere in the world 🙏❤️🤗
https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Pressure-totally-addictive-thriller-ebook/dp/B099W4DDRM

#travel
#travelwithabook
#airport @dublinairport #london #dublin #thriller #crimewriter #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #travellersofinstagram

Do you spend all your time thinking about writing,

Do you spend all your time thinking about writing, dreaming about writing, doing the odd bit of writing but mostly getting overwhelmed and lost instead? You are not alone!

Are you in a haze of can I? Will I? Questions that leave you going around in circles and getting more & more dejected and NOT WRITING?!

If you answered yes to any of these, now is the perfect time to join me & the Writers Ink WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW Challenge - our SIXTH one which starts on Monday 13th September.

Hosted by me and my partner in crime journalist and NLP coach Maria McHale, this 5 Day Challenge will give you the building blocks for a novel – characters, location, conflict - or the background for a short story writing. Most importantly it will get you writing!

Each day there will be one daily task, this takes 20-30 minutes to complete (or longer if you want).

We’re going to be looking at character, setting, story development, dialogue and beginnings - you'll learn tons on writing technique!

We’re also going to be look at those other writer problems like writers block, imposter syndrome and building good writing habits.

You'll be given EXCLUSIVE access to our private challenge members only Facebook group, along with everyone else taking part in the challenge.

Every day we share one action item in the group for you to complete and post in the comments how you got on.

And each evening, there's a LIVE one hour video chat in the group with myself and Maria where you can ask any questions on the challenge, writing, books, publishing, agents, submitting - whatever you need!

The best bit is the wonderful energy and community vibe that comes from being part of a challenge – it’s infectious!

There’s nothing like a supportive community to turn to when you get stuck – and the challenge is the perfect way to get your writing mojo back after all the recent stresses. It costs just €35 for the full week - the best €35 you'll spend on your writing!

Full details at the Writing.ie FB page or at www.writing.ie https://www.writing.ie/news/the-write-here-right-now-challenge-is-back/

GO!

#amwriting #writerstips #writerscommunity #writersgroup #writinghelp #writinggoals #writing

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