When I published The Infinity Pool in 2015 I barely knew what a blog was, let alone a blog tour. I didn’t envisage blogging myself, and I had no idea of the goodwill, time, energy and commitment put into spreading the word about books by bookbloggers, helping readers choose and writers survive.

More experienced authors pointed me in their direction and I began to get in touch with them, mostly via Facebook. It could be laborious – not because the bookbloggers were obstructive or unhelpful, quite the opposite. They were generous, informative and kind. But life became full of tasks and lists:

1. Identify and visit blogs.
2. Get a deeper sense of their flavour by exploring a number of posts.
3. Read guidelines, consider if they apply to me.
4. If they do, construct a polite contact email.
5. Await a reply, consider whether to contact again (most bloggers are very prompt about responding…

Wendy Fletcher with her first print copy of The Railway Carriage Child

About two years ago I joined the local U3A Writing group as its third member. At my first meeting in Whittlesey’s Not Just Cafe, I was able to read a chapter from Wendy Fletcher’s autobiography. It was unfinished and hadn’t a title but it was for me a work of exceptional quality. Today the first-ever print copy was delivered to Wendy she brought it to the Writing Group (Whittlesey Wordsmiths) meeting opened the envelope and together with Wendy, we had the first sight of it.

This is the foreword

Against a backdrop of the Cambridgeshire fens, lies the

small market town of Whittlesey. Here are many features

of historical and architectural interest, including two

medieval churches, a 17th century Butter Cross and rare

examples of 18th century mud boundary walls.

Less well known, but still quite remarkable, are…

Tolkien. Martin. Sanderson. Le Guin. These are some of the names that most commonly come up when people talk about the great fantasy writers. These are the people who’ve created some of the most unique and enduring worlds in fiction – Middle Earth and Westeros are household names, while the Cosmere and Earthsea are worlds fantasy fans know like their own neighborhoods.

Yet I don’t see Sir Terry Pratchett and Discworld come up often enough on those lists, and that makes me sad, because Sir Pratchett is one of the greatest fantasy authors who has ever lived, and Discworld is one of the most creative settings ever. So if you haven’t read Pratchett, or have and want a nostalgia trip about why he’s amazing, read below to find out what makes him one of the best fantasy authors of all time.

The Setting of Discworld is Incredible

Every single one…