Category: Writing

• Over and Out: book cover design options

  With the first draft of the third book in my Rise and Shine series marinating in a drawer, I’m sorting out the book cover design. I’ve put together four celebration-themed cover design options for Over and Out, and I’m keen for your thoughts! Which (if any) of the book covers looks like a fun read? […]

  G B Ralph

  11 Dec 2020

  Writing

  Books, Cover design, Ebooks, Independent publishing, Indie publishing, Novella, Rise and Shine, Self-publishing, Writing

• First draft of new novella: done!

  I overshot, but it’s done! The third book in my Rise and Shine series of gay romcom novellas. Here’s my project target summary from Scrivener: The first in the series – Duck and Dive – came in at around 22,000 words, and the second – Slip and Slide – ended up at 36,000 words. Looks […]

  G B Ralph

  8 Dec 2020

  Writing

  Contemporary, Fiction, First draft, Novella, Rise and Shine, Scrivener, Writing

• 100,000 words (so far)

  I’ve just cracked 100,000 words written this year (so far) 🥳 Take that 2020! Tracking my word count, you can see the surge for each first draft, then the plateau as I tidy them up, move them around, then convince people they might like to read them. The first two books of my gay romcom […]

  G B Ralph

  30 Nov 2020

  Writing

  Contemporary, Editing, Fiction, First draft, Marketing, Novella, Writing

• Short Story: The Office Affair

  The Office Affair is my latest short story, a scandalous bite-sized tale which can be devoured in only a few minutes. Perhaps while you’re waiting for the bus to arrive? Or to look busy so you can avoid talking to your Uber driver? I released it to my mailing list subscribers last week, and I’m […]

  G B Ralph

  5 Oct 2020

  Writing

  Contemporary, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Humour, Romance, Short Story, Steamy, Writing

• Novella: Slip and Slide

  You thought Duck and Dive was the end of the story? So did I! But after readers said they were looking forward to seeing what happened next, I realised I wanted to find out too. So here we are. This time though, it’s Gabriel’s turn… Buy on Amazon Kindle: UK, US, AU, CA, etc. A […]

  G B Ralph

  10 Sep 2020

  Writing

  Contemporary, Fiction, Gay, Humour, Novella, Publishing, Rise and Shine, Romantic Comedy, Slip and Slide, Writing

• Duck and Dive: dedication and acknowledgements

  When I published my first novella, Duck and Dive, I was very new to formatting and preparing ebooks for publication. I am still far from being an expert, but I have gained a little more confidence in adding other bits and pieces to the book. So, I’ve updated the ebook with a dedication at the […]

  G B Ralph

  2 Sep 2020

  Writing

  Duck and Dive, Ebooks, Formatting, Kindle, Publishing, Rise and Shine, Writing

• Slip and Slide book cover designs

  I thought I’d take a stab at sorting out Slip and Slide’s cover design while taking a breather from writing the first draft. I settled early on the colour scheme and the bath theme (which may or may not have relevance to the story, no spoilers here!). I’ve kept key elements of the layout consistent […]

  G B Ralph

  15 Aug 2020

  Writing

  Publishing, Rise and Shine, Slip and Slide, Work in progress, Writing

• Duck and Dive: Kindle Countdown Deal

  Duck and Dive is 99p/99c on the UK / US Kindle stores for 1 week only! A gay romantic comedy novella about trying to come out and failing spectacularly 🏳️‍🌈😆 UK: normally £1.99, now 99p (5–11 August 2020 only) US: normally $2.99, now 99c (5–11 August 2020 only) Promo not available on AU / CA […]

  G B Ralph

  5 Aug 2020

  Writing

  Bingo, Books, Deal, Duck and Dive, Kindle, Rise and Shine, Writing

• Slip and Slide progress update (with charts)

  Duck and Dive was a funny little idea I had, only intended as a short story. Then, after growing into a novella of about 22,000 words, I decided to give it a proper edit and tidy up before independently publishing on the Amazon Kindle store (UK, US, AU, CA, etc). It was a trial, almost […]

  G B Ralph

  25 Jul 2020

  Writing

  Rise and Shine, Slip and Slide, Work in progress, Writing

• Let’s Get Digital

  David Gaughran has recently released the fourth edition of Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, and Why You Should. I devoured the third edition while preparing Duck and Dive for publication, so I can’t wait to see what new material he has in this edition. Let’s Get Digital is packed with practical advice. It gave […]

  G B Ralph

  10 Jul 2020

  Writing

  Book Marketing, Guide, How-To, Publishing, Self-publishing, Writing